99 Trans Am Engine mods
Thread Starter
Launching!
Joined: Mar 2019
Posts: 272
Likes: 89
99 Trans Am Engine mods All,
Looking hard at a 99 TA for sale. Looking at some of these engine mods what do you think?
- Fast toys 98mm Air lid
- Fast 92mm Big Mouth Throttle Body
- Fast 92mm Intake Manifold
- Modified LS6 oil pump
- Cam custom grind 231/234, 595 610 112 LSA
- PRC extreme dual spring kit
- Performance Chromoly 7.4'' pushrods
- Pace Setter Longtube Headers
- 3'' Cat Y type system
- LS2 Timing Chain
- Yank Torque converter 3600 stall
Not sure of most of these items. I'm new to the LS1 world. Does anything bring question to reliability?
Thanks
Looking hard at a 99 TA for sale. Looking at some of these engine mods what do you think?
- Fast toys 98mm Air lid
- Fast 92mm Big Mouth Throttle Body
- Fast 92mm Intake Manifold
- Modified LS6 oil pump
- Cam custom grind 231/234, 595 610 112 LSA
- PRC extreme dual spring kit
- Performance Chromoly 7.4'' pushrods
- Pace Setter Longtube Headers
- 3'' Cat Y type system
- LS2 Timing Chain
- Yank Torque converter 3600 stall
Not sure of most of these items. I'm new to the LS1 world. Does anything bring question to reliability?
Thanks
- B&M transmission cooler (less than 100 miles since install)
TECH Fanatic
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 1,462
Likes: 265
From: Bossier City, Louisiana
I'd be just as concerned about oil pressure, engine compression, coolant temperature, miles since rebuild, etc. I'm no expert, but the stall speed seems high - is this a race car? How does it shift - smoothly or harshly? Does the tail pipe smoke? What does the business ends of the spark plugs look like - oily, sooty or a nice, dry tan color??
Rick
Rick
Hi Dren,
Reliability in modified LS engines usually comes down to quality parts, correct install and aggressive good maintenance by the owner. My 99 T/A had a 132,000 + miles on the heads and cam package and still ran well when swapped to a 416.
There are a lot of excellent quality parts in the build.
I'd check all the fluids and see how they look. I'd also ask to see maintenance records.
Who did the installs?
When we're they done?
How much mileage?
How many trips to the drag strip?
Find any rubber stuck up in the wheel wells?
Looking under the car and where car is parked can you find any leaks? Check the rear end pinion seal carefully - they often leak.
Check for rust under the car too
How does the car drive?
Looking hard at a 99 TA for sale. Looking at some of these engine mods what do you think?
- Fast toys 98mm Air lid - good lid A-
- Fast 92mm Big Mouth Throttle Body - they have a rep as harder to tune in many cases, B-
- Fast 92mm Intake Manifold - excellent part for the build A+
- Modified LS6 oil pump - by who? What's the oil pressure? - unknown probably good
- Cam custom grind 231/234, 595 610 112 LSA - on the big side for an LS1 in my opinion but it's not stupid big. Any idea which cam lobes? Can't really get a feel for how hard that cam is on the valve springs without more details. I'd ask who spec'd the cam and more details.
- PRC extreme dual spring kit - any part numbers? I'd probably contact Texas Speed and get the details on this set of springs. Valve springs need to be replaced after a while with most aggressive cams.
- Performance Chromoly 7.4'' pushrods - seems ok, did they measure for push rod length when doing the install?
- Pace Setter Longtube Headers - fair quality part, looks like less was spent on headers so more could be spent on an excellent stall
- 3'' Cat Y type system - need pictures, some Y pipes are horrible.
- LS2 Timing Chain - OK
- Yank Torque converter 3600 stall - excellent stall, Yank makes a tight converter, what gear? Honestly with a good tune this should drive very good even with 2.73's in the rear.
Not sure of most of these items. I'm new to the LS1 world. Does anything bring question to reliability?
Thanks
Reliability in modified LS engines usually comes down to quality parts, correct install and aggressive good maintenance by the owner. My 99 T/A had a 132,000 + miles on the heads and cam package and still ran well when swapped to a 416.
There are a lot of excellent quality parts in the build.
I'd check all the fluids and see how they look. I'd also ask to see maintenance records.
Who did the installs?
When we're they done?
How much mileage?
How many trips to the drag strip?
Find any rubber stuck up in the wheel wells?
Looking under the car and where car is parked can you find any leaks? Check the rear end pinion seal carefully - they often leak.
Check for rust under the car too
How does the car drive?
Looking hard at a 99 TA for sale. Looking at some of these engine mods what do you think?
- Fast toys 98mm Air lid - good lid A-
- Fast 92mm Big Mouth Throttle Body - they have a rep as harder to tune in many cases, B-
- Fast 92mm Intake Manifold - excellent part for the build A+
- Modified LS6 oil pump - by who? What's the oil pressure? - unknown probably good
- Cam custom grind 231/234, 595 610 112 LSA - on the big side for an LS1 in my opinion but it's not stupid big. Any idea which cam lobes? Can't really get a feel for how hard that cam is on the valve springs without more details. I'd ask who spec'd the cam and more details.
- PRC extreme dual spring kit - any part numbers? I'd probably contact Texas Speed and get the details on this set of springs. Valve springs need to be replaced after a while with most aggressive cams.
- Performance Chromoly 7.4'' pushrods - seems ok, did they measure for push rod length when doing the install?
- Pace Setter Longtube Headers - fair quality part, looks like less was spent on headers so more could be spent on an excellent stall
- 3'' Cat Y type system - need pictures, some Y pipes are horrible.
- LS2 Timing Chain - OK
- Yank Torque converter 3600 stall - excellent stall, Yank makes a tight converter, what gear? Honestly with a good tune this should drive very good even with 2.73's in the rear.
Not sure of most of these items. I'm new to the LS1 world. Does anything bring question to reliability?
Thanks
- B&M transmission cooler (less than 100 miles since install)
Thread Starter
Launching!
Joined: Mar 2019
Posts: 272
Likes: 89
Thank you. Good info here.. Looking hard for 99-02 Trans am or Camaro SS to buy. Believe I have ruled this one out after thinking a while.
I believe I'm going to go with unmoded original type. Low mile, 6 spd. Around $20K to play with.
I believe I'm going to go with unmoded original type. Low mile, 6 spd. Around $20K to play with.
Hi Dren,
Reliability in modified LS engines usually comes down to quality parts, correct install and aggressive good maintenance by the owner. My 99 T/A had a 132,000 + miles on the heads and cam package and still ran well when swapped to a 416.
There are a lot of excellent quality parts in the build.
I'd check all the fluids and see how they look. I'd also ask to see maintenance records.
Who did the installs?
When we're they done?
How much mileage?
How many trips to the drag strip?
Find any rubber stuck up in the wheel wells?
Looking under the car and where car is parked can you find any leaks? Check the rear end pinion seal carefully - they often leak.
Check for rust under the car too
How does the car drive?
Looking hard at a 99 TA for sale. Looking at some of these engine mods what do you think?
- Fast toys 98mm Air lid - good lid A-
- Fast 92mm Big Mouth Throttle Body - they have a rep as harder to tune in many cases, B-
- Fast 92mm Intake Manifold - excellent part for the build A+
- Modified LS6 oil pump - by who? What's the oil pressure? - unknown probably good
- Cam custom grind 231/234, 595 610 112 LSA - on the big side for an LS1 in my opinion but it's not stupid big. Any idea which cam lobes? Can't really get a feel for how hard that cam is on the valve springs without more details. I'd ask who spec'd the cam and more details.
- PRC extreme dual spring kit - any part numbers? I'd probably contact Texas Speed and get the details on this set of springs. Valve springs need to be replaced after a while with most aggressive cams.
- Performance Chromoly 7.4'' pushrods - seems ok, did they measure for push rod length when doing the install?
- Pace Setter Longtube Headers - fair quality part, looks like less was spent on headers so more could be spent on an excellent stall
- 3'' Cat Y type system - need pictures, some Y pipes are horrible.
- LS2 Timing Chain - OK
- Yank Torque converter 3600 stall - excellent stall, Yank makes a tight converter, what gear? Honestly with a good tune this should drive very good even with 2.73's in the rear.
Not sure of most of these items. I'm new to the LS1 world. Does anything bring question to reliability?
Thanks
Reliability in modified LS engines usually comes down to quality parts, correct install and aggressive good maintenance by the owner. My 99 T/A had a 132,000 + miles on the heads and cam package and still ran well when swapped to a 416.
There are a lot of excellent quality parts in the build.
I'd check all the fluids and see how they look. I'd also ask to see maintenance records.
Who did the installs?
When we're they done?
How much mileage?
How many trips to the drag strip?
Find any rubber stuck up in the wheel wells?
Looking under the car and where car is parked can you find any leaks? Check the rear end pinion seal carefully - they often leak.
Check for rust under the car too
How does the car drive?
Looking hard at a 99 TA for sale. Looking at some of these engine mods what do you think?
- Fast toys 98mm Air lid - good lid A-
- Fast 92mm Big Mouth Throttle Body - they have a rep as harder to tune in many cases, B-
- Fast 92mm Intake Manifold - excellent part for the build A+
- Modified LS6 oil pump - by who? What's the oil pressure? - unknown probably good
- Cam custom grind 231/234, 595 610 112 LSA - on the big side for an LS1 in my opinion but it's not stupid big. Any idea which cam lobes? Can't really get a feel for how hard that cam is on the valve springs without more details. I'd ask who spec'd the cam and more details.
- PRC extreme dual spring kit - any part numbers? I'd probably contact Texas Speed and get the details on this set of springs. Valve springs need to be replaced after a while with most aggressive cams.
- Performance Chromoly 7.4'' pushrods - seems ok, did they measure for push rod length when doing the install?
- Pace Setter Longtube Headers - fair quality part, looks like less was spent on headers so more could be spent on an excellent stall
- 3'' Cat Y type system - need pictures, some Y pipes are horrible.
- LS2 Timing Chain - OK
- Yank Torque converter 3600 stall - excellent stall, Yank makes a tight converter, what gear? Honestly with a good tune this should drive very good even with 2.73's in the rear.
Not sure of most of these items. I'm new to the LS1 world. Does anything bring question to reliability?
Thanks
- B&M transmission cooler (less than 100 miles since install)
That 99 T/A maybe a very good car. If the price is right it could be a fun car even if a few things need repair & upgrade.
With a $20k budget I think you will be able to find a very nice almost mint, low mile 4th Gen
Wishing you the best with the search.
With a $20k budget I think you will be able to find a very nice almost mint, low mile 4th Gen
Wishing you the best with the search.Trending Topics
Thread Starter
Launching!
Joined: Mar 2019
Posts: 272
Likes: 89
The 99 is super nice. Has quite a few miles at 66K, and all the extra mods concern me a little. Only due to a lot of different hands in that engine bay.
How much is the car? I think the question to ask here is the car a good deal. It's got good/desirable parts on it
The setup is good. The 3600 stall is excellent and a crowd favorite with f body owners. I had a Yank 3800 myself and loved it. The SS3600 is one of the most popular stalls ever in these cars.
You asked about reliability. Most of those parts reduce reliability, just like any modified car. If you buy another car and do the same mods it will be the same way. It's part of the go fast game.
BUT that's mostly in that you will need to keep a closer eye on the valve train. It's reliable but it isn't likely to go 100k miles without a touch up of some sort. The stall may be a little harder on the trans, a lot of people have said theirs didn't last as long but my trans lasted to 191k and was stalled and had the dog **** kicked out of it daily. But I had a giant cooler on it too and changed the fluid every 30-50k miles and kept the rev limiter at 6800-6900 rpm. Which helps that transmission last.
The setup is good. The 3600 stall is excellent and a crowd favorite with f body owners. I had a Yank 3800 myself and loved it. The SS3600 is one of the most popular stalls ever in these cars.
You asked about reliability. Most of those parts reduce reliability, just like any modified car. If you buy another car and do the same mods it will be the same way. It's part of the go fast game.
BUT that's mostly in that you will need to keep a closer eye on the valve train. It's reliable but it isn't likely to go 100k miles without a touch up of some sort. The stall may be a little harder on the trans, a lot of people have said theirs didn't last as long but my trans lasted to 191k and was stalled and had the dog **** kicked out of it daily. But I had a giant cooler on it too and changed the fluid every 30-50k miles and kept the rev limiter at 6800-6900 rpm. Which helps that transmission last.
Thread Starter
Launching!
Joined: Mar 2019
Posts: 272
Likes: 89
Will not take a penny less than $18K.
How much is the car? I think the question to ask here is the car a good deal. It's got good/desirable parts on it
The setup is good. The 3600 stall is excellent and a crowd favorite with f body owners. I had a Yank 3800 myself and loved it. The SS3600 is one of the most popular stalls ever in these cars.
You asked about reliability. Most of those parts reduce reliability, just like any modified car. If you buy another car and do the same mods it will be the same way. It's part of the go fast game.
BUT that's mostly in that you will need to keep a closer eye on the valve train. It's reliable but it isn't likely to go 100k miles without a touch up of some sort. The stall may be a little harder on the trans, a lot of people have said theirs didn't last as long but my trans lasted to 191k and was stalled and had the dog **** kicked out of it daily. But I had a giant cooler on it too and changed the fluid every 30-50k miles and kept the rev limiter at 6800-6900 rpm. Which helps that transmission last.
The setup is good. The 3600 stall is excellent and a crowd favorite with f body owners. I had a Yank 3800 myself and loved it. The SS3600 is one of the most popular stalls ever in these cars.
You asked about reliability. Most of those parts reduce reliability, just like any modified car. If you buy another car and do the same mods it will be the same way. It's part of the go fast game.
BUT that's mostly in that you will need to keep a closer eye on the valve train. It's reliable but it isn't likely to go 100k miles without a touch up of some sort. The stall may be a little harder on the trans, a lot of people have said theirs didn't last as long but my trans lasted to 191k and was stalled and had the dog **** kicked out of it daily. But I had a giant cooler on it too and changed the fluid every 30-50k miles and kept the rev limiter at 6800-6900 rpm. Which helps that transmission last.
ALWAYS
No way I would go for that. You can find them with built 12 bolt or 9 inch rears, forged internal built motors and super chargers in super clean condition for that price. Hell you can get c6's near that price now.
I've seen a lot of clean ones with mods like you're describing much closer to 10k.
No way I would go for that. You can find them with built 12 bolt or 9 inch rears, forged internal built motors and super chargers in super clean condition for that price. Hell you can get c6's near that price now.
I've seen a lot of clean ones with mods like you're describing much closer to 10k.
Look in the classifieds here too
Couple of examples if you're looking for low mileage clean cars
https://ls1tech.com/forums/market/1912944
https://ls1tech.com/forums/market/1913357
https://ls1tech.com/forums/market/1917117
Couple of examples if you're looking for low mileage clean cars
https://ls1tech.com/forums/market/1912944
https://ls1tech.com/forums/market/1913357
https://ls1tech.com/forums/market/1917117
Thread Starter
Launching!
Joined: Mar 2019
Posts: 272
Likes: 89
All nice. Thank you.
Look in the classifieds here too
Couple of examples if you're looking for low mileage clean cars
https://ls1tech.com/forums/market/1912944
https://ls1tech.com/forums/market/1913357
https://ls1tech.com/forums/market/1917117
Couple of examples if you're looking for low mileage clean cars
https://ls1tech.com/forums/market/1912944
https://ls1tech.com/forums/market/1913357
https://ls1tech.com/forums/market/1917117
weigh your options. i personally wouldnt spend anything over 15k for an unmodded 4th gen. the money youre working with could easily land you a C6 as stated above with similar mileage. If youre stuck on a 4th gen i'd go to the marketplace on here...plenty to choose from (modded/unmodded). Personally I own a Firehawk and with the leak of the mid engine corvette ive seen C6/C7 prices FALL dramatically. Starting to weigh my options personally...most are offering 10-20% off MSRP due to the surplus sitting around on lots. I like autocross/road courses and i know the money put into a 4th gen to make it fast in the turns can easily be spent on something newer with a stronger starting platform.
Last edited by transamcustomz; Mar 25, 2019 at 06:42 PM.