Hi, I am 17 and own a 1999 Pontiac Trans Am. I love all of the 300ish horsepower, but feel a need for more. What can i do to make some substantial gains over stock without spending a fortune? i want (need) at least 400 rwhp, but am working with a small budget, ($2,000 max.). I was thinking a cam with head porting, long tube headers, and a few extra bolt-ons but a friend of mine suggested a chip. I want to try to make this a no nitrous, no blower, stock displacement bad ***. That friend of mine has a 1968 Camaro SS with a fresh 454 . So far we have an even record, 2 wins 2 losses each, but i want to win them all . Please help me out. Thanks.

 

with 2000 you can get the new t-rex cam-kit from thunder installed and tuned for that price and still have left over for a set of hookers and a y pipe

thats what i would do if i were you

 

what kind of a hp/ torque gain could i expect from that?

 

over 400 in both areas
but i would also try for a lil more money to get a ls6 intake but if you dont have the money just do that

 

that sounds great, thank you. ill look into that.

 

If your have an A4 get a convertor first, bolt-ons second and a cam third.

conv-600
headers-$150-350 (used macs new pacesetters)
True duals-$400
Lid and filter-$75 classifieds
ASP pulley with belts-$150 classifieds
TR224 or similar cam-$200 classifieds
Springs and pushrods-$200 sponsor

All together under $2000 and a hell of alot faster...........

 

well im talkin from an m6 perspective
and he asked fot hp not times

 

He said he wanted to win races, obviously HP comes into play but a converter will assure him a win in his case, besides who would want more HP if their car didn't go any faster

 

well, he's street racing I assume, so from a roll is huge and MPH is king, which is where the HP comes in handty, but let's not turn this into a ET vs MPH thread. I'd get pulley, headers, LS6 intake, a lap-top and HP tuner, abetter shifter, and maybe some LCAs. Then save again for a cam/oil pump/timing chain.

 

Check your PM's

 

I could get that thing to fly with two grand. I got macs and ORY for 215 and cam and springs for 180.I could probably hit 10's with 2K.Headers and a cam are your best bet. I would look in the FS section for good deals.

 

okay, a lot of this is useful,but im not really knowledgeable in all of this, so im a little lost. how do i tell if its an m6 or an a4? im actually coming to a complete stop in my races, we have a full 1/4 mile marked out. i looked into the t-rex cam, and that thing is so huge! would i even get any low end torque for off the line? and lastly, tell me how you would get into the 10's for 2k. i would love to know. ok, one more thing. about how much would a full porting job on my stock heads cost? polishing? thanks again everyone

 

M6- manual, A4, Auto With that cam you would have to launch at a high RPM 3500 to 4000, so traction would then become an issue. You may be able to build a motor that could get you into the tens for 2 grand, but you need to do alot of other stuff first (i.e. suspnsion, clutch or convertor) That is just my $.02

 

Ok Dude Im Gonna Help You. I Have A 1999 Z28 Camaro With 379rwhp Dyno Tested. I Run 12.19 Et At 115mph On Motor And 11.57 Et At 118mph With Spray. So I Know What To Do To Make You Go Fast For Cheap. Get What I Tell You And You Will Definitely Run Mid 12's.
1)get An After Market Air Lid I Have Whisper $160
2)get Granetelli Mas Air Flow Sensor Made For Nos $299 In Summit Magazine
3)get A 125 Shot Nos Dry Kit $550
4)get A Strange Gear 3.73:1 $350
5)get Either And Eaton Or Aburn Posi Unit They Usually Cost $300-$450 But I Have An Eaton Posi That Is Still In The Box Never Used And I Will Sell It For $200
6)get A Pair Of M/t Et Streets $315 For The Pair
7)get A Tci Torque Converter Vigilante Is Better But Alot More Money
Tci: $400 Vigilante:$700
Total Is $2274
Now Dude These Guys Who Say You Can Build A Motor To Run 10 Sec Is Just Not True. 1st Off You Will Have To Spend About $8000 In Suspenion And Chasis. 12 Bolt Is 2500 Stage 4 Trans Is 2000 Shocks Springs Lower Controll Arms Sway Bars Sub Frame Connectors Ect. Now To Actually Get A Head And Cam Package For 2000 Is Just Impossible Considering The Heads Will Set You Back A Minimum Of $1600 And Those Are Crap. Remember When It Comes To Racing And Building Your Car You Get What You Pay For. Im Building A 427 Cu Inch Stroker Motor And My Heads Which Are Hand Ported Not Done By A Cnc Machine Are Ls6 Heads And Cost About $3000 So Take It Slow Dont Rush Into It And Absorb As Much Info As You Can. And Dont Just Take My Word For Talk To People At Your Local Speed Shop As Well As At Your Local Track.
Oh Yea Where You From What Track Do You Go To?
AND JUST FOR A LITTLE INSIGHT THIS IS WHAT I HAVE CURRENTLY
1. WHISPER RAM AIR KIT
2. WHISPER AIR LID
3. GRANITELLI MAS AIR FLOW SENSOR FOR NITROUS
4. LS6 INTAKE MANIFOLD
5. FINISH LINE PERFORMANCE LONGTUBE HEADERS
6. 125HP SHOT NOS DRY KIT HOOKED UP TO RAM AIR TO HIDE IT
7. ASP PULLEY
8. ROLL LINE FOR BURNOUTS
9. 3.73 STRANGE GEAR
10. SUB FRAME CONNECTORS
11. LOWER CONTROL ARMS
12. STRUT TOWER BRACE
13. TCI TORUE CONVERTER
14. M/T ET STREETS
15. BORLA CAT BACK EXHAUST
16. NO CATALYTIC CONVERTERS WHICH IS NOT D.O.T. LEGAL
17. LS1 DYNO EDIT TUNING
ALL OF THIS IS WELL OVER 12 THOUSAND DOLLARS WITH LABOR AND I RUN 11.60ET @ 118MPH
IM GETTING A 427 ci STROKER MOTOR WITH LUNATI PRO INTERNALS AND LS6 HAND PORTED HEADS.
IM ALSO GETTING A STRANGE 12 BOLT REAR END WITH 4.10 GEAR, A STAGE 5 FLP TRANS, VIGILANTE 3600 STALL CONVERTER, QA1 ADJUSTABLE SHOCKS AND SPRINGS, FULL NHRA CERTAFIED ROLL CAGE, MSD WINDOW SWITCH FOR NOS, AND TNT CONVERSION WET KIT 300HP SHOT NOS. NOW BESIDES THE $15,000 MOTOR THE WET KIT CONVERSION THE ROLL CAGE AND THE STAGE 5 TRANS (YOU NEED A STAGE 4 WHEN RUNNING TENS) YOU NEED THE REST LIKE THE 12 BOLT STAGE 4 TRANS SHOCKS SPRINGS. TO REALISTICLY RUN 10'S WITHOUT HURTING YOUR CAR ITS GOING TO COST YOU ABOUT $15 TO $17000. IF YOUR CAR COULD GO TENS FOR ONLY LETS SAY $5,000 THEN WOULDN'T EVERY ONE BE GOING TENS?

 

That is not true. I have seen cam only cars run 10's. An A4 can do it with a big converter and a good cam. The last car i saw hit 10.98 pulled 371wrhp on a dyno unlocked. Just because your car didnt do it doesnt mean it cant be done.

 

ok, mine is an a4, so is a converter the best thing to start with? what is the best thing i could do to add some low end torque? and the suspension, should i worry about that later, or first? any cam recommendations? im really not sure what to do at all. i am from bloomfield, new mexico. we dont have a track around here so we race on a straightaway just out of town. im talking to some people about building a strip but its going slow. anyway. again, any help is appreciated. i want to make it nos free also. thank you

 

How much do you drive your car, And do you have any goals for it et wise?

 

i dirve it everyday, to and from school and to work. and in about a year and a half im going to have to use it for transportation to and from college. therefore, i want to keep it streetable. i havent really given a whole lot of thought into et's although, 10's would be nice. would mid 11's be a long shot for a daily driver?

 

First a lid and catback and all free mods
A converter a yank SS4000 or a TCI 4200
Headers-pacesetters/ory or Macs and ORY
Cam-FMS 228+X1 or other good size cams. Do a search
You will need tuning with those cams

 

Bloomfield NM man you are in the boonies. I thought being in ALB was bad
Converter=MUST HAVE 2800 or 3200 stall can go to a 3600 but you might not like that
Gears 3.73's
Used Macs or a new set of pacesetters/TSP rumbler exhaust low cost great sound and flow.
Lid
And a cam is always nice but it depends on if you want to dig into the motor.
I was going 13.3's here in ALB(5600ft above sea level) with 3.73's, Vig 2800, Lid, MAC's, and a Random tech exhaust. That was waaay back in the day. That will get you off to a good start.
But like everyone says, CONVERTER....
But 10's is a long shot here in NM at our elevation, **** even in Roswell it would be hard to do.
J