ok here's the situation. i have an '87 Iroc, 350 TPI, 48K miles, completely stock, but i want to beef up the engine as much as possible.

$300 or so is actually going to a Banks exhaust system, and possibly i might get headers if people really think i should.

i know $1500 isn't enough to upgrade everything engine-wise (well more like $1200 after exhaust, and $1000 if i get headers). so what should i start with? i guess i should take care of as many internals that the engine would have to be torn down to get to, so i dont have to tear the engine down again later.

so what should i start with? the car's a daily driver, and i'd like to eventually have it in the 12's but that's prob. not possible with my budget now.

since the engine is low mileage, i think the bottom end parts will hold up fine for now. but anyway, any recommendations are gladly accepted.

 

Get a whole exhaust from the headers back. Do the free mods to your TPI and spend the rest on suspension. Spend your next 1500 on a cam and Stealth ram/mini ram/LT1 intake swap.

 

why suspension? for better hook up? or it just better handling?

 

Both, also look into a shift kit and stall for quicker launches.

 

Both. You want to be able to get all of that power to the gournd once you start making it. It is pointless to do a heads and cam swap with the stock suspension.

 

You'd be suprised....

 

so you think i should spend the entire $1500 on exhaust and suspension? i should get those things out of the way before i start actually modding the engine at all?

 

That is what I and many others would do. You already have a lot of power with the L98 and adding a full exhaust will increase it dramatically. You will have traction issue. I would at least look at set of sub frame connectors, lower control arms, and possibly relocation brackets (might want to save this until you lower the car).

 

The only thing worse than not making power is not being able to handle what you're making.

Even if you have a stock V6 car, you should install subframe connectors. Prevents flexure that will happen without them, regardless of the power you're making.

From there, poly bushings replacing everything that's rubber right now. If you don't replace things like LCAs with tube or box, box what you've got.

Beef up the rear end. There's a lot of information on that on the Tranny/Drivetrain forum, and tech articles.

Then perhaps full exhaust, including headers.

After all that, you are ready to start modifying the engine and tuning accordingly.


(Why was this on the Engine Swap forum???)

 

Personally, now that i look back, I would have liked to get suspension out of the way.....

I put about 400 HP to the stock suspension and it exposed EVERY SINGLE weakness in the suspension, so now i'm doing all the suspension work

However I wouldn't spend all the money on suspension at this point, you aren't making large amounts of HP

At this point i would purchase SFC and STB, and the rest on headers/exahust/engine mods

Then as you get heads/cam I would look into all the other suspension mods.....

 

My action list includes a cat-back (but that's becasue my stinking muffler fell off, lol) but then it's all suspension stuff. Sure, the WS6 is good and all but it's 16 years old adn I need to freshen it up. Safety. Handling. Agility. I'll have confidence that I can take turns at twice their listed speeds. Given two identical cars, one iwth a weak suspension and one with a good suspension, the one with the better suspension will win, especially if you toss turns into the equation. Take whatever money you have left and give it some go-fast engine goodies.

 

Full exhaust, don't skimp on the headers. STB, SFC, box your stock rear control arms for now, baseplate and runners. That's about $1600-$1800 in parts.

 

I have to agree with the full exhaust and SFCs.
Before you really do any engine mods, it would be a good idea to have the stuff to burn your own PROMs. Running a stock PROM is going to negate most engine mods, and making your own custom PROM can do a lot for a stock engine.
And dont forget the freebies/low cost mods.

 

yeah i guess i'll go with a few suspension mods and headers/full exhaust for now.

i dont really see the need to spend the entire $1500 modding the suspension when i have like 240hp, which is what, maybe 200 to the rear wheels? and how much does headers and full exhaust add? 10-15 or so?

and what exactly is "boxing rear control arms"?

i dont really plan on dragging the car...i'm mainly looking for some added acceleration.

so i guess my plan might be:

headers = $250, cat-back = $300, y-pipe = $50, paying a shop to do install w/ welding = $150 maybe?

so $750-800 for exhaust, $450 total on STB and SFC

what should i spend the remaining $300 on? (although shipping on various parts might take up a good chunk of this)
does this sound like a good place to start?

and the next $1500 i spend will be maybe $1000 on heads/cam/torque converter and a little more upgrading of the suspension

 

Hooker Headers
High Flow Cat
American Thunder Exhaust

K&N Air Filters
Tune Up

Hothkis Lowering Springs
PSY Polygraphite Bushings
TDS Wonderbar
Spohn LCA, SFC, and Panhard Bar

That should be in the aread of 1500-200. Just my .02

 

You are going to have to use that remaining 300 bucks to have the hedders installed if you do not do it yourself. The 150 will only cover the back back. Hedders are a pain and shops rearely do them. When they do, they charge an arm and a leg.

 

headers 400

cat back system 2-600

Nitrous 600

LCA's 100

 

Definitely do the full exhaust, but I wouldn't do anything more to the suspension than a good cheap set of LCAs and subframe connectors since you're a t-top car. The rest is overkill for now and frankly a waste of money for what you're going to be doing IMO, especially if this is going to be the only major mod money for quite some time... You'll enjoy more power at this point, or at least I would...

Full exhaust and those two suspension mods will eat up a good chunk of your money, with the rest I'd look into some bolt ons for the intake side of things. Perhaps a swap to a Stealthram or LT1 intake is in your future... If you do the intake swap I'd look into mildy upgrading the cam at the same time...

 

well in the future, i'm probably converting to carb, so i'll do heads/cam/intake then. i would do it now with the $1500 but i need to take care of exhaust first.

what are LCA's?

edit: nm, just realized they're lower control arms....what do they actually do? i know about STB's and where they connect and stuff, but what about LCA's?

 

LCA's in a nutshell keep your rear tires planted to the road by applying a downward forc on the axle when you accelertate. Your stock ones are stamped steel and flex under load. Going with an aftermarket tubular one increases that downward force and allows your tires to hook better.

 

so it pretty much just helps w/ traction on take off, to not spin tires as much. don't know if i need that now with my stock hp, maybe i'll wait until the exhaust is done and decide if i'd like a little more traction

 

get subframe conectors if you dont have them already

 

You need them. The stock rear suspension parts on our cars are junk. You have the right idea though about traction. You will feel a night and day difference with them during hard launches.

 

night and day difference? how so?

 

Maybe on a lowered car....

I have a lowered car and no relocation brackets and stock LCA's

When i put nitrous to the wheels, you'd they were a rabbit, the wheel hop goes through 2nd Gear......it's a little ridiculous

I don't know if you would feel a night and day difference on a otherwise stock car though....

 

On a V6 or LO3/LG4 car I would agree. However an L98 car can shread the tires with half throttle. The low end of the L98 is almost identical to my 95 Z. I can spin the tires thru 3rd during all out driving with the stock suspension. I need new LCA's in the worst way. There is nothing good about stamped steel suspension parts.

 

Never drove a L98 so i'll take your word for it.....

 

If you cant hook up a high 13 / low 14 second car (typical bolt-on L98) on its factory suspension you must have some serious suspension or driving issues. Theres guys cutting 1.5-1.6 60 ft's with nothing but a set of sticky tires on stock suspension. When I had my L98 with a few bolt-ons (ran 14.2's) I'd do a light burnout on generic half-bald street tires (because my track makes you go through the water-box) then footbrake the factory converter up to like 1200RPM and launch off dead hooking. If you can "shred" the tires on your stock L98 its not the motor making power, its the suspension not doing its job due to being worn out.