Jason E

To me, there is nothing more fun than taking a relatively sedate cruiser, and making it go as fast as possible. This occurred to me when I was reading Summit, and came away with more fun ideas for the RS than the Z!!

Why? The Z is already faster than I can truly enjoy anyways. Aside from a nice Borla exhaust and a CAI (hell, they're cheap enough!!), there is nothing I would do to it. The RS on the other hand, I have ALWAYS had fun modding it. Its always cool to see if you can get just a little more out of a slower car, to see what you can make it do. I can dump a shi*tload of money into the Z, and other than running it down the track (which I will never do), I will never notice the difference. But if I can find a way to make the little 2.8 keep up with a 3.8 4th gen, isn't that more fun???

Am I an idiot for thinking its more fun to mod a 2.8 than an LT1???

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Jason E

'89 Camaro RS 2.8
A few mods....2.8 automatic with t-tops

'97 Z28 30th Anniversary
White with orange stripes (factory)
6 speed, t-tops

Long Live #3...

3.1 firebird

I plan on getting an LT1 camaro in a few months and I figure 13 seconds will be plenty quick and I really dont want to waste anymore money on something thats fast anyway. So for the LT1 I just want a nice exhaust sound,ground effects, and traction at the track with some slicks. Thats all I need out of it.

Now the 3.1 is very fun modyfying because.........
A. its very slow stock, but making it reasonably quick has been a blast.
B. it can keep up with some of the older V8's
C. no body else messes with them.

mulot30th

I have a LS1 equipped TransAm (see sig) and I just can't seem to get it fast enought for me... Sorry, no car is too fast...

For comparison I have a ski-doo mach-z that runs in the 11's in the quarter and sometimes when I gun it I just think "holy ****, this thing is too slow"...

Never fast enough....

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1999 30th anniv. TransAm #877
** BESTS:60ft=1.935 1/4 ET=13.08 MPH=111.8 ** (Only 3.5K miles)
T-TOP,6M-Hurst,12cd, TCS
!EGR * !MAF Screen * ported and polished MAF * !silencer baffles * ! lid baffles * ported and polished TB * removed primary and secundary baffles * sealed ram-air * 9.4k timing-tricker * !CAGS * Mobil 1 * Lou's short stick * BMR panhard rod * BMR poly/poly LCAs * !DRL * Polished SLP resonator catback * 2 Ractive mufflers * 3x3 'fernco' mod * K&N * TB stop grind * Grotyohann headers * offroad Y-pipe* Power pedals * 19+ coats Zaino * WHITE gauges cluster * blue door TA badges * pontiac windshield decal * Polished momo shift **** * 4.5" brosal exhaust tips
Ordered:
Kenny Brown DD SFC
Polished: Calipers * Hood struts * Air tubes * Valve covers,Heat shields , etc.
Later:Cam + spring + pushrods swap + stage II heads
2000 Black Z-71 K1500 5.3l
ext.cab * !intake baffle * !MAF screen * !EGR mod

3.1 firebird

I know what your saying about something never being fast enough, but it comes to a point after awhile where all of your $$$ are going down the drain to knock off .05 from the 1/4.

mulot30th

yeah, hopefully that is not my case right now

My last mod was longtube with OR ypipe and Ractive mufflers. Total cost was 1700$ to knock off about .2-.3 sec off my time.

So I will probably get a 12.7x @113mph next time

I do have felt a small difference because now whenever I am running at more than 3500 rpms in 1st gear as soon as I gun it it get INSTANTANEOUSLY to the revlimiter while going sideways...

------------------
1999 30th anniv. TransAm #877
** BESTS:60ft=1.935 1/4 ET=13.08 MPH=111.8 ** (Only 3.5K miles)
T-TOP,6M-Hurst,12cd, TCS
!EGR * !MAF Screen * ported and polished MAF * !silencer baffles * ! lid baffles * ported and polished TB * removed primary and secundary baffles * sealed ram-air * 9.4k timing-tricker * !CAGS * Mobil 1 * Lou's short stick * BMR panhard rod * BMR poly/poly LCAs * !DRL * Polished SLP resonator catback * 2 Ractive mufflers * 3x3 'fernco' mod * K&N * TB stop grind * Grotyohann headers * offroad Y-pipe* Power pedals * 19+ coats Zaino * WHITE gauges cluster * blue door TA badges * pontiac windshield decal * Polished momo shift **** * 4.5" brosal exhaust tips
Ordered:
Kenny Brown DD SFC
Polished: Calipers * Hood struts * Air tubes * Valve covers,Heat shields , etc.
Later:Cam + spring + pushrods swap + stage II heads
2000 Black Z-71 K1500 5.3l
ext.cab * !intake baffle * !MAF screen * !EGR mod

[This message has been edited by mulot30th (edited April 26, 2001).]

TomP

Here's another way to look at it: After racking our brains, digging up mods, and researching "v6-v8 equivilant" part numbers, just think how easy it'll be for us to work up a V8!


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-Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l) from http://www.f-body.net/mailbag/3rd/3rd_mailbag.html message boards
---Think your car could be pic of the week? Visit http://www.f-body.net for details!

Jason E

Tom,

Hehe...I agree. Now that I have the Z, I want the IROC more than ever!! It is interesting to see what will swap with a V8 and what won't...

3.1 Firebird,

I feel the exact way you do. Sure, you can improve upon an LT1, no problem. But there's just something about modding a little V6 and making a screamer out of it that just seems more fun!!

Lets hear some other ideas...

Violate 3.8

I understand the direction you are coming from. I love the look on the faces of all the eclipse/v6 stang/4th gen v6 camaro/random 350 truck owners when I leave them in my tailights. I cant wait to get working this summer so I can turn my stock 3.8 into a 5.0 eating monster.
Summer Mods- K&N and exhaust, roller rocker arms, eaton supercharger, 16" wheels w/ 235's, strut tower braces, and 75 shot of nitrous.
Besides the 235's sticking and inch out of the fender wall, It will be a sweet sleeper. Who would even give a relatively stock looking regal a second look, I'm ready to hustle some dumb stang owners. I know you might be wondering why a 90* guy is on the site, but you guys are second best source of info on v6's behind the W-body page. so......look out LT1's in august. I'll be on the street scene breaking some hearts. later.

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Buick Regal
bone stock

Jason E

Viloate,

What year Regal is yours? I take it you are not superchared currently? How much is a new blower running? Also, your CR in a NA motor is somewhat higher than in a blown motor. Make sure you take that into account when dialing your boost up this summer.

Also, 235's shouldn't stick out at all if you get the proper offset aftermarket wheels, or use the stock ones. A guy at work has 245/40/18s on his '99 GTP, and they don't stick out at all. And the stock 225s on my mom's '01 GP GT look like they could easily be another 10mm wider and not stick out.

Good luck with the Regal!!

Kyle F

I think its fun to Modify my V6 because it is so Damn fast ant they are so rare that hardly anyone knows what it is and are like Holy ****!!!!!

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89 Trans Am Turbo 3.8L All stock 43,000 miles #1053 of 1555

Past Thirdgen:
86 Trans Am w/ built 355TPI with SLP goodies and too much other stuff to List. One sweet *** car, wish I would have had a good enough Job to pay insurance on three cars so I could keep it, but for a 89 Turbo Trans Am w/ Low miles, I think I made the right choice!

Jason E

The nice thing about turbo 3.8s is that a little modding can do a LOT. I mean, its easy to tune TPI 350s and LT1s, but there's not much like a turbo 3-8.

The ONLY car on campus I fear is this TTA...its got a real lumpy idle. And no, it ain't rough...this thing must have a cam!!

Brian K

I love my car and used to think it was more fun, but no way... Modding a LT1 would be dreaticaly more fun than my 2.8.....

Violate 3.8

I do not have a s/c motor, and will buy a used blower. They are on ebay all the time, and I could also have some luck at a junkyard cause the 91-94 pontiac ssei's were a s/c series I. I have seen several for under $500 w/ intake. Thanks for your reply, I think I'll keep the boost around 10 psi. There are a lot of guys out there running that and haven't had a problem.

Jason E

Good luck man....keep in mind that GM's settings for the stock sc'd 3.8s is 6 psi. If you haven't visited it yet, go to SLP's site...they have some great stuff for 3.8s.

Brian,
I'm sure it would be fun to mod an LT1 if I was going to the track with it. But the way I see it, I don't race, and therefore I want something I can see a real world improvement in. If I mod the LT1, it just seems like I'd never see the benefit because its already too fast!!! At least dumping $$ into the RS modding it may ensure I can handle the occassional *****!