Well I'm a LS1 newb but not a small block chevy newb. I'm older than dirt and back before forums and the internet, you drove to the main street speed shop and ordered stuff to make your car go fast. I drove chevy because it was cheaper, you could rebuild 327 and 350 motors almost completely from a junkyard The bearings/rings/gasket sets were cheap. Mustangs and Ford motors were more expensive, it was just economics. I ran a plain maroon 69 impala "La Bamba" for years, it was a sleeper and would go real fast between stoplights. I had a brief relationship with a 67 Camaro RS, just long enough to rebuild a it's 327 and sell it for twice what I paid for it. My first real mod car where I actually bought a few new and trick parts for was a used and abused 73 Camaro. It was nothing special, engine was focked and it was a NE car so it was a rust bucket and light primer grey became it's normal color from pretty much when I bought it. I was making money painting cars at the time but that one wouldn't make me any money so it was always kinda a rat. Too bad because the lack of a giant bumper across the front was cool and it deserved better piant, oh well it ran strong after I got done with it and it didn't matter it looked like crap. Crane bump stick, used Holley 750 which I rebuilt, Edelbrock intake I traded some wheels for, holley fuel pump, long tubes, 2 1/2 straight pipes with Glass packs, Accel ignition, Tach, huge rear meats I needed to roll the fenders to clear and still it would hack hunks of the tire off. I was struggling with a business that was killing me and was easy to sell when I went back to school, oh well. I had sharper looking cars and trucks, but that one I was the most fun to drive.

Move the clock ahead 25 years, Dec 04 I wanted a muscle car again, no more Camaro's, my hair wasn't grey enough for a Vette so I looked at an LS1 Holden GTO. Very nice ride, almost too comfortable and cheap, but then I drove a new Terminator. For 31K, there was little choice in my mind if I wanted a new car, you can read all about my 04 at my web site. This year I have spent the whole year to date working on it so it is NHRA 10 sec legal. Last year I made 120 passes, this year 0. Last year I was dissapointed to find out I couldn't run in the Street Car NHRA class, I was too fast for the 12 sec index. I did get hooked on power adder racing, in non-electric Pro class for points, but my Cobra is not really a street car anymore and needed many changes to make it ready to campaign on Sundays. Kirkey's, Bogarts, skinnies, A/C delete all the expensive SFI saftey mods, kill switch, battery relo, solid 9" Ford ready to swap in and a racing clutch that has zero slip have kinda left me without a street cruzer. Before I could even start looking for a GT or a fast Fox, I had a nice car find me.

My hunting buddies 20 something son called me to find out if I wanted to buy his 99 SS. Just married, kid on thet way, he needed money, so I bought a F-Body with 19K miles and no mods but a cat back. Never raced, summer only car and I couldn't be happier, finally something throaty to prowl around the streets in and I hope someone shoots me before I radically change this sweet car. N/A 5.7 that can handle heat, the A/C pumping and not start pulling timing. A T-56 similar to my cobra's, maybe I can set them up to shift same, that would be cool.

Nicely badged clean Red SS with just about every option under the sun, not sure if it could get much better. I have a WRX for a DD, works real good in the snow, but nothing I want to roll into a cruise-in with. You can eat off the SS's engine compartment, so it becomes the weekend cruizer when it doesn't rain.

I want to have some fun and run it at street nights, so I'm going to get a set of DR's, swap 4.10 or 4.30 gears in it, Auburn Hi Bias posi and maybe do a custom tune for it with HP tuners software to do what I did for my Terminator with SCT single user tuning sofware, no mailorder, I tuned it myself on a Dyno. I've been told that I would waste my money on tuning, well I wouldn't want to do that so time to go to school. I want to keep it 100% stock appearing for now, it doesn't have the rule the world, just run some high 12's and look good doing it. I will be towing it to the track on the trailer I just bought this year for the Cobra, with my 90 Chebbie W/T with a SuperLift 6" kit, 35" tires and 1/4 million miles on it. You see to me Chevy - Ford, both are about equal and will get the nod if they do the job. So if I have to pick sides, forget it, as long as it isn't a Mopar (just kidding!).

I have a bunch of questions so I need to get real busy with the search button and figure out shiftpoints for a LS1, what clutch I should be ready to swap in when I toast the stocker. Not sure if an upgraded driveshaft is worth it, If I need a punkin brace for the 10 bolt, stuff like that. I'm sure everthing I need to know is here somewhere, now to find it!

Real Name: Stu

 

All I can say is welcome to the team.

 

Welcome, and it is a long post!

 

amen, I warned you and thought I might save a few questions about the sig, just don't know when I can combine the two cars into one sig, so...

 

Welcome to the site.

 

Just a warning but 4.10's or higher and drag radials are not the best option on the SS if you want to keep the original rearend intact.

 

Yup, DR's and 4.10s on the stock 10 Bolt = Kaboom with a good launch

 

Stock apprearing is what I'm shooting for, I will swap in the upgraded 10 bolt girdle, better balanced driveshaft, Eaton or Auburn Posi unit when I swap gears or what ever I need to handle DR's, I'm not putting slicks on it so I don't have to harden everything to the point where it can handle a dead hook but anytime you play at trhe track you should make some attempt to allow it to survive. I'm willing to do that, so what should a do first and what would be the complete wish list if I stick with the 10 bolt for now?

I also will have a trailer with a winch.

 

Honestly to make the 10 bolt last your gonna need to slip that clutch out of the hole.

 

On another note a guy i know had a 600rwhp car running 10's and he launched hard on DR's with the 10bolt. Somehow it never broke, but i wouldn't be willing to take that kind of a risk myself.

 

Don't need for the SS to run in the 10's, (yet) all I'm gunna do is HP tuners and maybe headers, I'm a sucker for PIA headers. 350 HP tops right, not 600? I just want to setup a 12 sec bracket stick racer I can practice lights in once a week and drive around town in afterwards.

Don't think I have to worry about axles, if I swap to a quality posi right, less chance of hop & pop, right? I will add a girdle, when I stick in 4.10's, that is easy enough, why not, what about that driveshaft?

I have a car for insane 2-step launches, in this one I was looking for a consistent 4K straight launch, short shift at 6000 and just take what it will give me until I get a chance to datalog and select a better clutch. Plenty of motor but I am worried about the drive train. Do you guys swap over to a LIberty 26 tooth input shaft on the T-56 to make it similar to the Viper, I wouldn't hesitate from doing that if there are some decent clutch selections.

 

Welcome, start searching the forums, and get yourself a MTI Carbon Fiber Lid first, with the K&N Filter.

 

Nice first post, I think you will fit right in over here! All of the LS1 racers are here, try asking more of those tech questions in the various tech forums for best results.

The stock 10-bolt rearend is weak, and no amount of fortifying it will help any. We would consider that 'polishing a turd' so to speak. Any money spent on the 10-bolt should go into the 12-bolt rearend fund instead.

12s are easy though. A set of drag radials, decent clutch that won't overheat, and bolt-ons will get you into the low 12s with an easy launch. These stockers don't enjoy any sort of clutch dumps, or the rearend goes kaboom. Learn to slip the clutch out at 3K-4K with drag radials, that will get you 1.7s 1.8s on a decent track. Gears do help, but also make the rearend weaker since the pinion size reduces.

For now, I'd recommend:

Drag radials
aftermarket shifter (Pro 5.0 is my favorite)
tubular Lower Control Arms
longtube headers, offroad Y-pipe
airbox lid

That should get you low 12s in 'okay' weather. Slap a camshaft in there and go 11s.

 

I would seriously consider what Tony (Nine Ball) has said, but go ahead and put a cam in the car. Something on the smaller duration side though. From a 224/224 @ .050 to near 228 range and run in a 12.0 index class.

We know once you do that, you will be back looking for more.

 

the car came with the MTI lid and Flowmaster cat back. I am going to resist H/C changes for now and see what is lurking in the tune to grab. I tuned my cobra with SCT, it seems HP tuners is the way to go with GM, so I'm going to learn the HP tuners software so future mods won't require me to depend on tuner updates. It may not be the most cost effective but I already have two guys willing to share the upfront costs of the Tuning software so they can get me to tune their car/truck, so it won't be that bad.

I am looking at this stupid "Y" pipe, what a deal that is? I guess I am going to get the TSP "X" and mate that to Jet-hots or something that fits the TSP "X" and then fab up true dual exhaust, two muffs and hopefully not turn downs, but I'll reserve judgement until I can peek under the car and see how much room there is.

The NHRA Street class allows cars to run a dial down to 12.0, so anywhere in the 12's is just fine.

Wow, well if the 10 bolt is that bad, then maybe it won't last long but for now I think I am going to try 4.10's, they will trap at the right RPM and brace it with a TA cover like this:

but I'll save my Eaton posi money for the real deal 12 bolt, just the kinda of info I was looking for, thank you very much.

 

Uh oh. The Flowmaster crapback needs to go! For some reason, the Flowmaster catback for the LS1 makes less HP than stock.

True Dual exhaust with mandrel bends will add a very substantial amount of HP over the Flowmaster. And here is a strange coincidence, for mufflers, I would suggest 1 chamber flowmasters. I'm not much of True dual fan, and even I think they sound amazing.

Welcome.

 

Flowmaster for the LS1 shows no performance gain. Usually shows a loss over stock. I know, I fell for that back in '98 when I put one on my brand new Formula.

A good single 3" system with a cutout will give as much performance as any exhaust system. Plus, less weight than a dual system. Single 3" systems are just fine for up to around 425 rwhp. Then they show a little restriction.

 

ya gotta have room to grow, don't want cutouts, just an "X" pipe, might have to have parts of it made custom, oh well not the first time.

first thing I'm gunna do before anything is dyno it so I know what made what. drive the car around a bit the way it is and then I'll know what to do, it will come to me. The wide oval tips would look good and the stereo reverb from some sort of dual setup, piped all the way to the back would be interesting.

Jet cotes mate up with the TSP X, that would save some work and money but StainlessWorks would probably sell me their X mated to their SS headers for less than kooks or QTP's. They don't have it listed online but I'll show'm some pics and it's done. I got time to figure things out, still pumped to pick it up next week.