I am a 1st gen camaro guy,and my son is buying a 98 ss Ls1 camaro.What should i be looking for,What are the problem areas?I have heard rear end is only a 10 bolt,motor and tran are pretty bullit proof! What are problem areas I should look for on the body (rust, body flex). What are problems with the suspension and drive line. Any help would be appreciated soon becuase we are going to look and pick up this car on tuesday 2/24/09. Thanks

 

Look, rather listen for the Rear whine. Look to see if the tranny pops out of gear. Oil pressure like any other Chevy motor. Cold start up should be around or close to 60 psi 50psi is ok, warm it should be around 40psi. Old oil will make it lower.
Check t-tops are tight, and don't leak. Also the steering racks can be problem areas, listen for a clicking noise when turning the wheel back and forth. And the power window motors suck to put it nicely.
Everything I listed is preety much an easy fix, except the tranny and motor.
Rears are cheap for a good used one $300
If your a 1st Gen guy the 4th Gen rears are comparble to the 8.2's IMO.
Not to be confused with the 8.5.
Other than that the 98's are good cars despite what some will tell you, there only down fall is the PCM which is a 1 bar, meaning if your sons intentions are to turbo charge it, he would have to update to a '99 or later computer or get a standalone.

 

these motors can be fairly noisy....during slow speed corners some rear ends will click....power windows do suck bad.

 

Not technical, but -

Have you checked with your insurance company how much you will be paying for your son's coverage?

 

what does this mean and how do I fix it?

 

400 dollars 6 mo in my name as primary driver