I was wondering if you guys can help I have a 1992 Camaro B4C camaro with the l98 350 tpi. I want to make it fast as hell but i only have around 6k to add to it. What are the things that i can put at it so i can make some extra horses my goal is around 410-450HP to the wheel. I know i might now be able to but please give me some opionions on things i can do. Thanks Fermin

LS1 swap with a Cam will be the easiest since you are starting with 300-330 at the wheels with the stock LS1.

Heads, cam, HSR, up the compression to 10.5:1 or 11:1, .030 over to make it a 355.

procharge it, or head/cam and a roots style supercharger

You can not meet your goals for $6000. You need twice that.

You realize that 400+RWHP is close to 500 CHP. It's not happening on that budget.

Consider what you have to do with the drive train too...

A supercharger on a stock L98 will only make about 300rwhp at 5psi depending on the condition of the engine. Anything more and you are pushing it with the stock fuel system.

I'd say one of the few ways you'll meet your goals is with a nice set of aftermarket heads, a cam, and associated upgrades.

I think it can be done for $6k, but it would be close and then you need to address the other issues upgrading would bring up. driveshaft, axle, brakes..... There's a host of other stuff that needs to be done.

Gen 3 swap would be easiest and offer the most potential. 5.3 + ported heads, cam, and bolt-ons could do it.

I wouldnt say impossible, as there are a few guys making around 390-400whp on stock bottom end with heads/cam/intake but its improbable

You can try a good 195 cc head milled down to get compression up, and a big 236 deg cam, rev it up to the moon and hope the bottom end holds. LT1 guys can make well over 410whp thru a manual with heads/cam swaps, but they have slightly better bottom ends I believe. Being a 92 car it should have factory flat tops so it will be easier to get to 11 to 1 compression or even higher if need be to compliment a big cam.

You can have up around 4000 in fuel upgrades/heads/cam/intake/headers/exhaust and spend the rest on suspension/possible 1000 dollar tranny rebuild and chance it on the stock rear. I know I have and my stock 4th gen rear has held every bit of 700whp.

It be REALLY easy to hit near 450whp with a good 150 shot and a mild heads/cam setup. Hell, maybe even Cam only with 150-200 shot.

And what about the trans/rear? With that kind of HP the transmission won't last a day. I know, I've blown them up with that kind of power.

Did you figure in $1500 for a trans in that equation?

yeah good shopping for heads/intake/cam/fuel pump upgrade, etc can be around 4000. My rebuild 700r4 handled a 400whp + 150 shot nitrous setup and that was 1000 dollar rebuild. Plus a 500 dollar converter so 1500 total. Keep the rear stock 1.41 60 foots and mid 10's on stock rear

Dont leave as hard and it will last longer.

Maybe do motor/trans for up to 6000 to MAYBE hit close to that power but certainly doubt you can do trans/rear/motor for that power for 6K and do it reliably UNLESS you get great used deals on the rear and tranny/motor stuff. You never know but buying new probably going to make it hard to cut 6K budget.

OR you can be lucky and fab a budget turbo setup for few grand and push 450whp easily and have it live. The grenade on the turbo forums was a L98 type motor and it made 738whp I think and never failed

If you can fab you can EASILY do it all. I did my twin setup for under 3600 bucks for EVERYTHING from hotside to cold side I believe. Do a single for few hundred less because you dont need the extra turbo/wastegate/turbo header. That would be your best bet. Mild set of aluminum heads to keep compression down as 9.5-9.8 to 1 on Iron will limit the boost potential on pump gas. 9.5 on aluminum is good stuff. Do a mild cam to match and have at it. T76 from master power for 600 bucks and you have 450whp all day long and it should live since it will be a low rpm motor as long as the tune is good.

I can see getting to CHP, but RWHP on a reliable motor? Maybe, but it's so close, I'd throw another $2K on the budget and not cut corners.

How about rockers, push rods, lifters, there's $500 easy. You're not going to reuse the stock junk right? Oil pan? Gonna want more oil in the motor...$300? That's $800. Trans cooler and associated braided lines and fittings? $100? Not going to run a converter without a cooler and expect it to last. Injectors, $200 for 36-42 lb if I have them rebuilt, $400 if I don't.

I've been there, done that. The little stuff will kill you.

So can you get some cheap parts and do it, maybe....but not something I'd put under my hood.

I respect that opinion, but "cheap" doesnt mean "poor". What I mean to say is a lot of part's to be had can be found at way less than retail. Ive used plenty of parts that I didnt by new, but were in as new condition and in some cases, never used, and in brand new condition. Using every resource available like the internet, swap meets, Craig's list, forum friends etc makes it easier, Its not luck either, but that never hurts. So I say do diligience when it comes to shopping and sure it can be done.

Know with that being said, I'd go artificially aspirated. Most bang for the buck. Around my area you can find centrifugal's pretty regularly. Will there be somthing's left undone? Probally, but when is a car ever "done"?

I completely agree with you 100%. I am not one to promote $1500 callies rods for a 500HP motor. I respect the guys that do that, I'm not that patient...

So if that's the route you're going to take. Then YES! I think you can do it.

Here's a money saver for you.

Use LS-7 roller lifters. Scoggin Dicky has them for about $125. No need to spend more than that, they rate to 7000 RPMs.

All I am saying is keep in mind everything that has to be done.

When you run out of money.

Afr 195's, stealth ram, a nice cam... then just my 2 cents here t56 swap because 700r's suck!!!!! and i think you'd be very happy with the amount of power you'd get outa a heads cam and intake

Or go Profiler and save $300. That's 5% of his budget. He'll give nothing up. I'm running a special for TGO for $950.

www.profilerperformance.com

Bill Lutz is using there stuff as well as a lot of people winning races. Good parts. 100% American made.

Never heard of them.. but hey do have some decent lookin flow numbers

Quick rundown.

profiler 195's, 1000 bucks
rockers 200
pushrods 80
lifters ls7 125
gaskets MLS 170
HSR intake + Fuel lines ~650
58mm TB 250
injectors 250-350
cam 250-300
timing chain 120 (reuse cover)
deg kit 120
valve covers if needed 100
racetronix fuel pump kit 150-170
tuning equipment 250
balancer 200 or so
Oil pan, may or may not need but can find them under 250

So thats 4335. Dont need trans cooler since stock rad has one built in. Stock rad is more than adequate for that motor. I ran one on my 383 just fine. Still room for stuff if i left anything out. Maybe throw in an ignition kit, mallory 685 or similar. couple hundred more. reuse stock dizzy.
Lets do exhaust... 600 long tubes, plus 400 for custom 3.5" exhaust needed for this beast
Now your up 5635 or so complete motor.


1500 for trans rebuilt and converter and your set to pray that rear end holds Alittle past budget when buying all new stuff. Fab your own exhaust? save money. Buy used motor parts and save some money.

reliable? Hell no but this is hotrodding Revs to make that power make me nervous.

For the money they are a great product. They were designed by Darin Morgan who came from Reher Morrison. Darin designed many of the race winning heads that RM was running.

They own their own foundry and put out a great product. They will produce as much power as anything else out there, no dobut.

And they are under $1000 with the special purchase I put up.

I'll be 100% honest with you guys, I'm not making a nickle on this purchase. I'm just trying to expose you guys to new products that bring value to the table when building on a budget.

I'm hoping a few people will try these and like them. So this month is a good time to buy.

HEY, I sell fuel pumps too!!

I agree with you Bro. Hey Orr do you remember TRAXION? He use to be a moderator until he sold his car. That car was a freak. He had a 90 Iroc with stock bottom end, stock tranny with a transgo shift kit, AFR 195 heads, custom Joe O cam, Mini Ram, 3.73 in stock 10 bolt, Vig 3600, hooker 2210's w/mufflex y-pipe and a 3" single in/out Ultraflo muffler that ran 11.60's@117mph all day. And guess what he didn't break anything.

So it can be done if your combo is right and you know how to tune. You don't have to drop an LSX in everything because everyone else is doing it. That's nonsense. I run 11.30's on motor and now 10.31@132mph on a 150 shot. It can be done.

Looks like it is possible!!!!! this is coming together nicely, and to the OP if there's anything I can do to help, let me know.

My suppliers give me specials from time to time on engine components that are really cheap. Let me know what's on the list and I'll keep an eye out for you. This week it could be a timing set, next week a distributor, and the following week a starter, cam/lifters, whatever.. but if you're patient, we can get some parts for you really cheap.

I'd love to help you out.

This is one of my references GTA Matt has a heads/cam/miniram L98 that ran high 11's as well on stock bottom end but his car ran high 12s with stock everything so car was a freak to begin with. Good power has been made, however I dont think Trax was over 410whp. Neither is GTA Matt.
I made 400whp thru the auto and trapped 118-119 and ran 11.4's with my 383. Trax's Joe O cam was probably in the mid high 230's duration but not certain on this. Somewhat similar to a GM847 I would think. Joe put out very popular LT1 grinds and most i've seen were in the mid 230's duration but there were some that were much smaller than still ran good.

410+ thru an auto is a ton of power and in a 3500 lb thirdgen, it will do low 11's easily.

manual trans cars usually put down more hp so 410+ thru the auto is nasty.


Speaking of budget shopping, I sold my old forged 383 shortblock for 2000 bucks...it was worth over 3K at the time but never got any bites. Find a deal like that and you can almost have a complete easy 400+whp motor for 6K