[Dave B]

I have one of the last LT1 cars and need to upgrade to an LS1. The '01s and '02 are coming off lease and seem tempting.

I figure there must be somethings to look out for compared to the LT1. What are the common engine failure/warranty fixes? I know the power steering pump is a big problem for race track use. On my LT1 this was solved with pulleys but it has a remote reservoir. Are pulleys available for LS1 cars? Do they work or do I need a power steering cooler?

Any easy fix for the rear wheel brake hop?

This car will be used for street and track use including competition but the engine will be stock except for a lid and possibly headers ( if they are worth it)

Also if I get an intake lid is there any difference in power between SS/WS6 cars and regular coupes? I will be altering the suspension significantly so it doesn't matter about the stock spring rates etc.

Another small point. I bought my LT1 new and defintely did not want T tops as they seem to leak. If you have them do your T tops leak? It may take me a while to find a relatively loaded car without them.

[Dave B]

Julie , like you I did not trust GM in the first year of a new engine. I also bought the LS1 front brake upgrade which works quite well. OTOH I have been in and driven enough LS1 cars to know that stock they have sig more power and certainly feel lighter in the front end ( to the tune of 70 lb I gather). In the Solo 1 series I run in, modified cars run against stock cars as long as their wgt/hp is close but it is only the modified cars that suffer major engine failures. My stock engined LT1 has seen literally thousands of track and competition miles with no more damage than a leaking water pump. The car is also absolutely the best performance "bang for the buck" and many of my competitors still can't beat me despite spending lots of bucks on their Mustangs/Hondas/BMWs/Mazdas etc. I like to think it is my driving but it is more likely the car.

OTOH it is getting a bit older and we do know that North American cars do not keep their resale value well and a 3-4 year old car has a ton of life left in it for a sig discount from new. ( Got quite a good deal on my wife's Olds minivan that was just off lease at 3 years. 56000 KM or about 34000 miles for barely 50% of the asking price new so lets assume 60% of the selling price)

Doug, as you know I am not a member of Tbfm but I would be interested in anyone has a relatively stock 01 or 02 for sale. I'm telling my wife that all the suspension parts will fit right over to the newer car but I'm not sure she'll go for it. BTW I have most of the stock pieces and the question is if I was going to sell my LT1 would I be better to put it back to completely stock and sell the LS1 spindles/caliper/rotor/pads to someone in the area or do you think some one would be interested in buying the car for competition use? The Chassis is in great shape as the subframes went on at under 2000 km.