I have a 1998 Trans Am A4 completely bone stock. My goal is to get somewhere in between the range of 450 -400 rwhp and have a similar torque range. I have been read the so you wanna go fast article and have been browsing through quite a bit of articles and was wondering if i get Pacesetter long tubes, true duals, Ls6 intake, P/P throttle body, SLP air lid, and a nice head cam set up would that get me around that range? Also I know i would need a new torque converter, transmission cooler, and sub-frame connectors but would there be anything else I would need to make sure my car can handle that amount of hp and torque? I would love to get some nice power out of her but its my daily driver so I need to make sure I do it right.

 

how much do you have to spend?

 

I would say you are on the right track for that type of HP range. There are guys in the 420-430 range with just a set of untouched 243 heads and a decent cam. Heads are where the power is made so it would be beneficial for you to ditch the 853's that are currently on your car.

As far as handling that kind of power your next weak point is going to be your rear end followed by your trans. The 7.5" 10 bolt was the worst thing gm could have done for our cars but there are alternatives, non of which are cheap. One thing you can do to get by for a while is to install a rear end girdle which is about $150. That is what I am doing right now until I can save up the $2k+ for a 12 bolt.

I would suggest talking to the guys at Texas Speed and I am sure they could get you set in the right direction. Give them a call, they are always a big help and great to deal with

 

Well I do have a job in with the Army so I have a steady income but it all isnt going to happen at once. I figured id get the LT's, duals, and lid 1st, then a 3600 stall.And after that the heads and cam. Im looking for the ls6 intake but im not gonna spend over 350 for one. After all is said and done id like to keep it under 5k. We have a shop on base so I planned on doing all the work on everything but the heads, cam, and stall.

 

Almost forgot, a must when you do a cam swap is stronger valvesprings and pushrods as the stockers have a tendancy to fail under load with stronger than stock springs.

 

I would probably go with the LS6 intake either before or at the same time as the heads/cam as the stock LS1 intake will just choke a lot of the gain from the better flowing heads.

And you should easily be able to keep it under 5k if you do the work yourself.

 

Possible But Will get crap gas milage with A4 and stall that its gonna take for the cam. Won't want it Daily driver for long if you drive interstate mph LOL!

 

Agreed!
I am at about 17mpg highway... I am probably a little more modded than he is planning and I still daily drive mine in the summer, but it still sux

 

Whats your rpms at 70-80mph? would also depends on gears also.

 

My RPM's are about 2500 at that speed. Which is about what I cruise at, actually 80-85 on the highway

Gears are 3.42 BTW

 

5k..... sts turbo FTW!!! lol youll be able to enjoy it for a month or two before your rear and trans go awol all over the road.

 

You should have zero problem hitting that with $5k. If you are doing it yourself and have that to spend you should maybe look into a nitrous setup. 400ish rwhp on the street and 500-550 at the push of a button And you will most likely have enough left over to build your tranny or rear end, whichever goes first.

 

Yes, with heads cam and intake you will easily hit 420hp and most likely more then that. Heads and cam really opens up LS1s

 

First off welcome to the site and thanks for doing some sticky reading before posting stupid/common questions!

And it sounds like your on the right track. I would recommend doing full bolt on's (pretty much what you listed) first and then doing the H/C unless your paying for a shop to install all the parts then I would do the LS6 at the same time of the H/C. But you should have no problem meeting your goals with the mods you listed.

 

You will need to plan to get a built trans and upgrade the rear...I hit my numbers after with a stock drivetrain and it lasted for a month before both the trans and rear went. If I went with smaller wheels, I would easily be over 400, but also it will be harder to hit those numbers on a budget even more so since it will be a stalled A4.

 

If you get a convertor and tune it to lockup at highway speeds it won't act much different from stock. If you don't change gears you can cruise down the interstate at close to the same RPMs you're at now.

 

OP, you sound like you've got a good base plan, but I skimmed over the comments and I didn't see anyone mention stronger rod bolts. I could've missed it by skimming but be sure to add those to the list.

 

For $5k you could do a head/cam package from TSP, full exhaust, LS6 intake, and come close to having enough left over to get a new rear or upgrade your tranny. Probably tranny first. 10 bolts seem to show better signs of life for you auto guys

 

15+mpg would be easy to clear. It does.t take a large donkey dick cam for those numbers.

Another way to go.. basic d1sc used kit, Injectors, fuel pump, tune, converter..8#s 450+rwhp all day.
Add full exhaust and an ls6 intake later along with a smaller pulley to get back to 8#s..500rwhp.

If it were me.. full bolt ons cam only with a 100 shot.. injectors fuel pump etc..500rwhp.

Just thoughts Is all.