so I'm planning on setting aside about a grand to spend the my car this summer, she's a 1988 Firebird Formula, WS-6, 305 TPI, t-5, t-top car with the Borg-Warner 3.42 posi disc brake rear-end.

So I was wondering what your opinions on what kind of upgrades you would suggest to make this an all around better car, with an emphasis on straight line performance.

car is COMPLETELY stock with the exception of the Flowmaster catback exhaust installed just before it was put away for the winter and Centerforce clutch installed by previous owner.

Here's a list of realistic mods I was thinking of this year:

- first and foremost a good tune-up
- lower temp thermostat (anyone have opinons on the benefits of this? also what is the temp of stock thermostat?)
- some kind of CAI or FWI setup, not really sure how yet
- hooker (or comparable) shorty headers
- custom Y-pipe with high-flow cat
- throttle body air foil
- throttle body coolant bypass, aware of this but have to search how to do it
- AC delete pulley (AC does work anyway and I would rarely use it if it did)
- smog pump delete pulley (what else needs to be done when the smog pump is removed?)
- ECM tuning (not real familiar with PROMs and such, but would be willing to learn)
- polygraphite front end kit
- NITTO (or comparable) drag radials for some traction (and looks )
- PAINT!! getting a little rusty alond the bottom of the doors

Possible mods for next winter"

- PP intake/heads
- LT4 hot cam
- lowering springs

What I really wish I could do:

- LS1 w/ T-56 swap


basically I'm looking for the most cost effective ways to make this car faster

any input and suggestions on which to do and which order would benefit me most. I plan on taking it to the strip and autocrossing it this summer and I'm sure just the rest of you I've got some MAJOR spring fever!!!!!

thanks,

Brad

 

well if this were mine and i was talking pure money to power upgrades, i'd go with the following.

edelbrock headers and y pipe
1.6 ratio self aligning full roller rockers
set of underdrive pulleys
full tuneup

heres a quicky price brake down of the above.......

300-600 for headers and y
150-500 for rockers
50-200 for underdrives
tuneup would be 40-200

personally i'd buy plain headers and y for 300 ish
220 for a set of jegs brand roller rockers
get a used set of march underdrives for like 50 bux, cause they wont kill ur charging system if you get there 2 pc
for a tuneup get plain ac delco plugs thats 10 bux, msd super conductor wires, thats 80, msd cap n rotor thats 40.

so with my list your talking 650$

spend the other bits of money on k&n filters and modifying your stock box, air foil, fpr, digitial ignition maybe what not......

my opinion on low temp thermostats is it's dumb and useless, factory t-stats on pretty much any and every efi car i've seen is 195*, i'm guessing engineers have goods reasoning 4 that........

 

i would do good tune up, making sure the plugs are good, good plug wires, good igntion coil, ignition module, etc. Once you know allthat is in good shape, spend some money on headers/ypipe, and do a cold air intake setup.

then get some tuning equipment and play with that. You'll need a laptop, ALDL scan cable, and PROM burner. You can get all that for 230 bucks. You should REALLY pick up someperformance with headers/ypipe, CAI, and tune to go with it.

 

et streets are better than nittos.... and probably close in price. if you want straight line performance id say

et streets - 300-400 i got mine for 300 new.
rearend girdle - 150-200 forgot the price. itll help keep that rearend alive
tune up - 50-100
headers and y pipe- 300 ish uncoated of course

and that should make you content for a while

 

Just a side note...there is no such thing as a 3.42 Borg-warner rear end. If its a Borg-warner near that gear ratio then its a 3.45 (the most desirable 9 bolt). If its a 3.42 rear then its just an ordinary 10 bolt.

As for upgrades I agree with what has been said above. Get air and fuel into and out of the engine quickly. Headers and a cam upgrade would be first on my list of to-do's.

 

1st thing I did was a nice tune up.
Then Headers and a Y pipe.
SLP cold air intake set up.
3.73 gear
cam and whole intake set up.
Rims and tires
Lowered
Have fun!

 

There are so many routes to take...

Before I took my car off the road, the mod that I noticed the most was to the ignition: a Hypertech ignition coil, cap and rotor, and Accel 8.8mm Wires. After the mod my old 700R4 backed 305TPI accelerated much smoother, and seemed to help closer at the red line a bit too. Maybe make it part of your tune up... There are a ton of people making the performance coils.

 

well thanks a lot for all the input, I have a good idea of what I'm going to do now.

nice catch, it is indeed a 3.45, my bad.

 

Headers and nitrous.

The car is going to be a stone until you get a better powerplant in between the strut towers. You might as well fool what you have into thinking it is bigger than it is.

 

That will definately make it the fastest for the money.