Picked up a 2002 z28 with 48k miles on it recently, and it is currently bone stock with the exception of a monster level 2 clutch I just put in along with flywheel, pressure plate, slave, master, and pilot. I recently sold my other vehicle so I've got around 10 grand to play with. It is going to be my daily, but I want to get some serious upgrades on it. Ive been eyeing alot of tsp products, but i dont know what size heads and cam are best, if i should get a fast intake, etc...this is my first ls1 so I'm not very knowledgeable.

 

TSP makes some good products at really good prices. Do you have a power goal in mind?

 

Whatever I can get out of it while maintaining good driveability. I'm not going to be taking it to the track or anything, but i want as many horses as i can get.

 

Besides being a daily, how are you going to use it? If just general street use, start with a good cat-back exhaust and maybe a better air intake. There are many cams to choose from, but which one depends on your intended use. Do you mind some lope in the sound? The best heads to start with would be 243's or 799's (they are the same, the 799 being a later model) and possibly get a Stage I or Stage 2.5 (TSP-speak) porting job, which would accompany almost any street cam you use. An LS6 intake would be an improvement too, and there are Dorman replicas available. Tell us what you want to do.
On edit, you already have the 246 intake manifold. Better!
Edit #2 - The above guys beat me to it! lol

 

If you want really good drivability but lots of power a turbo or supercharger is your best bet. Regardless, I'd take a good chunk of that 10k and upgrade the rear end

 

I'll be using it for work/school etc..I have a minivan for family activities my plan is to get everything at once and put her all together then get it tuned.

 

A solid rear end, drag radials, and a well/proper setup wet 150 shot would keep ya happy for a while.

Rear end - $2,500
Drag Radials - $500
Nitrous - $2,000
Clutch - $1,000

 

Based on what you have said it sounds like you want a heads and cam setup over any type of forced induction. Would that be correct?

 

Yes! But i dont know how to match cams and heads, or what setups might be overly agressive, or wasting money on say an intake that i dont even need. I've never upgraded a vehicle before like this so i want to make sure i get the most bang for my bucks, but i dont have the technical knowledge.

 

Lets put it this way...with a relatively mild head and cam setup you can make roughly 400-450 hp at the tire. To get closer to 500 you will need something very aggressive and it will cost a fair amount more since it will require great attention to detail. Since you mentioned TSP I'd start by calling them and getting into the specifics

 

Dr. Abraham,, with the 02 Z28 being the daily driver and $10,000 to work with I would do the following.

Set aside $1,500 for unexpected issues and repairs.
Carefully inspect the car and any prior maintenance records. The car could probably do with a transmission oil change if that's not been done. Brake fluid flush. Power steering flush. If you keep the stock rear end change the rear end oil. If you do heads and cam the coolants can be replaced then. I would probably have the cooling system flushed anyway if no records show it being done previously. Inspect brake pads and rotors, they are probably OK but I'd still check. Likewise check the tires. If they are over six years old or show any cracking etc they should be replaced if your going to drive the car in a "spirited or sporty" manner.

Being a daily driver - I liked to focus first on the mods that effect daily driving - every time you drive the car.
Bring the car is a six speed quality shifter is needed if the car doesn't have one. Pro 5.0, Hurst, etc the stock shifter is garbage unless the car came within the Hurst. Skip shift eliminator or fix skip shift when the car is tuned.

Gears - 3.73's or 4.10's - both my six speed cars have 4.10's and this is a fantastic Mod. If you keep the stock 10 bolt it's fragile. As others mentioned a good aftermarket rear makes the car way more fun. My cars have the Hawk's 8.8 rear and they have been excellent.

Plan for headers and a tune.

Hawk's Motorsports has an excellent custom PRC heads and cam package with matching FAST intake. Hawks works with Ed Curtis on cam design and selection so if the Sinister cam is too much they can do a custom matched cam.



HAWKS 450rwhp Heads, Cam, Intake Kit - FREE SHIPPING IN THE US 48 STATES

We based this kit on years of testing, tuning, and using different camshafts, cylinder heads, and intake combos. This is by far the best bang for your buck when it comes to cheap HP. We have installed this kits on multiple LS1/LS6 engines and it is very repeatable 450-470rwhp depending on your drivetrain and exhaust set-up. What's included in the kit and what do I get for my money you ask? See below...

What's included in this kit:

• PRC Stage 2.5 Ported 5.3L Cylinder Heads 59cc w/ Dual Valve Springs Installed
• HAWKS Sinister Camshaft 230/236 .591"/.601" 112 LSA
• 7.400" Chromoly Pushrods
• FAST 102mm LSXR Intake Manifold (Cathedral port heads)
• FAST Fuel Rail Kit
• Nick Williams 102mm Throttle Body (Cable driven)
• 100mm MAF Mass Air Flow Kit
• 42lbs/hr Fuel Injectors, Set of 8

You will not find a more complete cheaper kit to make 450rwhp anywhere on the market! We also can offer installation and or in house chassis dyno tuning as well, if you already have HP Tuners we can also email you a base tune that will be very close for an additional fee.

See videos below of cars we have done here that have this kit and make 450-470rwhp!!!

 

That's more along the lines of what i was wanting to know thank you! I'm definitely going to look more into hawk's products. That package is alot of what i was looking at individually from tsp.

 

Not only that, but I'm moving back to SC next month which is where Hawk's is.

 

The most bang for your bucks would be a turbo or supercharger kit.

 

Agreed. H/C/I is nice if you have the mechanical abilities to do the work properly. Otherwise I would just bolt on forced induction and call it a day.

Biggest bang: Turbo, lots of room to grow but a PITA to install for a novice.
Good bang: Procharger, a weekend job.

In either case you are going to need supporting mods intake, exhaust, fuel, etc.

 

I was able to do my clutch and clutch hydraulics using written instruction from this forum so I'm pretty confident that i can manage just about anything else too considering I've seen writeups for it all here. I know i want to go the h/c/i, rear, and exhaust route my real question is about which ones to go with based on the fact i will be using it daily, and i want to get as much hp as possible. I dont know which cam head setup is best or what intake to use with it, if i need a better oil pump, if its worth it to get a new timing set etc... this is the info im really after. The details about what i need, and what would just be a waste of money.

 

You could always call loyd eliot he will set you up. Tell him what ur looking for and he will put together a package for you. As mentioned before spend 2-3k of that money on a rear end. And suspension upgrades can go along way to.

 

I'd start calling the vendors on here. I think all the information has been given in the posts above

 

That's what I'm going to do I'll probably hit up Hawk's and TSP and see what they say about it.

 

Oil pump is fine as it is the updated design - you may want to port and shim it.

The only things I would change internally are the lifters to the redesigned version; and slap in an LS2 chain.

Other than that see who can get you the most complete package for the best value.