Ok I am lost as to where to go with my project!

89 Iroc 350 (stock)

I think the previous owner installed an underdrive crank pulley but left the altn. one stock (hard keeping battery charged)

I installed a set of 3.73's in my nine bolt

3" flowmaster (american thunder)

52 mm Holley TB on the way

Eventually 2055 hooker headers and a new cat (which one I don't know)

UMI sub frame connectors ordered (group purchase)



Now where do I go? This car is going to only be street driven around town 90% of the time and the occasional highway run.

There is no track around and I don't want/need a 1/4 mile car.

What should I do next? SLP runners? Accel Base? Chip mods (have to start learning and buy equipment)

I eventually want a set of AFR 195 heads? I hope these are just bolt on!!

What cam shaft should I run for the street? ZZ9?? I don't know

I also have been reading that I should run a higher stall converter with the 3.73's?? I assume this is to help launch the car and avoid wheel spin??

There is no porter or high performance shop anywhere near where I live so I have to do 90% of the work myself.


Maybe someone can give me a street combo suggestion

 

Can't go wrong with doing exhaust system first. I have the Hooker 2055s and love them.

Subframe connectors and tubular trailing arms for the rear end are good to have in place as your eng power starts to increase. A beefed-up torque arm is also good to have.

Intake and runners would be a good place to start with your eng mods.

Definately need to get an early start on the chip burning. It takes a while if you're teaching yourself. You'll also need to a way to monitor the ECM to collect/store data (there's freeware avaliable), you'll have to decide what method is best for you in regards to how you plan to modify the s/w (chip swapping, romulator, etc.), you'll need to build or buy a wide band O2 to monitor A/F ratio.

Once all that is in place, the cam, injectors and heads would be the next steps.

 

Thanks for the suggestions/help ZZ28ZZ

I understand most of what you said but I have to ask what is s/w?

I have been calling around for the hooker 2055 and I was told to buy the uncoated one's in case they had to be modified (dented to clear plugs?)

Then to ship them out to the powder coaters.

Do you know the name of the software to monitor the ECM? I was looking at the DIY PROM stuff but I can remember the software (I'll have to search the boards again)

I know what the A/F mean (air fuel mixture) (one out of 3 ain't bad) I was wondering does the wide band O2 replace the factory O2?

I nearly forgot I know there are lots of different runners and intakes is there any you recommend.

 

I like what you have done so far, very similar to mine. Do you have to pass emmisions testing?

 

s/w, Software. I think he was referring to deciding which way you will go abouts modifying your prom be it burning, emulator, etc.

The Wideband O2 is a second O2 sensor not read by the ECM that you hook up to either a gauge or to your computer which would allow you to compare A/F ratios relative to RPMs and load, etc. The O2 sensor the ECM uses is only 'accurate' around 14.7 A/F.

There are many intake and runner combos. AS&M runners are pricey, but are the best flowing aftermarket and they remain stock appearing (tubes) SLPs are about half the price and are less diameter, but are semi-siamesed and can easily be ported out to your content. Either really work over the stock base or go aftermarket (either a big-mouth or a scoggs and dickey one if going to vortec heads)

Or forget Long Tubes and go stealth ram!

Matt

 

Great! I am starting to get an idea as where to go with the car!

Matt the super ram is that the one from Accel? There are so many rams I can't remember which one is which mini, stealth, super, holley?

Anyway I don't think I am at that stage yet, I have to take baby steps I already think the car has tons of power! How can you tell I have never had or been in a real sports car!

The closest performance car I had was my 88 chevy stepside with a 350 TBI (210 hp)



Yes I color sanded the passenger door, and that is a picture of when I had it for sale (2nd kid on the way NO ROOM IN TRUCK!) Not a very good picture

Then I bought an 98 Honda Civic Si (before I knew 2nd child was coming)

(OOOoooww 115hp) and yes it was all show with a BIG wing and ground effects (It was good on gas though)



There is NO emission testing where I live but you never know what the future will bring! So for now I am going to try and keep everything emission friendly.

So to recap a set of AS&M runners on the stock base should give me some improvements? Or do I need the base as well?

 

Accel makes the super ram. My dad calls this the 'pizza box' it has runners half the length of TPI and a larger plenum. Great power band, but hard to work on and over $1k last I checked. It is emissions friendly.

I was referring to the Stealth ram, by holley. It is essentially a plenum atop a tunnel ram carb intake. Not emissions friendly, but it is the best bang for your buck, being somewhere around $5-600 with all the stuff you need to swap.

The miniram is by TPiS and is basically an LT1 intake manifold. I think it is emissions friendly with the use of a corvette EGR, not sure though.

Or you could get an actual LT1 intake and swap that, though there is a bit of machining to do on it.

If you'd like to keep your low to mid powerband stick with long tubes, and either port your intake base or get an aftermarket one as well as aftermarket runners. AS&M runners are over $400 though, SLP recently raised their price to $330 I think. Look around in the classifieds, I got mine shipped for $200. Once you have invested in a new set of tubes and a baseplate though you will have surpassed $500 and at that point you may have wished you went with a stealthram. They are a very nice intake.

Once you figure out which intake route you'd like to go with you can pick heads and cam, etc.

Good luck

Matt

 

Thanks Guy! Keep the info. coming!

Matt thanks for the clarification on the different "Rams" out there!

Your right in assuming that I would like to keep my power down on the low to midrange as this is only a street car, I have alway had a bad habit of buying stuff that I will never use. I guess I loved the bragging rights but with a family and a mortgage I have to spend VERY wisely and on practical items so an all out race car is not what I am after.

With that say I am starting to think the Stealth ram might be the way to go, I have changed the rear end gear to 3.73's so the rpms are already a bit higher and I may go with a different converter (I still have the stock one)

Ok so if I go Stealth then what do I need exactly? Chip burning? Harness changes? New injectors?

OPPS I just went to holleys website (YOU WEREN'T KIDDING) they include EVERYTHING!



I think Matt you said you are running a Stealth (Pics?) hard/easy to install?

I have to revise this question then since holley provides a new ECM how can you lockup the torque converter??



I had a question regarding our transmission (700R4) does anyone know what controls the shifting? I have read a couple of threads that state the ECM does NOT control the tranny it only controls lock-up of the torque converter?

 

You will need to look into DIY chipburning or a local dyno tuner. The harness in the car will work just fine(you may or may not wish to swap from MAF -> SD at this time, didnt look at the year of your car if this even applies) You could stick with the 22lb injectors, but 24lb ford racing are recommended by a lot of people.

I personally run a TPI with ported base and SLP runners. On a highschool budget ><



you DO NOT need holleys ECM. You can use your stocker. That is for if you are say, building a hot rod.

The 700R4 is hydraulicly controlled internally and is regulated by the Throttle Valve (TV) cable which attaches to your throttle body. The lockup for the tq converter is controlled by the ECM. The later model 4L60E is electronicly shifted, ours is not.

Matt