Heras the problem, my cousin wil have his Firebird up and going soon and when he does he wants to race me!! The problem is it's an LB9 with a full 3" exhaust and that's it!! My question is, what mods should he do to keep up with me and maybe beat me? I know nitrous is an option, but I'm sure he would like to do it N/A. I expect to be going 13.2 to 13.4 with traction and some weight loss, so what would it take to get him in the mid to low 13s on the motor??

 

quite a bit unfortunetly. I am trying to find the same information but maybe not quite that fast, low 14's would be good with me. everybody will say swap for a 350, which is an easy fix and probably around the same price as a 305 build up, but wont to me be as impressive. odviously, he will need, cam, headers, i would go with open element, intake manifold, 600 or 650cfm carb, for starters. i dont know where that would put him, it's hard to say, my guess would probably be in the 14's. after those simple(compared to other mods) it is kind of wide open, you could go with heads, more internals, etc... but in building it up traction will become a little bit tougher for the stock parts, so dont leave that out or it will never hook. Like my friends dad's fox body mustang that is stroked, tons of power, but minimal traction(right now, that is the project car).

remember, many will say go 350, but what's more impressive 305 runnin low 13's or high 12's or a 350 doin it. IMHO 305. Good Luck and keep me updated, i would love to know how it goes, because i am in the same boat, maybe not as big a boat but close.

 

I say headers,3.42's in the back,hi flow cat,cam with better valve springs,roller rockers etc,heads,upgrade the restrictive TPI intake,and i'd go with a supercharger if it was an option or N20 on the less expensive side. I saw an 86 IROC 305 auto run a 14.6 with headers,exhaust and a mild cam. IF his car is a 5 speed and he can drive that would be low 14's is my guess. Add in some head work and a better TPI intake and some other minor bolt ons he could put himself into the 13's. But why waste money? get the 350.

 

I agree with the above. Get headers first, then gears, and a TC. That right there will knock if lucky a little over 1 second off the 1/4 time.

 

How about some 3.73 gears or even 4.11s if he wants to get serious? Then some LCAs and relocation brackets for traction... The engine won't cut it unless you get into some serious mods like hot86 already stated, but if you mod the chassis for some necksnapping hook without bogging the weak motor (that's what the 3.73s are for) you can get to the engine's peak faster and make the most out of the limp wristed 305.

BTW Don't 305s only have 160hp? A stock Civic could whoop that car!

 

The thing you have to remember is to match your gears to your cam's powerband. And unless a cam is changed anything over 3:42s is overkill.

 

He has the LB9 which I think is rated at 190hp and 260 tq, and he already has Heddman Headers, 3" Supercats cat, 3" Dynomax Intermediate, 80 series Flowmaster, and 2.5" tips. He has a posi rear and a non posi rear, he has the non-posi in and will be puttin gears and axles in the posi, along with upgraded brakes!

His new issues are with his budget, the Firebird is going to cost him more than he expected for insurance, so he won't have much to spend. What could he do for $2000-$3000???

 

I'd say a cam swap, head work, maybe new heads, TC and some TPI mods.

 

So how would a 262xe cam and my 3.73s matchup......Good or Bad???

 

Should match quite well, that cam stops power around 5600 rpms, and with 3:73s you might be just under that at the end. Just be sure to have an intake that breathes that high.

 

What intake would you recommend?? Remember I plan on keeping those 262 heads cuz of the compression they give me. And I wouldnt mind having one that is NOS compatible.

 

1. Get rid of that "LA" cam and use it as a doorstop. Might as well screw in the studs while you're at it;

2. Port the factory heads on the short side of the runners, bowls, and open up for 1.94" intakes. In lieu of that, plan on buying replacement heads and porting them before you install;

3. Plan on porting the plenum behind the TB, and matching the runners to the plenum and base at least;

4. An AFP would be necessary at a minimum, or better yet, a little PROM tuning to match the cam, heads, and exhaust;

5. Dump the 1,600 RPM stall factory TC and go with something at least 2,100 RPM;

6. Open the bottom of the air cleaner housing to match the rest of the openings in the intake tract (Firebird only);

7. Consider a weight loss program - the TA already weighs in at around 3,400 with a lightweight driver and all fluids.

 

Thanks Vader, I think his car weighs less than that, he has removed the A/C, has no power windows or doors, and may get a lighter hood! He is thinking about porting the heads and doing the intake and then a throttle body for now!!