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First, I have been on this site for a long time (over 10 years) and this is my first post!
I just picked up a potential project, a 1999 Camaro SS. It is a hardtop, auto, mostly stock with 160K miles, and no power options. I will admit that I am a sucker for hardtop, but another low option SS was too hard to resist. The did watch the car run back to back 13.7's at the local drag strip (not bad for the miles).
My first thought was to leave it mostly as it is, but fix the minor issues such as some clear coat issues and minor rust. But I am also contemplating the normal upgrades (cam, heads, exhaust, stall converter). I have no plans to keep this car, as I am already maxed out with my current toys.
So my question is: what would you do? Leave it STOCK, or UPGRADE...
Are you hoping to flip it for a quick profit by fixing the worst issues? If so, don't spend ANY money that you don't have to. Beyond that, I'm not sure what purpose you'd have for buying it if you plan to resell right away.
But, if you plan to keep it for at least a little while and want to have some fun (more than just stock) before selling, consider looking for deals on used parts that can be easily inspected for quality/condition (such as exhaust or other bolt-ons). Personally, I would not buy a used cam or converter unless, maybe, I really knew and trusted the seller; the last thing you want is to end up with even bigger problems due to used parts on a car that you didn't intend to keep anyway. But certain stuff is fine to buy used, and you could even resell it later if you don't mind the hassle of going back to stock before you sell the car. That would be the most cost effective compromise if you don't plan to keep the car for very long but still want a bit more performance. Just remember that you won't be able to recover any money that you spend on tuning, assuming you don't do this yourself.
i realize that you never get your money back on most modifications.
The plan is not a quick flip. That said, I really enjoy tinkering with these cars, and my initial plan was just fix the obvious stuff as a project for next spring/summer and make the car better than it currently is. I have spare parts from other cars/projects, so the upgrades would be using parts that I already have. So technically I would not be spending any money on used/new parts, and the only real cost would be my time (I'm retired so time is not so much an issue). I do all my own mechanical work, including the tuning, so again not an issue.
I guess I am more curious what others would do to a higher mileage SS.
I have spare parts from other cars/projects, so the upgrades would be using parts that I already have. So technically I would not be spending any money on used/new parts, and the only real cost would be my time (I'm retired so time is not so much an issue). I do all my own mechanical work, including the tuning, so again not an issue.
Sounds like a good plan then, if you intend to keep it long enough to at least have a little fun with it.
Originally Posted by 02Hawk1151
I guess I am more curious what others would do to a higher mileage SS.
The fact that it's an SS doesn't mean much at that mileage/condition point. Any collector appeal is long gone, so the remaining "SS premium" wouldn't really exceed the value of the hood and spoiler at best. In other words, modifications aren't going to cost you any "collector" value as that ship has already sailed - but with that said, the more polarizing the modifications are, the harder a car will be to sell in general. So I wouldn't go crazy if you want to be able to sell it quickly when the time comes.
Or maybe by "higher mileage" you are implying concern that the engine/drivetrain may not be in the best condition to survive the stress of various upgrades at this point? That's obviously going to be a case-by-case situation and things can range quite a bit at that mileage depending on what sort of life it has lived, but you might want to consider a compression test, oil analysis, careful inspection of the trans fluid/filter/pan, and taking a peak behind the rear diff cover. Beyond that, it's really anyone's guess.
RPM - Thanks for all the great comments, I agree with what you said on any collector value being long gone beyond the value of the SS hood and spoiler.
The drivetrain seems in surprisingly good shape for the miles, has good oil pressure, and recently went 13.7 in the quarter just a couple months ago.
I voted leave stock, BUT if it's gonna be around for a few years for fun. an aftermarket converter such as a Yank SS3600. It would be a good combo with the 3.23 gears that came with an auto SS. Oh and good rear shocks and bolt-in relocation brackets. The 13.70s' could be knocked down to 12.90s'.
But before investing in an expensive converter, do a basic transmission service and assess the condition of the fluid and overall cleanliness of the valve body. If it's dirty in there, I'd leave it alone other than the filter and fluid change.
If it looks good, I would plan on doing a Transgo shift kit along with the converter, with other valve body mods and upgrades that will get that transmission healthy and adapt it to the smaller diameter converter. Some transmission tuning will also be necessary with the converter.
I would keep it spend way way way too much money On it and make the rowdiest cruise nite bruiser that I could,and enjoy the hell out of it!
to me that is the perfect car to find the news has worn off and it’s not nearly worn out and a considerable amount more economical than a 16,000 mile car
Curious on the possible transmission tuning. I usually use Bluecat for the trans setting changes based on the stall speed, gear ratio etc. Is there other trans tuning that you recommend?
I don't know anything about Bluecat. I use EFILive. HPTuners is the most popular tuning suite on this board. Both of these offer fully customizable tuning rather than the "canned" or forumlaic tune adjustments of handheld units.
I use both EFILive and HPTuners for my tuning. And I have used Bluecat for my transmission settings, as Bluecat is a free transmission tuning tool that outputs tables whose values are imported/copied into HPTuners.
Interesting. I did some reading on it, but I don't comprehend it. I have a hard time understanding what it does that can't be done with EFIL or HPT, except provide ready-to-install tunes. Or if it even does that?
I personally wouldn't feel comfortable using hard earned money for mods w/ that high of mileage, but that's just me. I would also lose the Impala wheels they look weird if you decide on keeping it.
12-06-2020, 05:58 PM
New toy, what would you do? 
