Creman

iTrader: (10)

ok, I'm getting a brand new 2002 stock ls1 trans am ws6. In a nutshell (I know this depends on preference etc) what is the cheapest, safest, and easiest on the engine that I can reach 500 rwhp without a turbo or super. I want this engine to last, so the mods that you list please be conciouse of this. As I mentioned before, it's a stock ws6, 6 speed. I know this is a tall order, but I know what I want and I'm just looking for a line to follow as the money comes, and I want to hear what direction several people would take this type of project. Thank you in advance for any help! Also after you give a general list of mods, if you could guess a ballpark figure of the cost (within 1k if possible). Again, I know it all depends on the car itself how many horses it has, what kind of deals I can find, etc. But I just need good direction and a general Idea.

edit: I also need to mention, please say what type of transmission, clutch, and others you think I may need
Nathan

Rameon01

if you think you can get to 500 rwhp safely with 1k i want whatever your having youll need a new rear end and forged internals at minimum for 500 just to keep it together. you could get to 400-430 rwhp for 1-1.5k though with a cam/heads/exhaust/tune combo and not need the forged internals. expect to spend 4k easily for 500 safe rwhp. i mean sure you could get a 200 shot and get there to but... whatever you do get an upgraded clutch if you plan on making that kind of power. just my .02

Creman

iTrader: (10)

I don't consider nos safe. I didn't mean keep the mods within 1k, I meant keep the guess within 1k of whatever the cost would be. 4k-6k isn't really a problem as long as I plan for it, (hence this post). also, I'm asking for specifics. What kind of cam/heads/exhaust are you talking about? I'm just now learning as much as I can, I'm behind the game, and detailed instructions would be very useful. A suggestion of where to do this is appreciated as well (in GA)

9silverbird8

iTrader: (19)

First, I'm gonna assume this will be a street car mainly. no turbo or super and 500HP? Well then your gonna have to make up your mind to go H/C or nitrous or a bit of both (neither of which I would consider safe or reliable) before you even worry about supporting mods. I hope you don't expect 500 to be cheap. H/C exhaust and a tune are gonna cost way more than 1-1.5k on just parts alone and still wont net 500HP in a safe manner so go ahead and get that notion out of your head.

IMO S/C would be the way to go for what you seem to be wanting, proven reliability and power. But since you dont want that I suggest you make friends with the search feature and spend some time researching and reading. No matter what anyone else would do with the project, ultimately you are going to have to make your own informed decisions, its your ride and your cash.

lmt0705

iTrader: (7)

why are you so against supercharging, or turbocharging? I think youll find on this web site that most of the people here making 500 rwhp on there dayly drivers are sc or turbo guys or gals. 500 is easily attainable with forced induction and your not really cranking on the stock motor too bad, Im running an ati procharger d1sc with 10 psi making 528 rwhp and I drive my car 50 miles a day to work and back and still get 17 to 20 mpg, try getting that with a monster cam and head package!!! the only other mods on my car are lt headers and true dual exhaust. it will set you back about 6000 if you install it yourself and anywhere from 300 to 500 to have the car dynotuned. or you can have it installed and tuned for you. If your interested in this contact bob from exotic performace, he is a sponsor on this site and I know from personal experiance that he and his guys are fantastic at what they do. I believe Bob gets 7500 to install the D1sc kit and all the extra stuff you need, that also includes tuning. good luck!

Creman

iTrader: (10)

The main reason I'm nervouse about SC and turbo's is that I'm just now getting into the technical information. I don't know enough to fix it if it breaks down. I know SC are a bit more safe as far as not messing up...I'm not completely against SC and turbo's, and if that is the "safest" and best route then I'll take it. But I'm mostly trying to find my options

Syn

You're asking for a lot of horsepower without the use of forced induction. You will sacrifice driveability as well as gas mileage (sure that shouldn't matter to someone owning a modded car) but with forced induction you can get the power much more safely and easily. Don't be afraid of it, just read up until you're comfortable with making the decision.


Also, how cool is it to be at the track or just cruising around and when someone asks about your car you can say, "Yeah, I have a turbo WS6." It just sounds so badass, and it is.

staringback05

iTrader: (8)

if you really dont feel comfortable with a FI setup dont do it, and dont let anyone talk you into it....it is alot of work, and its a whole new league...if you really want a 500rwhp car, you can get full bolt ons, a nice midrange cam, set up cnc 5.3 heads and a good tune...that will get you into the 400-450 range....after that...just use a little bottle if your really wanting to reach your goal....you can keep a DD car, and still get the boost from maybe a 100 shot without putting strain on the lower end

a SC is kinda a waste, and a turbo requires constant attention....even though they both make life in these cars totally different

Creman

iTrader: (10)

I've done a bit of research and decided I'll be happy with around 430 rwhp. Then if I want extra power later I can add a sc or turbo and get to 600, which I doubt I"ll ever do. Mainly, I want to be able to give a vette (not the new zo6's) a decent run. I'm not looking for the fastest car in town, but I want to be able to run with a decent car. So help me get at least 430. Again, I'm not sure what I want yet, so try not to take me completely literal at the numbers I throw out.

Mazzenger

iTrader: (5)

Heads/Cam/Exhaust will get the 430 easily. I would reasearch the dyno section and call some of the sponsor. They can help you put together a combo that will meet your needs.

BrandonDrecksage

iTrader: (1)

i read the first part of your post and stopped. You will never hit 500rwhp on stock engine cheaply or reliably. n/a motors are generally less reliable then forced induction...this isn't a positive, but a forced induction engien ahs to do less work to get there. Also, no matter what way you cut it...it won't be cheap. You could build a huge stroker motor with a decent heads and cam and get that, but it'll cost a lot. I suggest..go do a lot of research..there is atleast one of these threads a week that someone doesn't want fi, but they want a large amount of hp...and they want it cheap.

HAMRHEAD

iTrader: (8)

You can get to 430 with a H/C setup but with aftermarket heads and the larger cams a lot of the time you will need to flycut your pistons or get new ones with valve reliefs already cut in. 500 is obtainable with a stroked H/C setup. Even more than 500 actually. All depends on what your willing to do. You should look at a forged shortblock though as it will offer some insurance. Sponsors have some really decent prices on shortblocks. The heads and cam will depend on what your going for. G5X3, G5X4, F13 cams are some decent ones for a 346. There are more but those are the 3 that came to mind right away. Heads? AFR, ETP, Etc. Look at patriots if you are on a budget. There are just way to many combos out there. Email a sponsor and ask them to put together a setup for you. However no matter what setup you get a good tune will always be needed! Without the tune it will run like **** anyway. I won't get into supporting mods that are needed but research this stuff and you will see what you need by just reading other posts. As far as you doubting you will ever shoot for 600 HP, yeah right! I said the same thing. It never ends...