Need some opinions on my list here.

*Prices are somewhat averaged between sponsorships & the classified section

Cam package (camshaft, springs, rods) $650
Retainers, Seats, Seals $300?
Oil Pump $100
Timing chain $40
Headers $300
True Duals $200
Intake $400
Converter $450
...or...
LS7 Clutch & parts $600

Breakdown...
Cam install parts: $1100
Other non-cam parts: $1350-$1500
Tune: $300

Looks like $2800 or so, labor done by myself, for these mods. Are there any mods I'm missing I NEED or DON'T NEED?? And how much could I pick up some decent heads for in the classified section or how much to port the stock 241s? Would that be worth it, or should I forget this and go F.I.?

 

anyone?

 

I'm confused.......


$450 for a converter or $600 for a LS7 clutch and parts?

you either have a stick or an auto, not both unless you are thinking of converting from one to another, in that case the $450 and 600 added together won't cover that probably.

$300 for headers and $200 for true duals? Any complete header to tip system for under $500 is going to most likely be junk. I had over $1000 in my headers, cats, mufflers, tips, and h pipe/true dual setup (and it wasn't even top notch parts, nothing stainless but the cats, and the Hooker headers were coated)


Keep in mind the little extras to do things like cam, headers and intake....

lid and K&N
gaskets
plugs and wires
thermostat
studs or quality bolt kit
02 sims and extension harnesses

and while you're doing the intake you'll want to do a throttle body

Plus, its not so easy to say screw it and go forced induction. Think about it, how efficient is your turbo or supercharger going to be when its breathing through a stock lid and paper filter, exhaling through factory manifolds and stock exhaust?

What is it that you want to do with the car? An all out drag car and a mean daily driver have two completely different paths to making efficient power. Keep in mind also, as you increase power, you will need things like upgraded fuel system, gauges or a way to monitor everything, better tires, suspension and driveline components to handle the added power. What good does 450 HP do when your crappy all season tires can't put the power down and you smoke your stock tranny and rear end?

I'm not trying to be a dick, I'm trying to stop you from just throwing money at a car and hoping it goes faster. Your best bet is to figure out what you want out of the car, and then get with a reputable LS1 speed shop and see what combos work for what you want to do. It may not be the most popular setup, but the Trick Flow top end package comes with matched components, heads, cam, valve train etc.

 

thanks for the reply. I actually don't have a car right now but I'm in the market for one and considering my options if I bought a stock car, whether it be an a4 or a m6. I thought more about the supercharger but it's not the right way to go if I don't have the extra $ for supporting it. as for the headers & true duals, I know a few guys who were selling theirs for about $150 or $200. there's really nothing to them except pipe. the headers I see different opinions though. but I think on sponsors websites some were selling for about $380 new. and I've seen a few decent ones go through the classifieds for a lot less than that.

goals for the car... mean daily driver. I've thought more about it and thinking mid size cam & ported heads. eventually I hope to have extra money for a FAST 90/90 intake, and with LT's & true duals it should put up well over 400.

 

to be honest with you, this is what I personally would do:

Hooker ceramic coated headers
TSP true duals dumped at axle or Hooker Y pipe and catback would sound nice too!
mild cam with rockers and Comp springs or the GM hot cam kit
SLP lid with FAST intake and Nick Williams throttle body
Racetronix fuel pump
get it dyno tuned for what you wanna do with it, smooth idle, decent daily driver

If its a stick, really you can get away with a stock clutch if its around town use, I have heard some people dislike the LS7 clutch....if you go the auto route, a Vigilante converter with a nice trans cooler and shift kit would do.

and you could always substitue the cam kit with a nice set of Patriot heads....those things are a bargain for what you get!!! Just do your research before spending a ton of cash!

 

thanks. that's a tasteful idea. headers & true duals. just saying that makes me happy. lol.

now, are there any opinions out there just getting heads only? someone told me once I should do that?

 

I wouldn't even worry about cam, heads right away, you do what you want but I think you should start small and build up. Not all at once.

1. SLP flow pack( Lid,bellow,k&N) with FTRA extension $350
2. SLP under drive pulley $225
3. Ported stock throttle body $100
4. Headers- Pacesetters $400
5. TSP true duals- $450
6. All free mods
7. And of course all free mods

With all of that you car should be pretty damn fast.

 

I agree with the above except for the flowpack crap. Stock TB just needs a lid...bellows is minimal gains if any. Same with K&N filter...I just use a paper filter and I only leave maybe 1-2 HP on the table. After you're done with the above then I would consider a cam kit. I would do a cam before heads since you asked. And of course after the cam get it tuned. Depending on the cam choice you can be anywhere from 375-425 RWHP on a stock intake setup.

 

what's the pros & cons of getting a cam before heads?

 

Pros of cam first:
1) MUCH cheaper to do a cam instead of heads...you have to think that if you get a decent set of heads you're going to spend at least $1500 plus the cost for head bolts and head gaskets which are about another $150 if you get just GM stuff...ARP bolts with cometic head gaskets is around $300 so look closer to $1800 minimum for heads. For cam only you can get kits with the cam, springs, and gaskets for $700. Either way you're going to need a tune afterwards to optimize the power gains.

Pros for heads first:
1) Easier than a cam in some aspects (mainly because it comes with springs installed so you don't have to bust your knuckles swapping springs while the heads are on the car).
2) You'll want to upgrade the cam later to make some big power anyways and the big expenditure (heads) will already be out of the way.

 

I'd say the benefits of doing a cam first is you might be happy and content with a nice healthy cam that will flow great with stock heads for 700 bucks. But if you pay 1500 plus for heads that flow great and have a stock cam that won't let the air in you'll be very disappointed.

So if you do the cam first and are happy then once you do the heads you'll be grinning for days.

 

No sense in paying 100$ for a ported stock throttle body, you can do it yourself for free. Scratch the flowpack and get a lid and FTRA. Then go with LTs, Y or X, your choice of muffler(s), UD pulley, gears, if the car is pre 01 get a ls6 manifold. This will give you all of your bolt ons. Then if you still want more and have the funds go with a cam swap or H/C swap and a tune. And of course if its and auto you will need a stall or if its m6 you will want an aftermarket clutch, the factory will get tired very quickly.

 

thanks for the input guys. if I modded a stock car I'm sure I'd do a cam before heads now.

my next question,

any downsides to running a cam & stall (370rwhp or so) in a 140k LS1, as opposed to running it in a 90k LS1?

 

No downsides whatsoever. There's plenty of cars on here with more miles than that running more aggressive setups like nitrous without any problems.

 

no flow pack, use the money towards something else, i dont even know who would suggest spending that much for nothing, just get a lid, bellows are useless

 

cool. thanks man. glad someone pays attention to other cars on here