OK, ive only had the car a little while. In under 4 mo's ive managed to get a decent amount done.

Umi Weld in Subframe Connectors
Umi Lca
Umi Panhard
Umi shock tower bar
Hotchkis springs
Bilstein struts
Hotchkis Sway Bars

Pro 5.0 shifter
Centerforce Dfx Clutch
AAM 4.10 gear
Slp Line lock

Ls6 intake Mani
Ported Tb
Ported maf
Slp Bellows
Slp lid
K&n filter
Pacesetter longtubes
Custom X pipe, 3 inch exhuast dumped at rear
March underdrive pulley

egr, air pump, and ac is gone. More weight will come out this winter.


Things the car needs for sure this winter is weight savings, and Driveshaft saftey loop.

Even though i want it all done now, i want to spread out the build over a couple years.

Right now im debating between two options. they are.

Options 1. Not 100% sure on what cam, but possibly the torquer 3, with prc ls6 heads from texas speed. I will do the supporting mods like springs, pushrods, oil pump, timing chain, and a tune. All of these things should run me around 3k instaling myself.

Option 2. 9 inch rear end, steel driveshaft, and work on suspension more. Spend around 3k again, but i have a reliable car, and i dont have to worry about the rear end exploding. If this option does not give me enough power i can always add a 100 shot or so, and probably have a solid 11 second car.

If i take weight out of the car, get on a good tire, and launch the way i would like to i really think the car right now could run a low 12. To date the best time the car has gone is 12.7 @ 111.5 with a 1.89 60 foot.


Im really torn hear, cause if i do heads and cam the rear end will probably break, unless i stay on a street tire, and maybe it wont. If i do a 9 inch, and suspension i honestly think the car wont really be any more fun then it is right now. Heads and cam will add a whole new feeling to the car.

Let me know what route you guys have gone, and which direction you all think i should do. Right now, and next year the car will not be a purpose drag car, but will see some track time. My friends, alot who have been drag racing for several years now think i should get the car ready for the power before i make the power, but wheres the fun in that.

Chris

 

In my completely un-biased opnion, option 2 but with spray

Sean

 

This is a street car for me, so when it became time to choose between more power or a stronger rear, this is my answer.. I don't go to the dragstrip enough to justifty spending:

$2400 rear end
$350 driveshaft
$300 torque arm
$150 torque arm relocation bar
$800 15" wheels with slicks + skinnies

The track I go to is over 2 hours away, I would probably go more if there was one in my own town. There's still a bunch of suspension pieces to buy and that's $4000 just in parts just to be able to get started. My 10 bolt with 4.10 gears in it, is still alive after 10 months of 410/392 on nitto drag radials. I'm more concerned about rebuilding my transmission from all the hard shifts.

 

So in youre eyes its worth risking going to the track once with the heads and cam, with the stock rear end (all the other suspension is gonna go on the car regardless) and possibly blow it up? So now you spent all that time and money making more power to have it go to waste while you wait to fix the parts you should have gotten in the first place? Everybody knows that the 10 bolt is risky with any kind of power when you race it hard, why risk having the car down AGAIN? True you can just launch easier, but where is the fun in that?

I just know that if it was me, I wouldnt want to break the rearend on my first pass and have the car down for months while I do the rear end and all the **** that goes with it.

Sean

 

I've been to the track twice this year with 60 fts ranging from 1.8-2.0 and I drive it hard everytime I drive it. I know it's going to break eventually, I'll buy one when it breaks, a second vehicle and AAA can help.

 

Well I can almost gaurnte he will go to the track more than twice next year, but thats not even the point. My point is the car isnt gonna be used during the winter no matter what, and option 1 and 2 cost just about the same. To me it makes more sense to make the car able to handle anything you can throw at it. Then the next winter do a whole motor and have no worries about anything. He plans on having the car for a long time, and I understand wanting to do it all at once but thats not really realistic. Like I said it would suck to make all the power and then have the weak link go right off the bat and have to spend another 3k to fix it.

Also Im all for him spraying the motor the way it is and going faster next year, BUT make the car able to handle it first.

Sean

 

I already knew your answer.

 

Im kinda in the same boat as you except the whole having to drive 2 hours to a track. The track I usually go to is about 1 hour away. There is also another track, that is within a couple minutes from my parents house, which is also where the car gets stored in the winter. The car right now is primarily a street car, and if i baby the 10 bolt it might.... might last me another year.

Chris

 

It would be the most expensive..... But maybe.
Cam-pushrods-springs-oil pump-timing chain- Driveshaft, and 9 inch?

This setup would put me low 400's probably, and be able to handle the power.

Biggest problem with this is im wasting 450+ dollars on a second tune, or possibly 3rd tune if i add nitrous later.

Chris

 

Chris, why bother with all that? You can make more power with spray then even the biggest cam on a stock motor, and you can drive it around town with less headaches. Do the rearend and spray, and start building a bad *** motor to drop in next winter.

Sean

 

116 views, and only 5 votes?!?!?!

Sean

 

How come you didn't put in a torque arm yet?

 

Didnt want to spend the money when he got the rear suspension. The car was only at the track with springs and struts. He will have all the front suspension parts and a torque arm by next season no matter what route he goes with.

Sean

 

If it were me i would go with the heads and cam. But again i have an a4. I like the idea of just cam, oil pump, gears, ect... and a 9". That would be the best to get more power and not leave you strainded some where when or if the stock rear end would break. So that is my vote do half and half of each one.

 

ill give you my vote, its going to be the under dog opinion on this site tho.

do the head n cam ect, and ill tell you why

you already have alot of the good/ necc. suspension pieces.
do the heads cam n spray n tune all at once. ride on it city/highway like normal and play w/ the tune. have fun!
just dont run sticky tires or d/r at the track, hooking up is what blows rear ends not tq or hp. belive me i have a 56 w/ over 450 tq on a 10 bolt w/ stock axels and not so much as even a stud cover and its lasting just fine no problems and i have all the fu nin the world w/ it. did the same w/ my 48 p/u too 383 stroker w 445 tq n 425 hp w/ a 700r4 n a baby 10 that everyone said would hand greneade....3 yrs later n well over 5k miles..not 1 problem to date and when i do take these cars out its to be hard on them!

if you go this route get everything dialed in and play w/ it awhile to where your happy, then do the supporting suspension and play w/ getting it dialed in.

its just my opinion and the way ive done all my cars for years and its worked for me great and i dont have to do things over n over again.

 

So he should make all kinds of power and not be able to use it?!?!? Rember to his car is a M6 not a auto, so its gonna be harder on the rear end regarless.

Sean

 

I would do a cam and rear end or spray and rear end, and I say this because I've seen what happens to a 10 bolt at near stock power levels w/ an M6 and sticky tires. A buddy of mine drove his car 240 miles made 2 passes and blew out the rear end, had to wait 6 hours for someone with a trailer to pick him up it was not fun

 

i will stick with what is said before, either do all of the performance and don't run sticky tires or drag radials or do just a cam and rear end. If you want to feel the power from what you spent your money on that would be the better way than just rear end and suspension. I have found that it is not that fun when you spend a bunch of money and don't full any differance.

 

I voted for option 2. I believe it's better to build it from the ground up...

 

I was going to order it from umi, but i saw they were specific to the rear end you have, and since i plan on the car getting a 9 inch, i didn't want to have to buy 2. I was told it will work but they wont warranty it, if its on the wrong rear end... Im not sure about that though