buying a 96 lt1??

[vatechguy3]

i am new to this forum, and i have been looking into buying a 96 z/28 for 2 or 3 years.

i have finally found one locally with a 6 speed like i have been looking for. i have a few questions before i buy the car though.

i plan on using the car as an everyday type driver, but still a second car for me. i also want to use it for autocross type racing. so i want to change all of the suspension components, all the braking components and the rear end.
also, i would like to eventually do a motor swap for a new ls2 with a twin turbo setup and also a new 6speed tranny to handle that power.

my questions are:
1) are there plenty of options for suspension upgrades on a '96 lt1 z28?
2) are there plenty of option for upgrading the brakes?
3) the car i'm looking at does NOT have t-tops, and it looks like the paint is flaking on the roof. can this area of the car be painted?
4) what size of tire can fit on this car? i would like to use 18' tires front and rear, with maybe 275mm up front and 315mm out back. will these tires fit?

what else can you guys think of that i need to look for when buying a car like this? any problems areas that need to be addressed prior to making a purchase?

thanks
tony

[95 Camaro Z28]

yes, tons of suspensions components for the f bodies.

yes, plenty of brake choices

yes the top can be painted.

yes that set up will fit. just make sure to get an offset in the 50's. u might have to do some modding to the inner rear fender to fit the 315's. just so u know...18's are not the greatest for traction.

check to see if the water pump is leaking...if it is then count on a 500-600 dollar repair because the opti spark distributer is prolly trashed.

about the TT, sounds like good idea....but dont think so fast and furious here...a good single turbo set up IMO, is better than a tt set up. or u can go with a procharger w/ is a super charger. just remember if u wanna turbo it...most liekly ull be running a rear mounted set up and their isnt enough room under the hood for one.

for what its worth...u can build a solid motor to handle a 200 shot cheaper than u can build a motor w/ a s/c that is comperable to a 200 shot.

[vatechguy3]

thanks for the quick answers!!
i was looking into the twin turbo setup from banks power, and he says the it will fit up front.
is there someplace where i can look into this more??
i'm leaning away from nitrous because i want to use the car for road racing / autocross, so i want more constant power. this is also why i was leaning towards a TT setup, keeping the turbos smaller and getting rid of the lag.

what do i need to look for / at when checking for a water pump leak?

thanks
tony