Hi everyone!
It's been years since I have been around here or had a real muscle car for that matter. I am planning on building up a car within three years, and I just needed some input as to if my plans will meet my goal of a 10 second car NA (even if it's 10.99) - and not purely a trailor queen.

If this is the wrong subforum, please move it.

(I have none of these, but this is my short list)
Parts list:

98/99 LS1 camaro - A4 ($6-8000) no frills, but runs well.
Lid
!weight
Exhaust (straight pipes probably)
1 3/4 LTs
Heads/cam/flow matched intake/dyno tuned
12 way Hals
Strange 12 bolt w/ 3.73
Welds/ET Streets + skinnies
TH350 or TH400
4000 Stall
Swaybar, subframes, etc (everything adjustable)
Chromoly cage


This short list seems too short to do the trick, but I will hone the specifics when I need to. This should do the trick.

Is there anything I am missing, and yes, I realize it is not easy to do.

Thanks in advance for any advice.
Nick

 

suspension parts torque arm lca's rear sway bar.... and i know its just a plan but it depends on wat h/c

 

Yeah, I would load up the suspension with everything necessary.
It is hard to determine without the heads and such picked out.

Sad - I want to do this now, but no money, haha.
I do want to do this project the correct and logical way though.

 

Build the car first, add power 2nd. This way you can sell the stock parts rather then breaking them and then having to replce/build the car... will be cheaper in the long run that way.

Simple 402 motor with decent heads will get you where you want to be with no drama as well, and wil be reliable enough for daily use. Adding CI is the easiest way to get an n/a car moving.

Build a whole motor, sell the old motor/tranny as a running setup, that's easy to offload, same with a stock rear that has the brakes intact still.

Get the car as light as you can without going past what you want for street use, and the goal will only be easier.

Plan on spending a good 15 grand, maybe more plus the price of the car to get the car all built with good parts that will stand up to the abuse without failure.

You can do it on the cheap, but everyone I know that tries to get away with that ends up spending the $ in the long run becuase they end up breaking stuff they tried to do on the cheap.

 

You can do it easily with a stock high mile LS1. Get the weight to 3300 with you in it, a sticky tire, a good h/c combo, and decent suspension.

 

I also think you can do it with a stock shorty.. Use decent heads and a good cam, along with the rest of the bolt ons of course. The a3 with a nicely matched converter will be the right choice unless you want to hit the highway.

Adding more ci is an easier way to start it off but wil cost you more.

 

On teh cheap, and hope and pray you don't break anything list for a 10.99 NA with no plans to go quicker list:

Gear (4.10)
28x10 slick (some will argue for a 26")
M6 ( I know you said auto, but a '56 will be cheaper to get you into the 10.99 range since all you have to do is buy a clutch and a a good MC, instead of a TC and a tranny)
Monster Clutch and TICK Adj MC
Stock Bottom end
Full exhaust
AFR's 205's
LS6 intake
Rockers
Have Comp, Bullet, Cam Motion, etc....spec out a cam for ya (probaly in teh 23x/24x @ .050 with .6xx/.6xx on a 112-114 LSA)
CHECK PTV!!!!!
Fuel Pump and injectors
Tune
Adj TQ Arm
LCA's
Subframe connectors and roll bar
driveshaft loop
Lose some weight

You could do this SO MANY WAYS:
You could do the heads, cam, intake, exhaust, fuel system, tune and leave EVERYTHING else alone, and take it to teh track with some sticky tires, like a drag radial or something and see what she does. What I am saying is, if you did the motor, you could take it to teh track, get a MPH reading (MPH is indication of HP) and that will tell you if you have enough power to get to the 10's. Now, teh downside to that is, you smoke the clutch, break a diff, etc....

You could also do CHASSIS first, motor last.
You could also leave teh stock motor alone and sell it as suggested, as you will get more money per dollar from it that way, and start from scratch and build a 400+ CI.

Again, a MILLION different ways to do it, and to get a 10.99 is not that hard, if that is ALL you want. Now, remember, when you hit that 10.99, then you are gonna want 10.50's, then a 9.99. So, PLAN AHEAD!!!! Nothing worse then spending (and wasting) your hard earned money on parts that you might not even use (or once or twice) and then decide you want to go faster

 

the t56 may be cheaper at first but 1. it'll be more difficult 2. your gonna break more parts.

 

Weight will be the biggest issue. The more you cut the fast it goes but you loose some luxuries. I myself like my radio and speakers lol.

Like said. if I bought a complete car, id part it out to a roller shell, build the body to your needs and then make/build an engine. Depending on how long it takes to do part A, new stuff may have come out that is better for the $$$, the LSX family of engines alone have seen giant leaps in cyl head technology, as well as cam lobe design as well as avalible blocks.

 

Thanks SOOOO much for all of the great advice. I remember why I loved this board back in the day.

I did some thinking last night, and I want to do it right the first time, even if it takes a few years.
I think I want to build a 427 out of an LS7 block and go from there.
Doing a motor and getting pretty deep into the internals is new for me, so I will have to do LOTS of learning and ask LOTS of dumb noob questions.

I know myself, and 10.99 will not be good enough.
My last car hit 12.37@116 with a 2.1 60' - hooking would have been high 11s - and it is addicting.

I think with a 427 built up properly, a solid trans/verter, and stickies with a solid rear should do the trick and allow room for growth in the speed department.
I am figuring on about $15-18K investment.

Nick

 

Good advice. Pay now or pay later.

 

I would rather pay now - which is good for me because I am more of an instant gratification monger

 

Well I did some higher end pricing without specifying brands and erred on the side of beefier for the 427 build up.
I was a little sticker shocked to be honest - and I am sure it can be cheapened up as well. These are parts without labor:

Electric Cutout x2 - $190ea
Corbeau TRS seats - $700
Bogart rims - $1200 for all
Tires - $800
LS7 7.0L Block - $2600
Crankshaft kit/pistons = 427ci - $3000
Heads/cam kit - $2000
Hal 12 way complete - $1400
K-Member/A Arm combo - $1000
STB - $100
Adj. Panhard – $140
Rear control arms - $170
Extreme Torque arm - $700
Solid motor mounts - $150
Subframes $200
Driveshaft loop - $100
1 7/8 LTH - $700
Battery relocate with bumper kill - $200
SLP Flo pac - $280
85mm MAF - $150
92mm FAST intake and TB package - $1200 (flow matched to heads??)
6 Point weld in Chromemoly cage - $500
12 bolt with TCS/ABS - $2500
Race TH400 trans brake, man valve bod, lock up - $2700
4000 Stall - $700

Does this look about right and fairly complete considering details are a while off?
Thanks
Nick

 

forgot a rear drag sway bar. and if the price is to much you can do wat ive done and buy good used parts off of people. it may sound cheap but you can find good parts that are used. i bought all my suspension for 2500 including the 9" and all the parts are in GREAT condition

 

I'm going to address things from your list, not in any specific order:


SLP Flo pac - $280, 85mm MAF - $150 skip both of these. I have a stock untouched maf on my car and it will go 10.50 all day long n/a at 3500 lbs... no need for either of those they won't make enough of a difference for the $ Or, tune the car SD and ditch the maf completely, which is the best option to do, and sell the old maf.

Solid motor mounts - $150 Just put a set of poly ones in that will be enough.

STB - $100 Waste. Don't put it on it's dead weight

12 bolt with TCS/ABS - $2500 If you ditch the tcs/abs and go with a spool you can save enough $ to buy the manual master cyl and the line parts you need to ditch the power brakes, good weight reduction, cleans the engine bay up and the rear will be stronger with the spool, and it will be a better track part.

LS7 7.0L Block - $2600 If you were to build a 418 with a 6.2 block you can get the block for over a grand less then this, saving ya some good $

Heads/cam kit - $2000 No way. If you only spend 2 grand on the heads and cam it's not gonna make any steam. Take the grand you didn't spend on the block, and budget 3000 for the heads, and figure 450 for a cam by the time you're done. Trust me on this, the power is gonna coem from the cubes, and the heads and cam. Buy the absolute best heads you can afford, and don't be afraid to go big on the cam, something in the high 240's to low 250's for duration. The CI will swallow up alot of the cam and make it livable.

Electric Cutout x2 - $190ea Don't bother. BUild a dual setup on the car and you won't need to bother with the cutouts. I did a 3.5 inch dual setup with a pair of 44 series flowmaster mufflers, no x or h pipe, but with 2 3.5 inch pipes, the restriction is very little.

Corbeau TRS seats - $700 As nice as these seats are, you can buy a pair of kirkey's with the covers for less then 1/2 of that, mount them right on the floor so you don't have to spend the $ on brackets, support them off the back stocck studs and the rollbar and they're pretty comfortable, and are about 1/2 the weight. Good and easy way to save weght and $. Plus the corbeau's are IMO, a little : They've just been put in so many cars I am at the point I hate seeing them.



If you need any more feedback, please ask. What you want to do is more then doable, and with the feedback on your list I probably just chopped a couple grand off it, which you could use for a full drag brake setup, which would ditch a good 100 lbs off the car. Little racy for street use, but if you're careful you coudl still go to a car show here and there with them.

 

If you get serious on weight reduction you can go 10's on a stock shortblock and save yourself a ton of money.

 

Yes you can, but if the thread starter will want to continue to get faster, especially if a 9 second run is something that he would like to make, the smart thing to do, would be to pull that stock motor and sell it as a complete running engine.

Yes it's more $ absolutely, but you get a stock shortblock into the 10's n/a you're not going to have much left to grow with, build a good motor from the start and you have a good piece that you can grow with and will take the racing abuse without a problem.

 

You're right, just seemed like he was trying to save some money. Not sure on what his goals are after he gets 10's na.

 

From a couple of his posts... I don't see him stopping there. It's gonna be a 10.99 initially, then 10.50, and then I'm sure a nitrous kit is gonna find it's way on the car in hopes of seeing a 9 second pass.


That being said, and considering I have done the exact same thing, I'd build a good motor now and save yourself alot of headaches later.

 

It will be cheaper at first, no doubt. And if and when he decides to go quicker than the 10.99, he can sell teh '56 (ALOT easier trying to sell a '56 than a 4L60E) and take that money from teh '56 and buy a Turbo 350 or 400, and will not be out much in teh pocket.