WS6_Delta 2

Appreciate the inclusion all.
Been passionate about F-Bodies since I was 3 when I caught my first re-runs of Knight Rider on WGTW - UHF channel 48 for all you Jersey / Philadelphia folk. That ultimately led to 7-8 3rd gen daily drivers / builds / restores.


Was out of the hobby car game for quite a few years since selling my '89 Formula 350. Always wanted an LS car and recently pulled the trigger on a black 2001 WS6.
- 63,000 miles
- 6 speed
- purchased from original owner
- car is bone stock aside from a flowmaster welded into the factory cat back

Carfax, service docs, and a comprehensive mechanical inspection by a trusted family tech suggests the car is legit and was well taken care of.
Naturally, car being 18 years old I've come across some odds & ends that needed / will need freshening up.

I'd really appreciate recommendations from ya'll about optimal routes for basic bolt-ons (i.e. CAI, longtubes, cat less y pipe etc.)

Once again grateful to be on board and look forward to future discussions. Best, Denny

WS6_Delta 2

Could this post please be re-routed to a thread where I might receive feedback please? Id really appreciate the insights of the user base.

bammax

Keep the dash covered or get the windows tinted, pull the rear staples from the back of the door panels and pick up an early 4th gen sail panel. That'll cover all the major defects in these cars and keep your car looking good.

WS6_Delta 2

thanks bammax. had the car tinted, but much like my 3rd gens the dash seems to require constant hydration with armorall wipes or comparable treatment.

removing the staples and replacing with screws a necessary mod to avoid cracked door panels I take it?

any recommendations / preferences on basic performance mods to wake her up and alleviate factory restrictions ?

thanks for touching base.

Nathan C

I would get a new airlid to remove the factory baffles and long tube headers to start with. How much do you want to spend?

bammax

On 4th gens the dash will crack from the sun. The fix is a new dash pad and potentially dash depending on if the top left corner of the airbag cover starts to separate.

On 4th gens the door panels get vertical cracks about 4" from the back edge. The fix is to pull the last trim staple from the back of the panel to let the trim flex with the panel.

On late 98-02 the sail panel will bubble if exposed to sunlight or heat. The fix is to replace it with a sail panel from a pre-98 car and proper prep before installing.

On 4th gens the bcm has a bad solder spot that will cause the power windows and stereo to intermittently stop working.

On the Firebirds the honeycomb tail lights tend to crack and the headlight motors strip gears. The Camaros are safe.

That's really all I can think of as far as factory flaws. For the most part it's all cosmetic too so it's not really a bad list of problems. Everything else is going to be car specific just like any other older car.

Your car may not have any problems or you may see all of them eventually, but at least now you know what you're looking at if something does come up.

WS6_Delta 2

Hey Nathan - was planning to go the SLP airlid route if anything because it looks much cleaner cosmetically when opening the hood. noticeable increase in throttle response? I removed the baffles that I originally was not aware were in placing making the ram air nostrils virtually inoperative. Now they inlet directly to the airlid.

willing to spend decent money - are longtubes a good bang for the buck over the factory exhaust manifolds? the factory y-pipe certainly looks restrictive too.

WS6_Delta 2

Really appreciate the attention to detail Bammax.

As a matter of fact - my headlight motor gears are going - do you know if they make a nice replacement gear set that are both metal? I havent opened it up yet but i heard one gear is metal, the other plastic - which naturally causes the erosion and flip up failure.

the parking light assemblies are also taking on water and blowing bulbs lol - I removed them, drilled a series of holes for run off and applied electrical tape to the bulb harness/housing for added protection/insulation

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

303 Aerospace (Protectant) is a great option for this. Good product for sun/UV related protection of the dash and other plastic/rubber/vinyl/etc.

Just a couple details to add to these:

This is true for the LS1 years of Firebird/TA (doesn't apply to Camaro), though the LT1 years don't seem to develop this problem. In fact, some folks have even reported that the earlier '98 cars don't either. I haven't tracked this closely over the years, so I don't know exactly when the cutoff is for this issue, but either way you're correct that it definitely applies to the OP as his car is a 2001.

Again, as the OP's car is a 2001 it is definitely subject to this. But, for reference, the majority of the '98 model year is fine (the issue only applies to examples built in 05/98 or later). As donors become more scarce, this cutoff date will become more important.

This particular problem is a huge hassle when it gets bad (glue oozing from the bubbles, etc.), and every single T-top/Hardtop 1999-2002 car (and those last three months of '98 production) are subject to this. They will all develop the problem given enough heat/sun exposure. No amount of wax or any other surface treatment will prevent it. Dark colors obviously get it worse/sooner as they will heat up more in the sun. There is no permanent fix other than roof panel replacement.

We have a huge sticky covering this topic in great detail in the Paint & Body Work section, including several write-ups.

Air lids are usually worth about ~10hp on a bolt-on car. LT headers are definitely a good bang for the buck over the stock manifolds. That "flat" Y-pipe might look very restrictive, but if you replace only the Y-pipe and leave the factory manifolds and cats, you'll see little to no gains. Obviously though, with headers you'll want a new Y-pipe as the factory one would then become a restriction.

It's been a while since I owned a Firebird/TA, but I remember Rodney Dickman making brass gears for these. Not sure if he's still around though. There is also a sticky on this topic in the Firebird section, in addition to a sticky covering the door panel cracks.