hi im kinda a newb to the whole car mod scene, anyways i know that ls1's are the big deal now but i thought id be different from everyone else in town and try my hand at making a fast lt1. I did indeed find a cheap 97 formula firebird, $3500 to be exact, but it has 15000 miles on it. this is a lot i know but from what i hear it was driven by an elderly lady and then a guy who works at a dealer bought it from her for a car he could mod himself. but 2 months later he had not found the time to do anything to it so he is just going to up and sell it. i have not seen it personally but some friends of mine have, one is a mechanic and the others are just enthusiasts, and they say it is in great shape and has been taken care of, im going to test drive it monday. anyways my question is will they hold up much past that mileage? im in college so i kinda need a reliable car, and this would be a daily driver. also let me know what to look for as in problems or what could mean problems down the road. thanx alot.
should i buy
1 - 19 of 19 Posts
Joined
·
7,472 Posts
LT1's are great cars but there's a reason LS1s are popular..they are easier to make fast. If you can afford it, but an LS1...there's no shame in following the leader.
You can go get a a 1991 TBI 305 rally sport and be different, but I think most of us want some speed too.
You can go get a a 1991 TBI 305 rally sport and be different, but I think most of us want some speed too.
Joined
·
166 Posts
an old lady in a form-bird....i would have to ? that.
Joined
·
98 Posts
both have goods and bads
Both engines have their goods and their bads. The Lt1 engine is alot cheaper to modifie and the hold well at high milage as long ass they arent beaten on. they also have a much better musclecar tone than the LS1s do. The only downside to Lt1s is the optispark. this is the ignition setup gm used on the lt1s. The lt1s need tuneups about every 70000 miles this includes a cap and rotor wires and plugs, and sometimes a new optispark control module. The LS1 is a great engine too. They have reliable 6 boltmains and the ignition setup is much more advanced. They also make more power from the factory. The y are just alot more expensive to modify and fix. The heads on lsis are also morks of genius from GM. They just have a tendancy of coming of the blocks. Both are exelent engines. its realy just a preference
Both engines have their goods and their bads. The Lt1 engine is alot cheaper to modifie and the hold well at high milage as long ass they arent beaten on. they also have a much better musclecar tone than the LS1s do. The only downside to Lt1s is the optispark. this is the ignition setup gm used on the lt1s. The lt1s need tuneups about every 70000 miles this includes a cap and rotor wires and plugs, and sometimes a new optispark control module. The LS1 is a great engine too. They have reliable 6 boltmains and the ignition setup is much more advanced. They also make more power from the factory. The y are just alot more expensive to modify and fix. The heads on lsis are also morks of genius from GM. They just have a tendancy of coming of the blocks. Both are exelent engines. its realy just a preference
oh and i guess im not too sure bout the old lady thing, but it was a female and they said old lady, what their definition of old is up to interpretation. But it is plausible, a lot of elderly people buy sports cars now days, especailly cause they can afford the insurance.
Joined
·
7,472 Posts
IMO go for the LS1. Its different if you already had it, but given the choice hold out for the LS1.
Lt1's wil be fine BUT i would do your regulay maintenance on it as soon as oyu get it plugs,wires,oil,trans fluid,coolant,etc. And if at all possible do yourself a favor buy a new ignition system. MSD has one that replaces the opti if im not mistaken. But i no crane cams makes one called the fireball, or at the very least get yourself a new opti.
And i agree with chris. I would hold out for an ls1. Mostly because you will end up breaking that high miler at some point and be SOL come school day. There no hiding a 150k mile lt1 is well..old. It would be nice ot have an ls1 with less miles. I would pick an lt1 over ls1 anyday but for your school needs get an ls1 or get an lt1 and spend some dough changing shit rightoff the bat to save you from being late to class when it wont run.
Joined
·
97 Posts
There is an old lady in my town that has a 1994 Camaro Z28. Shes probably in her 70s. It only has like 20K on it to. Real clean. Drives it all the time down to the store I work at.99TAW6CONVERTIBLE said:
150K is an aweful lot of miles. I think I would probably skip it and hold out for with under 100K.
So i got the info on that lt1. i guess my friend associates teacher with old lady. but i talked to the owner and the previous owner was a female school teacher who did indeed by the car new in 97. she used it as her daily driver and kept up maintenence on it. the current owner who is a car dealer bought it for himself kinda as a project and for some reason he did not specify his wife is making him sell it. so basically he told me that if he had a choice he would keep it which to me seems like a good sign and hes not just dumping it cause its crap (which still could be the case, idk) but tomorrow im going to test drive it and if it is in as good condition and he says i will prolly buy it. but thanks for the advice, and it is still welcome as i will still look to see if anyone posted more. I hope that no one will be mad that i didnt neccesarily take their advice, it was well appriciated tho. i just have to use my best judgement and hope it works out well. i will prolly continue to post for advice on mods as well. thanks a lot guys.
Joined
·
98 Posts
Like everyone else said either one is a great buy. If the cars in good shape and u like it buy it.If not then dont buy it. Its all just a preference.
Joined
·
35 Posts
Listen, i know from experience that LT1's hold up well with milage. My very first car i bought with 120,000 miles on it and i still have it with 170,000 on it and to tell you the truth, it is well into ls1 territory with mid lenght headers, a gear, and a cat back. When the car had 165,000 on the clock my time slips posted traps from 105 to 108 mph with traction issues.
If you take care of an LT1, it will take care of you. the only issues i ever had with that car was the clutch and the pinion seal going out. Other than that, its a very stout car. Think about this, they put lt1's in cabs and police cars that routinely see 250,000+ hard miles. So go with the Lt1, sure you may be slower to start out with but once the mods go on, its anybodies ball game. :thumbsup:
If you take care of an LT1, it will take care of you. the only issues i ever had with that car was the clutch and the pinion seal going out. Other than that, its a very stout car. Think about this, they put lt1's in cabs and police cars that routinely see 250,000+ hard miles. So go with the Lt1, sure you may be slower to start out with but once the mods go on, its anybodies ball game. :thumbsup:
i paid 1000.00 for my 96 formula with a blown head gasket. the opti is a great design just placed in a very poor location. kinda like where the alternator is on an ls1, water is not electrical friendly. but anyways there are 2 options maybe more for a complete opti replacement
http://www.delteq.com/products_opti.htm
http://www.dynotech-eng.com/dynaspark.htm
the msd is just a cap and rotor and is not yet released to mass public, it is on indeffinite back order. lt1's can be just as mean as any ls1 . ls1 is more powerful out of the box but if you plan to do some serious builds you wont be happy with anything stock lt1 or ls1. so it is completely a matter of opinion. dont think lt1's are fast check out this guy, his car in the NA class with his cubic inches cant be touched by ls1 with a similar set up so i have heard, there is a post on either cz28 or ls1tech where joe posts...there hasnt been a NA ls1 with a close set-up even say they can come close to it
http://www.wolferacecraft.com/cust/overton.aspx
http://www.delteq.com/products_opti.htm
http://www.dynotech-eng.com/dynaspark.htm
the msd is just a cap and rotor and is not yet released to mass public, it is on indeffinite back order. lt1's can be just as mean as any ls1 . ls1 is more powerful out of the box but if you plan to do some serious builds you wont be happy with anything stock lt1 or ls1. so it is completely a matter of opinion. dont think lt1's are fast check out this guy, his car in the NA class with his cubic inches cant be touched by ls1 with a similar set up so i have heard, there is a post on either cz28 or ls1tech where joe posts...there hasnt been a NA ls1 with a close set-up even say they can come close to it
http://www.wolferacecraft.com/cust/overton.aspx
I have 145,000 miles on mine and have just started bolting stuff on (bought it new in 96) and the mileage doesn't scare me a bit. It doesn't burn oil, smoke and holds very good oil pressure. High mileage does not hurt the mighty LT1. When you can pull the head off at 150,000 and still see the cross hatch on the cylinder walls I'd say they are purty tough. Don't let the mileage scare you as far as the motor is concerned.
Joined
·
83 Posts
That's a really good price, just be sure to either budget for a rebuild if you beat on it or drive it sanely until you can save up for an upgrade later on.
1 - 19 of 19 Posts
Join the discussion
Join now to ask and comment!