Hi guys! im a new happy owner of a -91 firebird with a chevy 350 TPI.
The engine is all stock at the moment except for the airfilter. I am no professional when it comes to engines and i dont know what i can, may, afford, wants to do. all i know is that i want my 250hp to end up at around 300-350 I want to go as basic and as cheap as possible for starters and when i learn more and get more used to working with the engine i may advance.

But for now i wanna know what i should start with to get some extra power. Should i go for a chip? Headers? or start with the exhaust? Please give me some advices as Noobfriendly as possible

Thanks

//Mathias

 

Start here

https://www.thirdgen.org/mods101

then go through and read all the threads listed in the stickey section. You'll get a good understanding from that to begin your journey.

 

Hi again been checking around on other forums. Checking the links and trying to find more info. but its either not to the point with what im looking for or far to complex for me to understand. Im still not 100% sure what all parts on the engine are and what they do.. definatly not what they are called but thats getting better
i would like to get some short hints on what i should start with.. like "remove catalysator, crossover exhaust.. headers, and so on.. not too much details just what you guys think could be a good start for this car
i heard about some way to get the fuelflow up but i dont know if its harmful in any way or how its done.. anyone?

// StarvinMarvin

 

Start with the exhaust. Do headers, 3 inch exhaust, cat back. Then you will need to upgrade your plenum by porting/siamesing them. Pick up a set of aftermarket runners port and siamese them (my personal preference). Either buy an aftert market base and port it or for a little less port your factory base. Finally you will need to decide about heads and cam. For now just worry about the intake and exhaust.

 

There is nothing wrong with doing the exhaust & headers to start, but you might want to just save up your money and do the whole project all at once. If you are going to be changing heads, cam, etc. Then you will most likely have to get a tune, and depending upon the amount of horsepower you add, you might have to stiffen up the frame, transmission, and strenthen the rearend because if you add to much power you will blow through the stock gears.

 

I dont think he will hit the level of car nut anytime soon required to do a heads cam swap, especially if he is on a budget to start and has a entry level knowledge base.

My advice is to do all your basic maintenance first! For the $150 or so you do spend it will be great piece of mind and you will notice the car will run better and have more power.

Next I would look into doing a mail order tune from a place like pcmforless.com. My tune that I got from them was $200 and took .3 of a second off of my 1/4 mile time, and best of all it installed in about 15 minutes using just a screwdriver!

Some people recommend buying an AFPR and an airfoil too. Hey it couldn't really hurt and together they are like $100. But I dont think they are required.

If your looking to go further you will start to hit the more expensive items, but the last one I would really recommend to you would be a new exhaust system. Now I didn't say muffler! I mean the whole shebang. All of your factory stuff is JUNK! This gear is much better!

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/HOK-2460HKR/
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/HOK-16767HKR/
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/HOK-21729HKR/

You can install the headers yourself pretty easily. And even the Y-Pipe. Then take the car to a muffler shop and have it all finished up and have the muffler put on. You will be into the whole deal for about $1000 but it will be well worth it. Now to the nay sayers, yes there are ways to do this for cheaper. But this is one of the easiest ways to put an exhaust on the car that the guy can do! If you come up with a solid way to put all new gear on the guys car for cheaper and easier, post it up!

By the way this will put you at about 275 horse or so. 300-350 will require you ditch the current intake manifold and go for a Holley Stealth Ram. But I still recommend you do the stuff I was talking about first.

 

Hi again and thanks alot for all the quick response i have a lot to look into now im not totally sure about where i should place the y-pipe and what a catback really is.. from what i read its just to have dual pipes from the engine and back and from my time underneith the car yesterday i found 2 catalytics and dual pipes... does that mean i have catback already? and also the stock exhaust is around 2.75 inches or so.. would it really make such a difference increasing that to 3inch? i would like to remove the catalytic systems just to get a free flow but im not sure my car would pass inspection.. they are good at failing cars that you temper with due to all the "enviromental aspects"

i was looking at pcm for less for a chiptune and it looks very interesting. is this the one i should order for my car? http://www.pcmforless.com/index.php?...per&Itemid=312. is it simply just plug and play?

edit: found these runners. http://www.summitracing.com/parts/EDL-3870/ any ideas?
if i start with a chip tune, headers and runners. will that be a good start?


Also a question about the runners. What does siamesing them mean? sorry for the noob questions but i gotta start noob to become pro

thanks alot for the help

 

Like F-body Demon said, the best thing to do before doing any mods is to give your car a good tune up. Change the plugs, wires, distributor cap, air filter, oil & filter, etc. Without a good foundation, all the mods will fail to deliver their true potential. That is why I recommended reading as much as the threads in the stickies because they have a lot of good info that people frequently ask.

Look around and you'll see who on these boards knows what they're talking about and who doesn't. Here's where following advice on this forum can mislead you. People are telling you to get a new cam and discussion cat-back exhaust when you don't even know what that means. You're just begining and one guy is telling you to siamese your runners and to port your intake. How is that basic level stuff for a guy who doesn't even know what a cat-back exhaust is? After a tune up, I agree that adding a cat back exhaust is a good place to start. It will help open up your exhaust and is something even a novice can do in their garage.

BTW, the exhaust is typically divided into two sections: before the cats (i.e. headers) and after the cats (i.e. your intermediate pipe and muffler), hence the term cat-back. This is typically done because everything after your cats is emissions exempt while headers and cats fall under the purview of emissions laws in your state & feds.

 

Hi!
yeah i have started with the tuneup. plugs was changed yesterday. oil and filters for engine, gearbox and rear axle is ordered. And im reading everything i get my hands on alot to learn but it will turn out good in the end im sure.

 

That's precisely what I was talking about. Why did you order a new rear axle? Unless there was something already wrong with yours, you did not need a new one right now. I my engine is rated at 360 hp/420 lb-tq and I have never had any issues with my rear end. From what I've read and understand, our rear ends are fine until you start breaking 400 hp. That money could have been better spent in other areas.

 

I never ordered a new one i said oil and filters for engine And the transmission And the rear axle sorry for unclear messages
no the axle is all good as far as i know but since i just bought the car i wanna change all oil and filters to be sure on what i got

 

Sounds like you have the N10 option dual ypipe. Adds 10 hp over the single style. You can add headers for just a couple of hundred bucks including ypipe. I bought my stuff used. However, it is much,much easier to buy the ypipe that is DESIGNED for your specific headers.

 

IF it were me i would go to the junkyard and look for some Vortec truck heads from 1996 and up trucks

 

You should look for some used headers with matching ypipe. Most headers rust anyway within a few months unless you get them coated.

 

Honestly though, to start out. A good tune up, then a catback exhaust and muffler will give you a good taste,then you will probably want more.LOL

 

Just thought of something, before you get a tune up you should take note of this. When you get headers on our cars you are going to almost always going to have to go with a shorter spark plug and 90 degree boot spark plug wires. Trust me on this one. Get a good catback exhaust for starters. I think Summit had the Dynomax 2.5 inch catback with super turbo muffler for under $200.

 

Now listen to somebody who knows what they are talking about. Ok, get a used Edelbrock manifold, runners(SLP or Edelbrock) and port the plenum. Fully port the manifold and runners. Get Dyno Don's Headers. Run dual cats. That alone should get you close to 300whp. Maybe around 275-285whp with a custom tune chip. You're gonna spend the same amount of money down the road.

Now after you do those mods then some good heads and cam. Now you will be in the 380-400whp range. GET THE POINT?

 

So you are saying that an intake manifold and headers is going to make the car produce over 300 hp? That is highly unlikely. An intake manifold itself on a stock engine is only going to help with maybe 20 hp if that. Not to mention , kill all of the available low end torque on that motor. Car will be a real dog in traffic IMO.

 

Re read what I wrote then read what you wrote. I didn't say over 300whp.

 

If you are trying to do mods to your car a little at a time, you have to remember that your car in the stock form shines on low end torque. You have to be careful choosing your mods if you are going to do this one step at a time rather than buying heads, cam , intake , gears, chip at the same time. Only because if you were to throw something like a Holley stealth ram intake on your car in stock form, you may not be too happy with it as a daily driver. It may be faster in the 1/4 mile at WOT, but in traffic you will feel a big loss of low end power. The same goes for a camshaft. If you were to put in a camshaft with higher duration, you may feel a loss of low end torque. Simply put, you would have a "mis-match" of parts. Tpi is really funny.

 

That is why you can't go wrong with a catback, CAI, and chip for starting out. Then i would opt for headers. Then an AFPR. That way the car will still be fun without much loss in low end.

 

Then when he gets enough money to buy heads, intake and cam, he should be all set. Would just need a re-tune (custom chip) afterwards. I stated earlier that i would go the Vortec route. Vortec truck heads ( used), Scoggin Dickey lower base manifold, and a computer friendly cam. That would be the cheapest/economical route which would yield a true 300+ hp.

 

headers, and Flowmaster 3" cat-back.

I prefer the single 3" tail-pipe, it's simpler. it's a honkin 3" nice mandrel bends all the way from the Y-pipe to the tail-pipe. not that crimped bend crap from the local muffler shops.

that'll make the biggest difference right-off-the-bat. after you do that, then you can start your way on the up-stream side e.g. the intake (manifold, runners, heads, etc).

port the plenum when you get to the intake project. somewhere along there, you'll do a cam.

 

"Look around and you'll see who on these boards knows what they're talking about and who doesn't. Here's where following advice on this forum can mislead you. People are telling you to get a new cam and discussion cat-back exhaust when you don't even know what that means. You're just begining and one guy is telling you to siamese your runners and to port your intake. How is that basic level stuff for a guy who doesn't even know what a cat-back exhaust is? After a tune up, I agree that adding a cat back exhaust is a good place to start. It will help open up your exhaust and is something even a novice can do in their garage."

I sincerely appreciate you implying that I don't know what I am talking about.
Porting a plenum is not difficult. Porting a base manifold isn't that difficult either. There are people on this board that do a nice job of a base manifold for under $200. I have always believed The best way to learn is by doing. He asked what the best he could do with the money he has.
Tuning the engine is very important but hardly an "upgrade". There are several poeple on the board who have made big gains on 305's. These type of modifications are required for a 305 or a 350.
Listen to VincentZ28 He is basically giving similar advice. I agree that a better base manifold is worth the money. An engine is an Air Pump. Any thing you can do to improve airflow will help. Since the TPI is a restrictive system imporved runners and a lot of port work is going to be needed.

 

Well for a fact on the dyno I've seem 252whp with just Dyno Dons Headers and dual cat-back Magnaflow System and a tuned custom chip. If I remember right it was Itsmikey's car.

 

So...let me see if I understand what everyone is saying.... If you port the entire intake system on a TPI, you would lose the lower end torque feel, but you will increase the overall HP of the engine?? IF that is the case, it doesnt seem like the right thing to have done. If you want faster off the line you want the torque but then as faster you get, then you want the higher HP for the higher top end.

I guess it depends on if you plan on using your car for daily driving or to bring it on the track allot should depend on what mods that you want to do on the car.

I understand that the concept of more air in equals more air out....hence why you should have headers, dual cats and aftermarket muffler along with a larger throttle body, ported intake, runners and plenum.

 

I don't see you as losing torque as much as moving the torque peak up a few hundred rpm. My car has not lost torque. I can annihilate the tire is first gear still. The seat of the pants is strong. The power curve is flat. I am peaking power around 4800. I maintain peak till about 5300 or so. The tpi has an abundance of low end torque. It will allow you to stretch your power band. When you you consider that the cars won't hook stock (even the 305.s) and that they run out of steam so quickly it's really a desirable thing to do.

 

Look go here then come back with your opinion.
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/post...91-post17.html