New motor???

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I have been trying to do some research because i just go tmy first camaro 99 z28 6 speed.. but it has 132xxx on the motor and tranny...

so my question is would it even be wise to try and do performance upgrades to this car or will it just blow everything up? or would it be wiser to save up for a new motor and tranny and then start my upgrading?

[knoll5150]

Oh man..you're gonna get about 100 different opinions on this but... If I where you I would just leave it, save your cash and enjoy it. Maybe put a different exhaust in to gain a little HP and sound...but the reality is you'll never get your money back on all the mods you do (or atleast a fraction of the cost). But hey, if you enjoy moding your car..do it, just realize you won't get that money back in resale. If you (or the previous owners) hav'nt ragged the hell out of your Camaro, 100+k miles is'nt really that many miles on a LS1.

[00z28bubba]

take it to a reputable mechanic and have them check it out. see if there is major wear on it like it was beat on or not. that is the biggest thing really. if you want to play with it and the car is in good mechanical condition go for it. mine is barely under 110k and puts out 306hp and 324tq with a few bolt ons in an a4.

[Y2KPewterSS]

Smart route, buy a new motor/tranny or at least freshen up the current ones. If you put money into modding it and it blows it all up, look at everything you have lost.

[Bottesini]

My first suggestion is to come up with a plan. Once you have that than you can decide if it is best to save up for a new motor or upgrade this one.

Personally, I am putting out right around 400 RWHP on a motor that I daily drive and has 142K miles on the clock. However, I have plans for a new motor going in the next few years, so I am not putting any more money into this engine. If you will be happy with just bolt on stuff than I would not worry so much about a new motor. If you want to go bigger than it would be worth thinking about something newer.

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I already have exhaust and a SLP lid.. but your right i dont want to spend 5k in upgrades and have the engine blow up on me then i will be SOL! My father is a mechanic and he ripped apart the engine and replaced all the gaskets.. he said the car hadnt looked like it was beaten on, looks liek it was mainly all freeway miles.. which i guess is a good thing? the only thing i knwo for sure i need to replace is the slave but if im going to replace the slave i might as well just replace the master too? maybe a LS7 clutch? with a hurst shifter or pro 5.0?

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thats why i am asking all these questions to see what the better route would be.. im not made of money by any means so all the help would be great!

[c5z28]

Anything after headers is asking for trouble w/ that many miles that rearend and tranny have to be tired.

[Bottesini]

I already have exhaust and a SLP lid.. but your right i dont want to spend 5k in upgrades and have the engine blow up on me then i will be SOL! My father is a mechanic and he ripped apart the engine and replaced all the gaskets.. he said the car hadnt looked like it was beaten on, looks liek it was mainly all freeway miles.. which i guess is a good thing? the only thing i knwo for sure i need to replace is the slave but if im going to replace the slave i might as well just replace the master too? maybe a LS7 clutch? with a hurst shifter or pro 5.0?

LS7 seems to be a very good clutch for a daily driver. I have chosen not to run one in my car just because it will see to much track time. So what clutch you want also depends on what you plan on doing with the car. My RAM clutch is by no means unstreetable, about the only problem I have is a little chatter and the cost is about the same. The Pro 5.0 is a great shifter, put mine in and have not looked back since.

thats why i am asking all these questions to see what the better route would be.. im not made of money by any means so all the help would be great!

You are doing exactly what you need to. Learn, read, and talk about it as much as you can and than you will have a better idea of what is going on and what you want to do. To give you an idea of how much planning I put into the upcoming motor. I started seriously last summer, and I plan on buying the first parts maybe this May, and will have it in the car around a year after that. Only mods I am doing now are things that will be needed after I have the new engine as well. Things like the rear end, shift light, etc.

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so whats the difference between the a4 and m6? i think my next move would be to put a 9" or a 12 bolt posi in? and putting a new clutch in.. its already pretty beefy ( for now ) and sounds mean.. so i think im just going to save for a new motor /tranny

[c5z28]

I believe a4 12 bolt and m6 9".

[Bottesini]

so whats the difference between the a4 and m6? i think my next move would be to put a 9" or a 12 bolt posi in? and putting a new clutch in.. its already pretty beefy ( for now ) and sounds mean.. so i think im just going to save for a new motor /tranny

A4 = automatic 4 speed
M6 = 6 Speed manual

A good clutch and rear end are wise investments for keeping the car in one piece. Changing the gear ratio will also provide quite a bit of seat of the pants difference.

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i have a 10 bolt in now... is that stock? do you knwo what size gears come stock in a z28? i have a aluminum drive shaft in also, i should probably swap that out as well right?

[c5z28]

yes 10 bolts are stock and you have 3.42 gears.

[Bottesini]

i have a 10 bolt in now... is that stock? do you knwo what size gears come stock in a z28? i have a aluminum drive shaft in also, i should probably swap that out as well right?

All fourth gen f bodies come from GM with a 10 bolt (7.5" ring gear). The gear ratio will depend on a few things, but if you have a M6 (assuming since you have talked about clutch) than you should have 3.42s stock.

Right now I am using the stock driveshaft myself, but it can be a weak link. Only takes a little ding to completely weaken the entire shaft. Next weekend we will see how well mine holds up to a few hard launches

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well i have 285/40/18 in the rear and 265/35/18 in the front... should i switch to 3:73?

[Bottesini]

well i have 285/40/18 in the rear and 265/35/18 in the front... should i switch to 3:73?

Not sure of how tall those tires are (tend to only deal with 17 wheels). 4.11s have been working very well for me, and that tends to be the default gear ratio when asked concerning M6s.

[c5z28]

m6 4.10s gives you more umpf under acceleration, don't be surprised when that rearend goes, navdeep broke his w/ a stock car and is looking at just under 3g's to build his rearend.

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so you think i should go with 4:10s?

[Bottesini]

so you think i should go with 4:10s?

Well personally, I would not put any money into a 10 bolt unless you absolutely have to. 4.11s are what I have in the 9" in my car.