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I am going to look at a 1998 Camaro SS with the M6 and 75,000 miles on it. I was just looking for some suggestions on what is most important in looking the car over. Any ideas on problems I can look out for and important things to check out before buying it?
Make sure that the doors align correctly and straight with the front quarter panels. alot of people jack the cars up improperly and bend the body lips where the front quarter meets the frame body lip. this causes cracking and bending of that body lip intern screwing up the alignment of that panel against the door panel.
http://www.ls1.com/forums/showthread.php?t=33145
Check this out
I'd just make sure the body and interior look good and the car drives well. Little things can and will go wrong with a car that old but for an SS Camaro it's worth it. Check out the rear brake calipers and make sure they were never grinded down to fit drag rims on the car.
Thanks for the help guys. I wouldn't have thought of some the things you suggested. Hopefully I can pick it up for a good deal and join the ranks of LS1 owners. (My 84 corvette is just not cutting it!)
talk to the owner about racing, see if he has run the crap out of it. just chat in general see how hes driven the car. some hot rodding is fine but if he had been all out racing jerking it around u will be looking at expensive repairs on down the roadQuote:
Originally Posted by minameisricky
Ask + look to see if Any paint work has been done.
Then find out why. Car fax is good idea also.
Ask if it has a clear title, I've had people hide it till the last minute + then say "O by the way". That salvage/flood/recovered theft title follows it forever,+ really affects value + saleability.
I actualy boughta mustang, drove over an hour to get there, decided i wanted it. He had met me at a mall,+ didnt have the title wth him, I never thought to ask about salvage. He followed me back to my house with the car + was going to get the title when i gave him the ride back to his house, we get there, and its a salvage title, The car had been totalled in the past. Needless to say I was not a happy camper.
Also be careful if there is a payoff on the car.
Because you are handing somebody a whole bunch of money + not getting a title on the spot,
you have to make sure the person can be trusted to pay that car off + get you the Title. THAT is a situation I have never trusted. without a title you are screwed
Also any cross outs or scribble overs on atitle canvoid it + cause problems. Dont just be blinded by the car
pay very close attention to the title.
run the car and go through all the gears. at that milage the t-56s sycs and forks can give you some prob. oh and the clutch. check the t-tops and look for any gaps from flexing. um, look at the rear end of the car and see if their is any exessive leaking..some moisture is expected but if it puddles or is dripping then make sure you talk him down a bunch..or just pass it up. check the door tags and make sure its a real SS. make sure the trunk latch works proper. if it doesnt then talk him down on the price. while you are down under the car look for any fluid leaks around the tranny. um make sure you let the car run and get up to op. temp and then check stuff. ask what he puts in it(fluid wise) ask about the fuel filter and if he changed it. make sure again to take it through all of the gears. dont be affraid to run it hard too. you need to see how the ls1 is holding up. um ask him/check the air filter. if its a k&n or a oil based filter ask him when he bought it and when he has oiled it. and lastly check the AC controls and see if they are working proper. and if the guy really doesnt know alot about ls1s. mention to him about the piston slap at start up and try to talk him down. :seesaw: if you want to. hope this helps. biggest things to look for is body flex.(and type of gaping) (dents on the quater panels is a sign of body flex) transmission stuff(listen and watch for grinding and shitty clutching) :) good luck.
why? just curious?Quote:
Originally Posted by KageSS
piston slap at start up ???? explain pleaseQuote:
Originally Posted by shady milkman
yes! Why not a 98, not a big difference between them.
You really should explain why, so he knows, BECAUSE,that is the year he is looking at.
ls1s slap more at start up then ike did tina.(oh man i'm going to hell for that) um listen at start up. you can hear it untill it warms up. they fixed it on the ls2 and such. they changed to a floating pin design to eliminate it. yea its normal but listen sometime on a cold start. its like a ticking noise sorta..but you can deff tell.Quote:
Originally Posted by rrgray8
well kage and i are like bros so i'll try to explain his post. he could be refering to 98's hard ass pcms. and the water pump (i think that or the fuel pump) tend to just magically die on 98s. not as much low end grunt in the 98s becuase of their big ass cams. and for the ss..maybe he was just referring to the single exhuast tip. but personally i love the 98s for insurance reasons and just becuase i like them. did i get it right kage? :hug:
mine does that i been thinking crap shes going to blow up ! so it is normal, also very funny ike joke " whats love got to do with it ? "Quote:
Originally Posted by shady milkman
lol yea its normal if it goes away at op.temp...lol not a damn thingQuote:
Originally Posted by rrgray8
sweet thanks 4 the info i been really worried about thatQuote:
Originally Posted by shady milkman
Just curious, Shady Milkman do you own an LS car and where do you get all of your information from? (I am not putting you down or trying to offend you!) JUST CURIOUSQuote:
Originally Posted by shady milkman
i used to but then i had to sell it and get a grand am :( but i have always loved ls1s and for a long time i was just a member and listen to the seniors of this site and what they say. I am also the ls1 guru around here, and people come to me if they have questions about f-bodies and i've went with people looking for f-bodies. its fine. alot of people probbally just brush me off becuase of my age. but i know some stuff about the ls1s and f-bodies :yup:Quote:
Originally Posted by 9t8z28
What are the hard ass pcms?Quote:
Originally Posted by shady milkman
I believe its the fuel pumps that have a problem from time to time, but I,m not sure if thats a 98 only thing ?
As for low end grunt; I've had everything from ls6 chevelle's,hemi cuda's,440-6's,boss429's,L78,L72,428cj,well you get the pic. big strong big blocks,And my 98-z is at least as much of a tire burner as those,dead stop with
a very mild converter,(max of 2400 stall,) absolutely
smokes the sticky soft compound tires, through 1st, second, + i bet if i short shifted 2nd while spinn ing hard,it would keep burning third Any more low end
would be useless, so dont be afraid of lack of low end on a 98. Unless there was a 98-99 cam change idon't know about,(which is possible) The only cam change I,ve heard of was in 01, Along with the intake (ls6 Intake i believe) + a better clutch.
I wouldn't be afraid of a 98 Especially if the price is right. Basically the same 98-2000 maybe minor upgrades. If you can afford 2001 -02 I would say there is some worthwile upgrades that were made. but even then "Basically" same car. I drove an 01 z the same day that bought my 98, + there was no question I liked mine SOOO much better, but not really a fair comparison, the 01 was a bone stock, 273 gear car,
+ i didn't really want that color, + mine was the color combo,I wanted + had just the right amount of mods, + was $4000 less.
Iguess the moral of that story would be,If its the right car at the right price,grab it.The diff between the years is negligable, + price makes up for lack of the 01-02's small advantage, + as i recall price was a factor, or was that another thread, I've been babbling on for so long on this reply i forgot.
the '98 computer is different than '99-02.