Hi guys i'm new to the forum and I was wondering,
if you could help me


Ok so I have a

"Base" 1991 Red Firebird (just had it painted) it has the 3.1 V6 that's stock except a K&N air filter, I guess they stopped producing cold air intakes for the 3.1 or something because I can't find any..

But I was on youtube and saw 3.1's with I guess maybe installed posi and they were spinnin the tires no prob, when I first got it it would if I hit it right, i just about still can...But i just wan't to know what the best things to upgrade were to make it mean!!

What would you guys do?

 

Ram air intake, 3x00 heads and intake, headers, and a good cat and muffler. Also more often than not those are stock or near stock v6s, they're just doing brakestands most of the time, but they're are certainly ones built enough to spin tires easily, just not very common.

 

read through all the treads at the top they will tell you pretty much all the stuff you can do to them

 

Are all the links to everything your suggesting in the sticky up top??

Yeah and it's an auto trans as well, but I guess a question i'm asking is...it's possible to make the 3.1 noticibly faster if not much??

 

Project89 has a turbo setup with god knows how much HP and tq, at very least 300-400 hp and 400-500 hp....on stock heads and manifolds, though I'm relatively certain they are ported, but nonetheless they won't flow as much as aluminum 3x00s do stock, not to mention the weight savings. But to answer the question, if you're willing to spend time and money yes, your goals and resources are what really determine viability though...if you want 800 hp, get a v8, the v6s haven't really been pushed to the limit, but I believe they can get 600, maybe 700 with the right setup and a lot of time, money, knowledge, and patience, no one really seems to know the limits on them, but I'm going to be one of the frontiersman on that regard...

 

I hear you, and at the time my recources are a bit limited...What would you suggest starting off with? Maybe a ram air intake?

Also I can't seem to find one anywhere?? Oh and if I was to get a ram air is it necessary to get a hood with the louvers or would it still be functional?

Edit: And thanks for taking the time out to reply

 

Well unfortunately you're not blessed with fog light tubes directly in line with a dual snorkel TPI intake(I think, I don't know firebirds that well) but in my case all I have to do is put a hole through the air dam and pipe in air from the fog light tubes to the air boxes. In yours the only surefire way that I know of is to get a ram air hood and go from there, but there is probably another cheaper way. Next best thing though would be headers/exhaust or ignition, after that you have to start getting deep into costs and removal of major components. Ie. 3x00 top end swap, cam, head/manifold porting, or boost, or block swap to 3.4.

 

You are correct in saying so ,my bird only has the snorkel that curves round and down the passenger side...damn the v6 camaro's have those stock though?

 

Yep. Or at least some of them do.

 

Is the oem exhaust bad? I just got it replaced from the y-pipe back a couple months ago lol

 

I wouldn't say its bad, especially for a non built engine, but mandrel bent stainless steel with a good muffler and headers never hurts.

 

What are the best headers to put on the 3.1?

 

There's really only one option I know of which is pacesetter, summit sells them for ~280 for painted ones or 500 some for ceramic coated.

 

Two questions first:

1) What is your budget and,
2) What do you want to achieve?

 

1. Birds can't use the dual snorkel intake or the T/A would probably have it... Hood to radiator clearance is WAY too short for that. That's why you see all the birds with air intakes have the elbow going one way or the other at the radiator. Ram air intake requires a Ram Air hood. There are no off-the shelf air intakes for the ThirdGen Firebird. Everything you will see around has been custom made, pretty much.
2. Occasionally, Hedman and I think Edelbrock headers pop up on eBay. Don't get the ones for an S10... They have full frames and tons more ground clearance.
3. The OEM exhaust is horrible... The crossover pipe joins the pipe from the left side in a T instead of a Y. The stock cat, if you still have it, is like trying to push the exhaust through a wall.

I could spin the right rear tire (open diff ) with a cruddy running 3.1 auto with the brakes applied (and adjusted properly)... Kept up with a 4.3 S10 as well. But, then, I do have a 3.42 rear end ratio, and your 91 probably has a 3.23 rear gear...

 

Well, Right now I wan't to know whatever I need to save up to get, some now, some later.

#2 I wan't to make it faster and more efficient for everyday day use, i'm not gonna hit the track...but still wan't it to go, this is my first firebird so I wan't to know what I can do in midst of just improving all around perf. in general.

Thanks For the Replies