1997 Camaro SS
 

So today I got a call from the shop who is trouble shooting my wife’s 97 SS . It was overheating and blowing white smoke and yes she drove it home . They told me the LT is shot which I figured it was . They quoted me a price for a remaned LT1 $8,000 installed with a 3 yr 100,000 mile warranty . Do you think that is a reasonable price. She loves this car and she wants it fixed . I had it checked out by SLP and they registered it as the only one like it in the state of Texas. So it is going to be a collectors item some day ?

To clarify, it's a remanufacured LT1 from another vehicle (as opposed to having yours remaned)? If it won't be the original motor, I wouldn't count on their being too much collector value when it's all said and done.

Yea I know and this will be the third motor this money pit will have ! I did ask about just overhauling ours but the shop say's it's shot metal shavings all thru the block and heads ! and coolant in the oil pan.

That's a lot of love you've got for the camaro to put 8k into a stock reman engine in a 22yo car.

Being in Texas, there's a ton of 4th gens out there for sale cheaper than that fix.

I remember buying my 2001 ta in 2006 for $10,500.

I don't recall my buddies spending that much getting an lq iron block swap into their ls car but if it's a reputable shop that would honor the warranty and you're set on keeping the camaro, swap it out and enjoy worry free next three years.

Agreed. If you / your wife love the car, then by all means do what you gotta do to get it running, but I think it's tough to believe that spending $8K to fix a car that old is the right economic move to do. But then again, mods aren't economic either, and here we all are ; )

WE got the car back yesterday from the shop . The wife is out right now putting miles on it so we can get it inspected . The shop wanted her to get at least 50 Miles on it because it sat for two weeks with the battery out of it. They want me to bring it back tomorrow so they can look it over ! 3yr 100,000 mile warranty . Man I forgot how much fun it was to drive .

Enjoy! Glad it’s up and running.

The 1997 Z28 that I owned was the biggest piece of crap I ever bought, definitely the worst of the four Camaros I've owned. Before buying it I was warned that the LT1 was a terrible engine, especially the optispark, and people encouraged me to spend a few more bucks and get the later models with the LS1 engine but I was so in love with the front end I disregarded their opinion. After a few years I finally gave up on the LT1 after pouring thousands of dollars into it and dumped if for a 1999 Z28, which was faster, smoother, and never caused me a major problem for the eight years I owned it. I just sold it with 105k miles for $6,500, only because I got tired of paying for storage after buying my 2011 SS.

I know you love the car but I'd get rid of it while it's running right and get an LS. Although the prices are stabilizing right now, you can still get a very nice 1998-2002 for about $9000 and it will likely be a much more reliable and enjoyable car. Just my .02.

Glad she is happy. That is all that matters in the end



Seems like the LT1 is hit and miss. People constantly complain about them and the opti spark? I have the original engine in mine which is a 1993 Z28 with over 212,000 miles on it.And original opti spark! Has never failed to start. Only time I had any issue was I let it set too long. I bought a different daily driver. And the smog pump got a small piece of rust on the fan blade which would not let it turn. So it threw up the CEL light. This year I had to put an oil sending unit sensor on it. That is it outside of routine maintenance. I just do not understand what people are doing to theirs to have so much hate. And almost every single one of my miles are hard miles. This car is never driven easy

I agree! I think it's mostly kids who misdiagnose problems, then put cheap autoparts store reman stuff on their cars, and when those parts don't fix the problem or fail prematurely they badmouth the LT-1. I have a 1996 SS that sits outside under a cover for weeks at a time and has never once given me any problems. I also have the original Opti-Spark on it with absolutely zero issues. Love the car!

Pics of said 96? I had car #390 for years just sold it about 2 years ago and miss it quite often. I haven't seen another LT1SS ever. Someday I will have another.

Here is my 1996 (#1688) that currently has over 152,000 miles on it.
The original Opti-Spark conked out at 130,000 miles.

Wow the car looks amazing for having that kind of mileage. I noted the 2OTL what other options did the car come with?

Mine was a Bright Red Non D-82 T-Top car. It had every SLP option except the oil cooler and lubricants package. Miss the little LT1 they are torquey cars and the 2OTL sounds amazing. What I missed most probably is the Bose stereo system. It was probably the best stock sound system I have every heard especially for the time period.

Mine has every SLP option minus the oil cooler and extra set of Wheels with BF Goodrich R1 tires. In fact, it also has every Camaro Z28 option minus the rear floor mats (Automatic transmission was standard that year, but I have the no cost optional M6).

As for the stereo, I agree with you about the sound. I recently spent $300 the have the original radio head unit remanufactured.

I also concur about the 2OTL equipped cars having a nice exhaust note and feel that it sounds way better than my ZL1. It is fairly quiet while cruising in 6th gear on the highway but really roars during high speed acceleration.