Payne

iTrader: (3)

Guys,

I am looking to pick up either an SS or WS6 M6, and wanted to find out what kind of problems I need look for when I am searching for the right one. I am gonna be in college for the next two years, so it will be getting about 10k miles a year on it, and I really have no way to work on it, so if it goes I have no way, and no money, to fix it. I was hoping to get one with less than 30k miles on it for around $18k. Is that a realistic goal? I was planning on looking at only stock cars, I just really dont want one that has been flogged. Is that a good idea?
Can I trust a car that has a lid, exhaust, headers, etc?

Also, wouth it be possible to get into the high 12s without sacrificing the reliabilty of the car?

Thanks for the advice guys!

-Jason

Nine Ball

iTrader: (38)

Jason, stick with a 99 or newer since they have a faster computer for programming and also better servicable valve covers.

I'd look for a stock one if I were you, unless you know the seller personally. If you don't have the money to fix one, you definitely want a "grandma driven only on sunday" car.

$18K or less is very realistic. Seen quite a few around. Our vehicle classified section is pretty stocked with used LS1s right now. Everyone is selling their current toys and trying to get in on the 0% GM financing going on right now.

Tony

deviate42

iTrader: (2)

10k mil a year in college? Thats great compared to what i got in college. I had a beater i put closer to 20-25k mil a year on
The reliability is there, but if your on a tight budget, why would you buy a V-8? I dont mean in any way to discourage you, but with gas prices so high, it seems its not a college kid car.
I ws always broke in college so i duno how someone could afford it, but hey thats just my 2¢. If you love LS1's, it would be sweet to have one in school, i wish i did.

id say a lid and exhaust is pretty much stock. I would check the headers out though. You might have a hard time passing smog if they are Long tubes.

some 100% stock cars do

Payne

iTrader: (3)

I am going to be living on campus, so the car is really just a go to In-n-Out and the movies once in a while kind of a car, then for the three summer months I will be commuting like 25 miles a day.

What I was looking for is expert advice on where the weak points of the design are, and what the telltale signs of a car that is not going to be reliable are. I mean, how can I tell a car that has been flogged versus a 'grandma' car, since there are all those grandmas out there that need the 6 speed in bay area traffic .

IE - how do I know if the clutch is bad? Or the tranny? I know from looking at doing a t-56 swap into an old chevelle that the 3-4 fork is aluminum in these cars and does not hold up well. What are the signs of a bad tranny? Are there any weak points in the motor that tend to go bad? What are the weaknesses in the rear end, and how can I look for those?

Also, reading around, I hear stories about 'mutant' factory cars that just haul butt. I know this is a far-fetched question, but are there any ways to find one of these 'blessed' cars?

Thanks again for the advice guys, I know that I will find the right one using your expertise!

-Jason

Nine Ball

iTrader: (38)

1. New set of tires on the car before 20K miles.
2. Any leaks on the rearend, tranny, or engine (rare on LS1s)

Put it in 5th on the freeway at around 60 mph and floor it. If the clutch slips, its gone. Do some aggressive takeoffs to see if it grabs well. If the tranny shifts smoothly and does not grind in any gear, its probably okay. You might have to do some quick shifting to really check it though.

Actually, those forks aren't that bad. I put 83K miles on my T56 and never had to replace anything but worn synchros. The car saw over 2,000 passes at the track also. As long as you never force the tranny into gear, that stuff will not bend. Bad 6-speeds pop out of gear for no reason, don't shift smoothly, grind during shifts, etc....

The stock valvesprings suck. If you ever over-rev the engine (like by missing a gear and sending it thru high rpms by accident) you could end up with bent pushrods. The stock valvesprings aren't that good for anything past 6K rpm. If the car has more than 50K miles on it, I'd consider putting in a new set of Comp 918 springs instead. Then you should be able to beat the crap out of it.

Other than them being made out of glass, nothing! Really, our stock rearends suck for higher hp levels. As long as you stick with messing around on the streets on radial tires it should last though. Once you get into the mid-11s with a 6-speed, say a prayer each time you make a pass.

No way to tell unless you care to dyno test every single car you see. From what I've seen in the past 5 years with these cars, even those "mutant" ones don't run any better than normal ones. They all run pretty damn good stock.

Tony

Pro Stock John

iTrader: (34)

I look at 3 items on the car...

1) Clutch
If the clutch is smoked you are looking at like $500 - 1000 to change it.

2) Rearend
Make sure the get the car up to 50-60mph, listen to the rearend... If it has a leaky pinion seal have them fix it, because the whole rearend has to be take apart to fix that.

3) Tires
F1 are stock on those cars. A 30,000 mile on should be on it's 2nd set of tires, F1's will last about 25,000 miles.

Payne

iTrader: (3)

Thanks for the replies guys, Im now just waiting for the right one to come along.

Get this: Yesterday, there was a 2002 WS-6 in the paper with the t-56 and 5k miles for $19,991. I called on the car at 8:15, sales was not in yet. I took care of some stuff and called back at like 11:45, the car was sold. I am still kicking myself in the azz for that one. Is the market that bad that a dealer would drop that car for that cheap?

BTW, there is a procharged 2001 WS-6 in Minnesota with 4.5k miles for $25k. What are your feelings about flying out to Minnesota to look at a WS-6 like that? Will the procharger void the warranty? Am I better off buying a modified one and trying to not hurt it while I am in school, or getting a stock one, and then playing with it in 2 years when I have the money to?

Thanks,

-Jason

JohnL

You might want to post over on www.norcal-ls1.com , those guys are all over the bay area and may know of something that could be had.
If it were me, I'd get one close to stock while I was in school. Afterword mod the heck out of it, or by them something else might have cought your eye. 2 years is a long time, and another car will always come along. Yyou need dependability for school.
IMHO

NickMapleT/A

I got lucky. I bought my Trans Am at a chevy dealership, and a few days later, I noticed an oil change reciept in the glove box. It had the prior owner's name and address on it, so I called, and it was a chick in her 50's. The car was babied. I was so happy.

IMO, I would stay away from any modified ones. Go for stock. If it is modified, that means that the prior owner obviously enjoys going fast, and probably beat it at the track. Sure, LS1's can handle it, but I would rather have a car that I beat on, vice one that someone else beat on, ya know. Anyway, good luck, and I hope you find a good one.

Payne

iTrader: (3)

John,

Thanks for the advice, I posted over there and have gotten 3 replies so far. I am going to look at a 2000 SS with a new LS6 block and a rebuilt t-56 with about 500 miles on it this sunday.

What the seller says is that the car was originally belonged to the owner of Black Magic Racing, then cracked the block, so the current owner picked it up, had the tranny rebuilt with the steel 3-4 fork, and got a new block out of a z06 that was getting a stroker from Lingenfelter.

He says that the block still has the stock LS1 cam, heads, and intake on it. Does that make sense? I just really don't want to get burned buying something like this and am trying to figure out as much as I can.