Looking into buying a 4th gen T/A , has oil leak at the valve covers. Opinions? (Page 3/6)
nitroheadz28 AUG 08, 09:37 PM
Thanks a lot Joe. This is a 95 T/A with supposedly a 96 engine and trans swapped in. Its got an MSD optispark- hopefully less problematic. I have no idea if it has traction control or not, either way after driving my Fiero in the rain with dry rotted tires- I don't think anything can be worse than that.

I'm heading out early tomorrow morning to look and hopefully buy the white T/A in PA. I paid a forum member to run an autocheck on the VIN but no records showed up. Carfax is showing 21 records, $40 though... Sheesh.

The jack@$$ who was supposed to pick up my grand prix tomorrow night hasn't responded to communication since last night. That just makes things a pain in the ass now
Joe 1320 AUG 08, 10:08 PM

quote
Originally posted by nitroheadz28:

Thanks a lot Joe. This is a 95 T/A with supposedly a 96 engine and trans swapped in. Its got an MSD optispark- hopefully less problematic. I have no idea if it has traction control or not, either way after driving my Fiero in the rain with dry rotted tires- I don't think anything can be worse than that.
:



The problem with a 95 is the diagnostic port. It's OBDI but uses an OBDII connector. It's PITA. just swapping in a 96 engine will be of no benefit, they are really the same. The 96-97 used a dual cat Y pipe and the OBDII system that gave a 10HP increase over the 95. For there to be of any real benefit, everything would have to be swapped and I seriously doubt that happened. The MSD increases the spark energy but has a tendency to burn though the plugs, wires and distributer faster. Been there....... In my honest opinion, I would only buy an unmodified car. Any hot rod parts pretty much tells you the car has been beat on. You may pay a buck more, but a lower mileage original will be best. To tell if it has traction control, there will be a TCS button on the dash to turn it off and under the hood there will be a larger servo assembly in a black case that has a throttle cable that goes to the throttle body. (not available on the 96-97 WS6)

FWIW, I run 17x11 50mm offset wheels and 315/35/17 on the rear of my Camaro and they grip quite well. It solves the tail happy condition.

I would tend to stay away from 93 LT1s, the optispark is unique to that year and is a non vented design, it runs much more $$$ when it craps out. I still say, the best bet is 96-97, then a 95 as a back up choice. Of course, if you have the dough.... the LS1 for 01-02 are the most desired with individual coils and DIS ignition. They are under rated from the factory in the HP department.

[This message has been edited by Joe 1320 (edited 08-08-2012).]

nitroheadz28 AUG 08, 11:22 PM
Once again I really appreciate the info Joe. Unfortunately my time has run out because the registration on my current DD expires this month- not to mention it was supposed to be sold tomorrow

This car is relatively stock apart from the ignition/ headers/ 12 bolt rear/ and minor things. It appears to be extremely well taken care of, which is why I've leaned towards it despite the high mileage. Its got ZR1 Vette wheels with 11" wide rear tires, so I'm sure those will help

Thanks again and I'll report tomorrow when I hopefully bring her home! Very excited to finally own a Trans Am, been dreaming about one since before I got my Fiero.
Joe 1320 AUG 09, 10:54 AM

quote
Originally posted by nitroheadz28: Its got ZR1 Vette wheels with 11" wide rear tires, so I'm sure those will help
.



Those would be grand sport wheels. The ZR-1 wheels are a 36mm offset which would put them well outside the fenders. The grandsports are 50mm offset and are what you see on the Blue SS in my photo.

Um.... 12 bolt, headers, ignition, etc.... god speed. Hope it works out for you.
nitroheadz28 AUG 09, 04:35 PM
Ah forgive me, not familiar with these cars yet. Meh, its essentially stock though.

I brought her home with me

Thank you everyone for your help, it is much appreciated. I can't believe it, but its looking like the T/A burns 3-5mpg less than the GP and also costs $60/ 6 months less to insure

Here are my 2 current beasties:



My complaints so far:

Steering wheel has almost an inch of slack. So either the column/ tie rods. The PO said he had a new rack installed in 2010.
The cig lighter unit is gone, he told me it kept blowing fuses. I hate electrical but I suppose I'll investigate.
Pass side window regulator is getting weak, it needs help the last 1/4"
Drivers side door is notchy. Not sagging, probably just needs lube as it seems to operate fine.
There is a lot of vibration at cruising speeds, he says he installed a poly trans mount a few weeks ago- its not too crazy though.

The pluses:

It pulls nice and hard.
Gets good mileage for what it is.
Looks amazing.
Sounds great.
Has the cleanest undercarriage of any used car I've seen with over 20k. I can't believe it almost has 200 on it, not a spec of rust and it looks like it rolled out of the factory.
Overall the interior appears to be squeak and rattle free, everything in excellent condition except for a 1/2" crack in the dash. Seats are comfortable.
Sound is fantastic, nice alpine HU and pioneer speakers. Wired for subs, I'll have to buy one or 2.

So far it seems like I did good, apart from the steering its got minor issues. The body and frame are just spotless, its crazy when you think about the mileage on it.
Tony Kania AUG 09, 07:14 PM
Forgive me for not taking the time, but which one is that? Looks awesome. Congrats.

Oh yeah, and more pics when you get the time.

Tony
nitroheadz28 AUG 09, 08:17 PM
Tony, thats the one from the first post- I mentioned it 2 or 3 times through the thread

Thank you for the complement and all your help, you da man!

Yes sir, finally I own a car since my Fiero that I'd be proud to take pics of. It needs a touch up on 3 rock chips on the nose, apart from that the body is spotless.. Not a scratch or dent anywhere!

You'll definitely get some awesome pics next weekend, going out cruising with the tri state fiero crew- hopefully they don't leave me in the turns

[This message has been edited by nitroheadz28 (edited 08-09-2012).]

Raydar AUG 09, 10:35 PM
I like it! That's my favorite body style of all the 4th gen cars. A Formula would be a close 2nd.
Tony Kania AUG 09, 11:27 PM

quote
Originally posted by nitroheadz28:

Tony, thats the one from the first post- I mentioned it 2 or 3 times through the thread







I haven't had time to remember every post. But, as with your thread here, I am beginning to be much more picky about just who my friends are.

(I know you will share pics. I just had to **** with ya. )

Peace,

Tony
nitroheadz28 AUG 10, 11:33 AM

quote
Originally posted by Raydar:

I like it! That's my favorite body style of all the 4th gen cars. A Formula would be a close 2nd.



Mine too, the rear end especially. I don't like the LS1 cars for the round/ separated reverse lights.

So can anyone recommend the "best" 4th gen forum? I know of LS1tech, but their LT1 section is kind of pitiful. I think theres ls1lt1.com or something like that? Anything else?

I was looking through the receipts the PO gave me yesterday last night, the axle on this thing was $2600 from summit and apparently can handle over 3x the power from stock. Glad that its been gone through already with the other suspension goodies.

I've heard many a time that these cars benefit from subframe connectors, especially verts and ttops. I'll have to look into it more, but the steering issue definitely needs attention.