smitty2919

This is another good point. But the motor design itself with some mods to it can be a stout motor. I'll run mint until it either blows up or I finish building a spare LT1 I have in the garage. Plan is a HCI and 380+hp. Should be fun.

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

And who's old car was that?????

JimMueller

iTrader: (9)

It can be done, but it's not common. Remove the axles from the tubes, cut a vertical slit in the top half of the tube, heat up the tube in that area and arch it up so the slit no longer has a gap and weld it up. I wasn't interested in that mod so I didn't dig into the details.

smitty2919

How would that work with the spline alignment with the differential?? Now your axle is not concentric with the axle tube.

JimMueller

iTrader: (9)

No idea... as I stated, I didn't try it nor did I research it further.

http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/index.php?showtopic=1469

bjdouglasz28

Well.. Cast iron holds in heat much more than an aluminum block and horsepower creates heat. LS1s have a y block design that greatly increases its strength, the core for the camshaft of an LS1 is much larger which allows for much higher lift camshaft profiles without doing damage to the camshaft bearings, lb or lb you get more for your dollar with an LS1 engine. Factory LS1 makes more peak horsepower and torque, LS1 computers put LT1 computers to shame far more advanced, Gaskets go bad quicker due to the iron holding in more heat, and theres a great weight differnence I could list more but I think this is enough for now.

mattf2

If anyone cares, I'm selling a national podium car from 2013 nationals. It's got about every mod you can do to an ESP car:


https://ls1tech.com/forums/vehicle-c...odium-car.html

GarrettM

iTrader: (6)

^^^^ Thats a good looking car. Mine should be up and running by February when season starts up again. Right now it cant go anywhere without puking PS fluid all over itself. Already have a BlaineFab PS cooler, new upper radiator hose and RedLine fluid waiting at home. Just waiting until I get back from vacay in two weeks to order a Turn One pump.

LT1 can be a monster but the aftermarket and tuning has walked away from it. I loved my 94Z but I wouldnt give up my 02Z for anything.

On a good note! Im hoping to be sporting a new paint job next season as well. Going to finish up some body work, install my SS hood and spoiler and respray it factory black, with either Red or Hugger Orange anniversary stripes. We shall see.

camarokid91

RIP ESP this year. What a **** show.

DietCoke

iTrader: (18)

Nats is a **** show in general. I'm 2 hours away and I refuse to make the trip to run E Mod.

smitty2919

ESP is almost non existent in the NKY/Cincinnati region.

If I was serious about ESP, I wouldn't be in a LT1 fbody.

1981TA

iTrader: (7)

CAM is a growing thing in NW Indiana, and all this talking about 4th gen competitiveness has me thinking about what I'm going to do with my 2nd gen. With the right driver (not me, yet) it already holds it's own in RR. Autocross was a bit hairy this year--constantly on the edge of overpowering the street tires. I see a set of 200s, some 18" wheels made for this car (as opposed to using 2" spacers with 4th Gen SS wheels), and the "Guldstrand Mod" happening over the winter.

4th Gen have the advantage of better engineering + greater availability. Almost makes me jealous, but as someone else said here, I like the challenge of making something that shouldn't handle well beat more natural performers. Underdogs make for better stories

ND2RACE

Thanks everyone for the interesting thread.

I have a 2002 Z28 and a 97 Corvette. The Vette has all the C5Z06 suspension parts on it, shocks/springs/sways, but it's still on stock 245/275 wheels and tires. Recently I decided that drag racing is boring all together after autocrossing the Vette and did the Strano springs/sway bars/Konis to the Camaro. I haven't autocrossed the camaro yet, but I can tell you the cars are a lot closer then I thought they'd be. I figured I'd just enjoy cruising in the Camaro more by making these changes but now I want to autocross it. It won't be as fast as the Corvette, but I like how the Camaro has that unrefined feel. However now that it has the suspension mods it is much more controllable and stable so I feel like it will not let me down like it would have stock.

I am by no means a pro, I have been street racing, drag racing, autocrossing, and out on a road course for a few HPDE. I love cars, while my Camaro used to be a 4K stall nitrous car that ran 10s, it is now a 6 speed swapped corner carver. I first wanted to go autocrossing back before I stopped drag racing and I bought a Mazdaspeed Miata. I ran well and was competitive, but that car was not for me and outside of racing it I hated it. I'm so glad I have the Corvette now, but the Camaro will not leave my garage.

So to OP, good choice in sticking with the f-body you'll have fun.

smitty2919

You are in an interesting place having both a C5 and Fbody. The C5, mod for mod, will edge out the Fbody. The chassis/platform is better. BUT you can have just as much non-competitive racing fun for less money in a Fbody. C5 parts get pricey.

If I did it over again, I would go in order of these mods:
Steering wheel/race seat/harness/harness bar
Tires
Race for a season (get mad at the cars weak points since you want to go faster)
UMI coil overs (gives spring rate tuning for couple hundred more than Koni/Strano spring setup)
Sway bars
Watts Link
Differential
Start surprising people

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

20/20 hindsight. And yes, if you are serious I'd go with the Umi/*Strano* coil-overs. I had a lot to do with them you know. And I will be going with those on the car I just picked up. However, not everyone will want to spend that money, and the Koni's and Strano springs sure do work pretty darned well, right?

Overall pretty good advice though I'd have dampers up at the top even over the seat myself.

smitty2919

Even not being serious about racing (I race for fun with my wife as a co driver) along with DD'ing my car 90% of the time, Id go the UMI (and Strano) CO route. But at the time they were not on the market.

Seat/harness will let you feel the car better.
Tires will show how bad the diff is and make it roll like a fat pig
Shocks/spring/bars/diff all come in to tie it together making a capable car.

83rdracer

iTrader: (1)

[QUOTE=Chris Paveglio;19397118]Ha ha yeah I know ALL about them - I had a set of 'custom made' units fail at HDPE. Now I have SKF x-tracker corvette hubs with adapters. You can read my long story of woes at FRRAX.[/QUOTE

​​​​​Coleman racing products sell bolt on spindle and hub upgrade for $506.00 per side. Uses stock rotor in Stock position.

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

And leaves you without ABS. The HPE kit and using X-trackers retains the ABS. To this point I think the adapters to run the Xtrackers have been overprices which is why I'm aiming to do better. Trying to keep the total price point around that set of Coleman hubs, but of course with ABS, and without getting your hands all greasy packing bearings.

Horses for courses.

83rdracer

iTrader: (1)

[QUOTE=Chris Paveglio;19397118]Ha ha yeah I know ALL about them - I had a set of 'custom made' units fail at HDPE. Now I have SKF x-tracker corvette hubs with adapters. You can read my long story of woes at FRRAX.[/QUOTE

​​​​​Coleman racing products sell bolt on spindle and hub upgrade for $506.00 per side. Uses stock rotor in Stock position.

smitty2919

Having tried to design and machine my own set of X Tracker hub adapters...the price for the adapters through rocketman is WELL worth the price. Unless you have a good friend that can machine parts for you, walking into a competent machine shop to manufacture the adapters will not be cheap. I work very close and have a good relationship with a machine shop through work and they couldn't touch the price that rocketman sell the adapters for. Comes with ARP hardware and plugs to rewire your harness to plug right into the X Trackers.

The HPE kit is 90% custom machined pieces. So without knowing that they will still offer parts years from now, you will be SOL if you damage a component during a rebuild.

Adapters+XTrackers all day every day. IF you wear out the bearing, order a new one and bolt it on. No need to mess with rebuilding the HPE kit and needing to get the preload right...