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welcome to my progression/build thread for my 2004 CTS-V.....
a little backstory: my name is Matt, i'm 31 years old, i enjoy long walks on the beach, candle light dinners & puppies..... oh and i've been sober for 6 months now.
oops, sorry, i got my forums mixed up.
I got my V1 June 2014 with 68k miles on it and it's bone stock. this is my first muscle car, i come from a 9-year stint with the Delta Platform (06 Cobalt LS, 06 Cobalt SS/SC & 08 HHR SS). so yes, i'm quite the newb when it comes to this scene but not a newb in terms of forums so i know to use the SEARCH before asking questions. according to CarFax i'm the 4th owner but i feel owners 1 & 2 were related as the records show the same service paths. the gentleman i bought the car from seem to have really taken care of it, never drove it in the winter, kept all his service records, garage kept it, etc. here are some pics.
because of starting a family i won't have the funds to go full racecar with my V1 BUT i feel a nice budget build is very possible. my current goal is 12.99 with bone stock power, has this been done before?
what i have done or will be done come spring:
-Hurst shifter by 07CTS-V
-CS stage 2 engine/trans mounts
-CS cradle bushings (daily driver/street)
-8.8 setup (iron housing, Ford Racing 3.73 gears, 1-pc aluminum ds & upgraded axles)
-Mickey Thompson ET Streets 265/40/18 on stock wheels
-gutted trunk & interior (hoping for a sub 4k lbs raceweight.)
-maybe a pair of drag bags in the rear springs
Best of luck to you. You'll need approximately 360 rwhp which should be there as long as the motor is healthy. The real issue will be the IRS and making it launch well. The T-56 ratios combined with the 3.73s should put you in the 106mph range at redline.
Sub 4k lbs, 360 rwhp, deep in third with factory gearing that will hook. I think you have a reasonable goal and it is attainable.
Just remember the V1 platform is a ******* ******* and it will fight you from going fast. In 2005 it was ahead of the curve... in 2016 it's a par luxury car at it's best.
Great color combination BTW! And If you want an aluminum intake from MAF to TB I have a spare that I'll make you a deal on to move you closer to your goal if you find your HP lacking.
Looks like you got one in good shape. The 8.8 may not be necessary to hit the 12.99, but it will definitely give you some peace of mind while attempting it. Oh, and burnouts, because racecar.
Gutting/deleting the cats or replacing them with high flows and a dyno tune should get you where you need to be power-wise. The stock cats are the most restrictive piece in the exhaust.
i was able to talk to the wife into "allowing" me to jump on the CS Black Friday sale for the 8.8 setup. basically told her that i plan to play with this car and that solidifying the rear end (which i told her is the weakest part of the car) would provide peace of mind.
Originally Posted by greddy91
Great color combination BTW! And If you want an aluminum intake from MAF to TB I have a spare that I'll make you a deal on to move you closer to your goal if you find your HP lacking.
what's funny is that last month i purchase an entire black interior to swap over when the weather gets nicer honestly having second thoughts as the tan really isn't that bad, in my eyes, and i could put the money toward headers/tune.
the guy i got the drag radials from actually hooked me up with the K&N intake tube so now all i need is a drop-in filter.
yea i'm not sure why GM didn't do tan doors also.... maybe just on the V they did this combo?
i did just put in black WeatherTech all-weather mats and i feel it died down the tan attack on my eyes. going to research dying the upper pillars & headliner (to match the bottom pillars & dash) before i commit to doing a full interior swap.
The grey interiors came with the grey/black door panels and they look good I think. I also ditched my grey carpet and console for black and absolutely love that combo.
pretty sure my hesitation with doing the interior swap is the high possibility of being STUCK with a stock tan interior taking up space in my garage/shed.
Anyone telling you to risk launches on the stock rear has no fiscal sense. You did the right thing by upgrading to the 8.8 first thing. Put your stock diff on ebay and wait for some poor broke V owner to nibble.
The Getrag is a diff fluid mess waiting to happen if you do any spirited driving at all. Fuggin Saturn Sky diffs... uggghhh.
Anyone telling you to risk launches on the stock rear has no fiscal sense. You did the right thing by upgrading to the 8.8 first thing. Put your stock diff on ebay and wait for some poor broke V owner to nibble.
The Getrag is a diff fluid mess waiting to happen if you do any spirited driving at all. Fuggin Saturn Sky diffs... uggghhh.
oh yea, i knew i was going to have times where i wanted to get stupid with this car.... burnouts, launches, etc. and after doing research and finding out (quickly) that the stock rear is failboat i knew i had to knock that out ASAP.
and yea, way to go GM, giving us a base models rear end, freaking morons.
i can imagine the conversation going like this:
"let drop a 400hp v8 in the CTS."
"how are we going to strengthen it to handle the extra power?"
"give it a 6-lug hub setup."
"you don't want to upgrade the rear end?"
"nah bruh.... Getrag. it'll hold."
02-17-2016, 06:03 AM
CaptSlow's Log 
honestly having second thoughts as the tan really isn't that bad, in my eyes, and i could put the money toward headers/tune.
