NEED MORE IDEAS JUST MADE ANOTHER THOUSAND

Just looking for some other Third Gen-ers input.

The car is like brand new, it needs no repairs so I'm putting it all into performance and appearance.

What I have:

-Stainless Steel Hooker Headers + Y-pipe
-Hooker Cat-Back exhaust system + Magnaflow 18" tips
-Custom fabricated "triple snorkel" air cleaner
-Sylvania Silverstar performance headlights
-Hotchkis subframe connectors
-K&N high flow filters
-TDS Wonderbar
-QA1 precision strut tower brace


A few things I'm considering:

-chrome Iroc rims
-tints/tail light covers
-performance struts
-electric cutout
-subs+amp
-hawks 5" spoiler
-black out headlight buckets
-performance brakes
-MSD ignition/ 8.5mm wires
-billet or fog light grille
any other suggestions?

Heres a few pics of my car

 

If it were me, I would do suspension, brakes and audio. If your looking for performance, you could do some motor upgrades like a new cam or heads.

 

Suspension, cutout, and headlight bucket blackouts and taillight blackouts

 

Iroc hood, grill and fog lights eibach pro kit with new shock that will be about a thousand right there by the time you get the hood painted right love the white with red interior great combo whatever you do no stripes

 

You can do the black buckets for $5. Get some rattle can black and tape off the rest of the car and go to town. Just sand it a bit before hand to make sure the surface is prepped.

It's hard to say what I'd spend $1,000 on if I had it because I'm sure it would be totally different than what you'd spend it on. A grand couldn't even buy the heads I want

 

That's a nice car.

For $1000, I'd put in SUB FRAME CONNECTORS, better brakes and upgraded suspension (shocks/struts), aftermarket ignition coil, K&N (or similar) air filter. All of those will improve how the car drives and correct some of the areas where these cars are lacking.

That ought to kill a grand.

 

I say this allot, but it really did make a difference (for me)with throttle response and it just feels quicker . Bump the timing to 4* and see how that feels . If its a 700r4 than a Corvette servo. for sure.
Last but not least, and this is where Id start .If you don't have it yet then = 3.42 gear ratio ,with 28 spline Eaton posi. and a L.P.W. support cover.That was my favorite and its a totally different car.

 

That's a clean 91/2 RS in tremendous shape; I'd imagine it has low miles. The car is going to stand out AS IS, compared to lots of others that have been driven hard and had all sorts of stuff done to them. I wouldn't bother with the iroc wheels, as you already have 16's. Headlight buckets are up to you, but the car looks nice as is.

I agree with the previous poster: get a numerically higher gear ratio and a posi. 3.42's or 3.73's. The car will be much more of a hoot to drive and you won't regret it.

 

I considered that kinda stuff but my Dad said it wasnt worth putting that much into a 305, what do you think?

 

I really want to change the hood but I'm worried about the paint not matching do you know how I could get the best possible match?

 

I'd feel more comfortable having them professionally done and paying a little more. But could I buy the heads with 500 more and are they worth the price? I wasnt going to spend all my money but I suppose its a worthy cause.

 

Would the servo and the other things all be compatible with my stock set up? And Will altering the timing affect the longevity or reliability of my motor?

 

Find a good body shop they will match it perfect don't pay till its just the way you want it and I agree with your dad don't do anything to that 305 it will take so much to make it fast its not worth it I would just work on the outside and keep it clean and in time when you have a lot of throw away money drop a ls motor with a 6spd Trust me just make the outside the way you want it first cause it's the cheapest to do and when you have the money to do it right then mess with performance cause we all know how expensive that can get

 

Yeah thats a good idea because by the time i have enough money to convert the motor and trans I'll have put plenty of miles on it.

 

Yeah I'd like to keep it original looking for the most part, changing the ratio seems like it could be the best option thanks for the advice

 

Yeah and then after you do a cool swap it will like having a new car again

 

I don't know how you feel about leather like oem seats from hawks but I think they would look great in red

 

here's a pic of mine for some ideas

 

Pic of mine to give you some ideas

 

The best thing I did to my car when it was a 305 still was swapping in 3.42 gears to replace the 2.73's. I'd recommend that over anything else.

Also for what it's worth, none of this stuff you are thinking about doing is an "investment". Generally speaking cars are horrible investments unless they're low production cars or you're buying them dirt cheap to part out.

 

Invest that money in college and leave that beauty alone.

 

I like the grille with the fog lights a lot I was just concerned that it wouldn't draft as much air. It doesn't have a problem with over heating or anything I'm just trying to move as much air as possible. Do you think it would be a significant difference?

 

Lol I agree cars are far from investing but to only spend a 1000 bucks to make it a little cooler and you'll enjoy it more why not

 

Im not selling it anytime soon so the actual value of the car isnt a big deal to me I guess investment was the wrong word

 

Most of the air going to the radiator is going to be picked up from the air dam under the chassis and not through he grill area. That's why you'd notice overheating if you removed the air dam.

 

I have a separate savings for college money and I dont really have a better way to spend this cash. Im going to have it a very long time so I want to change a few things to make the car seem more like mine thanks though buddy

 

Gotcha I wasnt sure exactly where the majority of the air comes from I just want to maximize the flow to the air cleaner

 

Agreed

 

subframe connectors are a must have in my eyes. i'd also put some struts and shocks on there as well as springs.

thatd put you at close to 1k in parts...

you really cant upgrade the brakes unless you upgrade the rims. I know up toa certain size will fit under stock wheels but I'd guess you want 17-18s which can fit bigger brakes.

 

Don't have a better way to spend $1000?! Ah, those were the days. In that case, take it to the casino, bet it all on black, double your money and put on some killer 19" rims and take an 1" or so out of the suspension.

 

What exactly do the subframe connectors change? Like what kind of difference would I notice in my car?

 

Haha as awesome as that sounds I think I'm going to play it safe and put in into my car. Maybe I'll try that after make a few more Camaro purchases.

 

If any thing I would think the Iroc grill would let in more air either way you wont notice a thing

 

 

If I were you id go for a rearend immediately. Trust me you'll fall in love. Maybe a cheap 350 swap from a truck or van, not much more hp but again you will fall in love with torque. Seriously that car looks nice already give her some *****, and like bluez28 said its easy to do the eye pockets yourself. Subframe connectors are supposed to be wonderful but you can make those yourself if you've got access to a welder and can you a tape measure

 

Also you said you want the hawks spoiler. Personally I love it and wish these cars came factory that way but its expensive for what it is. Hawks is way overpriced imo on most things and a lot of people have complained about that spoiler not fitting right even after all that money.hell even my side pieces were a little too long but I kinda liked it that way, and all of the hawks look a like spoilers seem to be turning out to just be cheap *** ****.

 

justcallmeclassy is that a 5in wing?

 

On my car? Yes its from Hawks I love it

 

I want that wing so bad! Did it fit good just needed to be painted or did it need work to fit right

 

Well like I said earlier the side pieces were just a wee bit longer, the stock ones stop at the end of the taillights. And I had to do a very small amount of sanding in the middle of it took like 5 minutes other than that direct bolt on. Not nearly as bad as what I've heard from other people

 

the car will feel tighter and better. you'll notice less creaks and noises in the car throughout and really is one of the best mods you can possibly do on your thirdgen. You'll see when you do it. I used UMI subframe connectors and loved them. Buy through summit racing to get cheap shipping.

 

Oh and the car looks good cosmetically so I'd hold off on that stuff and do some stuff that'll make the car perform better mechanically and ride better. just my

 

I would tint the windows and spend the rest on gas

 

You have a really nice car! If I were you I would make everything PERFECT. Anything even small broken on your car replace. Replace worn out parts like struts/shocks(koni's run $350+, kyb $140 a set), front suspension(few hundred bucks here), and any window or weather strips that are damaged. I would also get window tint like you said, I couldn't live with a car without window tint, it just keeps the car cooler inside.

Then for the GO FAST goodies!

 

The Corvette servo will not hurt your trans at all.IMO, It should have come stock. Also its a must have when installing a shift kit so many many drivers have them including myself. If your good with your hands and don't mine getting greasy than you can do it your self. And there cheap ( $ 25.00 )Just do some reading on the subject here and in your manual.( "Chiltion"etc. )I like the fact that I could install one by my self and not having to go inside the pan. Its all done on the side of the trans. There's allot of good info on the subject here on this site.All I know is my trans. used to shift smooth like a Cadillac ,now it shifts nice and hard as if there was a shift kit in it .Believe it or not a firm fast shift is better for the life of a 700r4. More on that later.
Timing is a hole another matter and one better left to the search function for now.
Those are just some things that are cheep and fairly easy to do your self. As opposed the the main subject of this reply.If it has not been done already, a rear end change to another ratio. and adding the ( I prefer the Eaton )posi.to your car will work with a engine change or any upgrade you may do. Its not real cheep but if your going to spend that money on the undercarriage/suspension work I would do it in pieces as you work on the car rather the go out and buy all the necessary parts for a $1000.00.I would not even touch the engine with heads ,etc. yet. My suggestion is to put all the money together and maybe a little more and do the rear end , in one shot.It was the best money I ever spent when I did it ,and beleave your going to have fun with it "while" you piece together what ever else is going on the car . You should not need to switched axles so that will save you you around $ 250.00 from what I had to pay.
Here's a link to my build.=
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/tran...de-photos.html

 

Thats the thing, there's literally nothing that needs to be fixed so I'm left with all this extra money. The car is like it rolled out of the assembly plant.

 

haha for real man

 

I wanted to know how I could do that for a while now, good suggestion I think subframe connectors are in. I have access to welding equipment would I be better off buying them or making my own? I want everything 100% perfect and I also want to save money without sacrificing quality

 

How many original miles are on the car?

 

Picked it up with 36,XXX now has 44 but its never seen winter and has been in climate controlled storage most of the time. It was obvious to me that it had been driven lightly and the previous owner loved it as much as I do.