Hardtop Convertable - What do you recommend?

[gonzo]

Originally Posted by edward

by the way, is the C.E.L. still on gonzo? did you try twisting the gas cap all the way until it clicks multiple times?

its in great shape. I didn't really examine it too close. I was too busy driving it like I stole it.
cars are so much more fun to drive that way.

next trip I do plan to see how many cans of spam it will hold.

they saythe ones from canada are canspam compliant.

[edward]

Originally Posted by gonzo

its in great shape. I didn't really examine it too close. I was too busy driving it like I stole it.
cars are so much more fun to drive that way.

next trip I do plan to see how many cans of spam it will hold.

they saythe ones from canada are canspam compliant.

the ls1 is a great engine, the only thing you have to watch for is piston slap which seems to be an issue... a good mechanic or a specialist can detect that though... check out ls1.com for some good info and dont be afraid to get an automatic... the transmission in ls1 f-bodies is great, not a slow shifter at all...

[edward]

more on piston slap:

Excessive piston slap occurs when the clearance between the piston and the cylinder bore is too great. The piston to cylinder bore clearance becomes too great either through wear, mismatched pistons and cylinder bores at manufacturing or, a combination of both. The audible noise associated with excessive piston slap is due to the perpendicular impact of the piston against the wall of the cylinder bore. Audible piston slap is typically loudest when the engine is first started up. The pistons then expand with heat reducing the piston to cylinder bore clearance thus, reducing the perpendicular impact of the piston against the cylinder wall and its resulting noise.

In the case of the famous GM piston slap engine defect, the piston design with hypereutectic (high silicon content aluminum alloy) pistons, reduced or eliminated piston skirts (to reduce reciprocating mass), and a higher ring pack to reduce unburned fuel mixture on the sides of the piston crown have made piston to cylinder bore fit much more critical. The amount of tolerance (variation or margin) in allowable clearance between the piston and cylinder bore to prevent audible piston slap has been reduced by a factor of at least 50%. Consistently hitting the narrower margin for piston to cylinder bore tolerance has not happened for GM during mass production. Thus, some engines have no audible piston slap and some have piston slap on only one or two cylinders. What might have looked really good in testing of hand built engines in the lab hasn't transferred to the production line of this corporate giant.
Make no mistake about it, while a lot of these engines don't appear to be driving rods through the blocks, the ones with louder and longer duration piston slap will wear out before the ones that are basically quiet. The perpendicular heavy impact of the piston against the cylinder wall over time will not come without a price. This is also why GM has released a recent TSB saying that opening 4 quarts of oil to add to your crankcase between a 7,500 mile recommended oil change interval (1 qt per 2K miles on an engine with 36K miles or less is "NORMAL". After 36K miles, all bets are off (there is no abnormal oil usage rate). This is why the now common offer of an engine component letter extending your warranty to 5 years or 100K miles is basically worthless. If the piston isn't laying in the oil pan in pieces, the engine will be operating "NORMAL" according to GM