Hello all,

I have 300$ to modify a completely stock and excellent running 1988 GTA, 305 TPI with automatic transmission... What should give me the most performance? I want something that wouldn't, let's say, slow down my car at different RPM, but I want to do some things that will make the car overall faster at any RPM. I'm not very good in english, sorry for this...

 

do a search for free mods for a start and for $300 you could get a start on an upgraded exhaust, Also make your FPR adjustable http://www.gmtips.com/3rd-degree/dox...afpr/afpr.htm. Also porting you plenum will give you some easy gains. If you fancy yourself as a good aluminum welder you can siamese and port your stock runners. Also porting your heads is probably the cheapest way to get more power, by the time you'd buy the gaskets to pull everything off, a grinder and a couple good bits you'd probably be over $150. Also your car may have the dreaded peanut cam as an automatic 305, do a search to make sure, but your car may respond well with an lt1 or L98 cam, especially with these other mods.

Run a search for some of the things above, I'd suggest doing the free mods and whatever else you can if you got more time than money. If you want just a simple bolt on mod look at the exhaust board. If you don't have to worry about emmisions maybe look at hedman long tubes (would require a exhaust ship to make you a simple y-pipe and would cost you some ground clearance). Otherwise maybe get edelbrock shorties, or get the $200 hooker or dynomax catback from jegs and get it welded to your cat.

Also where are you at? Some of these things such as cat back systems are kind of cost preventive to ship oversea's. I know that internet privacy is a good thing but you never know you might have somebody from your area see your post and come over to help you out.

 

Thanks a lot for your informations! Anyone else have some ideas?

 

Roost basicly nailed everything. Since you are gunna stick with the 305, i would follow what roost said, but if your plans are for more cubic inches, then i would invest whatever i had into suspension. Get your car ready for more power.

 

On the Ford side of the fence, gears are HUGE bang to buck.

Is it the same with the TPI camaros? The stock gearing is mostly in the high 2:1 range right?

 

big 4.10's on a tpi car isnt good unless your car has a larger powerband, and can use the bigger gears. 3.42's for a stock tpi car seem to be good, and 3.73's would be a good idea for more of a modded car. TPI cars dont follow the usual go fast plan that other cars like the stang use. Gears wont help as much as a cam swap in a 305 with the notorious "peanut" cam found in the majority of 305 autos. TPI's intake is also very different from the 5.0 manifold that ford made. TPI produces tons of torque, but tends to choke off air at hi rpms. thats basicly the jist of TPI. Thats why most people building motors switch to a short runner or new intake all together.