ZMAN Z28

A dude in my neighborhood is putting a drivetrain from a 2002 SS in a 69. He gave me the front rotors and calipers, and a front swaybar and springs.

What else will I need to convert to LS1 brakes on my 95 Z-28?

Can I bolt up the sway bar? I don't see why not.

What about the springs? Acually there is one front spring, and the rears. He gave me 3 springs. Is there any benefit to buying a new spring and swapping them out?

Thanks for the advice:

ZMAN

Black_Z28

What you need to put LS1 brakes on your car is rotors, calipers, and the steering knuckles. The stock springs and swaybar are the same as your car. Unless it has the suspension upgrade from SLP. What color are the shocks?

ZMAN Z28

They are orange.

Thanks:

Z

Black_Z28

Then those are just regular shocks. I wouldn't waste my time installing either the shocks or the springs. They wouldn't be an upgrade for you unless your shocks and springs are really worn.

Opps, I read your post wrong. I though you got the shocks with the springs. If I were you I'd just get a set of aftermarket springs, I got BMR and I'm really liking them.

You can find the LS1 steering knuckles on Ebay for a few buck every once in a while.

ZMAN Z28

Acually one side is complete with K member and all. The other side, they only have the rotor and caliper. I'm gonna check the junkyards around here for a knucke. Is there a left and a right, or does it matter? I might pick up a new shock, since my shocks are original at 107K miles on them

Thanks:

ZMAN

Black_Z28

Yes there is a right and a left knuckle. If I were you I'd get new shocks and springs.

kevm14

I'm pretty sure the LS1 cars got different front springs, due to the LS1 being lighter. LS1 springs installed in an LT1 would result in a lower ride height.

bruecksteve

LS1 and LT1 spring are not different (ok, 1 lb 292 lbs vs 291 lbs).

respectirocz

spring rate and spring height are different

bruecksteve

Your point?

Black_Z28

As I said before you're better off going with a set of aftermarket springs and shocks. The LS1 springs and shocks will not be worth your time.

ZMAN Z28

Acually I am having a hard enough time figuring out what to do with the flexible brake lines. The front end is off the car, as I am in the middle of a rebuild right now. So everything is easy access. Atleast I got that going for me.

Thanks:

ZMAN

Black_Z28

You can just use the stock LT1 lines. Just bend that small bracket towards the ground. It's the bracket where the hard and the soft line meet.

respectirocz

just because the spring rate is only off by 1 lb, the spring height can still be off resulting in a change of ride height when installing ls1 springs in an lt1 car

bruecksteve

Could be, but they don't weigh much, if any different. I've seen many LT1's and LS1's weighed and have never seen any appreciable difference in weight. Granted, you would think that with a 80 lb lighter block it should be different. And even if the LT1 car did weigh 80 lbs more in the front, to keep it simple, we'll figure 40 lbs per side. If it takes 292 lb's to compress one inch, then 40 extra lb's is only going to drop about .14 inches. To me, that's insignificant.

And why anyone would want to put stock springs back on a car makes no sense at all to me, I don't care if they're free or not. If you have the springs out, upgrade.