T/A in MD

[DHowdy]

Been over on ls1tech (from which I copied most of this post ) for only about a month...now migrating here as well. I'm not new to the f body, but new to the ls1. After searching around for a while I found this little gem on craigslist. It's a 2002 T/A completely bone stock down to the air lid and exhaust with only 12.4k on the clock (including the 300 I've put on it). Got it from a man in VA who only drove it to church on Sundays....well actually, I'm not entirely sure he even drove it that much. Car is in almost perfect condition except a few rock chips which is to be expected on a black, 7 year old car. I couldn't be happier with this car so far...it's an entirely different animal compared to my old car.

I bought it with intentions of modding it, but I don't think I'll be able to bring myself to molesting it, especially considering I'm only 18 and in a few years when I get out of school will be looking to upgrade again. I got the car for a killer price (I think) and am scared of devaluing it if I were to sell it. However perhaps cosmetic upgrades such as a raptor hood, rims, and catback wouldn't be so bad. Any thoughts on this?

Quick question while I'm posting: Engine bay has apparently never been cleaned, lots of dust not grime. What's the best way to clean this? Google told me to just hose it down, but I don't really feel comfortable doing that.

So apparently I can't figure out how to just attach a file to the post...so here's a picture for now:

[pajeff02]

Nice find. Some advise against it, but I have never had a problem washing down the engine bay. With the engine cold, soak it down with Simple Green and let it set for a few minutes. Do not let it dry though in case you are doing this on a warm day -- just keep soaking it a bit.

With some soft brushes, small sponges, etc... you can scrub any problem areas. Rinse it down with cool water, but avoid directing it into the PCM area (back passenger side corner of engine bay) or concentrating the spray on the coil packs.

Dry it down with towels as best you can and use compresed air to blow off the top of the engine and to dry the electrical connections. Start it up and allow it to warm up to finish drying the engine compartment and you should be good. I know a lot of members use CD2, but Simple Green has always worked well for me.

[doozjamann]

Nice find indeed. Welcome to the site.

[Transambroli]

Very nice; let the modding begin