i have an 89 firebird base v8 tbi 305. these things originally had 170hp and 255torque. my cars speedometer no longer works so god only knows how long ago this broke and i dont even want to know what the actual miles on it are. as it sits it reads 147xxx this car when it wants to start sounds good but when i go to do a burnout she blows fire from intake and dies. it barely does 70 and it has a half *** catalytic converter job with more brackets then i dont know what and has no air cleaner on it.

about how much hp do you think this thing has no its the same as i bought it 4 or 5 months ago onlything i did was crappy cat job didnt do any kind of performance work to it yet. so how much hp do you think this thing is probably pumping out since im too embarrassed to take it to dyno


oh and ps this "monster" has almost no back pressure out exhaust. my grandmothers beat up oil burning blown transmission 95 dodge peon aka neon had more back pressure then mine

 

The TBI cars were never rockets to begin with. It doesn't sound like its in very good tune so it could be substantially less than stock.

 

what it is is a piece of ****. i love the car but its just so much to do with it and i all ready dumped at least 250 in it on small stupid stuff

 

Well if you want the car to truly go fast you'll have to dump thousands into it in order to do it right.

I've had my Formula for about two weeks and I'm already into it for over a grand.

383 stroker engine block -$589.99 from Summit. Add to that another $109 for shipping.
New sway bar bushings and end links -$50
New rear sway bar -$160
Wonder bar -$60
Radio trim plate. (GM New) -$30
New marker lamps -$20
New shift **** -$70 (SLP logo, leather wrapped)
New door lock buttons -$20
New dome light cover -$8

Besides completing the engine I need an oil pan, oil pan gasket, oil change, differential gasket, fluid, new brakes, transmission rebuild, and a steering column rebuild. Lets not forget all the miscellaneous interior work and cosmetic repairs these cars all need unless they were preserved and never driven. I've got new front shocks as well. Those need to get installed. My battery may be going out too. It doesn't want to hold a charge lately. So thats another thing I've got to get. I've also got to fix the stereo as it isn't working. I've got some misc. bulbs to replace and other small things to do.

As for things I want to do:

383 Stroker
AFR heads
All forged internals
Comp Cams XE280
ATI Procharger D-1SC Supercharger
Moser 12-bolt rear end
J&M adjustable camber plates
T56 or TKO 600 transmission
Performance clutch
Spohn Crossmember
Spohn Torque Arm
New springs
Complete interior restoration
New paint
Refinish wheels
Widen rear wheels
adjustable panhard bar
Tubular adjustable-lower control arms
Tubular A-arms
Tubular K-member
Upgraded disk brakes
Aluminum drive shaft
Fresh paint
New audio system
Black fourth generation leather seats
New seatbelt buttons

The list goes on and on. I love the car as it is, but I still want to do more with it.

 

Can't blame the car. By playing with cars 250$ is nothing. You must be extremely lucky to have a good fast car for 1150$.

 

Put an air cleaner on it before you suck in debris and then you'll be really sorry. If it's back-firing like that, check your timing.

 

Good advice.

Pretty much. $250 won't even get you a full set of good tires for these cars.