elliotz28

My ls1 has 135k miles on it. I was wondering what kind of mods would be safe to do to it. This car is my daily and im not looking to make it an 11 second car.... yet. (ill do that once i get my hands on an ls2 in the semi distant future)

WhiteKnight '01

My LS1 is also my DD, and I want to mod it, just a bit. So I know how you feel about it. Don't want to do anything to really hurt the gas mileage, and don't want to add so much power that you might break something. I plan on adding an air lid and maybe a full CAI later down the road. I already have the catback. Anyways, some mods I think you could do without hurting fuel economy or putting too much strain on the engine.

1. Air Lid or CAI.
2. Cat-back exhaust
3. Ported or larger TB.
4. Headers.
5. Maintenance. I.E. seafoam, new plugs, new wires, synthetic oil, differential fluid, new fuel filter, etc. This should recover some lost HP that you lose with age and mileage.

Tommyv8

iTrader: (8)

^That's a good list, and if your car is an auto then a stall would be a good mod (but be prepared to get the trans rebuilt, I know this from experience).

elliotz28

well its not completely stock right now. i bought it in april and these mods were already on it:
-k&n cai, works well with the ram air hood
-Borla cat backs
-slp maf
-superchip tune
since ive bought it i have driven it pretty calmly for the most part so i could do alot of this maintenance on it. I did a full synthetic oil swap, new tires, new diff cover and fluid swap and im currently running some fuel system cleaner through my gas tank

hot93rod

iTrader: (6)

Pretty much doing just bolt-ons is a safe bet i think. You could add pulleys to that list, as that will help to take some stress OFF the engine at all rpm's. Of course exhaust/intake is always a good idea, and then maybe some ignition components depending on how you feel about that (some may consider it a waste of money?). But as for me, i've had my '93 lt1 rebuilt w/a little over 100k on it, and the guy who built it told me the engine (internals) looked absolutely great, i guess ls1's are sleeved alum. blocks if i remember correctly? so that may be a little different, but I believe the ls1 is a better all around engine than the lt1 anyway... that's my 2 cents

elliotz28

ls1s are aluminum, youre correct. well my plans are to keep this an n/a car with the only real major mod on it being a nice new cam, no spray or anything. i too think ls1s are better but im not against lt1s in any way, they still pull like champs.

WhiteKnight '01

I thought you wanted to drop an LS2 in it.

elliotz28

That's later on, like at least a year off. Hopefully. Right now though its ls1 fun.

mjs1012

iTrader: (36)

make sure if you decide to put headers on to get a tune.

99FormulaM6r

iTrader: (2)

You can pretty much do anything to a high mileage LS1 as you would to a low mileage LS1...you just have to be careful and realize that it depends more on the condition of your engine, the quality of the parts (and the installation) you put into it, and how you drive it. An LS1 with 30k miles on it could go just as easy as a 130k mile LS1 if something is done incorrectly. I've heard of people putting H/C packages on 180k mile cars and having them run 11's in the 1/4....the key is to do things right the first time, keep up on maintenance, and to mod and drive sensibly!


If you want a list though, I would say that bolt ons (as recommended) is your best bet at first. lid, catback, headers, ls6 intake, and a tune should get you to around 350 rwhp, which should be plenty for a DD if you're not looking for huge power right now. If you want to, feel free to add in a cam or a set of heads if you're looking for more power, just be sensible and make sure to look at wear items or possible problem areas (for instance, if installing a cam that makes a ton of power in the 6000-7000 rpm region, look at replacing rod bearings, maybe get a set of stronger rod bolts, etc.).


Being I'm into suspension as much as power, I'd also look into a set of shocks to freshen up your car....good street shocks, such as SLP Bilsteins or Koni's make these cars feel more responsive, stable, and tighter more than any other mod I've seen/experienced.

zracer323

iTrader: (12)

If you are planning to get an LS2 to drop in a year from now, then I would look at mods that you can re-use. I would probably do headers, ORY and ditch the K&N for a real ram air setup.

elliotz28

What is ORY? What are the RAM air lids like? I have never had an air lid of any sort on either of my camaros, my first one being an early fourth gen. An ls2 is not set in stone a year from now though it will be what I get if money permits, if not it'll be another ls1 or ls6

ryant13

ORY= Off Road Y pipe. The Y Pipe after the headers that has no catalytic converters. Search for a picture of RAM air , several companies make a version that would fit your car.

slt200mph

iTrader: (42)

If maintained correctly a LS series engine will last a very long time. I have 236,000+ miles on mine and it still runs great. It has had three different cams and two different sets of head on it. The last head and cam swap was at 128,000 miles. Mod it and enjoy it. Aint no fun drivin a hot rod slow...

elliotz28

ah, ok. what about an x pipe instead though?

elliotz28

This is great to hear, i will and already am enjoying it!

mrmane901

iTrader: (3)

get a stall you was feel a great power

slt200mph

iTrader: (42)

If you learn how to speak english you was feel a great power...

garygnu

what year ?

Ruthless909

iTrader: (19)

lolz