Noob looking for advice - NJFBOA - Home of New Jersey's Camaros and Firebirds

jin1481 · 07-05-2005, 11:23 PM

Im a noob, i just got a 94 z28 with 175,000mi and im looking to set it up as a good street car/everyday driver. What engine and supsension upgrades should i put on it? Im playing with about $5,000.

Tru2Chevy · 07-05-2005, 11:55 PM

Welcome to the club!

What exactly do you want out of the car? Are you looking for an all-around package or just something comfy and quick to cruise with?

A little suspension work and some engine bolt ons will probably take care of everything you need for well under $5k.

- Justin

jin1481 · 07-06-2005, 01:41 AM

i want something that is quick and can handle well. a lot of camaros are fast in a straight line i want to be all around fast, but i want to keep a well behaved daily driver. my main concern is the high milage of the engine and doing what i can do bring it back to new.

also what are the average prices for a bore and stroke and to convert to the 6speed transmission automatic?

skorpion317 · 07-06-2005, 01:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jin1481

i want something that is quick and can handle well. a lot of camaros are fast in a straight line i want to be all around fast, but i want to keep a well behaved daily driver. my main concern is the high milage of the engine and doing what i can do bring it back to new.

also what are the average prices for a bore and stroke and to convert to the 6speed transmission automatic?

depends on where you go. different shops have different rates. make sure you get the job done RIGHT the first time. you don't want to spend all that money on something expensive like a bore/stroke and a tranny swap, and have it get messed up because you took it to some budget shop.

jin1481 · 07-06-2005, 08:32 AM

ok ive decided that i want to bore and stroke my lt1. i live in the gloucester county area, where can i go for good honest work for a good price?

im still interested in re-doing the suspension, what packages or upgrades would help me to get a good handling car?

Batman · 07-06-2005, 08:52 AM

You are probably looking at more then $5K now. If it were me and I wasn't going "all out" I would just get the block bored .030, rebuilt and then drop the $2500 for GM hot LT4 swap, proven 375+ RWH combo and you may make it under $4000, leave you with enough for some suspension mods too.

foff667 · 07-06-2005, 10:10 AM

so do you have an auto or m6 right now? If your just doing a stock cubes rebuild with decent parts you'll be looking at 4-5 k and most of that money will be gone unless you do all the work yourself.

Fasterthanyou · 07-06-2005, 11:29 AM

If you want to freshen up an Lt1 and keep it on the inexpensive side but still make a ton of power look into the Lloyd Elliot LE1 heads/cam package that's your heads ported to outflow the LT4 hotcam kit and with 30lb injectors and headers you'll put down over 380rwhp. His heads and cam is only $1100 plus shipping.
With those miles you MIGHT (don't have too) want to punch out the block 30 over and get some hyp. pistons. The PM rods will be fine for that kind of power. Tear apart the engine and have things like the crank journals checked and polished, bearings replaced and just have it cleaned and checked. If the oil was changed on a regular basis the engine should be fine, only minor scuffs in the cylinder bore at those miles but bearing wear is directly proportional to the oil condition, pressure, and horsepower. Less than 400hp out of 5.7L worth of pistons isn't a lot of specific output so I doubt the engine is far from new.
Things you can do yourself to check the condition of the engine; check the spark plugs, they'll tell you if you're burning oil or not, compression check on all cylinders will tell you how well the rings and valves are sealing, remove valve covers and check the valvetrain for loose parts.

SteveR · 07-06-2005, 11:47 AM

Is the car stock now? Has the motor, tranny, and/or rear been rebuilt yet? With 175k miles, you might want to look into rebuilding them all. It would be a shame to spend $5k on a decent motor only to have the tranny, clutch, or rear blow out on you and have that new motor sitting in a non running car. If you can provide a little history on the car, it might help a little. And welcome to the club

Squirrel · 07-06-2005, 11:54 AM

prevo put you on the right track with the LE packages....the LE1 is perfect for a stock car as the cam doesnt need to be rung out to make power....if you wanna upgrade to the 2 or 3, a lot of guys with tired motors invest in the summit rebuild kit ~600 bucks, get the stock crank checked out and youre good to go pending the crank