I'm trying to build a good base for anything else I want to do to my car later on by making it as fast and powerful as I can on just bolt-ons.

Another goal of mine is to make the car exactly identical at the track as it would be on the street, so nothing you change at the track. For example: no suspension you adjust at the track, no taking off the muffler or air filter, and no taking out the spare tire, and no nitrous since that is something you don't always have, etc. Something like taking out the back seat would be fine since I can safelt do that under normal driving circumstances(that why no spare tire removal). I want it to be purely like it will be on the street 100% of the time, except traction of course, because I'm getting some drag radials/slicks this spring and I will use that power for the launch while i'm there anyway.

You can see what I have so far in my sig. down below. I went to the track for the first time ever this fall and ran a 13.1@106 on the stock Eagle F1s that are getting kinda low on tread (~24k miles). That ET was without the ported TB and LS6 manifold too. This spring the first thing I am going to do is get a 3200-3600 stall torque converter and some drag slicks/radials to go with it.

Now my question is, in my quest to make this car as fast as I can, EXACTLY like it would be on the street(except slicks), what else should I do? I know there's an underdrive pulley, but other than that I am up for suggestions. I am hoping to get below 12.5 as far as possible without going to a cam or power adder yet. Thanks!

Oh also, I would like to keep the 3.23 gears I have so I'm not going huge rpms on the highway since I live about 10mi out of town on a highway so the majority of the actual miles I drive are there. Anything else is fine for suggestions though. Thanks again.

 

Seems like the only bolt ons you dont have are a UD pulley, unless you went with a stall but that wouldnt really add HP just put you in your power faster, I kinda have the same goals as you want low 12's without slicks or anything like that, so im goin with a Hotcam. Honestly without sticky tires and a stall, I dont see the 12.5< without a cam or something.

 

Well, the verter will help. You could look at a tune, subframe connectors, some N2O, Or just lighten the car up too.

 

Well, I am planning on getting slicks for the strip, but thats the only thing I want different from the street. I also don't want N2O because it is an on-off kind of thing. Whatever I am capable of I want to have 100% of the time. I was planning on getting a tune after all of these things. What kinds of things can I do with suspesion or to lighten the car up? If there is some unnecessary weight in the car somewhere that won't affect my daily driving I would be willing to get rid of it. I would gladly get rid of a couple hundred pounds if possible.

 

Besides an UDP, you could convert to duals. It will gain you more tq, with an xpipe crossover. The Bassani True Dual kit very refined and has good clearance.

As far as suspension, LCA brackets, PHR, LCAs (optional), would all be mods that will stiffen up the slack in the suspension, and help your launch, but also be fine on the street.

 

Ok, thanks. Does Bassani make an X-pipe for LT's now too? I thought they just made the one that hooked up to the stock manifolds, but I could be wrong or they could have something new .

 

Their standard kit can be modified for Long Tubes with minimal work. Any exhaust shop should be able to do it for cheap, for free prob if you have them install the system.

 

Ok, another question. Do you know how much it costs off the top of your head? Last year I had a local custom car performance shop with a good rep. give me a quote on a 2.5" x-pipe going over the axle. With the mufflers, but without tips, it would be about $500 or juust over, and if I remember right the bassani cost like $800, right?

 

For the Bassani, the stainless version is $970. The aluminized version is $760. I believe those are the correct prices. Contact VHP (sponser who sells bassani) to make sure.

 

Yeah I must have been remembering the $760 one. So it looks to me like I'll be getting a custom exhaust if I decide to go with an X. How loud would a an X out over the rear axle with say.. Magnaflow, or Flowmaster mufflers be compared to my ORY and Hooker?

 

Ok, so here is a list of possible things to do:

3200-3600rpm stall converter
Drag slicks
Meziere electric water pump
SLP or ASP underdrive pulley
Possible change to x-pipe
Possible aftermarket MAF(do these do anything at ~350rwhp?)
After all the stuff is in, a Speed Inc. full dyno tune

All that stuff together should be about $3300, or $2500 without the x-pipe and MAF. Only two questions now; Do aftermarket MAFs do anything? I read an article in GM Performance I think where they got just under 3rwhp/tq with the SLP 85mm MAF. And how loud would the X be with Flowmasters compared to my ORY and Hooker? Thanks for all the help guys.

 

Slicks
verter
UD pulley
Xpipe
Tune
Are the only things I would suggest from that list. You don't need the MAF or electric water pump. The slicks, verter and tune will be your best options as the rest of the mods are okay but not needed for your power level.

 

Well I'm just trying to do everything before I get a cam, so I don't have to do anything later. I saw the water pump/MAF give the GM performance magazine people almost 10rwhp/tq in the article they had on their website, and they only had bolt-ons, so there is some gain to be had. Plus I'm thinking I can't probably get much more than that from switching to the X-pipe, so it seems worth while to me. I just don't know if the MAF will really do anything because I have heard some people say that they are actually bad to get for some reason that I don't remember. The pump did about 5rwhp/tq and the MAF did almost 3 of each after that.

 

id work on your suspension and/or get the stall. those two things right there with sticky tires may cut a full second off your times and make it hella fun on the street too. i would seriously consider some spray though. you can use it on both the track and street. a 125 shot would do wonders and easly put you in the mid 11's with the stall. just my .02 cents.

 

Well, I do like the idea of the stall and suspension, but I think I'm going to stay away from N2O. What suspension things would you suggest doing to take that second off and the street fun you talked about?

 

Bro you can do as you want as its your car. But there is no way in hell I would ever pay $500 for a water pump. If getting one meant gaining 25hp or something like that then maybe an argument could be made for one. But IMHO its just a major waste of money. You could buy alot of suspension parts for that and get far more out of it than the water pump. Just my 2cents.

 

converter hands down...i just dropped .5 off my 1/8th mile time and thats only cutting a 1.8 60' from a previous best 2.00. I also gained 3mph, SFC's and Converter only new additions...

 

Ok, so you convinced me, no water pump. I do have a question about the underdrive pulley though. Are they worth it? I've heard about only similar gains with the pulley, so is that worth it? I know it costs less than the pump but I didn't know if you were saying that it wasn't a big enough gain to be worth at all or it was just too expensive to be worth it.

How much does everything you need for a mild (somewhere about 230/230 I'm thinking) cam swap cost? I think I can probably get all of these things done this spring/summer if I work a lot, but I'm not sure what everything for a cam costs. Without the cam or shocks it should be about $1750 so far.

 

Underdrive pulley is worth it, for another 10 rwhp, cost to performance ratio is good.

Cam swap you need
- cam
- pushrods
- springs
- retainers
- ported oil pump (recommended)
- install kit (recommended if doing youself)
- timing chain
- install cost (if not doing it yourself)
- tune ($400)

Price all those things out and that's how much it would be for a cam swap.

 

Do the true duals, get a smooth bellow or make one, MAF is kinda personal preference-lot's of people will argue that one, do the underdrive pulley, definitely the stall and some tires and a tune. A lot of people will recommend waiting on the tune until you get a cam but I didn't and I gained a lot from it. You will be cuttin good times with just bolt ons. Try that and if you still want more do the cam.