nasshh Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 I have a delima here. my 240 needs a new passenger side fender which seems impossible to find, and ive come across two fiberglass fenders on craigslist for $300 which is great in two ways, NEW FENDERS & THEYRE LIGHT! good buy or what ? the problem is im saving up my money for an LT1, JTR kit, etc (no job, and this cars a temporary money pit! lol) so im tryna see should i buy the fenders and get that over with now or should i just wait and save my money for the LT1 and kit ???? HELP I NEED OPINIONS cant decide!! i have about $400 saved up, and i could find LT1's all day on craigslist for under $1000. http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3386805 check the car out see thhe problem i got ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turboHLS30 Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Just wait til the car gets running and driving Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naviathan Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Nice, June of 1970. Not an early early 240, but early enough to be worth something eventually. You have more at stake here than just the decision of motor/body. You CAN NOT drive a car and restore it at the same time. It just doesn't work. I've tried as have many others. You always end up needing another vehicle eventually. Not to mention, it will nickel and dime you to death just keeping it on the road. I say strip it and get the body right first. Then worry about the engine options later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deja Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Save your money for the engine swap. $400 is only the tip of the iceberg for a LT1 swap. There are a lot of other things you will need before you have a drivable car. The body work can wait as long as the basic structure of the car is strong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inferno 08 Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Save your money for the engine swap. $400 is only the tip of the iceberg for a LT1 swap. There are a lot of other things you will need before you have a drivable car. The body work can wait as long as the basic structure of the car is strong. He speaks the truth. Get it running how you want it, then make it look good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nasshh Posted January 6, 2010 Author Share Posted January 6, 2010 Thanks for the opinions, starting to make more sense. Naviathan does make a lot of sense tho do the condition of the car but i want this thing on the streets so bad i can feel it !! keep the opinions coming all help is great help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deja Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 You really need to be sure the structural part of the car is sound before you start making big power. I mean the frame members, floor, brakes and suspension need to be able to support that big power. This doesn't necessarily mean you need a roll cage or even beefed up frame connectors but the basics have to be right. Get rid of any rusted metal in the unibody part of the car. The front fenders, hatch and hood and paint can wait. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deja Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 OH yeah just in case you haven't researched the LT1. When you're looking for the engine get at least a '94 or newer so you can program the computer from a laptop. The '93s are speed density engines and have some tuning concerns. Good engines, its just the later ones with a MAF are better. A '95 or newer has the better vented optispark but other than that there isn't much difference. Camaro/Firebird engine have aluminum heads and a bit more HP stock that the big Chevy/Buick cars and Corvettes have 25 more HP than the Z28. TransAM. I ran a 115K '94 Z28 LT1 for 10K without problems before building my new engine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datsun723 Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 That roof rust looks quite painful!! Good luck with it man! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nasshh Posted January 7, 2010 Author Share Posted January 7, 2010 OH yeah just in case you haven't researched the LT1. When you're looking for the engine get at least a '94 or newer so you can program the computer from a laptop. The '93s are speed density engines and have some tuning concerns. Good engines, its just the later ones with a MAF are better. A '95 or newer has the better vented optispark but other than that there isn't much difference. Camaro/Firebird engine have aluminum heads and a bit more HP stock that the big Chevy/Buick cars and Corvettes have 25 more HP than the Z28. TransAM. I ran a 115K '94 Z28 LT1 for 10K without problems before building my new engine. thanks alot for that LT1 info Deja, i didnt even know all that ! and thanks for the tips on the body Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nasshh Posted January 7, 2010 Author Share Posted January 7, 2010 That roof rust looks quite painful!! Good luck with it man! yeah i know lol alot of cutting and weldings gotta be done up there but ive got a few body guys that can handle it for a little of nothing (so they say) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Revelation Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 A good place to look for body parts are auto dismantlers, sure you may have to look for a while to find one that isn't completely useless or has no dents. Trust me though, for the price, it will be worth the work you put into looking for the right one. Also, if you are looking for a new fender you can always check out black dragon automotive (http://www.blackdragonauto.com/). If you check their website you can ask for a free catalog and browse all the body parts that they have. As I said before they are all new. However, they are much more expensive then buying a used one, but, if you are serious about getting show quality results out of your restoration then it will be worth the extra money. I just simply recommend the auto dismantlers because you said you were on a budget. happy building! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deja Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 Here's some good LT1 sites you should review. http://www.nookandtranny.com/Info_LT1.html http://www.ws6.com/faq/4_2.htm#ch4_2aw and the best one of all http://shbox.com/page/index.html [url=http://shbox.com/page/index.html][/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nasshh Posted January 7, 2010 Author Share Posted January 7, 2010 Here's some good LT1 sites you should review.http://www.nookandtranny.com/Info_LT1.html http://www.ws6.com/faq/4_2.htm#ch4_2aw and the best one of all http://shbox.com/page/index.html Thanks, helps me get a little more familiar. im always around LS1s so i get those way more then LT's lol, and i also ordered my JTR book today so i cant wait till that comes, do you have pictures of your swap ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nasshh Posted January 8, 2010 Author Share Posted January 8, 2010 OH yeah just in case you haven't researched the LT1. When you're looking for the engine get at least a '94 or newer so you can program the computer from a laptop. The '93s are speed density engines and have some tuning concerns. Good engines, its just the later ones with a MAF are better. A '95 or newer has the better vented optispark but other than that there isn't much difference. Camaro/Firebird engine have aluminum heads and a bit more HP stock that the big Chevy/Buick cars and Corvettes have 25 more HP than the Z28. TransAM. I ran a 115K '94 Z28 LT1 for 10K without problems before building my new engine. what software do yo use to program the ecu for the Lt1 ? and where can i find it ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deja Posted January 8, 2010 Share Posted January 8, 2010 There is a massive write up and a few picts at http://dejavideo.net/transplant.html Thanks, helps me get a little more familiar. im always around LS1s so i get those way more then LT's lol, and i also ordered my JTR book today so i cant wait till that comes, do you have pictures of your swap ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geking Posted February 21, 2010 Share Posted February 21, 2010 (edited) if you ever come to the DC aria, I can give you a new roof. Its been sitting in the basement for 3 years now, time it gets used by someone. EDIT: You can get the motor cheaper from a you pick it place. Heck, I ended up swapping with the guy and got the motor for about 4 hours of computer work. 96 LT1 (iron heads) T5 with Megasquirt 2 and Ford EDIS, self tuning with a NAW_7S Wideband Edited February 21, 2010 by Geking Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.