Need help upgrading please help!!
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 14
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Need help upgrading please help!! Hey.
I have a 93 Z/28, and this is my first muscle car. The engine and trans run very strong(although i i have a small trans fluid leak, FROM A LINE, NOT THE TRANS ITSELF) the car has 97,xxx original miles on it. this is my daily driver for now, but i plan on making it just a summer car. I am about to start school at a automotive school and we can use our own cars throughout the course of school. so we basically would be taking the entire car apart and putting it back together. I have the time,tools, and money and i want to upgrade the car completely, So my question to you all is what mods would you recommend. IM NOT TRYNA TURN IT INTO A RACE CAR, just upgrade all major parts; engine, trans, suspension, exhaust, brakes, etc. i would like to what what exactly should i buy to install on the car, PLEASE BE EXACT AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN SINCE I AM FAIRLY NEW TO THIS AND WOULD NOT UNDERSTAND CAMARO SLANGS AND ABBREVIATIONS LOL. but this is the schedule that we will be working on, ANY ADVICE IS GREATLY APPRECIATED
1.gasoline engines
2.fuel systems
3.electrical systems
4.engine performance
5.auto brake systems
6.auto steering,suspension
7.transmission,drive lines
8.automatic transmissions
like i said any info would be greatly appreciated, i would like to upgrade each of the components, not with the most expensive, but the best performance parts. feel free to comment THANKS
ALSO PICS AVAILABLE IN MY GARAGE!!!!
I have a 93 Z/28, and this is my first muscle car. The engine and trans run very strong(although i i have a small trans fluid leak, FROM A LINE, NOT THE TRANS ITSELF) the car has 97,xxx original miles on it. this is my daily driver for now, but i plan on making it just a summer car. I am about to start school at a automotive school and we can use our own cars throughout the course of school. so we basically would be taking the entire car apart and putting it back together. I have the time,tools, and money and i want to upgrade the car completely, So my question to you all is what mods would you recommend. IM NOT TRYNA TURN IT INTO A RACE CAR, just upgrade all major parts; engine, trans, suspension, exhaust, brakes, etc. i would like to what what exactly should i buy to install on the car, PLEASE BE EXACT AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN SINCE I AM FAIRLY NEW TO THIS AND WOULD NOT UNDERSTAND CAMARO SLANGS AND ABBREVIATIONS LOL. but this is the schedule that we will be working on, ANY ADVICE IS GREATLY APPRECIATED
1.gasoline engines
2.fuel systems
3.electrical systems
4.engine performance
5.auto brake systems
6.auto steering,suspension
7.transmission,drive lines
8.automatic transmissions
like i said any info would be greatly appreciated, i would like to upgrade each of the components, not with the most expensive, but the best performance parts. feel free to comment THANKS
ALSO PICS AVAILABLE IN MY GARAGE!!!!
1. take the engine out and rebuild it using forged 355 kit. Figure out how you want to run it. Blown, sprayed, or N/A (no power boosters). This will give you an idea of what size piston you need to run. Buy a set of worked heads. you choose what head.
2. Upgrade the fuel system with a better fuel pump or stock replacement.
3. Upgrade your sound system or do a msd box
4.install headers, and exhaust or what ever you can get away with. (local and state laws)
5.upgrade to the ls1 brakes in the front.
6.upgrade the rear suspension with control arm relocate brackets. tons of other stuff to do back there as well
7. upgrade to a 12 bolt or 9inch rear, or change the universals at the least. if you a manual change the clutch.
8. If your an automatic, add a stall and go through the trans and install something like a monster in a box. search that and you should find it. also add a trans cooler to the colling system.
lot of money there but it is worth it and you might be able to get your teacher to call some of the companies that make these parts and see if they will give you a deal on the cost of the parts.
2. Upgrade the fuel system with a better fuel pump or stock replacement.
3. Upgrade your sound system or do a msd box
4.install headers, and exhaust or what ever you can get away with. (local and state laws)
5.upgrade to the ls1 brakes in the front.
6.upgrade the rear suspension with control arm relocate brackets. tons of other stuff to do back there as well
7. upgrade to a 12 bolt or 9inch rear, or change the universals at the least. if you a manual change the clutch.
8. If your an automatic, add a stall and go through the trans and install something like a monster in a box. search that and you should find it. also add a trans cooler to the colling system.
lot of money there but it is worth it and you might be able to get your teacher to call some of the companies that make these parts and see if they will give you a deal on the cost of the parts.
I would skip the LS1 brake upgrade. If you have the money the C5 Corvette brake conversion is better. Typical cost is about $800.00
Consider changing the engine controls to the 94-97 type. They '93 does not have Mass Air and is harder to tune because the PCM uses a chip rather than flash memory.
Consider changing the engine controls to the 94-97 type. They '93 does not have Mass Air and is harder to tune because the PCM uses a chip rather than flash memory.
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Cylinder head choice is a very complex question that's easy to get wrong, unless you take time to understand their inter-operability with other components, and your overall goals. Flow, port velocity, rocker ratio, if/how much to mill them, matching them to a cam that makes best use of them for your application, their relation to the piston height/ relief in concert with head gasket thickness as it relates to compression ratio... unfortunately it's not a simple choice of what's good or best, it's what's right for your setup. Plan your build and build your plan. You'll answer this question on your own after you read, read, read. 
Find out what head/cam combinations are right for your goals. Some setups do well with nitrous, turbo, etc. and some don't.
Start with a couple of good reads:
1) StealthFormula's Cam selection & valve train guide:
https://ls1tech.com/forums/lt1-lt4-m...ion-guide.html
2) Search & read up on intake/exhaust runners' shapes and volumes, combustion chamber shape/size (and what increasing/decreasing it does), valve size selection, 5-angle valve job and seatwork, etc.
Cylinder heads are going to be one of the potentially most expensive decisions you make, so figure it out before you buy. Popular choices are found with: Lloyd Elliot Portworks, Advanced induction, Airflow Research, plus lots of local guys here and there that do very good work with improving stock heads.
Welcome to the forum...
Find out what head/cam combinations are right for your goals. Some setups do well with nitrous, turbo, etc. and some don't.Start with a couple of good reads:
1) StealthFormula's Cam selection & valve train guide:
https://ls1tech.com/forums/lt1-lt4-m...ion-guide.html
2) Search & read up on intake/exhaust runners' shapes and volumes, combustion chamber shape/size (and what increasing/decreasing it does), valve size selection, 5-angle valve job and seatwork, etc.
Cylinder heads are going to be one of the potentially most expensive decisions you make, so figure it out before you buy. Popular choices are found with: Lloyd Elliot Portworks, Advanced induction, Airflow Research, plus lots of local guys here and there that do very good work with improving stock heads.
Welcome to the forum...
trickflow 21* heads! if you have the time & money to wait on them send them off to llyod elliot or advanced induction to get ported and have a custom cam spec'd.
on the rest of your list, thats allot to accomplish at once. how much money are you looking to spend? that will help us making a list, cause we could easily rack up a verrry expensive list
on the rest of your list, thats allot to accomplish at once. how much money are you looking to spend? that will help us making a list, cause we could easily rack up a verrry expensive list
Most people around here run advanced induction or Llyod elliot heads. Both port stock castings and sell matched custom cams to go along with the heads. AI has a CNC setup and LE does everything by hand.
I would figure out how big your budget is and spend the most you possibly can on the heads.
Next you have to plan for a goal. How fast do you want to go?
The faster you go the more your going to need as fas as suspension parts, rear end, stronger trans. The stock rear and trans with have gone 11's, even high 10's. Theres nothing saying that you wont break anything but most have gone that fast and have been okay.
If your going to build the bottom end you need pick out how many cubes?
A 355 should do the trick but a 383 will provide much more torque. But i would only build the motor according to the heads you end up with.
Anyways give more info on what you want from the car?
I would figure out how big your budget is and spend the most you possibly can on the heads.
Next you have to plan for a goal. How fast do you want to go?
The faster you go the more your going to need as fas as suspension parts, rear end, stronger trans. The stock rear and trans with have gone 11's, even high 10's. Theres nothing saying that you wont break anything but most have gone that fast and have been okay.
If your going to build the bottom end you need pick out how many cubes?
A 355 should do the trick but a 383 will provide much more torque. But i would only build the motor according to the heads you end up with.
Anyways give more info on what you want from the car?
As with everyone else I'll give a personal opinion......mostly since I have a similar car (93Z A4, with 94K on it).
First start with the exhaust...since you're in IL and don't have to worry about emmisions on the 93's I'd go with a set of Long Tube headers and Y-pipe to start. A reasonable cat-back to go with it (from what I've seen, everyone has a personal choice). Do the free mods if you'd like, but definitely delete the AIR and EGR as they aren't going to hurt anything. From there it depends on how much you want to spend. Personally I've toyed with the thought of doing a head and cam swap or just building my 408.....I'll probably end up doing the head swap first as I have no patience. I'm going to assume you're either going to UTI or Lincoln Tech.....from the course schedule it sounds like UTI....I'll tell you from experience, you won't get to do much to your car in the time they allow for shop time. I'd take what you learn and go home and do it in your garage/driveway/apartment complex parking lot....which ever applies. You will if you so choose be able to pull your rear-end out and rebuild it if you want when it comes to driveline classes (manual trans I believe)....personally I'd wait until you blow it up. Stick N/A for now as it's you're first experience with a V8. You can look power adder after you've gotten to know your car and are able to handle what the engine puts out by itself....Never jump into a big HP without knowing what you're getting into...it only leads to broken hearts and broken dreams....trust me I know. How fast you go will be determined by how large you're budget is and how fast you can afford to spend money. Personally I feel a lot of guys here are like Lemmings......it seems like everyone follows the same plan for HP, which is fine since they're following proven combos, but hot rodding hasn't gotten where it is today by everyone doing the same thing. If you are going to UTI and they still have the flow bench in hot rod U, get with one of the instructors (they actually do know what they're doing), and have them help you port a spare set of heads and go from there. Not only will it save you money, but it will give you a personal connection with your car. I would definitely take things slow, otherwise you'll have a car that's torn apart and get overwhelmed by trying to rush to get it back together.
Sorry for the rant, I just would hate to see a first time rodder get in over their head...
Chris
First start with the exhaust...since you're in IL and don't have to worry about emmisions on the 93's I'd go with a set of Long Tube headers and Y-pipe to start. A reasonable cat-back to go with it (from what I've seen, everyone has a personal choice). Do the free mods if you'd like, but definitely delete the AIR and EGR as they aren't going to hurt anything. From there it depends on how much you want to spend. Personally I've toyed with the thought of doing a head and cam swap or just building my 408.....I'll probably end up doing the head swap first as I have no patience. I'm going to assume you're either going to UTI or Lincoln Tech.....from the course schedule it sounds like UTI....I'll tell you from experience, you won't get to do much to your car in the time they allow for shop time. I'd take what you learn and go home and do it in your garage/driveway/apartment complex parking lot....which ever applies. You will if you so choose be able to pull your rear-end out and rebuild it if you want when it comes to driveline classes (manual trans I believe)....personally I'd wait until you blow it up. Stick N/A for now as it's you're first experience with a V8. You can look power adder after you've gotten to know your car and are able to handle what the engine puts out by itself....Never jump into a big HP without knowing what you're getting into...it only leads to broken hearts and broken dreams....trust me I know. How fast you go will be determined by how large you're budget is and how fast you can afford to spend money. Personally I feel a lot of guys here are like Lemmings......it seems like everyone follows the same plan for HP, which is fine since they're following proven combos, but hot rodding hasn't gotten where it is today by everyone doing the same thing. If you are going to UTI and they still have the flow bench in hot rod U, get with one of the instructors (they actually do know what they're doing), and have them help you port a spare set of heads and go from there. Not only will it save you money, but it will give you a personal connection with your car. I would definitely take things slow, otherwise you'll have a car that's torn apart and get overwhelmed by trying to rush to get it back together.
Sorry for the rant, I just would hate to see a first time rodder get in over their head...
Chris
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 14
Likes: 0
I will look into the trickflow heads thanks.
And my plan is to build a 383, but this is all new to me, im trying to learn exactly whats the diff between the heads and how to match them up with right cams, this is a great place to learn it. Im on here almost everyday reading up on the cars that the other guys post and what the steps they took to get there car to where it is now. but thanks for the info, AND ALSO PLEASE DONT THINK THAT YOUR WASTING YOUR TIME EVERY PIECE OF INFO THAT I RECIEVED IM TAKE IN IT, BIG OR SMALL. IM RESEARCHING EVERYTHING. THANKS!!
And my plan is to build a 383, but this is all new to me, im trying to learn exactly whats the diff between the heads and how to match them up with right cams, this is a great place to learn it. Im on here almost everyday reading up on the cars that the other guys post and what the steps they took to get there car to where it is now. but thanks for the info, AND ALSO PLEASE DONT THINK THAT YOUR WASTING YOUR TIME EVERY PIECE OF INFO THAT I RECIEVED IM TAKE IN IT, BIG OR SMALL. IM RESEARCHING EVERYTHING. THANKS!!
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 14
Likes: 0
Actually im am going to LT. and im am no big rush at all, i want to start on the car as soon as possible and but i want it to be a project while im in school like you said, taking what i learned and doing it on my own time. and everyone keeps asking me whats my budget, and as of now i want to stay close to or around 12k to invest in the car. of course i dont have 12k in cash now to just throw at the car but thats my goal. i will have a budget of around 1500 a month for the next 15 months to invest in this car. I have decided to go with the full hooker exhaust, header, y-pipe,and cat back. So my problem is i really dont know the steps to take like after the exhaust whats, follows?? i dont wanna be all over the place, so if you could help me out with the steps you chose to take with you LT1??? oh and rant as much as you want, please i encourage it... THANKS!!
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 14
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