I must have another LT1...
Thread Starter
TECH Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 9,339
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From: NYC metro area
I must have another LT1... Sold my LT1 last month due to money problems. I just plain wasn't making enough money at my job to put anymore into it, especially with my reduced hours thanks to a ton of work in school.
Now, I'm about to be dropped from my under my parent's insurance company (long story) and need another car that doesn't require collision like my WRX does since I'll have my own insurance account. I'm looking at ~90k mileage M6 LT1s for cheap (<$5000) that I can turn into a bolt-on and possibly mildly cammed car to keep me held over until I finish college in two years and am able to get another LT1 project car.
What do you guys think? An early model LT1 won't kill me on insurance, but would definitely be more expensive to insure than a beater. I'm totally split on this issue, but I've been going crazy driving a 4banger grocery getter every day. I don't know if I can wait another two years before I have another LT1
...
How many of you guys drive high mileage LT1s? How are they holdin up?
Now, I'm about to be dropped from my under my parent's insurance company (long story) and need another car that doesn't require collision like my WRX does since I'll have my own insurance account. I'm looking at ~90k mileage M6 LT1s for cheap (<$5000) that I can turn into a bolt-on and possibly mildly cammed car to keep me held over until I finish college in two years and am able to get another LT1 project car.
What do you guys think? An early model LT1 won't kill me on insurance, but would definitely be more expensive to insure than a beater. I'm totally split on this issue, but I've been going crazy driving a 4banger grocery getter every day. I don't know if I can wait another two years before I have another LT1
...How many of you guys drive high mileage LT1s? How are they holdin up?
On The Tree
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 107
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From: Haughton Louisiana
well man, i have a 95 firehawk M6 125,000 miles and it is doing good for me i got it for $4500 it was a steal! I have got a new battery and clutch is all ive done to it....I could use some gaskets and seals redone thought. All i can tell is look around, take your time dont rush into things,i did that when i got a v6 camaro(when i wanted a v8 in the back of my head). You may have to travel, i drove home like 5 hours. Autotrader is great i got mine out of an autotrader magizine driving around texas(dallas area) looking at cars with father. Well thats all i know..
Thread Starter
TECH Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 9,339
Likes: 3
From: NYC metro area
Originally Posted by The95Firehawk#250man
well man, i have a 95 firehawk M6 125,000 miles and it is doing good for me i got it for $4500 it was a steal! I have got a new battery and clutch is all ive done to it....I could use some gaskets and seals redone thought. All i can tell is look around, take your time dont rush into things,i did that when i got a v6 camaro(when i wanted a v8 in the back of my head). You may have to travel, i drove home like 5 hours. Autotrader is great i got mine out of an autotrader magizine driving around texas(dallas area) looking at cars with father. Well thats all i know..
I made the mistake of getting a V6 also as a junior in HS, wasn't til I graduated that I got my Z28.Thanks for the input, I'll keep my eyes open on autotrader.
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 595
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From: Clarksville,Tn
Bought mine new in '96 and it now has 147,000 miles on it, not mega high miles but it aint brand new anymore. I'm still on the original opti I might add, and trust me the car has seen pure hell for the last 9 years. I went thru 3 sets of back tires within the first couple of years. It doesn't smoke, knock nor rattle, it starts as soon as I hit the key and still holds oil pressure like it was brand new. I took it to the track when I first got it and ran it one season then got out of the hot rod/racing scene til about 6 or 8 months ago. Nine years ago it ran an 8.96 in the 1/8 with a CAI, 6 months ago it ran a 8.91 with the only mod in between those years being a 3:73 swap, spinnin like crazy off the line but picked up maybe 3-4 MPH, so that tells you I lost very little if any power from mileage. I hear people say they pull the heads off at 150,000+ miles and can still see the crosshatch, I'd say that's a purty tough motor. Mileage doesn't really mean a thing with these motors apparently. I've just started modding mine and doing so with that mileage doesn't worry me a bit.
As far as repairs, the only thing I've had to do to the car in nine years was replace a water pump, two sets of brakes and for some reason mine likes breaking clutch forks, I've had to put 2 in it in the last 3 or 4 years. Slammin' thru the gears all the time probably doesn't help that situation.
As far as the rest of the car, the interior looks brand spankin' new and I havent taken that good a care of it. With a good wax and buff job it would shine like a brand new one, except that one spot with the dent. lol
In my opinion this is the toughest most dependable car I've ever owned, especially under my heavy right foot, I'm rough on vehicles. High mileage................. maybe I got one built during the middle of the week but I personally wouldn't worry too much about the mileage.
As far as repairs, the only thing I've had to do to the car in nine years was replace a water pump, two sets of brakes and for some reason mine likes breaking clutch forks, I've had to put 2 in it in the last 3 or 4 years. Slammin' thru the gears all the time probably doesn't help that situation.
As far as the rest of the car, the interior looks brand spankin' new and I havent taken that good a care of it. With a good wax and buff job it would shine like a brand new one, except that one spot with the dent. lol
In my opinion this is the toughest most dependable car I've ever owned, especially under my heavy right foot, I'm rough on vehicles. High mileage................. maybe I got one built during the middle of the week but I personally wouldn't worry too much about the mileage.
Staging Lane
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 54
Likes: 0
From: Houston
Bought my 93' Formula two years ago with 70k on the clock for 3.5k. The car now has 111k miles and is running very strong. The only major thing that went bad was the opti which went at about 85k. Other than no problems, and runnin super strong.
Banned
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 278
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From: SLO, CA
Bought my 93 with a brand new tranny, engine, with 103k on the body, and a 4000k stall and mild cam for 2k...perfect condition. oh yeha and the cat-back borla system....did I mention 2k was the priice...
I sprayed mine to 105k miles on my formula m6 until the motor swap and it would have kept goin they are strong u just got maintain em thats all....but you already know that 
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dude.. i love my LT1..strongest damn car ive owned yet... its got 150K miles and it still runs strong... even though the owner before me was a complete idiot and didnt take care of it.. after some TLC.. my car came back to life and has been running strong since... now its under the wrench at my dad's shop getting a M6 swap with the 96 engine out of a SS with only 40K miles... can u say perfect spray/cam engine? 
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Bought my 93 with 41K miles, 5 years later it has 66K. Guess I am a bad example, I drive mine like 6 miles a month now since I have a daily driver... But plenty of good high mile LT1s, just gotta make sure they were taken care of. Time is what kills parts, miles not so much.
i got my car @ 113k and the motor look perfect @ 127k when we took it out. Was almost sad to take it all apart for my 383, almost . I think i would have had not problems with at least another 30 or 40 thousand in the condition it was in.
. I think i would have had not problems with at least another 30 or 40 thousand in the condition it was in. 
TECH Fanatic
Joined: Nov 2001
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From: I-L-L-I-N-O-I-S
Enisguy...I thought you wanted an LS1 next? I don't know, I love my LT1, but just keep in mind that buying an old Camaro/Firebird with a lot of miles is going to mean a lot of maintenance. 
I only paid $4,400 for my '95 A4 Z28 w/ 109,000 on the clock last October and while the car was in fairly solid shape on the outside and really nice on the inside, I've already had to replace all four tires, have new brakes/rotors all the way around, add new anti-freeze, fix a transmission leak, fix a vacuum leak that was causing an erratic idle, and now am in the process of having a newly developed oil leak from the front of the motor that needs a bunch of new GM gaskets (water pump), opti & crank cover seals, valve cover, timing cover, oil pan, etc. I've also had the entire fuel and intake systems cleaned as well. Now, nothing major, but still, a lot of things that start to add up over time and that is to be expected with an older car. Period. Luckily (knock on wood!), the car is otherwise healthy and runs great. But still, it gets expensive and very time consuming if you're busy like me.
Anyways, if I had to do it all over again, I would have waited until I could afford a newer ('97ish) LT1 with very low mileage in hopes I wouldn't have to deal with all of this maintenance. I'd personally recommend a nice, fairly low-mileaged '98-'00 LS1 once you could afford it that most likely won't give you the problems an older, higher-mileaged LT1 will. Either way, they're both awesome powerplants that put a huge
on my face everytime I drive them. But for someone like you who doesn't have much money right now, I'd try and find something with as low miles as possible for the reliability factor if you decide you must have another F-body...
Just my $.02,
Mike
I only paid $4,400 for my '95 A4 Z28 w/ 109,000 on the clock last October and while the car was in fairly solid shape on the outside and really nice on the inside, I've already had to replace all four tires, have new brakes/rotors all the way around, add new anti-freeze, fix a transmission leak, fix a vacuum leak that was causing an erratic idle, and now am in the process of having a newly developed oil leak from the front of the motor that needs a bunch of new GM gaskets (water pump), opti & crank cover seals, valve cover, timing cover, oil pan, etc. I've also had the entire fuel and intake systems cleaned as well. Now, nothing major, but still, a lot of things that start to add up over time and that is to be expected with an older car. Period. Luckily (knock on wood!), the car is otherwise healthy and runs great. But still, it gets expensive and very time consuming if you're busy like me. Anyways, if I had to do it all over again, I would have waited until I could afford a newer ('97ish) LT1 with very low mileage in hopes I wouldn't have to deal with all of this maintenance. I'd personally recommend a nice, fairly low-mileaged '98-'00 LS1 once you could afford it that most likely won't give you the problems an older, higher-mileaged LT1 will. Either way, they're both awesome powerplants that put a huge
on my face everytime I drive them. But for someone like you who doesn't have much money right now, I'd try and find something with as low miles as possible for the reliability factor if you decide you must have another F-body...Just my $.02,
Mike
Last edited by 2000LS1Z28; Mar 26, 2005 at 09:17 PM.
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 549
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From: St. Peters, MO
Bought my Z with 96k on it. Opti went out about 100 mi ago after the waterpump went out...and I did a clutch and a shift fork...my fault. If you get an M6 the tranny is the main culprit....need a good clutch and steel 3/4 shift fork for durability and get the flywheel turned. Oh yeah my z is 130K plus now and is great!
TECH Fanatic
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 1,098
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From: I-L-L-I-N-O-I-S
Originally Posted by enisguy
I did, but financial problems won't allow it.
Like I said, I love my LT1 and will keep it forever, but I wish I would have waited until I could afford a nicer one rather than just buying for the sake of buying since I've always wanted one to go with my LS1. Honestly, it all depends upon your financial situation, time, and tolerance of maintenance accountability in the future...Good luck!
well i bought my 95 LT1 camaro at around 96k miles (second camaro) and i have done all kinds of mods, and now im about to spray 100 wet shot on it at 106-108k miles on the car now....
i run this thing hard all the time everyday, at most 8 times a day wot....
as of now, i have a small oil leak (think its the dip stick tube and oil pan gasket cause of cam change)
things i had to replace were the opti spark and replaced it with a dynaspark (no problems yet)
other than that, i love this ******* car, and it sure is a fun vett/ls1 eater =)
i run this thing hard all the time everyday, at most 8 times a day wot....
as of now, i have a small oil leak (think its the dip stick tube and oil pan gasket cause of cam change)
things i had to replace were the opti spark and replaced it with a dynaspark (no problems yet)
other than that, i love this ******* car, and it sure is a fun vett/ls1 eater =)
Thread Starter
TECH Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 9,339
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From: NYC metro area
update-
Found a 94 Z28, red, with 54k miles on the clock for 6 grand. Great price, I may have to check it out. Only thing is, it's an A4. But it's the best deal I've found so far, so I'm gonna follow up on it and give the dealership a call tomorrow to see what kind of shape it's in.
Found a 94 Z28, red, with 54k miles on the clock for 6 grand. Great price, I may have to check it out. Only thing is, it's an A4. But it's the best deal I've found so far, so I'm gonna follow up on it and give the dealership a call tomorrow to see what kind of shape it's in.
I bought mine at 146k, it now has 149k, and it runs perfect.
Pulls very strong, revs fine, no knocks, no ticks, no unknown squeaks. It busts the rear end loose with ease and seems very happy doing it. And the oil pressure is awesome. Original opti-spark and no problems with it.
It pulled a couple cars on my friends brand new rebuilt cammed/exhaust/chip 350 TPI IROC up to 110.
I'm pulling it soon to stick in a 383 LE1 LT1 stoker motor, so I'll post back up with what condition it's in.
Oh, good paint to, except for a slight notch and some spider cracking on the rear bumper. I think someone tapped it.
Pulls very strong, revs fine, no knocks, no ticks, no unknown squeaks. It busts the rear end loose with ease and seems very happy doing it. And the oil pressure is awesome. Original opti-spark and no problems with it.
It pulled a couple cars on my friends brand new rebuilt cammed/exhaust/chip 350 TPI IROC up to 110.
I'm pulling it soon to stick in a 383 LE1 LT1 stoker motor, so I'll post back up with what condition it's in.
Oh, good paint to, except for a slight notch and some spider cracking on the rear bumper. I think someone tapped it.
Thread Starter
TECH Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 9,339
Likes: 3
From: NYC metro area
Called a guy about a polo green LT1 today. I'm pretty much reserved to getting back in the game now 
. If I do pick up another LT1, you'll see me around the baords a lot more than I have been. 
. If I do pick up another LT1, you'll see me around the baords a lot more than I have been.