need advice on my 1999 trans am
12-23-2012, 06:38 PM
#1
Teching In
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 9
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
need advice on my 1999 trans am i bought a 99 trans am and its all bone stock ext some one put a trex cam in it and a slp loudmouth muffler on it with 3.23 gears but it runs like junk i had it tuned and that helped out a lot but still does not have a lot of power has less than a stock ls1 i was just wordering what kind of mods would go best with the cam i dont what to go to crazy and i do not have a lot of funds but i was thinking a 2500 stall and 3.73 gears ls6 intake and heads but i dont no what to get ? oh the car does not have the valve train upgrade also
12-23-2012, 06:47 PM
#2
i bought a 99 trans am and its all bone stock ext some one put a trex cam in it and a slp loudmouth muffler on it with 3.23 gears but it runs like junk i had it tuned and that helped out a lot but still does not have a lot of power has less than a stock ls1 i was just wordering what kind of mods would go best with the cam i dont what to go to crazy and i do not have a lot of funds but i was thinking a 2500 stall and 3.73 gears ls6 intake and heads but i dont no what to get ? oh the car does not have the valve train upgrade also
12-23-2012, 08:11 PM
#3
You need to read alot about max effort cams and what they need to run,it would be cheaper to swap the trex out for something smaller,if not you will need a way bigger stall than what your looking at,also 4.10 gears at minimum, 1 7/8th longtubes,a good dual exhaust,chris1313,injectors,etc, those things should have been done before the cam,only a moron would put in a trex with no other mods,if its a racecar ya could build around it but if its a street car imo swap that huge cam out,big cams are not a budget way to go fast,max effort cam needs max effort parts,also if it was my car i would make sure the springs n all that were changed and that the cam was the only thing done,
And it should atleast have more power than a stock ls1 i have a feeling the lack of other mods that cams like that require is why its a dog,is this a race car?
And it should atleast have more power than a stock ls1 i have a feeling the lack of other mods that cams like that require is why its a dog,is this a race car?
12-23-2012, 11:30 PM
#4
The correct thing to do would be to swap out that bis *** cam for a much
more street friendly 224 or 230 duration. The band-aid fix solutions at this
point should AT LEAST be 4000 stall converter, long tube headers with off
road Y merge, and retune for those mods. Yes the 3.73s would be better
than the 3.23s but the other mods first and all together will allow that T-Rex
to start doing what it's trying to do......make mad power from 4000-7000.
more street friendly 224 or 230 duration. The band-aid fix solutions at this
point should AT LEAST be 4000 stall converter, long tube headers with off
road Y merge, and retune for those mods. Yes the 3.73s would be better
than the 3.23s but the other mods first and all together will allow that T-Rex
to start doing what it's trying to do......make mad power from 4000-7000.
12-23-2012, 11:57 PM
#5
LS1Tech Administrator
iTrader: (3)
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Schiller Park, IL Member: #317
Posts: 32,046
Likes: 0
Received 1,493 Likes
on
1,075 Posts
i bought a 99 trans am and its all bone stock ext some one put a trex cam in it and a slp loudmouth muffler on it with 3.23 gears but it runs like junk i had it tuned and that helped out a lot but still does not have a lot of power has less than a stock ls1 i was just wordering what kind of mods would go best with the cam i dont what to go to crazy and i do not have a lot of funds but i was thinking a 2500 stall and 3.73 gears ls6 intake and heads but i dont no what to get ? oh the car does not have the valve train upgrade also
First:
i had it tuned and that helped out a lot but still does not have a lot of power has less than a stock ls1
Second:
i dont what to go to crazy and i do not have a lot of funds i was thinking a 2500 stall and 3.73 gears ls6 intake and heads but i dont no what to get ?
Thrid, and most importantly:
oh the car does not have the valve train upgrade also
Trending Topics
12-25-2012, 12:55 AM
#8
Teching In
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 9
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Wow, there is so much to be concerned about here I don't even know where to start.
First:
If you are making less power than a stock engine, after you had it tuned, then the first order of business is to figure out why. Compression test, leak down test, etc. would be in order. A slipping trans could also result in an effective loss of power at the wheels. Sort that out before worrying about more mods.
Second:
Forget the 2500 stall, completely. It's not even a good choice for a stock cam. You'd want a 3500 at least, even for a stock engine, and a 4000+ would be best with the current cam. If you are short on funds, then skip the 3.73s and just do the stall. 3.23 to 3.73 swap is worth one tenth of ET reduction AT BEST once you have a 3500+ stall in place, sometimes not even that much. If you need to maximize your returns from dollars spent, then put that gear money into something more useful, like tires.
Thrid, and most importantly:
I'm hoping this was a typo, if not then you need to address this before going any further. You will definitely want to do a leak down test ASAP before putting any more money into unecessary mods. If you have the stock valvetrain with that cam, then this probably explains why your engine runs like crap now, and is making such poor power. The stock springs have no hope of keeping that cam under control.
First:
If you are making less power than a stock engine, after you had it tuned, then the first order of business is to figure out why. Compression test, leak down test, etc. would be in order. A slipping trans could also result in an effective loss of power at the wheels. Sort that out before worrying about more mods.
Second:
Forget the 2500 stall, completely. It's not even a good choice for a stock cam. You'd want a 3500 at least, even for a stock engine, and a 4000+ would be best with the current cam. If you are short on funds, then skip the 3.73s and just do the stall. 3.23 to 3.73 swap is worth one tenth of ET reduction AT BEST once you have a 3500+ stall in place, sometimes not even that much. If you need to maximize your returns from dollars spent, then put that gear money into something more useful, like tires.
Thrid, and most importantly:
I'm hoping this was a typo, if not then you need to address this before going any further. You will definitely want to do a leak down test ASAP before putting any more money into unecessary mods. If you have the stock valvetrain with that cam, then this probably explains why your engine runs like crap now, and is making such poor power. The stock springs have no hope of keeping that cam under control.
the reason why i was wanting to go for a 2500 stall is becuse i thought it would a lest make the tranny and rear end last a little longer i think a 3500 or 4000 stall would blow that 4l60e and 10 bolt rear out in no time.and i was told by the previous owner that it had the valve train upgrade but after i got it tune and drove it for a couple of months he told me he only put bigger push rods in it so that made me pretty mad so yes i am going to have to put some spring and rockers in it
ohh and the Compression good and i donot no what a leak down test is ? and the tranny is not sliping ether.
12-25-2012, 01:03 AM
#9
Teching In
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 9
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
You need to read alot about max effort cams and what they need to run,it would be cheaper to swap the trex out for something smaller,if not you will need a way bigger stall than what your looking at,also 4.10 gears at minimum, 1 7/8th longtubes,a good dual exhaust,chris1313,injectors,etc, those things should have been done before the cam,only a moron would put in a trex with no other mods,if its a racecar ya could build around it but if its a street car imo swap that huge cam out,big cams are not a budget way to go fast,max effort cam needs max effort parts,also if it was my car i would make sure the springs n all that were changed and that the cam was the only thing done,
And it should atleast have more power than a stock ls1 i have a feeling the lack of other mods that cams like that require is why its a dog,is this a race car?
And it should atleast have more power than a stock ls1 i have a feeling the lack of other mods that cams like that require is why its a dog,is this a race car?
12-25-2012, 10:31 AM
#10
LS1Tech Administrator
iTrader: (3)
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Schiller Park, IL Member: #317
Posts: 32,046
Likes: 0
Received 1,493 Likes
on
1,075 Posts
the reason why i was wanting to go for a 2500 stall is becuse i thought it would a lest make the tranny and rear end last a little longer i think a 3500 or 4000 stall would blow that 4l60e and 10 bolt rear out in no time.and i was told by the previous owner that it had the valve train upgrade but after i got it tune and drove it for a couple of months he told me he only put bigger push rods in it so that made me pretty mad so yes i am going to have to put some spring and rockers in it
ohh and the Compression good and i donot no what a leak down test is ? and the tranny is not sliping ether.
ohh and the Compression good and i donot no what a leak down test is ? and the tranny is not sliping ether.
As for the rear, they don't break nearly as easily with an auto trans, even with a big stall. If you can keep wheel hop away, you can go for TONS of passes in the 1.6 or better 60-foot range on a stock 10 bolt behind the A4. There is a thread somewhere in the Gears and Axles section (or maybe the auto trans section) about how fast people have gone with the stock rear. It's pretty shocking how much better it holds up with the auto trans. Manual trans cars will often break the rear even at stock power levels, but it's a different world with the autos.
If you have stock valve springs with that cam, then it would not surprise me to find out that you already have valve damage. Stock springs can't keep a cam like that under control. I would do a leak down test right away to check for bent valves, before putting any more money into anything else. If you don't understand what a leak down test is, some quick internet research will explain it for you - there are tons of tech articles on this topic. You said the engine is making less power than a stock engine, so it stands to reason that it is hurt, especially since it has stock valve springs with a huge cam.
12-25-2012, 05:52 PM
#11
Teching In
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 9
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
A high quality 3500 stall will not blow the trans any faster than a 2500 stall, assuming that you have a cooler that's big enough to keep temps in line. With either stall, if you are planning to race the car and the trans has a lot of miles on it, it will likely need a performance rebuild sooner rather than later.
As for the rear, they don't break nearly as easily with an auto trans, even with a big stall. If you can keep wheel hop away, you can go for TONS of passes in the 1.6 or better 60-foot range on a stock 10 bolt behind the A4. There is a thread somewhere in the Gears and Axles section (or maybe the auto trans section) about how fast people have gone with the stock rear. It's pretty shocking how much better it holds up with the auto trans. Manual trans cars will often break the rear even at stock power levels, but it's a different world with the autos.
If you have stock valve springs with that cam, then it would not surprise me to find out that you already have valve damage. Stock springs can't keep a cam like that under control. I would do a leak down test right away to check for bent valves, before putting any more money into anything else. If you don't understand what a leak down test is, some quick internet research will explain it for you - there are tons of tech articles on this topic. You said the engine is making less power than a stock engine, so it stands to reason that it is hurt, especially since it has stock valve springs with a huge cam.
As for the rear, they don't break nearly as easily with an auto trans, even with a big stall. If you can keep wheel hop away, you can go for TONS of passes in the 1.6 or better 60-foot range on a stock 10 bolt behind the A4. There is a thread somewhere in the Gears and Axles section (or maybe the auto trans section) about how fast people have gone with the stock rear. It's pretty shocking how much better it holds up with the auto trans. Manual trans cars will often break the rear even at stock power levels, but it's a different world with the autos.
If you have stock valve springs with that cam, then it would not surprise me to find out that you already have valve damage. Stock springs can't keep a cam like that under control. I would do a leak down test right away to check for bent valves, before putting any more money into anything else. If you don't understand what a leak down test is, some quick internet research will explain it for you - there are tons of tech articles on this topic. You said the engine is making less power than a stock engine, so it stands to reason that it is hurt, especially since it has stock valve springs with a huge cam.
