Pop N Wood

Was that the engine out of the GTO? Does the Camro oil pan just bolt up, or did you have to do anything special with the oil pick up. I think you guys said in the past you had to change the MAF too. Anything else that had to be replaced? Trying to gauge what added expenses are involved with the LS2 swap over the LS1

You know I read that some time ago and I wonder if that is really why engines seem to last so much longer today. Growing up in the Midwest in the 70's it was pretty rare to know someone who had a car with over 100K miles. Maybe it was just because people didn't commute the long distances they do now. That and the rust from the bad weather. These days I know people who drove cheby's into the ground. When they were finally forced to get rid of their cars because everything was falling off of the body and interior, the engines were still going strong. Sure is a hell of a lot easier to start a FI car in the cold than a carb'ed vehicle. Back on topic, the OBD diagnostic codes are a mixed blessing. Yeah it is nice when the computer tells you there is something wrong with one of it's exotic sensors, but if it wasn't for the FI the engine would never have that sensor to go bad in the first place.

This Manhattan is tasting pretty sweet. How's that added protection treating you guys?

I sure hope that wasn't directed at me. I am sure your arguments are very clear to you. But you are only looking at part of the problem. I am 100% certain the engine on my Toyota will outlive the life of the chassis. 8 years old, 85K miles, engine run likes a top and the body is banged to ****. I figure in 8 more years when the truck has 130K miles on it, the engine will still be running fine, but the truck will look so bad even I won't want to own it anymore. So tell me, what advantage do I have to keep the engine running beyond that? What is your clear argument for that? And from what I can tell, the above applies to the overwhelming majority of drivers. 98% of my neighbors don't keep a car beyond 3 years. What is their clear incentive to go from $10 an oil change to 20 or 30? Is the trade in value on their upside down lease going to skyrocket because they have a fistful of overpriced oil change receipts? Your arguments are a solution in search of a problem. That is the entire point of my argument. Dino oil allows my engine to do everything I want it to do. Why **** with it? Why try to fix something that isn’t broke? I work as a defense contractor. I design and build weapon systems that the government pays billions of dollars for. Systems that can be used to target and deliver weapons of mass destruction. Seems like cost is the last of their worries. Yet as an engineer evaluating cost some how manages to consume an incredible portion of my time. In many cases it is the most demanding trade I have to make. Why do you suppose that is? Cost is always and issue, and in many cases it is the key discriminator. Yet that makes the problem too difficult for most people to evaluate so they often resort to such simple minded arguments like “this is betterâ€. Have fun enjoying your “added protectionâ€. I will give the money I save to Jim Beam instead. Let’s see who has the bigger smile on his face after that.

Before you start throwing money at parts, wire brush your battery terminals and fully charge the battery with an external charger overnight. "Looks clean" doesn't count. Take a wire brush to them. Then check all your other connections. If that doesn't work, then try jumpering the two main lugs on the solenoid with a screw driver. That bypasses the starter relay, S wire and the contacts in the solenoid itself. If jumpering the solenoid doesn't work, then you have a bad ground or a bad starter. Plain as that.

Maybe he was using those double secret drop tube dampers.....

Maybe he was using those double secret drop tube dampers.....

Funny how people always try to ignore costs when they argue what is "best".

http://www.zcarparts.com/store/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=50-2622

I have been on the losing end of trying to help self destructive family members. You can take solace in the fact you did a good thing and by remembering the saying "he who steals my purse steals trash". Also remember, especially when it comes to addicts, sometimes things have to get worse before they can get better. Until he wants help there is not much you can really do for him. With addicts, that simply doesn't happen until they can recognize that their problem is causing as much trouble in their own lives as it has for all of those around them. That can take years. Do him a favor and put him in jail. When you see him agian, let him know you still want to help him, but that until he cleans up his life you will hurt him should he come around your house or your family. I would also change all the locks and get new credit cards. Good luck.

How do you tell if your calipers are "flexing"?

Better in what sense? And how good is good enough? Premium gas is "better" than regular, but if your car doesn't need it you are wasting your money buying it. Synthetics are "better" in that they last longer and don't break down with temperature as readily. But they sure cost a lot more and may add so little to the longevity of the engine that what they provide doesn't offset the cost. At least that is what every study I have ever seen says. As long as it has the SAE seal of approval on it then it is good enough for a street car. Figure those guys must know something. And don't the synthetic manufactures recommend chaning the filter every 5K miles anyway? So they are not saving that much work.

Won't that then make the door skin no longer align with the fender?

do a search on lock codes. We have at least one locksmith member. Maybe he can hook you up.

Threre is just something too cool about a magnet that can hurt me.

I bought one from MSA maybe 15 years ago. Has served me well. It has a cut out for a drivers side fender mirror but not passengers mirror. It fits over the passenger mirror no problem. it is loose enough that it might stretch over a g nose. Call MSA and ask them if they know. Only issue is the antenna poked a hole in the cover. Don't see any way to prevent that though.

That is really not a lot of HP for such a complicated engine. I would rather have a supercharged american V8

For a rental with no natural gas a portable propane heater is probably your best bet. Wal-Mart sells the things that hook right on top of a gas grill tank. They are cheap and kick out some BTU's, but not so many BTU's that they need to be vented. Keep in mind that too big of a gas or kerosene heater and it will have to be vented to be safe. Not hard to do actually. Many gas heaters only need a single, plate sized hole in a side wall. In fact, maybe you could buy a gas fireplace that has a single side vent, run it off propane then take the whole rig with you should you move. Would fit against a side wall and not take up too much space. Woodstoves are probably the cheapest option. And that is something that could be run unattended. Any of the portable heaters should be shut down when you are not at home. Never leave a propane tank in a garage. The valves can leak and blow up the garage. Happens all the time. Electric heat is pretty expensive to run, especially in a poorly sealed garage like mine. If you owned the place and had natural gas, then getting a used furnace or heater is a viable option. Just keep in mind if you rig your own gas lines you could be in serious trouble with your insurance company should anything happen. In most states there is no legal way for you to run your own gas lines and plumbers charge ridiculous prices to do it legally.

Good news indeed. With one good eye he will still be able to see the smile on his future childrens faces. Who needs more in this life?

JohnC had some pretty good quotes about racing with ABS. Might try a search. ABS is only as good as the engineers that programed it, and most of them did not anticipate the brake temp levels encountered while racing. John mentioned Camaros that would spin off track when the computer sudden thought the car was in snow. At least that is what I remember from his posts. Guess a good driver running the car on the edge doesn't want the vehicle suddenly and unexpectedly changing it's braking characteristics.

Sounds like a plan. Probably a good idea to not wait till spring. Looks like the auction above will close with no bids, so might even get the same deal. There is a good bit of work to get the Z ready though. A dead engine will be hard to work around.

Jeez. Come to a hybrid site hopeing to find for some open minds. http://popularhotrodding.com/tech/0409phr_gmpp/ 500 hp with a stock LS1, cam and carb. Suppose to be streetable too. Try that with a first gen SBC. The article is actually a little old. I have seen other articles mentioning spark controllers for a carbed LS engine.

Hear that. Parting out a Camaro is not really an option living in the burbs with a one car garage. Just found out the Camaro engines come out from underneath. That would be a pretty good trick in my driveway. Guess I could dig a pit in the backyard. I don't even like the idea of Johns Cars pieces. But as a time saver I may have to reconsider. But I would still like to find out how people found their parts cars. Might be a cheaper source of a drivetrain if I work it right.

Sounds like you will be replacing some exhaust pieces. What exhaust manifolds do you have? Are they factory type cast iron? Cast iron doesn't weld well. Maybe time to upgrade to some block huggers. You definitely don't want exhaust leaks under the hood. Think carbon monoxide.

How did you guys find your parts cars?