People keep asking me why I plan on gutting a 4th gen LS1 car to install the drivetrain in my IROC. Now I've never owned a LS1 transplanted third gen, which is why I want to do this, but I have owned several very nice 98-02 LS cars. So for those of you that have owned and driven both, what are your opinions?

Is the thirdgen a totally different car with the swap? I'd imagine it would be... and which car is the better car, as far as looks, handling, braking and all that good stuff.

My IROC handles better than my 2001 SS did, because I have a ton of money in suspension parts under it. So I'm hoping with a heads and cammed LS1 that it'll fill the seat of the pants void in which my car has had for a long time.

Thoughts and Opinions on this?

 

I think it's a persons personal preference. Mine...I loved third gen Camaro's since the first time I saw one. On the other hand, I've hated all fourth gen F-bodies since first sight. I'm a Mopar guy, but can't deny the power & dependability the LS engines offer. The third gen looks & the fourth gen drivetrain are a match made in heaven. This may sound horrible, but I think the only good thing about a fourth gen car is that it can donate it's drivetrain & some other parts to a more deserving car. I'd even limit this to 98-02 cars.

 

I dont think theres a better looking car than a 98-02 ws6 but they are abit heavier than i'd like. 3686 lbs with me in it. I have had it down to 3460 and it felt better. Thirdgens seem to be 3400's with typical drivers. My 89 was 3450 with me. Put in a aluminum ls and you are capable of being 3300 ish lbs. thats a nice weight.

I've kinda grown alittle more partial to the modern feel of the late models, esp interior and general driving feel. But better seats in the thirdgen and suspension work, they feel pretty good too

 

For me, my LS1 made my 83 the car I had been looking for for YEARS (I bought the car in Dec 86).
You will be happy.
Be ready to make some adjustments to your suspension. I bet you will be up in the air.
Enjoy.

 

i do like 3rd gens alot but would never destroy a(ls) 4th gen for any swap. unless it was wrecked.
ive put a few together from parts and have resold them.
i get looks everywhere i go in my ss. get alot of compliments. car looks good and runs very good.
however im building a 3rd gen mainly for big hp. easier and cheaper to find a roller or shell if i wreck the 3rd gen for cheaper. most of the ones i found were hacked up basket cases. and the better ones were ls1 car territory prices. lol.
its a personal preference i guess.

 

98-02 T/As look great, any other 4th gen is "blah" in my opinion.

That said, "it's easier to make a thirdgen fast, than it is to make a 4th gen look good." Just happens to be a 4th gen as a donor car can make that happen, and stop better too!

 

Your simple bolt on mods like header, intake, air intake, torque converter and a tune on a sticky tire can make an ls1 go low 12's.

same mods on an L98 i went 12.9's. So ls1 is much faster with simple mods and responds even better with minor cam swaps compared to a 350 L98 that would need heads and cam upgrade, but all comes down to preference and what you like the most

 

For me it was the love of the thirdgen styling. I (PERSONALLY) dont think there's a better looking car than a thirdgen trans am. Its what I grew up around, entertained by on tv, and ultimately got addicted to haha.

We are lucky in that the 4th gen cars are SO similar to ours. Think about it... The rear suspension has remained identical from 1982 to 2002. The only other vehicle that I have experience with that can compare to that is Jeep Cherokee's. haha. But they are so similar, and so much can be used from an LS1 car, that its just a perfect union.

I wanted my styling, my handling and driving characteristics, my dash, my sightlines...blended with the comfy seats, nice console, massive power increase, 6 gears, nice brakes and the newer wiring of the LS1 car. And its a totally different experience than driving either a stock thirdgen or 4th gen.

I like the 4th gen firebirds. They arent too bad. But when I drive them, I dont feel as good as when I drive my thirdgen. I dont feel as connected or as comfortable. Also hard to see out of them IMO haha.

Would I cut up a reasonably clean 4th gen for a thirdgen swap? I might depending on circumstances. But it was CRAZY easy to cut up a wrecked one

J.