Hey,
I have a 1992 Camaro RS 3.1 V-6 and i wanted to know if you guys knew of any tune ups i could to to my car to get a little bit more power out of it. I currently have basically no money except for gas and insurance, so anything that wouldnt cost much money would be great to hear ?

 

Cap/Rotor
Timing Chain
Plugs/Wires
Air Filter/Fuel Filter
PCV Valve
Oxygen Sensor

 

i changed the fuel filter and air filter, pvc valve already. i mean, is there anything i can do to take some restriction of airflow into the engine without doing any extensive work ? also, i wanted to know if there was any twin turbo kits available for the 3.1 out there... im planning on keeping the V-6 in my car but wanted to be able to keep up with the 350's later on

 

You have no money but want a twin turbo kit? It all takes money man.

 

Doward, are new timing chains really necassary?

 

dude, i know a twin turbo kit would cost at least $4000, but im not planning on doing that until about 3 or 4 years down the road. in July im going down to Houston to UTI, and graduate in October 2007. ill be making 40-60k starting off at about the age of 20. not too shabby ?

right now im having to save up any extra cash i can get for when i go down there in about 8 months, and i was just looking for some things i can do to my car without nesicarilly buying new parts, to get more power from it.

 

Actually, i was wondering if anyone could give me some ideas about what i can do to adjust my engine to maximize performance out of it ?

 

I think you are in the wrong hobby, my friend.

You could possibly bump up the timing by a few degrees, although it probably won't offer that much of a benefit. Be careful of spark knock.

 

wrong "hobby" ? im going to be working on cars for a living.
i was just seeing if anyone had any tricks or tips about the 3.1 that they could tell me... i dont know **** about the 60*v-6.

 

yes a timing chain is necessary, especially if its got a lot of miles on it. they stretch as time goes on and need to be replaced periodically. ive read every 25k miles, but i dont think thats accurate. if youve got over 100k miles, then yeah do one fo sho.

search for the Tom P tune up, thats the best place to start. you may have to do it pieces at a time if youre on a tight budget, but you will regain all lost power right there. you wont "gain" any power, but rather, bring back lost power from old and worn out parts. the best way to get the most out of any mod you do is to have the best running engine to start with. just for an example; putting on a catback w/ an original cat still on it, or installing an ignition box w/ old worn out plugs and wires.

 

Like drdave88 said, do a search for the TomP tune-up, but don't expect to make the 3.1 a screamer, or even gain any big HP numbers, until such time as you can manage that twin turbo setup. There just isn't that much out there for these engines.

Even a new Dynomax exhaust ($170 or so at SummitRacing) and a CAI combined won't get you where it sounds like you want to be. Yes, you may notice an improvement with these two, but it isn't eye opening. I think the best thing to do is a good, complete tune up and just keep it running as well as possible. Anything else will require at least a few hundred dollars more, easy.

I put the Y intake on mine (see pic below if you aren't familiar with this piece), plus Accel Kool Blue filters in, along with a ful tune up. I guess the car feels a bit more responsive, but not "wow, what a difference!", although my fuel economy did improve noticeably. Nothing wrong with that.

 

This quote is what I am referring to:

In the field of car performance, it is a generally accepted rule that more money = more performance (in most cases, anyway). There's not a whole lot you can do with a 3.1 to make it faster without spending money on better parts.

 

In the field of car performance, it is a generally accepted rule that more money = more performance

very true, the cheap stuff is a catback, headers, underdrive pulley, plugs, wires, coil, etc etc etc. theyll get you a decent upgrade from stock. after the basic stuff (do a search) youre gonna have to get into more expensive mods and internals on the engine, such as roller rockers, cam, P&P intake and heads, and all that good stuff that we love. oh speaking of cheap stuff, get a 180 degree t-stat and a fan switch from summit. itll keep the engine running at lower temps. use that search button, itll be your friend if youve got time to look through a ton of posts. go for the ones w/ a lot of replies, you tend to find more in those, you just have to read and have patience.

 

yeah, after doing all the research that i have done, i am thinking about just saving up money for a v8 to drop into my car. what would be the biggest ci i could hook up to my current transmission ?

 

there is no V8 that will bolt up to that V6 trans. If you go V8 you gonna have to change the trans as well

 

i was told the 700r4 will bolt up to a 350, but will need a new torque converter ?

 

the angle is wrong. the v8 700-r4 and the v6 are two different animals.

 

find them and smack them in with a 5 day old rotten dead fish. Preferably a large one.

The trans bolt patterens are different.

 

only externally.

 

so what all would i have to go about to make the V-6 700R4 fit the V-8 ?

 

to make the V6 Auto Fit a V8 you would have to buy a new trans.

Also, not to knock you or start anything, but if you are asking for simple stuff like this, then you are gonna have one hell of a time working on cars professionally, I know, I work on them everyday. Just letting oyu know that you don't want to be advertising that you do it "professionally" and then go around asking questions like this, it'll get you into a lot of arguments. Just a heads-up.