I just made a quick $200 bucks of spending money for my gta, but I have a dilemma... what to do with it?
1)Fix my broken headlight and get a replacement junkyard fender?
2)Get a set of cheap headers and y- pipe ( won't have enough to get it welded on)... remove smog pump, get shorter belt for it and blah?
3)Get a dremel that is on sale at home depot, porting kit, new intake gaskets, head gaskets, intake bolts (torx ones are all messed up), valve spring compressor, and port the intake, plenum, and heads?
4) Any suggestions for bang for buck?

 

I say go with route no.3

If you like porting, polishing, and projects etc. the dremel will work great! you will never regret buying it. I know this because I don't own one and i regret it every day LOL.

But if you want the bang for the buck then go w/ Headers or a cam.

 

I'm currently unemployed and stuff so time is what I got and it will be my first porting job, you can't really go wrong and better to gain experience from it all, one week of time out for my beast is ok I just need a little more funds (in case I need other things) but with a little more money I can definitely get more power out of it, any tips for porting?

 

Here is a porting tip. You can't use a dremel to port the intake manifold or heads, you need a die grinder.

The casting are to much for a little dremel and it will take for ever, if you just wanted to make the holes bigger then you have no problem, but you cant fully port either.


the plenum ont he other hand is pefect for a dremel.

 

Hmmm... I thought that dremel was technically just a eletrical die grinder? Although it uses a 1/8 shaft instead of a 1/4 shaft. Or do most air die grinders use 1/8 shafts as well?

Anyways, honest bang for the buck has got to be ported heads, intake.

Although, if your first time you may want to hold off on it, especially if it's your daily driver or anything like that. Read up on porting heads and such before jumping right into that.

 

I honestly have no idea LOL

Nut I have read you can't really use dremels for that heavy duty stuff.

I guess he could polish the bowls with a dremel. But you definatly can't just jump right in it and get going, read up on portin heads and a manifolds, the plenum,s are easy but have lots of gutting to do.

P.S. WEAR SAFETY GOGLES! You don't want to know how it feels to have a sliver of aluminum shoot right in your friggin eye!

 

I already read almost everything about it, I don't drive it everyday, is there and electrical die grinder? How much would that be around? Well I kinda just want to enlarge the ports but make a noticeable differance or should I just do a cam? I know with stock heads I can't use over .500" lift any suggestions for a roller cam with a stock motor, I basically just want to do small mods until I can afford to do a real motor build up (with help from someone experienced) I love modding my car, it's a hobby I have and I just want to bring it as close to 305 hp as I can, so it would de like driving a new Ls1 Firebird Formula

Also with the cam install, any tips and suggestions on what specs? my mods are in my sig so you can help me out.

 

ok i figured $200 bucks isn't fitting the budget, the cam itself is over $200 so I need to do something else, maybe headers, remove smog, get the shorter size belt, and get the y-pipe later on with more $$$, or electric die grinder ( if I find a good price on one) intake gaskets and just touch up the intake and plenum, and leave the heads and just save $1200 for complete aluminum ones. Dammit I dunno!

 

Cold air intake.

http://87tagta.tripod.com/coldair.htm

 

nah i can made my own i didn't put it in my sig. i'm thinking remove smog and underdrive pullies then a shorter belt, it should free up a good amount of HP.

 

Thanks for the link to my page! Did you do the intake?

...."Best Band for the Buck"....OFFSPRING!

...but in all seriousness, a cam would be a good investment.

 

seems everyone votes for the cam best, i figure it won't be too long if I save for one, i guess i'll do it but i'm not too good at picking cams, suggestions on specs?

 

You can use a dremel to port heads it does take forever though and finding a porting kit was impossible to fit a 1/8 shaft was impossible but it can be done with some knowledge of which abrasives to get. Personally I used a sanding drum with the most course grit I could find and ported the heck out of the runners. the one advantage to usinga dremel is that it does not cut as fast as die grinder lessoning the chance skrewing something up. the hardest grinders to find where the tapered sand paper grinders the cones so I used the course medium and fine grit cone shaped stones have plenty on hand though when they bind up they bend the shafts have plenty of sanding drum refills on hand the where out fast.

The cheapest thing I have done so far on mr car was porting and polishing the only thing it cost me was time and it sounds like you have plenty of that.

Good luck

 

By the way most will agree getting a cam without porting and polishing is a waste of time if you dont free up the air intake and exhaust ports on the heads. I would port and polish heads and then look at headers and then the cam.

 

Not yet, but I needed ideas on getting air to my TPI in my '68 Chevelle. Right now I am in school and can't do squat, but I still have to get the gas tank modded so I can run an in-tank setup. What you have shown on your web page looks real nice, and I may ust some of the same ideas. I was wondering what 3rd genner I got that from when I posted that!

 

that's what I was thinking, cam without opening up intake components would be a waste, if i could only get some used l98 heads it would be better b/c I can take my time and use a dremel to fix them up some then install some new valve seals and bam ported rebuilt heads but a die grinder can't cost that much.

 

hey man, i got a cam from summit, it was a summit brand, i havent had any prolems at all, i got it on sale for 65 bucks, but its back up to 75 right now, they are just as good as com cams and crans, they come in a huge variety of sizings, i got a nice and hot one for my beast.

 

His car is roller... summit has roller cams for $75??

 

lmao roller for $75.00 yeah right was it used. I know I know you didnt know it was a roller just messing with you

 

i thought really hard and have decided to save my $200 until I get more dough to get a pair of headers and y-pipe (and money for installing it), i figure to just build a foundation for a good motor buildup in the future

 

Man dont pay someone to install the headers. You can do it your self in about half a day.

 

man, headers aren't as hard as it looks to install, you just need to give it some muscle.

 

My vote:

The LAST thing we need is another beat up 3rd gen running around. Dude, fix your car FIRST...then mod it! Tickets for a busted headlight get expensive!

My $.02

 

it works it's just I had to prop it up and disconnect the good one so both stay up all the time so I don't get tickets.

 

I say 1 fix your car first

 

Had to prop it up!!! I bet that looks wonderful

 

This is the Same car that "goes around crazy turns and dosent roll at all "

I bet its a real Gem of the Thirdgen world.

I think the best thing you could do with that money is Call up the local salvage yard and pay then to haul that heap off.