I'm selling my Suburban in March and picking up hopefully a 85-92 Z28/IROC. I have about a grand saved up for mods right now, and I've been trying to do some research. The HSR claims 60 more hp, now I know you can't really trust the sites claims so I'm asking if anyone has done any dyno time with just a stock 350 TPI with the HSR and how much improvement have you seen? I'm assuming you've gotten the new fuel rails etc. The other question, instead of spending $630 (est) on the HSR and supporting mods would my money (about $1000) be spent better elsewhere? I want to avoid supercharging because I could pick a better engine to do it on.

 

The Stealthram is a great intake and you can see some great h.p. numbers with it. But if you are taking a stock motor and just sticking it on there you probably will not get an additional 60 h.p.. The intake likes to have a bigger cam in there and probably will not even work that well if you get a 305 car.

Personally, for the most noticeable speed bang for your buck mods I would start with a 3.73 rearend gear and headers and complete exhaust. They are the basics and you will noticablely feel the performance change. You should be able to do both for a little over a thousand if you are smart with your money.

 

I just installed the HSR on my 305 TPI formula 5 speed. It was a pain in the *** to install, but I finally finished it and the car still runs.

 

Check out www.stealthram.com for information on the HSR. That board is dedicated to the HSR and is comprised of HSR owners. There are people on there including myself that just ask questions about it and the swap...which I will be doing within the next year or so.

 

Not directly related to the HSR question, but more regarding the vehicle shopping. Try to concentrate on an '87-'92 if you can.

'87 was a good year, since it still had the Borg rear axle and had a lot of the enhancements of the later models. '85 and '86 had no roller cam. '85 had a two-piece rear main seal, weaker transmission with no auxilliary valve body, and less robust ECM and control system. '86 had the better ECM, better transmission, but still had some issues that make it somewhat of a bastard child. '88 and up had the better rear calipers.

What the heck. Instread of me listing everything, you can go to the FAQ section and read all about it.

If you find an earlier year in very good condition, the rest of the little isssues can be overcome if the price is right. Being aware of the differences is a good thing when shopping, however.

 

You can put it on a 305 TPI, but it better have the hotter cam. Basically, the 305 stick shift car's have the same cam as the 350 car's and it would be a much better match. But I would not put it on a 305 auto car with the infamous "peanut cam". The cam in the 305 auto car's cannot even use the power band of the HSR.

 

my 305 was an auto so I probably have the lousy cam, but I'll be getting an L98 sometime soon.

 

Family friend has a 92 Firebird for sale, that's all I know about it right now. I still have to check it out, although I perfer the Camaro, this firebird was babied. If its a 350 I think I'll buy it. Unfortunately it's an ugly teal color.