So im in high school got a summer job but dosent pay the best and over the summer im looking to pick up a lilttle bit of hp for my car. Any ideas on how to get some cheap hp for my 305 tpi camaro? Anything i can do to the stock engine that may frew up some hp would be nice to here too? I was planing on getting a cold air intake for it. What brand would u recomend? Then after that idk what i should look for on parts tht are half way cheap.

I'd like to see what you guys suggest as well. Be nice to speed up my 92.. Or at least make it sound fast

get the cold air, then an adjustable fuel pressure regulator..adjust it 47-50 psi, advance timing, user high octane fuel...best thing first is a complete tune up

It would help to know how much money you can spend on you car?? Exhaust on f-bodies are one of the worst ever....and it can give you a great power increase....and you can even build one on your own.....

Ya you will gain at least 20hp by using higher octane gas, but only if you have vtech. k enough sarcasm.

actually using higher octane gas will make it harder to burn all the gas, using the lowest octane gas without getting detonation will give you the most power/efficiency. the reason for having higher octane gas it to prevent detonation with high compression engines, a lot of people have the misconception that higher octane gas gives you power because race cars use it.

If he advances the timing he will have to use higher octane to avoid detonation.

x2

true but how far advanced are we talking, a few degrees doesn't matter, 8-10 btdc i would say.

the blue bottle will give you the most bang for your buck

bang as in, BANG, your engine just blew up.

i dont understand how the cold air kits are any better than stock.
unless yours does something different, my air comes from in front of the radiator, outside of the engine compartment, through a y device, and into the throttle body.

AFPR will help, but only if you get a chip to go with it.
NEVER use nitrous oxide with a custom chip.
advancing the timing will help if you use premium gas with it.
be aware that you can only go so far before you can start bending things.

a lower (numerically higher) rear gear will make the car feel a lot faster around town, and you wont notice much difference on the highway unless you go with 3.73 or lower.
leave the 4.11 gears for drag racing.

i have a buddy with a mach one mustang (71-72 i think) and he had the bright idea to put 4.11 gears in it.
gas mileage went from 12 to 7 mpg.
granted thats with no overdrive, and a motor that would run mid 11 second passes consistantly.

sorry for the long post

I second the guy who said to NOT use the blue bottle.

Nitrous is for cars in a proper tune with forged internals.

Even though the NOS kits say a 100 shot is fine on a stock engine, I'd never put it through mine until I forge the internals. Trust me. I already blew one engine (The original) just by driving it like I stole it. I make a decent paycheck and it was months before I had a new one dropped in. You don't need the headache.

Now just 2 months ago I fried the original tranny, and won't be able to get a BTO until june. I know you've got all these marvelous ideas for your new ride and want the best you can give it and go fast at the same time, but the best advice I can offer is take it easy if you've got a dry income right now.

I agree....no nitrous on stock internals.....

he might be alright on a 50 or 75 shot. everyone has this notion that nitrous will absolutely destroy your engine, and thats just not true. most of these myths stem from idiots over juicing their stock engines when nitrous first hit the scene, which will destroy your engine. keep it safe (retard timing 1.5-2 degrees per 50hp, run a slightly colder plug, keep your solenoids clean, and adjust fuel pressure accordingly or use a wet system) and you shouldn't have any problems. too much of anything is bad...especially when you're dealing with a stock engine. i'm not trying to sell you on nitrous, all i said is that it will yield the most power gain per dollar--if you're safe about it. if your leary on using it then dont, especially if you don't have any prior experience.

I just have seen to many motors eat themselves...including one of mine....because of stock internals...especially the pistons....then again some of my buddies have had no problems.....I just believe you should build it correctly with the right parts....stock cast pistons are not designed to handle the spray....but again you can use a 50-75 shot and might be okay....but agree on the timing and I would never use a dry system myself.....just my opinion of course....

Here are some lesser expensive mods you can do to your car.some will free up horse power,while others will simply lower your ET.

Pullies,cold air intake, gears, custom chip, throttle body, intake

If you want to go drag racing on the cheap ice the intake,drop the front sway bar, pullies,cold air intake,gears, set of drag radials will all help your times at the traps.

i have no problem with nitrous, if used correctly.
i plan to get a kit for sh!ts and giggles one day, but i dont race at all, so for me it would just be for fun.
i would stick to a 50 or 75 shot and DONT USE A DRY KIT.
nitrous must be used with extra fuel.
period.

carb guys can get away with it, but not EFI.

Don't know how much you have to spend, but one of the cheaper mods I felt a decent difference on was the ignition tune-up. I got the hypertech coil/cap kit

http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku

and some bigger wires, I think they were the Accel 8.8's. I'm sure it didn't give a major HP boost, but going from a stop at WOT was MUCH smoother all the way up through the shifting points.

It's something you could do for 150-200 bucks, for the dough, I thought it was well worth it.

If you have more to spend 500-1000 bucks, I would go with the exhaust, you can pick up a few HP and boost the image of the car with a nice tone.

I'm sure there is more out there, that's just my opinion and experience.

As others have said the factory exhaust systems on these cars are extremely restrictive. The first place to start is a set of headers, the factory manifolds are horrible when it comes to flow. After that replace everything behind them.

All TPI engines are designed/tuned for torque at the expense of top end power. There is no one to two items that will make a major power increase because they will be a gross mismatch for the tuning of the rest of the system, and that there are enough power bottlenecks in the system that removing one just results in the bottleneck elsewhere taking over restriction duties.

Decent shorty headers/hooker, dynomax or Magnaflow cat-back
A good cam & valve springs
Cold air kit
you'll need a custom tune!

TA

I agree 110% this is the best post so far.

When i bought my 89 LB9 tpi m5 it had new cap and rotor, and msd helicore wires (8.5 IIRC). It had pretty good power for a 305 IMO. These are the things i did so far, and driving around my yard i noticed some added power.

Hooker 2055s and Y, cut out, and Magnaflow 3" catback.
Accel 276s plugs
A/c delete (no added power but weight loss)
Smog delete (Miniscule amount of HP, but again that pump weighs a good 5 pounds)
Getting a chip burnt here tomarrow (timing and other things)

Next things will be a 3.42 gear with pbrs, and some intake work (dont know what yet)

Exactly, which is why I said start with a decent set of headers and replace everything behind them... not sure why you quoted my post..
Edit: Also, stay away from the dynomax system, its smaller than stock at 2.5 inches..

so what do you all think about maybe a shift kit? i bought my 91 z28 350 not to long ago and i can just tell it has a shift kit. it shifts very firm and fast. im not sure if this is a starting point but it could be. it really makes a difference a WOT

A shift kit doesn't add power, it just firms up shifts. They also make a trans last longer since there is less slipeage going on. Not sure how much they cost to install but my guess would be not so cheap. My transgo kit was only $80 but I did the install myself.

If you do go with a shift kit, from what i hear the transgo is the only way to go, the B&M kills 700r4 from what i have picked up on here, i just got a transgo corvette servo but havent put it in yet, gotta get the berries to start into the trans by myself.

haha yeah auto trans can be a scary place if you dont know what your doing, thats why i dont mess around with it.

the transgo kit is not too difficult to install just follow the directions and you can download a install video online

First I would think about if there is anything wrong with your car though. But if you want power I will get to that. Make sure your brakes, bushings, weatherstripping, felts, lights, rust, shocks/struts, exhaust, tires is all looked over. If you love turns get a strut tower brace or sub frame connectors. Best things to do for the turns. I highly recommend getting new endlinks as well for a smoother ride. As for cheap horsepower, I would recommend putting in K&N air filters under your intake lid, used headers, new high flow cat and y pipe, spark plugs and wires, oxygen sensor, exhaust cutout. Anyone of those things would be a nice upgrade. Maybe somebody even has bigger runners for your car or a better throttle body on ebay or on the board. Good stuff pops here and there. Good luck with your car!

I second this. STAY AWAY FROM THE B&M SHIFT KIT!

Right before I bought my car, the transmission was rebuilt with a B&M shift kit. Now, at this point I primarily contribute the transmission's demise to a mal-adjusted TV cable (By PO). I drove the car around for several months like this before I started reading on TGO several hours a day and knew wtf I was doing. After properly adjusting the cable, this really woke the trans up, and not in a good way.

Do a B&M shift kit search on TGO and the most common census is that all it really does is increase line pressure. Shifting at even 1/2 or light throttle the car felt like someone was striking the car from behind sending a shockwave throughout it, and don't even try to drive it in the rain. If you hit 2nd gear in the middle of a turn even at 1/4 throttle, you had better have some FAST reflexes or your *** end is going to whip right around into the car next to you.

Only 3 months later, this trans finally let go. Save yourself the headache and get a TransGo.

God... I am so new to cars, and anything engine related. Even this basic stuff, I just have no clue. There's no where I could ever fix up my camaros engine...


"Insert suicide smilie here"

everyone has to take that first step and start sometime, whether it be on a bicycle or a go kart when your a kid or a car when you get older. although the price of screwing up increases substantially as you progress from bikes and go karts to cars lol.

A good tune up (performance plugs/wires, filter & fluids) is a great inexpensive place to start that will make a noticable difference especially if it has not been done recently. I also agree with a lot of others that a good set of Headers on back would be a good investment on a budget!

Be sure to spend a good amount of time on TGO searching various products - there is a lot of years of experience & advice on here that will save you a TON of headache and wasting $$ on product that are not beneficial. Also be sure to check out the classified section, you could save a bunch on performance parts that would normally be out of your price range...

Good luck!

Don't worry about it. I remember when I was scared to go under a car with jackstands. You got your camaro, so your halfway there. If you need any help just post a question on the board or use the search at the top right. You can even send a private message to anyone for help if you need it. Start of simple, grab a haynes repair manual for your car, set of jackstands and a hydraulic jack. Unless you have acess to a car lift. Change your oil and filter, rear end fluid, transmission fluid and just look around your car. Get familiar with it. The Haynes repair book is a great place to start. Don't bring yourself down though, start off with small projects and buld up your confidence with other stuff as time goes on. Don't forget to ask questions and look at diagrams. Enjoy your car and God bless.

what brand has an intake for our tpi i have being looking for one and they only have it for T/As

i actaully bought a k&n filter that fits right onto the tpi throttle body. it looks really cool sounds really cool and removes weight from the engine bay. it was like 30 bucks on ebay

Whether or not you can use this type of filter depends on your TPI setup. I have an 85 and could not because using this filter would mean removing the MAF sensor. You must have a speed density setup to be able to use this.

Simple answer!

1. Tune car up (plugs, good wires, PCV, fuel filer, car rotor)
2. Advance timing to 8-10 degrees
3. Cold air intake.
4. Fuel press regulator and advance fuel press to 50 PSI
5. EXHAUST (this is a must) with headers if possible ditch the converter.
6. Get rid of AIR pump and all parts that go with it if possible.
7. Do a search on porting intake and runners. This will take time. The other option is to buy larger runners and good intake.
8. 1.6 roller rockers. I would change valve springs at this time also while you are in there.
9. Cam & lifters and valve springs if you want to tear into the motor
10. 180 t-stat and manual fan switch or reprogram prom to turn fan on early.
11. Throttle body BBK seems to be the best I have found.
12. Stahl converter (size will depend on what mods are have done or are going to do)
13. Gears (again depends on mods)
14 NITROUS NITROUS !! No it wont hurt the stock motor if used correct and at a reasonable HP level. best HP for dollar.

Some of these will cost more than others and it can go up from there. This is a list of the "bolt on" mods that will help a TPI.

I think we are forgetting one simple detail here. The OP is very strapped for cash and needs CHEAP power. While a good majority of these are cheap if you are handy with a wrench, labor gets vey expensive once you start adding and removing things.

Even alot of DIY mods can get pretty expensive. Something as simple to remove as the TB (A few hoses and 4 bolts) costs $350+ just for the part! And anything done to a TPI setup is absolutely useless and money wasted unless the base is opened up or changed.

That is a very good point! If he has to pay for all teh work to be done then the easiest, cheapest bang for the buck is put the spray to it!!

While personally I would never spray an engine running stock internals, a 50 - 100 shot os NOS should be fine on a stock engine. While the kits are about $500 - $600 which is a good price for the boost, it does take a bit of knowhow to install them.

Just make sure you have the timing adjusted correctly or the best "bang" for your buck won't be the type of bang you were hoping for...

Keep in mind a larger throttle body is pretty much a complete waste of money on 99% of tpi cars. The factory tb is capable of flowing more air than any other part of the tpi system so changing it really makes no sense at all if there is still a tpi setup behind it. It will actually make most tpi cars slower due to the loss in velocity.

This is very true! I would not do a TB change unless I dod some intake porting or change. I have found that most people that have bought them and it made a difference had bad shafts in their old ones and for this reason it made the car run better.

JUMPING BACK A FEW TO THE BEING NERVOUS PART....

As Joyce said, start small... I have been around cars all my life and I still post some pretty stupid questions on here. This is my first IROC and I want to make sure I do everything right the first time to it. Feel free to post on here or send anyone a private message, if you run into a dead stump where you just absolutely need some help, post on here with a contact number that someone can get ahold of you ASAP to help you out over the phone. I've done that a couple of times and have met some really freakin cool and very smart people on here (THANKS TO YOU GUYS, YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE). Anyways, change your oil, tranny, and rear fluids. If you can, take it in to get the oil changed and take it to one of those places where they use a lift to change your oil and go in the bay with them (they don't like it, but you'll get in) use their lift to go under your car. Look at everything under there, look at where all your stabalizers are, brackets, grease zerks, all that good stuff. Then from there, go home and go over everything on the top side. Before you know it, you'll have your car down pretty good. Just whatever you do, DO NOT GET FRUSTRATED!

Best of luck to ya, have fun and take care.

sorry so long of a post...... was typing while my gf was talking thinking she'd quit talking since i was busy but she didn't!! LOL

Exactly. If you're running a larger cube small block with good flowing aftermarket heads, a high flowing base, and high flowing runners than you may want to consider a larger Tb. On a 305 you're wasting your money to make your car slower.

I run a 305 and after getting a true dual exhaust setup and op[ening up the intake and getting better heads, I am actually contemplating getting a 52mm throttlebody. I know 58mm would be too large so I have the options left of either getting the 52mm holley or sending the stock one off to be refinished and polished. Not sure which route I'm gonna take yet...

Do you really need a change in the chip, with raising the fuel pressure?

I found these headers would my local muffler shop beable to put them on if i take my car in and have a cat back exhaust work done if not how hard sould they be to instal myself. feel free to let me know if you think these headers are junk.

zoom 1985-1989 Chevrolet Camaro - Pacesetter Headers - Black



Part Number: P40701206
MFR#: 701206
PACESETTER HEADER, BLACK -- 1-1/2 Tubing Diameter, 2-1/4" Collector Diameter, Manufactured Using Mandrel Bent, Mild Steel Tubing And Surface Ground, Thick Steel Flanges, Constructed Through An Extensive Preparation Phase Followed By Two Applications Of Coating And High Temperature Curing Process, Comes With Hardware, Gaskets, And Illustrated Instructions, Header Bolts Not Included, With Pacesetter's 3 Year Warranty

Finish: black

I'd say, stay way from the N2O(a.k.a NOS) cause your a high schooler and I'm pretty sure that your doing this for more power on the streets and not for the track.
check out Summit.com it has alot of headers that are cheaper and you can see what fits your car.
I never looked at the 305 but I came across this
Summit Performance® Headers $80.95
No clue if its good but got to be better then stock. Maybe someone know more about them?

Full exhaust
Intake manifold
high flow runners
afpr
1.6 FULL roller rocker arms
CAI w/K&Ns

can u put headers on a 305 without pulling the block my freind couldnt get anyone to put headers on his comaro but its a 994 with the lt1 so its a littl mor cramd than mine someone nlightn me if i can get them put on please