Boostscootinboogie

Picked up a 00 t/a auto with low miles. First ls1 so dont know much about them as far as whats worth doing and not for light upgrades? What will wake it up a little thats worth it and cheap? All it has right now is catback. I was thinking about maybe gears? Is it worth it for a daily driver and if so which ones 410s? and will it still have good cruising on the highway? also i was given a "superchip" tuner? is it worth using and safe and even feel anything? Not looking to change much since it is such low miles and clean just give it a little bit maybe.

Also is there a sub box that goes in the side panel that fits a 10"? i remember seeing a few in some camaros but not sure who makes them?

thanks

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

Forget gears and instead consider a higher stall torque converter. 3500+ stall speed is still entirely streetable and will work well with a stock or bolt-on engine.

Spend some time searching this topic (especially in the auto trans section) and you'll find enough reading material to last for days.

Kingc8r

iTrader: (21)

If I could start all over a stall converter would be my first mod. Gears would be one of the last

My SS3600 was perfect on the street if you're looking for more performance but don't want a super loose stall. I have a Circle D 2e 4000 stall now.

garygnu

consider a ls6 intake with a ported TB.install a cold air intake system.look at some long tube headers if your local emissions allow.if you do all these mods at the same time you only need to pay once for tuning .

udienow

iTrader: (18)

I would not run 4.10 in an auto. Most run 3.73, some 3.42 out of the 6 speed. Though gears would not be the first spot I would look at. As above posters said, a stall would be a HUGE upgrade (not that cheap though), and headers would be a good place for cheap(ish) HP.

As far as the sub box, I think you want this:
http://shop.doubledmods.com/10-Steal...Mstealth10.htm
But they are out of stock right now.

ramairetransam

iTrader: (18)

do a stall ,unless you dont want to drop the trans .Otherwise you should do headers, and exhaust , ls6 intake , ported tb you can do yourself and get a frost mail order pcm .

30th t/a

iTrader: (51)

Gears would be my 1st mod hands down, especially if your car has 2.73's. You can get a used 3:42 rearend from a 6 speed car for cheap.

We removed 2.73's from my uncles C5 vette and installed a set of 3:42s, wow...night n day difference.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

My hand is still up.

Your post sounds like the typical reaction of someone that has done gears before doing a stall. It feels like a big gain with the stock TC, but 2.73 to 3.42 is worth about half of the ET reduction that you can expect from a good 3500+ stall (assuming same traction).

With an LS1, if you do a 3500+ stall first you'll discover that there is very little additional gains to be had with 3.42s or even 3.73s. You might drop an additional tenth or so, but for the most part you will get dramatically larger gains from a stall swap first (regardless if your original gears were 2.73 OR 3.23).

Some people find higher stalls to feel a bit on the loose side with 2.73s, but that's not the case for everyone and you can always swap gears later if you find yourself in that group.

Kingc8r

iTrader: (21)

Spot on advice!

When I had 3.73s with my SS3600 the only thing I noticed was it felt a bit tighter when taking off from a stop.

Gears are seat of the pants and only give you a .1 maybe a .2 difference ET wise from what I've seen.

You can get a PTC for $475 shipped and it's a quality piece. Yank sells a nice SFI flexplate for a good price.

I installed my stall and flexplate myself and it wasn't that hard. So then you're only looking at a tune on top of that, I'm sure frost could get you a mail order one for cheap which would be fine since you're still stock internals.

Gears are $150-200 for parts, install can range quite a bit. Where I live I was quoted $650-700 for parts and labor...

lemons12

iTrader: (71)

The majority have you going in the right direction.

I have a converter for sale that would be perfect for you. Let me know if you are interested.

jsteele90

iTrader: (13)

3600 or more stall and a set of longtubes

30th t/a

iTrader: (51)

I’ve had both. I drive my cars 99.99% on the street. Back n forth to work and just out cruising around. I go to the track rarely. Once a year MAYBE.
I prefer the overall “feel” of a car with a set of gears over the slushy feel of the 3500+ stall.
Yes, at the track or in a "dig" race on the street the stall is a awesome and will get you lower ET's, no disagreeing there.

I think most of you guys are basing your vote as if the OP is a weekend track guy or street races a lot.


For $200-$300 you can get a good used 3:42 rearend that will really wake your car up.

3500 stall with 2.73s, lol..no thanks.

flattusmaximus78

iTrader: (1)

Gears. My 02 z had a lid and full exhaust. I did a ots fti 3000. It felt great driving, couldn't even tell it was stalled. Picked up 2 tenths in the 8th, but I never ran it out the back. It would have been 10 times the mod with a 3.73 behind it. I will always said gears.

Edit: The guy above me, the last thing he said, is on the money. A bolt on ls1 gets decent mpgs. Kiss that good bye with a high stall and factory 2.73s. Better get a cooler too because that sucker is just going to lug around everywhere.

Roarin_8

iTrader: (5)

Stall first, your mpg will be back to stock levels once the converter locks up.
A cooler is a must with a high stall converter but they are relatively cheap to buy.
Get gears if you change to a cam that has the motor rev up higher.

With a drag radial and a converter I took a full second off my ET and that was with a lid and catback.

mjs1012

iTrader: (36)

3600 stall and drag radials....you wont hate it.

thunderstruck507

iTrader: (18)

stall

BoricuaHec01

Stall. Don't do gears until you upgrade your rearend to a 12 bolt.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

Not at all.

Mine have been mostly street cars, and I 100% prefer a good quality, 3500+ stall for the street as a first mod rather than gears. Lower quality converters might feel excessively loose with 2.73s or even 3.23s, but any good name brand is totally streetable to most people.

You may be one of the small group that is partricularly bothered by looseness. Most people get used to the feel within a week or two of driving with the higher stall, even with stock gears. To me, a 3.23/3500 stall combo feels like stock in no time at all, and 2.73s feel only a bit looser than that.

BoricuaHec01

How would a 3.23/3600 stall combo feel? I'm in the market for stalling very soon and plan on keeping my stock gears.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

The 3.73s would do little to nothing in the way of futher ET reduction with the proper stall speed in an LS1/4L60E combo. Again, once you go to a 3500+ stall (yours was a bit on the low side, you would have seen better gains with more stall), you'd be lucky to drop more than 1 tenth with a 3.73 swap. Results like this have been seen time and again.

As mentioned above, MPG will be exactly the same with even a 4500 stall once you reach lock-up. Only city MPG will drop a bit, but that's also true with a gear swap (and with a gear swap, MPG will be affected at all speeds - including highway/lock-up).

A cooler is always a good idea with a higher stall.