1998 Camaro Z28 F Body Project Continues By Greg Zyla

Q: Greg, I enjoyed your article on the F Body Project and the LS Chevy crate engines and your 1998 Z28 Camaro. How much is a Z06 Corvette crate motor from GM? What is a fair price to pay? What are you doing now to the car? H.L., email from Georgia.

A: H.L., there are two options in obtaining a quality GM Performance engine. First and foremost, all GM Performance Parts crate engines are available at all GM dealerships. However, some dealerships, like Scoggin-Dickey and Rockenbach Chevrolet, specialize in sales, service and installation of crate engines. Remember, too, that having a GM dealer install your crate engine is highly recommended, as it is not an easy thing to do.

If you order an LS engine for a 1998-2002 F Body (Camaro/Firebird), you can purchase either a three quarter engine (complete with block and heads) for about $3,550 (part number 89017349) or you can go to a complete intake to pan LS6 engine, ready to fire up. These 405 horsepower LS6 engines came in the 2004 Z06 Corvette and the Cadillac CTS-V, and the current complete engine cost is about $5,300. This crate engine offers everything you need and even some parts you don't need, like a CTS-V oil pan and, in my case, a pressure plate and clutch assembly. The LS6 manifold is better than the 1998-1999 LS1 manifolds, although Chevy did use LS6 manifolds on its 2000-2002 model Camaro SS/Z28 and Firebird Formula/Trans Am. The complete engine part number is 17801268. (See Rockenbach's offerings at www.crateenginedepot.com for information, but remember you can order your engine from your dealer in your hometown).

The reason I recommend a GM dealer doing the work is both familiarity and to lock in solid the GM warranty. Since certified GM technicians do all work, your crate engine will be warranted for 10,000 miles. Likewise, the GM Performance Parts 4L65 automatic I purchased also carriers a full GM warranty.

Currently, we're replacing our old oxygen sensors with brand new Bosch units, along with an oil change (we use full synthetic Royal Purple, Quaker State or Mobil 1) and Purolator oil and air filters. I change oil every 3,500 miles, even with the synthetic brands.

We're also going to add more BMR suspension components, including a driveshaft loop and some frame connectors. Then, we're going to take the Z28 to Beaver Springs and Numidia Dragway in Pennsylvania when the season opens and see if it will run in the 11-second range in the quarter mile with our new Mickey Thompson slicks and frontrunner tires. We'll also go to the eighth-mile at Skyview Drags in New York, too.

Stay tuned and we'll tell you more about the engine change process next time, along with some photos of the car. Thanks for your interest.

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