last gen firebird/trans Am, things to look for?

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so My Friends Mother bought his little bro a car. the "kid" is 22, and an E1 in the Army, fresh out of AIT and stationed @ Ft.Hood.
The car in question belonged to her Ex Girlfriend's Mother.
the only Details i have are this photo:

and "it has a Corvette Engine"
so, Most Likely LS1.
apparently "Barely Driven" owned by an Old Lady.

the proverbial sportscar owned by an old lady, and driven to church on sunday, if you will.

so my friend is going to drive this down to his brother, and fly back in a few weeks.
I couldn't convince him to have it shipped, (which would undoubtedly be cheaper.)

so, he's gonna bring it by when he's in town over thanksgiving, for me to look over.
anything specific to lookout for?
 
Originally Posted By: earlyre

anything specific to lookout for?

Yeah, take that bra off!
37.gif
 
Originally Posted By: barkingspider
Think the TA in the pic has th LT1 engine. LS1 came out on the 98 and newer

could very well be, I don't know the models well enough to tell the age from a picture....

when he first sent me that pic, i was a bit stunned, "a firebird?"
his response was, "Idk, I just know it's a Pontiac with a Corvette Engine..."

nothing of age, miles, Auto, or stick, nothing.
 
Originally Posted By: silverrat
I didn't think anybody put car bras on anymore. Yeesh.


Originally Posted By: Nick1994
Yeah, take that bra off!
37.gif



I get that, but if that Bra has been on there for 20-ish years, how messed/scratched up is the paint on that bumper gonna be underneath?
 
Originally Posted By: earlyre


nothing of age, miles, Auto, or stick, nothing.

What are the chances that an old lady was driving a stick?
 
Originally Posted By: earlyre

the proverbial sportscar owned by an old lady, and driven to church on sunday, if you will.


Best line I've read on this site in a while!
 
Originally Posted By: earlyre

I get that, but if that Bra has been on there for 20-ish years, how messed/scratched up is the paint on that bumper gonna be underneath?

After 20 years, the paint underneath the bra will be a different color.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: earlyre


nothing of age, miles, Auto, or stick, nothing.

What are the chances that an old lady was driving a stick?

well she was driving a TA...
 
LT1 (Gen II small block) car, You can tell by the lack of "Vents" in the front fender that the LS1 cars had.

They have their quirks.....
Optispark distributor, Check for High & Low Resolution codes in the PCM, Check for proper routing & condition of the vacuum/Vent hoses. Use only AC Delco replacements

Oil Cooler adapter leaking. Just requires seals.

Check spark plug wire routing around the front accessories & exhaust manifolds.

Pinion Seal leakage, Common on 7.5"/7.6" differentials along with side carrier bearing failures.

Air Intake leaks from improper handling/service.

A/C compressor leakage just like ALL HT6 Harrison compressors.



This is more of an enthusiast vehicle & do not fair well in the hands of a non-enthusiast at the age they are.
 
I owned 1993 and 1995 LT1 Trans Ams (6 speed and automatic). Both were in the 55K-75K mile range when I sold them. Never had a single mechanical or electrical problem that I recall. Quite a lot of fun with the 275 hp in that era. If the car is fairly low mileage, no reason it can't be pretty reliable car. I loved the way my 1993 LT1 M6 handled and performed. To me, it was superior in many ways to my 1999 LS1 M6. While the LS has taken top billing, there's still a following for the earlier version, especially if low mileage and well taken care of.

LT1 1993-1997
LS1 1998-2002
 
I have a 1999 Trans Am but it is an automatic. Never drove an earlier model. What differences did you notice between the LT1 and the LS1?
 
Originally Posted By: xtell
What differences did you notice between the LT1 and the LS1?


What are they rated at?
 
LS1 was 320ish hp, the LT1 was 275.

I have owned both LT1 and LS1 F-bodies. I loved my LT1s nice low end grunt and sounds great. Having said that give me an LS based one. Easy maintenance, reliable, about a whole second faster in the 1/4 mile and parts galore.
 
Originally Posted By: ls1mike
LS1 was 320ish hp, the LT1 was 275.

I have owned both LT1 and LS1 F-bodies. I loved my LT1s nice low end grunt and sounds great. Having said that give me an LS based one. Easy maintenance, reliable, about a whole second faster in the 1/4 mile and parts galore.


So what you are saying, is even if it only has 40k mi on it, he should do an LS sawp?
right?....or a vortec/ procharger?
 
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