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View Full Version : Differences between the f-body years


Redphoenix1998
08-31-2006, 07:59 AM
Some info posted a while back. Very useful info thanks to third_shift studios.

Thanks for the info Jaison

1998 F-Body

1. Had different casting heads which had perimeter bolts and valve covers.
2. Ignition coils were mounted to the valve covers one at a time.
3. The water temp gauge actually works.
4. 98's do have an oil life monitor, they just don't tell you anything when its time for a change. You can find it in Auto-Tap
5. WS6s had single outlet exhaust (all others had duals)
6. Steering wheel controls were completely different part with indentations on the buttons, and were better built
7. Only year that Purple, Gold, and Green were available
8. Some very early Trans Ams came with LT1 style headrests
9. Rear hatch release was poorly designed and often caused problems releasing mechanism
10. Early model 98 Monsoon stereos didn't have capability to control 12-disc CD changer
11. 1998-1999 automatic transmission LS1s could be started in 1st gear even with the shifter in 2nd. Starting 2000, if you put the shifter in 2, it would start off in 2, even from a stop.
12. 1998-1999 LS1 cars had a smaller throttle body cam, which caused the throttle to open to WOT (wide open throttle) faster than 2000+ cars
13. 1998 cars had 28 lb fuel injectors from the factory
14. 1998-2000 cars had a larger cam than the 01-02 cars
15. 1998-1999 cars had more restrictive exhaust manifolds
16. 1998-2000 cars had an LS1 intake with EGR
17. 1998 and some early 1999 cars had blue outside rear view mirrors (Trans Am only)
18. 1998 only LS1 blocks had a much smaller cylinder sleeve that only tolerated a .005" hone
19. Last year F-body to use the old 15.5 gallon steel fuel tank.
20. Only year LS1 F-body to contain a gas cap with a tether long enough to actually hang from the fuel door while open
21. Only year LS1 F-body to not contain the famous GM black box used in the event of an accident to record up to 5 seconds of pre-crash data
22. 1998 only cars had a different PCV system with the PCV valve located above the passenger side valve cover
23. 1998 most cars did not have an idle adjustment screw on the throttle body. Some 98 cars do have the idle throttle stop set screws.
24. 1998 cars have a completely different PCM from 99+ cars
25. A production shortage of F-body cams caused the use of a C5 cam to be installed in F-body LS1s for a very short time
26. 97-98 LS1's used a paper water pump gasket. The only gasket that isn't reuseable
27. SSs did not ALL go to SLP starting in 98. Y2Y was the RPO code that sent them to SLP for additional options
28. SS option did not "include" the Synthetic oil package, it was a SLP only Option




1999 F-Body

1. 1999-2000 cars switched to 26 lb fuel injectors
2. Cylinder heads and valve covers redesigned to have center bolts instead of perimeter bolts. Other than that, the heads were the same.
3. Redesigned cylinder sleeves that allowed for a small bore, up from .005" in 1998 models.
4. Midyear model change to a cheaper steering wheel audio control button without finger indentations, and cheaper built
5. 1999 cars continued the LS1 intake with EGR provisions
6. 1999 cars continued more restrictive exhaust manifolds and larger cam
7. Only year that Hugger Orange was available (Camaro only)
8. 30th Anniversary Trans Am available with special blue and white paint package and blue clear coated WS6 wheels
9. Switch to larger 16.8 gallon plastic fuel tank to meet new emissions requirements.
10. Gascap tether was shorter and could no longer be used to hang on the gas door when open.
11. Company wide change added black boxes to record up to 5 seconds of data before a crash
12. Rear hatch release was redesigned with stiffer spring that released the hatch better
13. Water temp gauge was redesigned to work basically as a dummy gauge and only show an overheat condition.
14. An oil life monitor was added to all LS1s, thus changing the gauge cluster a little to show the oil life reset swtich
15. 1999-02 cars had a different PCV system with the valve located to the side of the intake manifold
16. Early production 1999 Trans Ams still had the blue outside mirrors, but a midyear change went to the non-tinted ones
17. 1999 there was the color "Medium Blue Metallic" which was available on both the Camaros and Firebirds. Only one year of that color



2000 F-Body

1. Redesigned exhaust manifolds for new emissions standard actually flowed better and created a little more HP.
2. 2000 continued use of LS1 Intake, EGR, smaller cam, and 26 lb fuel injectors
3. Added rear child seat safety hooks to interior per federal requirements
4. Very early run of WS6s had "salad shooter" style rims. A production change switched back to standard 5-spoke WS6 rims.
5. Camaros got redesigned 10-spoke base rims, and SSs came with new 10-spoke rim design
6. First year of Monterey Maple Metallic paint
7. Charcoal (grayish) interior was replaced with Ebony (almost black) leather interior
8. Cloth interior cars got new rainbow colored cloth patterns
9. Camaros only got the Pontiac steering wheel with optional audio controls
10. Throttle body cam was increased in size to slow the speed at which the car reaches WOT
11. Automatic transmission cars were reprogrammed to allow a car to start off in 2nd gear from a stop when the shift lever is put into 2.
12. The last year a WS6 Formula was offered
13. Starting 2000 intake lids contained a seperate breather filter
14. 2000+ Camaros came with body colored mirrors instead of black ones like 98-99



2001 F-Body

1. A small percentage of 2001 and 2002 LS1s actually had LS6 blocks which had a different part number and a darker metal cast
2. Starting 2001, all LS1s came with an LS6 intake manifold without an EGR system
3. Advertised HP output was changed from 305 to 310 on base LS1s and from 320 to 325 on WS6s and SSs
4. 2001-02 cars have a smaller cam from the Vortec truck engines to increase low end torque
5. 2001-02 cars had 28 lb fuel injectors like the 98 cars (albeit different part numbers)
6. WS6 cars had a redesigned 5 spoke rim which was more wavy
7. WS6 cars got less suspension upgrades from a base Trans Am suspension than previous years
8. Manual transmission cars all came with the Z06 clutch




2002 F-Body
1. 35th Annivesary edition of the Camaro, and Collectors Edition Trans Am available
2. 2002 LS1 head gaskets redesigned. The new ones are a pressed metal, as opposed to the graphite ones and are no longer specific to the side of the car theyre installed on
3. 2002 cars continued with the LS6 intake, 28 lb fuel inectors and smaller truck cam
4. 2002 continued the use of an LS6 block in some LS1 F-bodies
5. A factory supported optional 345 HP option could be ordered from SLP
6. Manual transmission cars continued use of the Z06 clutch
7. Some 2002 model F-bodies came with a revised rear view mirror that had the map light buttons on the bottom, rather than the front.

third_shift|studios
08-31-2006, 08:03 AM
my pleasure =)

rokinmyws6
09-24-2006, 03:47 PM
hi i had a quick question. do 1998-2002 trans ams use the same body parts size/length/width wise (font bumper, fenders, hood). i have a 2000 ws6 and i basically need a front clip. i was wondering which years were compatible. thanks.

djvaly
09-25-2006, 01:52 PM
I was able to use a 2001 Trans Am WS6 rocker panel on my 1999 Trans Am.
I just had to peel off the old paint and repaint using the factory paint code.
I bet most of the exterior and interior parts will match across years.
:nana:

rokinmyws6
09-25-2006, 04:56 PM
sweet thanks djvaly. (lovin the banana).

fredy
09-26-2006, 10:45 AM
how about 99 camaro how many hoses are a the wheel with stock engine

nothing special yas stock engine ....

rwhp stock..

fredy
09-26-2006, 10:46 AM
anybody knows

thankssssss guys..

shady milkman
09-26-2006, 10:56 AM
ls1 make 350ish to the fly...becuase of tolerances it can range between 280-320 (320 are factory freaks!) since yours is a 99 it would prob be 280ish to 300ish to the wheels:nana: but its hard to tell

fredy
09-26-2006, 01:19 PM
thankssss for the advice.....

so is 275hp to 280 stock engine to wheel nicesssssssss

shady milkman
09-26-2006, 02:17 PM
well yea...but i'm trying to get 350 to the wheel

fredy
09-26-2006, 03:25 PM
well i got 385 rwhp but i had cam header ls6 intike 30lbs injector a airflow 78mm asp pulley
custom tune 5.0 shirter k&n filter cone stiles .....
my car is 99 trans am

what you think about this set up let me know if is good....????

shady milkman
09-26-2006, 07:27 PM
man you need sfc right away..but yea it sounds good..is it a a4 or m6?

fredy
09-27-2006, 10:36 AM
good deal ?????????????

shady milkman
09-27-2006, 11:10 AM
good deal ?????????????

?? good deal what?

fredy
09-27-2006, 11:11 AM
not sure what is sfc cant you tell me please...

i got m6

shady milkman
09-27-2006, 12:34 PM
sub frame connectors...they help limit boy flex...you need those asap..then for your tranny..you need a z06 clutch or spec3 clutch..um update the hydrolics to the 01-02 style. and you'll be golden..if you don't miss alot of shifts :D

fredy
09-27-2006, 01:31 PM
well i got a ram cluth hd..
from summitracing.com

djvaly
10-03-2006, 11:14 PM
yeah, if it's A4 like mine then substract 18% to 20% from the engine hp and you get hp to the rear wheel. The M6 are said to be about 16% power loss..
so let's take my '99 A4 TA which claims 305hp to engine. That means
305-(305*0.18) = 304-54.9 = 250.1rwhp as stock engine.

I've got bolt on mods, lid and filter (5rwhp), SLP cold air induction kit (8rwhp), smooth bellow (5rwhp), Gratenelli MAF (5rwhp), 160F thermo, cat back Corsa (15rwhp), HyperTech Programer II (10rwhp), ASP Underdrive Pulley(12rwhp).

This dynoed the car at 315wrhp. so all those bolts on gave me only about 60-65 rwhp gain which is just about right. I did spent $850 on the Corsa, then $250 on the HPP3, and then another $300-$400 on the rest, about $1500 total which is about right for 60rwhp gain. If you were to spend $2000 on new head cyclinder it would bump you 50-60rwhp so I think I made a pretty good investment so far on the bolt ons.

My next move is to get jet-hot long tube haders and Y pipe which will add 20-25rwhp and then
get ls6 manifold intake adding another 10rwhp. And when I get $2-3k aside next year I can get the
head/cam package Patriot stage III probably which will get me in the 420rwhp with a nice tune.

PS. I did get the Eibach Pro kit lowering 1.25, it looks great.. use the stock shocks as you won't bottom out with this unless you go with 2inches springs.
:)

shady milkman
10-04-2006, 10:23 AM
negitive..your ls1 is around 350 to the crank..they 305 bullshit was gm underrating them. most cars dyno around 280-320 to the wheels

djvaly
10-04-2006, 01:30 PM
per "99blueZ" on another thread, so ya "shady" you are probably right as well.

"Way to open up a ancient thead.

Ok you got some problems with your post. Your T/A probably has about 330 crank hp stock - these cars are underrated. You car stock is probably 280rwhp. Thus you gained about 35rwhp from your mods. 315-280= 35. not the 60+ you were dreaming of. Here are the more realistic gains for your mods: lid and filter -10rwhp, SLP cold air induction kit -0rwhp, smooth bellow -0rwhp, Gratenelli MAF -0rwhp, 160F thermo, cat back Corsa -15rwhp, HyperTech Programer II -0rwhp, ASP Underdrive Pulley -10rwhp."

djvaly
10-04-2006, 01:33 PM
so I have a question, when GM claims 400hp for a GTO LS2 or Vette C6,
does that mean 430 more likely to the engine stock? :seesaw:

shady milkman
10-04-2006, 02:55 PM
i have heard they under rated the c6 z06..i guess alot of z06 are pulling 480-490 to the wheels :love: ..i'm not sure about the LS2.

shady milkman
10-04-2006, 02:57 PM
per "99blueZ" on another thread, so ya "shady" you are probably right as well.

"Way to open up a ancient thead.

Ok you got some problems with your post. Your T/A probably has about 330 crank hp stock - these cars are underrated. You car stock is probably 280rwhp. Thus you gained about 35rwhp from your mods. 315-280= 35. not the 60+ you were dreaming of. Here are the more realistic gains for your mods: lid and filter -10rwhp, SLP cold air induction kit -0rwhp, smooth bellow -0rwhp, Gratenelli MAF -0rwhp, 160F thermo, cat back Corsa -15rwhp, HyperTech Programer II -0rwhp, ASP Underdrive Pulley -10rwhp."

man buddy what are you talking about......you posted the one about 305...and your digging up the old post...i'm so lost on were your comming from :brick:

djvaly
10-04-2006, 02:59 PM
hehhehe.. old is new to me :flex:

shady milkman
10-04-2006, 03:01 PM
hehhehe.. old is new to me :flex:

understandable but who has probs with their post...you were the one that made it

djvaly
10-04-2006, 03:02 PM
:giveup:

shady milkman
10-04-2006, 03:11 PM
:giveup:

lol its fine...lol but yea gm has had a history of underrating their engines so i wouldnt doubt the all the LSX line is underrated by around 30-50 horse

djvaly
10-05-2006, 08:47 AM
thanks for the info man! :)

shady milkman
10-05-2006, 08:49 AM
clean bird by the way. i'm looking for a black 98 ws6...so i can black the whole thing out :love:

djvaly
10-05-2006, 08:56 AM
yeah, just the other day a dude from Michigan just moved in the same apartment complex and was pretty much beggin me to sell it to him for $16K+.. I said, hell no. :) I just ordered my LT and Y... oh yeah.. ;)

shady milkman
10-05-2006, 09:18 AM
yeah, just the other day a dude from Michigan just moved in the same apartment complex and was pretty much beggin me to sell it to him for $16K+.. I said, hell no. :) I just ordered my LT and Y... oh yeah.. ;)

:love: omg sell it too him..for 16k..how many miles does it have?

djvaly
10-05-2006, 09:22 AM
67K on it. but I'm in love with it. I spent $1700 on it this year, just bolts on,
cat back etc.. I put my sweat and work in it. not giving it up.. mybe 20K I'd give up at that..maybe not.. don't know.
you know that song "I'm in love with a ... TA" :dance:

shady milkman
10-05-2006, 09:31 AM
lol yea i understand...but 16k..man that'd make me think.

fredy
10-05-2006, 11:06 AM
good choose man

Bandit400
12-10-2006, 06:40 PM
Here's an addition for 2002:
Many 2002's no longer received factory locking lug nuts.
(GM pinching pennies towards end)

Arrison24
03-01-2007, 05:19 PM
hey shady milkman...mine isnt ws6 but is is black, 1998, great shape, and 80K miles mostly back and forth PA to FL...interested?

shady milkman
03-01-2007, 08:18 PM
hey shady milkman...mine isnt ws6 but is is black, 1998, great shape, and 80K miles mostly back and forth PA to FL...interested?

how much?? i might be

Black02TA
03-24-2007, 08:45 AM
was there any WS6 made with auto???

shady milkman
03-24-2007, 08:47 AM
was there any WS6 made with auto???

alot of them.

Arrison24
03-25-2007, 07:13 AM
11.5K... negotiable

Daniel P.
03-25-2007, 07:29 PM
What year did the ws6 begin? Had a guy tell me he had something like a 1995 ws6. He wanted to race but i wasn't in my car and he wasnt in his and we were both feelin pretty good if you know what I mean.

shady milkman
03-25-2007, 07:39 PM
What year did the ws6 begin? Had a guy tell me he had something like a 1995 ws6. He wanted to race but i wasn't in my car and he wasnt in his and we were both feelin pretty good if you know what I mean.

the "ws6" ram hood stuff started 93' if i'm not mistaken.

Daniel P.
03-25-2007, 07:55 PM
Oh alright thanks, I almost said something to him but didnt want to apper to be an uninformed dumbass so I held my tongue. Do you have any idea how his lt1 with edelbrock headders and stickies would compare to my, other than ram air, stock z28

shady milkman
03-25-2007, 08:05 PM
Oh alright thanks, I almost said something to him but didnt want to apper to be an uninformed dumbass so I held my tongue. Do you have any idea how his lt1 with edelbrock headders and stickies would compare to my, other than ram air, stock z28

you still have him in hp and tq numbers but those stickies will help him alot in the launch along with the overall better low end grunt of the lt1..but once you get up between 50+ you'll murder him

Daniel P.
03-25-2007, 08:09 PM
thats about the same thing we both agreed on, he is an a4 also and I'm a m6, he seemed think that made a big difference, but i just saw it as a way for me to mess up and get beat.

shady milkman
03-25-2007, 08:11 PM
thats about the same thing we both agreed on, he is an a4 also and I'm a m6, he seemed think that made a big difference, but i just saw it as a way for me to mess up and get beat.

yea being exact everytime and never missing a shift is deff a possitive compared to a m6

JohnnyBs98WS6Rag
03-26-2007, 12:10 PM
What year did the ws6 begin? Had a guy tell me he had something like a 1995 ws6. He wanted to race but i wasn't in my car and he wasnt in his and we were both feelin pretty good if you know what I mean.

the "ws6" ram hood stuff started 93' if i'm not mistaken.

The WS6 RPO has been around since the late '70s, and until '96 was basically just a suspension / rear disk brake upgrade (depending on year). 1996 was the first year WS6 included any engine enhancements ("Ram Air") and that is when the hood / badge first appeared (same year the SS returned for the Camaro). The first "outwardly badged" WS6 'vert appeared in 1997, but retained the 16" rims and non-WS6 suspension (but had the 305HP "Ram Air" engine enhancements). In 1998, even WS6 'verts finally got all of the suspension goodies w/ 17" rims / tires.

shady milkman
03-26-2007, 02:34 PM
The WS6 RPO has been around since the late '70s, and until '96 was basically just a suspension / rear disk brake upgrade (depending on year). 1996 was the first year WS6 included any engine enhancements ("Ram Air") and that is when the hood / badge first appeared (same year the SS returned for the Camaro). The first "outwardly badged" WS6 'vert appeared in 1997, but retained the 16" rims and non-WS6 suspension (but had the 305HP "Ram Air" engine enhancements). In 1998, even WS6 'verts finally got all of the suspension goodies w/ 17" rims / tires.

:yup: :Popcorn: now i know

Silver Streak
03-26-2007, 03:44 PM
Yep.. he beat me to it....:)

HurricaneLS1
08-25-2007, 05:10 PM
How can I find out if my car ('02 Formula) has a LS6 block or not?

Heartbreak1
08-25-2007, 06:26 PM
Look on your block for the casting number. OR I believe somewhere in the front of the block if you can't find a bullseye on it, then you have an LS6.

ws6ta99
10-24-2007, 02:54 PM
To add to the list for differences

Mid year 1999 6 speed manual changed from Brog Warner to Tremec transmission.

The actual transmission might be the same but I beleive Tremec purchased that Borg Warner division.