New LS1 Owners - Newbie Tech - Need advice on car.

I'm Looking into buying a trans am soon and i have a couple questions.
Since i was a kid i've been flabberghasted by the ws6s looks and sound but now that i'm actually looking into buying one i was wondering if i went cheap and went with the 5.3 instead of the 5.7 if that would be a bad idea since it's smaller and has less power. I would save money and be able to spend on upgrades but would the size of the engine be holding me back? Will the same upgrades work on the 5.3 and the 5.7?
Because i have hopes and dreams of one day making around 400 hp and i just like the sound of ls7 heads/cams and if the size is gonna hold me back on all my goals then i'll go with the 5.7.

Any advice would be massively appreaciated.

Massively depends on horsepower goals.

5.3 5.7 , LS7 sound ? Why not find a good running 5.7 cam / firebird and get a good sounding cam and exhaust?

All is doo able, just depends on what you want to give up for daily driving and over the road reliability


I currently have all the above, so waiting for the right answer

BW

I assume you're talking about the 3rd gen here cause 4th gens don't have 5.3's. If you are talking about the 5.3 than you're right. Its a much weaker plateform and would take many more mods to get 400whp. By the 5.7 LT1 is a much better plateform and they respond well to mods. Many people complain about the LT1's opti-spark issues. I don't know much about them but I'm sure with maintance you can avoid this problem. Its a very stout plateform to work off of. Heads/cam/intake/exhaust dyno tune and that should get you real close.

Others will tell you more about the opti spark issues. Again, I don't know all that much about it.

Well to be completely honest this will be my first v8 car, so basically idk most of whats going on, i've read most of the need to know stuff in the forums and the stickies and whatnot but im still learning.
What do you give up in streetability when you head and cam your car? i'm not looking for a dragster or even a street king, just something fast that i can enjoy on my own time without dumping copious amounts of money into my car.
So i hope im not digging myself into a massive newbie hole but on auto trader the 5.7 in the 02 has three different versions? I'm assuming the ws6 is the one with the most power but then what are the other two versions?

Well dude there is realy no difference in the 5.7l on 98-02 camaros and trans ams. I think that the ss camaros and ws6 trans am are rated at 15HP more than base model v8 cars. As far as three different versions i'm thinking you mean models, which are the firebird, firebird formula, and firebird trans am and the ws6. Firebird having a v6, formula and trans am and ws6 have the v8 in them and the only diiference between formula and trans am is the bumpers and hatch, and the cool hood on the ws6.

Well to be completely honest this will be my first v8 car, so basically idk most of whats going on, i've read most of the need to know stuff in the forums and the stickies and whatnot but im still learning.
What do you give up in streetability when you head and cam your car? i'm not looking for a dragster or even a street king, just something fast that i can enjoy on my own time without dumping copious amounts of money into my car.
So i hope im not digging myself into a massive newbie hole but on auto trader the 5.7 in the 02 has three different versions? I'm assuming the ws6 is the one with the most power but then what are the other two versions?

iv had lt1 and ls1 engines....ls1 is a lot better motor....lt1's have opti-spark issues....from what i know, the problem is the waterpump has poor placement....water can leak onto the opti-spark and cause it to foul out....out of 4 lt1's ....3 of them needed it replaced before120k....it is like an 800 job or so maybe more now.....lt1 is also an iron blow where the ls1 is aluminum....so theres a difference in sound....difference of like 60-100 pounds in weight also....i have just noticed the lt1 to be higher on the maintance end for motors, howevor it is a stout motor. The lt1 makes broader power sooner while the ls makes more up top.

just some things to note about the lt1 which they made up until 97'....hope some of that info helps in some way

I think you need to clear up what exactly you are shopping for. I'm assuming a 98-02 T/A with an LS motor. The 5.7L LS1 is the only V8 available from the factory in these cars. When you refer to a 5.3L, are you talking about buying a rolling chasis and swapping in a motor? The 5.3L is an LS-based V8 offered in trucks/SUVs, but was never offered in an f-body. If you can update exactly what you want to buy and what your goals are I think you will get more helpful answers.

I'm Looking into buying a trans am soon and i have a couple questions.
Since i was a kid i've been flabberghasted by the ws6s looks and sound but now that i'm actually looking into buying one i was wondering if i went cheap and went with the 5.3 instead of the 5.7 if that would be a bad idea since it's smaller and has less power. I would save money and be able to spend on upgrades but would the size of the engine be holding me back? Will the same upgrades work on the 5.3 and the 5.7?
Because i have hopes and dreams of one day making around 400 hp and i just like the sound of ls7 heads/cams and if the size is gonna hold me back on all my goals then i'll go with the 5.7.

Any advice would be massively appreaciated.Are you looking for A4 or M6? This will make a difference in reaching your 400hp mark. Ill assume M6 so:

Car: 98-02 TA 5.7L LS1
Mods: Lid, LS6 intake, LT headers, ORY, catback.

Thats all you would need to do to get to 400hp at the motor on an M6 car. If you were talking 400whp, you need to add a decent set of heads and a nice cam.