Basic upgrades for a stock LS2?
Basic upgrades for a stock LS2? Hey everyone! 
we'll start this off by me telling you that I'm a 17 year old guy who's worked on cars before, but never a modern engine. I've rebuilt a '54 Chevy inline-six motor out of I think a 210 Sedan so I have some basic experience but nothing regarding performance building.
I'll be picking up a 2006 M6 GTO soon (just after the beginning of 2015), and I'll be building this car into my road missile. Of course I'll keep my daily driver which is currently a stock '08 Chevy Malibu with the 3.5L V6 in it which is a dog- hence my desire to build a car to go fast in.
After I buy whatever Goat I can get, I'll have around 3K left for any sort of upgrades. I want to start with external upgrades like an intake and exhaust. Ideally I'd like to get a set of long tube headers, but I've got no idea where to start. The purpose behind me doing these external upgrades is to support the air flow necessary for a high performance cam, and maybe down the line a blower with like 8-ish PSI of boost.
Any ideas or advice is welcome
Thanks!
we'll start this off by me telling you that I'm a 17 year old guy who's worked on cars before, but never a modern engine. I've rebuilt a '54 Chevy inline-six motor out of I think a 210 Sedan so I have some basic experience but nothing regarding performance building.I'll be picking up a 2006 M6 GTO soon (just after the beginning of 2015), and I'll be building this car into my road missile. Of course I'll keep my daily driver which is currently a stock '08 Chevy Malibu with the 3.5L V6 in it which is a dog- hence my desire to build a car to go fast in.
After I buy whatever Goat I can get, I'll have around 3K left for any sort of upgrades. I want to start with external upgrades like an intake and exhaust. Ideally I'd like to get a set of long tube headers, but I've got no idea where to start. The purpose behind me doing these external upgrades is to support the air flow necessary for a high performance cam, and maybe down the line a blower with like 8-ish PSI of boost.
Any ideas or advice is welcome
Thanks!
Teching In
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
For three grand Id do an intake, headers, and cam designed for a blower since you want a supercharger down the road. Rick Crawford and Pat Guerra (google them) both can get you a cam and a tune that will fit your needs. If you can install yourself or with buddies you should be able to to all of those well under three grand.
If it was my money id do the above and out the rest into the suspension - new shocks and struts, poly bushings, beefier sway bars, caster washers, etc.
Another option instead of the suspension mods is to have someone build up transmission and get a stronger clutch, just depends on what you want from the car.
If it was my money id do the above and out the rest into the suspension - new shocks and struts, poly bushings, beefier sway bars, caster washers, etc.
Another option instead of the suspension mods is to have someone build up transmission and get a stronger clutch, just depends on what you want from the car.
Last edited by 1313; Dec 19, 2014 at 08:18 PM.
TECH Fanatic
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 1,166
Likes: 0
As a guy that works for a performance shop and owns an 06 GTO Im going to say you need to assess whatever condition your car is in before you go throwing power at it. The reason I say this is because the GTOs are so prone to having suspension, driveline, and cooling components fail prematurely. The last thing you want to do is throw a bunch of power at a car with weak links in it, because then youll have a broke car with tons of fun stuff on it and no budget left to fix the broken items. Build the car to support your future horsepower goals and keep it on the road.
