After nearly 3 month's of waiting, I finally received the AS&M "big tube" runners I ordered in our "AS&M Group Purchase".....
I got home late from work today and there was a big cardboard box waiting for me on the staircase as soon as I walked in the doors. I didn't know what it was at first until I saw the the name printed on the tape used to seal the box.
I snapped off a few pictures of these runners for all those who got in on the G.P. and are still waiting for theirs to arrive or (heaven forbid) feel like canceling their orders.
After seeing these things in person, I'm happy to report that these runners are without question, positively, 110% worth the wait You guy's will NOT be disappointed....
They are simply amazing. EVERYTHING, about these runners is impressive. The first thing I noticed was the their color. It's a very bright silver and looks as if it has "metal flake" in the finish. They actually "sparkle" when you move them from side to side. I don't know if they've been painted or not, but whatever the reason for their awesome appearance, they're just that....awesome looking...
The next thing I noticed was how light they were when I picked them up. They have almost no mass at all. I don't know what the stock piece's weigh, but these things weigh much less than what they look like they should weigh.
Just staring at these thing sitting on the floor, I couldn't help but think they looked like some kind of wreckage from an alien spacecraft that just crashed in Roswell New Mexico.
They look like something that was smuggled out of area 51
These things just look bad-@ss. Plain and simple.
To the untrained eye, they could easily be mistaken for a stock set of runners with a custom paint job. But those who know TPI's well enough, will right away realize these runners are quite a bit bigger than the stock ones....
The insides of the runners are smooth as silk. All the welds are virtually PERFECT. The flanges are completely flat and straight, no warpedge of any king. In a nut-shell, the AS&M's just scream "quality & craftsmanship"....
They came complete with instructions, all necessary gaskets and 4 stainless steel flange bolts. After lining up these gaskets with a spare plenum I just bought yesterday, the runner ports on these AS&M's are noticeably bigger then the ports on the stock intake, so it'll definitely have to be ported to match the runners in order to get the best results.
If anybody wants to see any other pic's, or has any questions, let me know.
Again, to all those involved in the group purchase, just sit tight. These things are worth their weight in gold and I'm positive you'll be happy with them.
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__________________ Follow the links below to get information and see some picture's of the parts I've purchased so far. The car by they way, is an '88 Iroc-Z powered by L98
looks great, to bad i already got slp ones , i like those, but i like the fact that the slp are portable. what did they set you back, its not to late to cancel and order!
Looking good. Hopefully there's another GP next year as I'd like to get a set for my 92 GTA.
__________________ 91 GTA
305|auto
SLP catback|Magnaflow cat|SLP air foil|CAI|ported plenum|180* T-stat|Holley APFR|TransGo Stage 1 Shift Kit|Corvette Servo|.5" Boost Valve|Kenny Brown SFCs|TDS Wonderbar|Strange 3.42s|ASP Crank Pulley|ET Street Radials
15.03 @ 91 mph
Future Mods: Tuning 92 GTA
350|auto
1 of 274 built
212 rwhp|319 rwtq bone stock
CAI|TPIS air foil|SuperRam intake manifold|180* T-stat|Holley APFR|ASP crank pulley|TDS Wonderbar|ET Street Radials
Future Mods: catback|Magnaflow dual cats|SLP 1 3/4 headers w/AIR|ported plenum|TransGo Stage 1 Shift Kit|Corvette Servo|.5" Boost Valve|Ford Racing Injectors|AS&M Intake Runners|Vigilante Convertor|Tranny Cooler|Tuning 00 GTP
13.96 @ 98 mph
WANTED: 90-92 Firebird factory CD player|mint 91/92 Firebird cassette deck with 5 band equalizer|mint 89-92 T/A or GTA leather auto shifter|SLP 1 3/4 headers w/AIR for dual cats|good condition 91/92 pass front fender black airdam deflector
I've had a set of ported Edelbrocks for a long time, considering switching to these, but not sure if it's worth it power wise.
Anybody know the flow #'s of the Edels, I cannot locate them.
I did find the HotRod Shootout # comparisons, but of course this is old and not model accurate.
HP# for The Super Rod Shootout on a 383...
Stock TPI (410hp, 500lb-ft) Edelbrock High-Flo (431hp, 501lb-ft)
Extrude Hone base & LTR (451hp, 534lb-ft) TPIS Big Mouth System (460hp, 534lb-ft) ASM Siamesed? Runners (464hp, 510lb-ft)
I've had a set of ported Edelbrocks for a long time, considering switching to these, but not sure if it's worth it power wise.
Anybody know the flow #'s of the Edels, I cannot locate them.
I did find the HotRod Shootout # comparisons, but of course this is old and not model accurate.
Yes, the AS&M's flow 260cfm per runner which makes them the highest flowing runners on the market (though you can port the heck out of a set of SLP's but I've yet to see any real numbers on those "mega-ported" SLP's, so I can't say whether they can match/exceed AS&M's)
The Edelbrock's flow really well too and since you've already ported them, I'd stay stick with them 'cause I really don't think you'd get $400 worth of a performance "increase" over what you have. Even if (for the sake of discussion) the AS&M's DID flow more, I highly doubt you'd feel any "seat-of-the-pants" difference over your ported Edelbrocks.
They're already really good "out of the box" but if they've been worked over, they should flow like a champ
Not worth going with anything else in your situation but that's just my opinion. I could be wrong.
Definitely some sound advice.
I guess the looks are a big factor as well though.
I'm sure I could sell my ported Edels for ~$200 to compensate the diff.
Those are absolute sweet looking!! We’ve all been waiting so long that it nice to see someone finally posted some pictures of the finial product. Thanks LT1FUN for taking the time to post some pic’s for the rest of us to drool over while we wait. You da man!
As the wait continues, I have something to look forward to.
__________________ 1988 GTA L98, Gun-Metal Gray
ProBuilt Auto with PI Vigilante 2600 Stall
1997 30th Anniversary SS
SS Build #2375 30th Anniversary SLP SS Build # 0853, Auto
1999 30th Anniversary WS6 Trans Am Daytona 500 Pace Car Decals
30th Build #0703, M6
2003 30th Anniversary Grand Am GT1 SC/T Galaxy Sliver
With that shine. Those wouldnt pass more stock runners. I find most guys like these runners for this reason. I just hope whoever buys these doesnt just install these and keep the other pieces stock. It does look like good workmanship. Hope you enjoy them.
I had a set of those on my 89 GTA before I went with a stealth ram. Very sweet. I had the Siamesed ones. perfect shape. They are made from extruded aluminum, VERY thin and light weight. Also makes them very fragile, doesn't take much to dent or damage them. So be careful while installing. An errant yank on an extension can actually damage them.
To get the metal flake appearance they are bead blasted for a rough "stock" appearance. If you are staying with TPI don't EVER let these go. They are worth a fortune. I'd say worth their weight in gold but they weigh less than 1lb each if I remember.
Did you install the runners by themselves and if so, what power difference did you notice?
Sorry, can't say what power gains over the stock setup. I installed it with cam/heads/headers/cat-back which I really can't say what gains they have over stock. AS&M claim somewhere near 30hp and 30lb/ft torque over the stock setup with port matching on the base and siamesing the plenum to match the runners.
It would pull past 5,000rpm readily. 0-60 times were somewhere near very low 5's. I never had the car tuned with that setup and went to a stealthram later. Which seemed to have just about the same low-end grunt and alot more top end. Before i could get around to tuning it the oil pressure dropped to zero for a brief moment. The car overheated bad, I shut it down but the damage was done, a week later I ripped the engine out and parted it out.
I must say, that vid is quite enjoyable. Wish the weather was nice out so I could go out and lay some rubber down after watching that. Thanks for the info.
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, i like those, but i like the fact that the slp are portable. what did they set you back, its not to late to cancel and order!
