Are LT1s reliable?
Agreed with most previous responses:
1. The optispark will almost always die if it hasn't already. Mine died at 96K.
2. The waterpump is usually good for around 100K. Mine went somewhere in that range.
3. Most stock LT1s have never had their plugs changed. Mine had 82.7K when I bought it and still had 7 of the stock wires, 8 stock plugs. Changing them sucked.
4. Test drive it and make sure the transmission shifts firm. A sloppy 1st to 2nd gear shift could mean the tranny or torque convertor is going.
When I'm looking at a car, particularly F-bodys (what else is there to look at buying?), there are always a few things I check for:
1. Directly behind the front tires, check to see if the panel is popped out. In experienced people often jack the cars up in the wrong place and mess it up.
2. Check for scratches on the side skirts and lower areas of the car. If there are a few, chances are it has had a rough life. Even check the skid plate. There are going to be some scratches, but you can tell if it has been abused.
3. Interior. Give it a thorough go-over. Lay the back seats down and make sure it hasn't had a shitty recarpeting job done (like my friend's T/A had). Another area to see if a car has been taken care of is the hatch. Dirty/stained or scratches on the plastic is obviously a bad sign.
Just my .02. I'm very picky though.
1. The optispark will almost always die if it hasn't already. Mine died at 96K.
2. The waterpump is usually good for around 100K. Mine went somewhere in that range.
3. Most stock LT1s have never had their plugs changed. Mine had 82.7K when I bought it and still had 7 of the stock wires, 8 stock plugs. Changing them sucked.
4. Test drive it and make sure the transmission shifts firm. A sloppy 1st to 2nd gear shift could mean the tranny or torque convertor is going.
When I'm looking at a car, particularly F-bodys (what else is there to look at buying?), there are always a few things I check for:
1. Directly behind the front tires, check to see if the panel is popped out. In experienced people often jack the cars up in the wrong place and mess it up.
2. Check for scratches on the side skirts and lower areas of the car. If there are a few, chances are it has had a rough life. Even check the skid plate. There are going to be some scratches, but you can tell if it has been abused.
3. Interior. Give it a thorough go-over. Lay the back seats down and make sure it hasn't had a shitty recarpeting job done (like my friend's T/A had). Another area to see if a car has been taken care of is the hatch. Dirty/stained or scratches on the plastic is obviously a bad sign.
Just my .02. I'm very picky though.
