Need your expertise here...........I have an 89 RS LO3 5 speed, with T's. All stock, except for meatier rubber, and a Hypertech Chip, and she has been stored on jackstands for two years and I have had just about enough of SUV land!!!!!!!! I cants standz no more!

I need some advice on where to start, My goal here is not really Low Et's, per say. Just a great weekend hot rod! I have seen everything advised from starting with headers, exhuast, and TBI mods.. which seems logical. But how much and what comes 1st, 2nd, 3rd.... I want to put a plan together first, so I dont go off spending dough I dont have to. As my 3 year old says........."this is gonna be GREAT!!!!!!!"

I have already solicited some great advice on prepping the car for the 1st time start after storage...LO3 has about 109,000 on it, and was running great when she was put up.

I have been reading your posts, and value your opinions.....Thanks in advance...

b

 

Okay here is my plan if I'm in your situation:

Before anything, make sure the car has a good set of AC delco stock plugs, and is in good mechanical shape and has clean injectors and a new fuel filter. If you can afford it, get some aftermarket plug wires(I use Taylor), and a Cap and rotor with brass contacts.(Borg Warner Select, Accel, MSD).

1.)K&N filter p/n E-1500 with the taller truck air cleaner lid. You could also do an open element w/ a 14x3 K&N, but it has been my experience, you get better torque on the street with the air duct(even the small one), plus it isn't sucking in hot engine air during the summer months. Really depends on the climate where you live.

2.)Name brand cat-back exaust system. Dynomax and Flowmaster both are good, but it depends on the sound you are looking for. Dynomax flows better and has a quiet, but deep tone. Flowmaster is much louder, and flows a tad less.

3.)March underdrive pulleys. The two piece set is all you need, and it will still charge well, unless you are running every accesory and light on the car. Be sure to get the powder-coated aluminum.

4.)Aftermarket stock replacent type ignition coil.(Accel or MSD). Gape the plugs @ .040 after it is installed.

5.)An injector spacer from turbocity.com will help to obtain better fuel atomization, and it is only like 20 dollars. They also sell an adjustable fuel pressure regulator for the stock TBI, which will be good if you do a cam later.

6.)Any other Ultimate TBI mods are nice too if you wanna take the time.

7.)B&M or Hurst short-throw shifter

8.)3.42 gears, and a limited slip will give a nice seat of the pants gain, but they are costly. You will need this if you install headers and or a cam. If you wanted, you could do gears first at least, but if you do headers or a cam with thos 3.08 gears, you will lose some low end torque.

9.)Headers and a high-flow Y-pipe.

10.)A cam with specs like 2:04 2:14@ .50" and lift in the low to mid 400 range. Be sure to get a nice heavyduty timing set too.

11.)I'm sure I could tell you more, but that covers the main stuff on the L03 for now. However, always remember that suspension mods are important too, you can do them whenever, but the finished product should have them. Subframe connectors, all urethane bushings and end-links. A good set of shocks and struts(I use KYB). Finally, a strut tower brace, Lakewood L. control arms, and an aftermarket panhard rod.

Do these things, and you will be able to beat 90% of what you come across in traffic on any given day. Of course, most guys will tell you, who cares about the $, put in a hot 350! I'm at that point now myself...lol Good luck

 

I forgot a cool fan switch, and a 180 degree thermostat. Also, some people advance their initial timing for more power(mine is at 10degrees BTDC). Since you have achip, you won't need to do this until the cam is in. You have to run Premium fuel only regardless though with the chip, because it advances the computer timing curve. I'm sure the other guys will cover anything else I may have forgot, I just got home from work, some I'm slow to remember.

 

Thank you!!!!! I really appreciate the help...I'll keep you posted.

b

 

You are welcome. Hey I can't believe I forgot, but an Edelbrock Performer TBI manifold would be a good mod too. It is around 200 dollars. it is optional, but with a good flowing exaust and gears and or a cam, it will be worth some horses.

 

can most of this be done with the engine in?

 

TBIworks,with all those mods how fast will our L03 run? I'm planning on doing every one of those mods... Will we see low 14's?

 

all of it can you can even swap cams with the engine in but youll have to take the radiator out and all that fun stuff

 

My list of to do and in order, even though I've posted this a million freaken times before..use the search feature people, there are TONS of these kinds of posts!
1.) 14x3 Open element air cleaner comes with air filter ($15 from Summit Racing)
2.) Make fuel pressure regulator adjustable so your speed density (TBI) efi system doesn't starve your engine under performance (WOT, PE mode) conditions!!!!
There is a link on my website that has a adobe acrobat tech article written by Vader and it has PICTURES, so use it!
3.) Build the winaldl interface cable with a transistor, 2 resistors, and some wire. At radioshack, get a serial sub-9 hardware kit and build it inside that, download the winaldl software (free) and use/borrow a laptop and scan your ecm for any trouble codes, BLM (tells you if you're ecm thinks it's running too rich or lean), all sorts of cool stuff that will help YOU diagnose any problems and aid in the tuning process by watching for spark counts and recording all sort of other cool information. Run the log feature, post the saved data file on thirdgen to get somebody's opinion if you're having problems! Very useful considering it'll cost ~$8.45(what I paid for all parts)-200(if you gotta buy a cheap laptop)
3.) The free TBI mods listed in the tech articles section of the site like injector spacer (double up the gaskets, it's just that easy)
4.) Weight reduction mods always make you faster $000.00
5.) Headers w/y-pip (Edelbrock, Hooker, or SLP if you can afford the stainless) ~$150-400 and Cat-back exhaust that is a 3" system at at least dual 2.5" out muffler. You can make your own exhaust like I did and just run a 3" muffler to a 3" out, no fancy/ugly tailpipes, just hidden under the bumper ~$100-400
6.) Gears and posi do both or don't bother. Junkyard v6 rears, 4th gen rears, a gear set and SLP take-off torsen posi unit ($84) and about $400 labor to get em installed. Overall cost will be between ~$300-600
7.) LCA relocation brackets(Sphon $65, must have if you lowered your car), poly bushings and boxed LCA. Boxed means you just weld a strip of steel imbetween the gap on the LCA ~$100-$150
SLP sells boxed LCA and panhard bar with poly bushins already installed and painted for $150 (100 for the LCAs and 50 for the panhard)
8.) LT1 cam from the 4th gen cars. Roller cam and perfect lift for the Lo3, contact your local engine shop or do a search on this board and you'll get loads of information. ~$30-100 for the whole swap but if high milage engine, might want to replace timing chain and this could also improve performance because with time the chains stretch and the cam is no longer degreed in properly with the crank, this is so important to overall performance of a vehicle. You don't want your valves opening too late or you'll loose all the advantages of having a larger cube engine.
9.) Higher stall torque converter with a tranny cooler, do NOT get a higher stall converter and forget about the tranny cooler. Heat kills transmissions and the tranny cooler is the insurance that you don't have to spend thousands on rebuilds every year.
You can get a 12" lockup tcc from ~$200-500 depending on used vs new, company, stall rating, and how the tcc was constructed (balloon plates for N2o, furnace brazed fins on both sides, all that jazz)
10.) Traction, you need tread or you'll wheel spin off the line and never turn a good 60' = bad ETs ~$? depends on if you get slicks or just big tires.
11.) EPROM burning equipment so you can optimize any combination you get and make adjustments to timing, fuel curves, fuel tables, a BUNCH of cool stuff to improve daily drivability. If you're a computer nerd/geek/ or just really want to make the most of out of your car you should NEVER, EVER buy an off the shelf eprom unless there is a gun pointed to your head. I'm going to have to do some posting on why the off the shelf brands really are a complete waste of money. Eprom burning equipment and software can be had for less than $300, considering that price against an off the shelf chip, a custom Ed Wright chip, gas money from not doing your own chips, or even just for the cool factor, it's a steal of a deal. Look at the cost of those holley pro-jection systems and understand that they don't have features that are already build into the GM ecms (highway mode, special functions for timing and fuel, idle speeds, open loop) it's a longer list but you get the idea. GM ecms are great, only down side is the eprom, it isn't real-time but hopefully that will change from some diy projects going on behind the sceens.
12.) Heads, intake manifold and larger TB unit would be all together if I had to do it. With the right cam and head/intake combo you can either create a killer 305 TBI like NJSpeeder or Brian Felts...OR...make a mess and waste lots of money.
13.) N2o, this is if you don't feel like doing step 10 but you've already done the previous steps. This can get you into the low 13's with a 125hp shot and solid traction.

 

Okay guys, Jprevost knows his stuff. I have tried to pick his brain quite a few times on this board. He at the next level as far as TBI mods go, and he has spent a lot of time and $ trying to squeeze everything out of the car he can. I really wish I'd have been able to do that when I was in college. The list I provided was simply a basic outline of mods that someone could do to start the process of warming up an L03 car. I have not yet dipped into the prom burning and WinALDL stuff yet myself, but I will eventually. It really depends on the time and money you have, but tuning is an impotant part of the equation when you look at the whole picture. However, just the simple bolt on mods are where I began, and my car was running 15's. A 5 speed car has an advantage, so I'd say that mid to high 14's would be more reallistic if you do the stuff I mentioned. Add the tuning, and maybe on drag radials you could get low 14's if you were willing to lose some weight. I have not run my car yet since I did gears and a posi, but I suspect it will go about 15 flat. One thing to take into account is that I have an auto with the stock stall converter. You will need a higher stall if you do all the mods I mentioned to an automatic to capitalize on the power gains. I am getting one myself. However, since I'm single and recently out of college, I'm making bank, so I scratched the L03 idea, and I'm building the car how I've been wanting to. The possibilties are huge, but anyone who has the cash can build a fast car. The post mentions a weekend racer, so I started modest on my recommendations. It will make a 17 second car go 14's with the right driver. Finanlly, NOS is a great gain for the money, but you have to know what you are doing, or you can really screw the pooch! As far as TBI guys go, I'm in the middle on the experience meter, there are sever guys on the board who can help you make good decisions cause they have been there too. I only feel comfortable recommending stuff I have already experienced myself.

 

TBIWorks - Thanks, I liked your suggestions, as I mentioned in the original post, This is not going to be a daily driver, but more of a weekend ride. I dont even anticipate getting to the track, "anticipate" being the key word.

I just want to make some changes, additions etc to make the car a little hotter, faster, and overall a better 3rd gen. I have other plans to swap in a 4th gen interior (leather?), lowering, adding a cowl induction hood, Paint to Corvette yellow, new rims and adding a 4th gen GM cd/radio. I will also update he suspension.....all in time.

I am going to start with some light engine work, some light interior work (t=top leaks, armrests) and then decide about painting it now or waiting. This was a Van Nuys car, and from my research I understand that The paint they used in Cali was water based vs. the solvent based used in Norwood. I had soime terrible fading on the hood, and I think that needs to be addressed right off. (maybe I will just paint the hood).

Thaks all for the help!

 

hey your welcome! Yeah if I had not had to spend all the $$ on appearance and suspension stuff, then my car would be way fast right now. Unfortunately, I came to the realization that this wasn't a beat up '83 sport coupe and I wanted to make it nice as well as fast, so I have a grand in the suspension, and almost that amount in the interior.

 

I'm sure you know this too, but when considering your exaust options, a high-flow cat would be good, especially if you get headers.

 

What Jon Said.
You need to get the engine to breathe. From intake to exhaust. Gears are a nice thing too. Maybe 3:23's or 3:42's. Posi is up to you.
When you change your rear-end gears be sure they put the right speedo gears in as well, or your speedo will be way out of whack.

 

Thanks guys for the advice! I' am sure I'll be back.....stay tuned.

BTW.........what a great resource this baord has been! I am only sorry I hadn't come across it sooner.


"gotta get me one of those sig thingy's".....................

 

the first thing to do is definately a 14x3 flat base open element, you can also take teh injector wires out of their little wire loom, just put a single small zip tie in the middle to hold them together. that loom looks small but when put in the small space aroudn the bores of the tb, you can see how much air it blocks.
next thing that you can notice is big gain from is a posi and some gears, most people are finding success with 3.73 gears. it ain't the cheapest mod in th eworld, but it certainly makes a noticable difference in the giddy up of the car.
doing eth ultiamte tbi adn adjustable fuel pressure regulator mods from teh tech articles is teh next logical step, it is all cheap, which means a great dollar per hp gain.
once these things are done it is time to get the real breathing started. a 3inch cat back exhaust, a 3inch high flow cat, hedders with 1 5/8 primary tubes and a 3inch collector and a 3inch y-pipe will help teh car to exhale a lot. then a edelbrock performer tbi intake will help get more air into the motor.
horse power tv once did the intake with a full edelbrock exhaust and picked up like 40hp at the wheels, add to that the ultimate tbi mods, a little fuel pressure and timing tuning and the posi and gears, i'd say you will see a very noticable diffrence to say the least

later
tim

 

I read so many posts that never have an ending, I thought I would post one here.....

I finally was able to get some time to go where I have kept the car for the last 4 years and put in a new battery, changed the oil (Castrol Syntech 20/50), did all the prep work suggested as far as spinning the tires by hand, pumping the brakes, etc......Stuck the key in, turned and she turned over in about 15 seconds! Ran like a champ. No leaks, no problems. I put the Suburban in the storage spot and drove my baby home.

Last weekend I removed the front rotors, had them tuned, replaced the Spark plug Wires with Taylor 8mm, Accell U-groove Plugs (gapped @ .45), MSD Dist cap and rotor and an MSD coil. I also put the open element on, Cleaned the engine and had the tires roatated and balanced. So far she is running great and I forgot how good the V8 sounds, even with the stock exhaust, cant wait to hear what it's like with an Aftermarket one.

Next......KYB Struts and Shocks, Eibach Pro springs, PST front suspension rebuild kit, and a new paint job.

Thanks again for the tips and help!

 

Glad to hear it. Hey how many miles did you say it has, if it doesn't burn oil and has no leaks, then you will be better off running 10w30 syntec instead once you get it broken in from storage (about 500 miles then change the oil). Hey does your TBI sound funny with the open element? If so you have a few other options to get better air flow. Good luck! Oh I forgot to mention, I'm a TPI guy now, but having owned my TBI car for 5 years, I still like to talk TBI.

 

ahh you have the bad hood/t top bar/hatch fade to? i have a van nuys car also and the top of the car is faded but the rest is still pretty good...pisses me off that i need new paint but im sure aftre 14 years its about that time anyways.

 

TBIWorks, Just turned 107K. The only things that sounds a tad funny with the open element is when the car is @ 220 degrees and I punch it, it really sounds like it is suking in the air. I am in the process of getting another throttle body to replace what has been diagnosed as a bent throttle body shaft (see post in TBI). Curious as to why you suggest 10w30? You are right, no leaks Defeinetly NO SMOKE!

TBI305Camaro - Yep, Van Nuys fade. Its driving me nuts. the rest of the car (sides) is all great, minor blemishes, but the entire top, deck lid, hood, and ttop bar all faded....so it is going in the body shop this week to be painted......YAHOOO!!!!!

see ya.

 

It depends on the climate where you live, but 10w30 is usually the best choice. If you live where it is colder, then the thick oil isn't good to run. If you live where is is hot like Arizona or something, then you will be okay running the 20w50. The best engine performance and gas mileage will come from 10w30 synthetic, but only youn know your car so you make the call. I live in Oklahoma and we have harsh winters and harsh summers, so 10w30 is the best here, but in the hotter months sometimes I use 10w40 in my T/A