Jason E

Thanks for the continued replies, as well as the various PMs. I appreciate people taking time to help me learn what I need to know.

With respect to the car, a few photos....







Yes, its clean. Its pretty much near perfect, actually, even with 73k on the odometer. This is why I have fought for so long the idea of cutting into it. I do not see this as a cheap LT1 car to use and abuse. I have owned this car for 12 years. I drove it to my college graduation. I drove it to my grad school graduation. I drove it to the National Corvette Museum in 2003 and 2005 for the F Body Gatherings, a 2,500 mile round trip each time. Hell, I drove it on my wedding day in 2008 (my best friend and best man, owner of a 2000 TA, drove it from the church to the reception so that I could be in the limo and we could still have pics of my wife and I with the car).

Used parts are not something I am interested in. I want what is best, and I am willing to pay for it. If $5,000 is unreasonable, than anyone that has info as to what is reasonable is welcome to let me know. I do not have the time/tools/patience to do this myself. I am willing to pay more simply to have a reputable shop do the work, vs. a fly-by-night operation. For LTs, I am looking at Kooks or SWs...nothing less.

If the budget should be $7,000 for parts and labor, tell me. I will not scrimp on this car, but I don't want to pay for things I don't need. Selling the car is not an option, either, for the obvious reasons I already stated. I have been dirt-floor poor at times during ownership, and always managed to hold onto it. I paid almost $15,000 for it in 2001, and to me it was worth every penny for the 11.5 years and 33k miles I've owned and enjoyed it.

Without a doubt, buying the aforementioned TA for $9,500 is a steal. I can see why he won't sell it for less...its worth every penny, and then some. It would be cheaper for me to sell this one, and buy that one. Bang for the buck isn't as important here as building my family heriloom the right way. I have 2 garage queens already...this one I want to do right, and have fun with for decades to come. If that means spending an extra few thousand over what I thought?

So be it...

Jason E

Mike,

Thanks for throwing that idea out there...I will send you a PM as I get closer to getting ready to pull the trigger. I have a 2500 Ram, and could rent a trailer and tow it somewhere after the engine work is done to have it tuned. If you have any advice on GOOD (note I didn't say CHEAP ) shops to do engine work, I sincerely appreciate it.

CamaroRacing12

iTrader: (5)

you could try contacting Don at Slowhawk Performance in Bridgewater. He dosen't work on LT1's anymore but he might be able to make an exception. He is by far the best in the northeast when it comes to working on f-bodies.

If not I would try to see if Mike V would do the work for you for a reasonable price.

Jason E

Just emailed Slowhawk...we'll see what they say. Regardless, if I can give a forum member business first, I'd prefer to go that route...so Mike, if you're interested in more than tuning, lemme know Your car tends to lend credibility that you know what the hell is going on

CamaroRacing12

iTrader: (5)

Don is also a member here as well and a forum sponsor. But I would recommend Mike V. Don dosen't like working on LTX's and Mike is da man!

Jason E

Thanks for posting that...I plan to look through that thread as well. If I decide I want to tear into this car less, because of its unmolested state currently, that may be an option to look at as well...

Like I said, I'm not having a bolt turned on this until March, roughly. I have plenty of time to plan.

Jason E

Will do!

whiteheartbeat

iTrader: (4)

Sharp car man! I'm thinking to get a h/c package done also and trying to find a shop that's able to do it that i can actually trust. My 95 has 50k on it and debating if i should have that type of work done or not! Maybe you could let me know if you come across a good shop, I'm 45 min from Hartford!! Thanks

FAD2BLK93

I personally would leave the car the way it is...its obviously worth more to u and (if) u ever had to sell it. But if u dont want some bargains used i would double your budget 10k. Things snowball and add up quick!

CamaroRacing12

iTrader: (5)

I'd leave her stock and buy another one to mod

Jason E

Got an email back from Slowhawk...no go

With all the F bodies, Y bodies and B bodies with an LTx stuffed in them, I am finding it a little surprising they are such a bastard child, especially with how fast some of you guys are going...but I digress. I will push on...

With respect to buying another car to build, I thought about it. I have a 4 car garage, with 3 F bodies and a truck in it. Yes, the truck could go back outside (I had 3 third gens and the Z inside at one point)...but my truck was actually my most expensive vehicle, and it gets limited use as I have a demo through work. I really don't want it sitting outside 24/7. I plan to buy a lift for the garage around Christmas, and thought about putting my Wrangler inside as well. So yeah, I could make space for another car...

But by the time I buy a decent LS1 car ($10k), and spend $3-4k modding that to make it as fast as this one can be, I've tied up close to $15k in another F body. I already own 3 It just doesn't make sense....

I don't see where it will cost only $5k, now that I'm into it. I cannot see it costing $10k, either. You figure...

1) AI 200cc = $3,100 shipped, roughly
2) SW LTs with cats (don't want the gas smell) = $1,500
3) Core heads and intake = $400??
4) Tune = $300-400??
5) Extra PCM for tune = $100

So, I'm at $5,500 plus labor. If indeed labor is 15 hours, at an average of, what, $100/hr? I'm at $7,000. Granted, that is zero rear end work, or even ET streets. But now I have a freshly-minted 400+ RWHP car to tear the streets up with, and can add a rear end and tires when needed.

Yes, its a clean car. No, this is not the cheapest way to do it. But I think it may be the best way, and the end result will be a clean car that can can proudly be in a car show or at the track. And for me, its like a piece of my own history.

Yeah, this is more money than I first thought. But, I honestly did not expect to be able to build this car up to be effectively 450 at the crank, either. I can only imagine what this thing will be like on the street. I've driven a 6 speed 5th gen, and the only thing I liked about it over mine was that it seemed ridiculously fast to me.

And this will be faster? Sweet...

bufmatmuslepants

iTrader: (3)

You don't need an extra PCM, if you decide to go back to stock you could just reflash this one. Do not pay more than $200 for stock heads and intake. Also add injectors to that list, $150 used or $300 new. Give Mild to Wild a call, they are in orange, ct and do some good work, my buddy worked there for a few years. A heads/cam swap on these cars is the same as on any sbc, it's the tuning that is an issue, but mike already volunteered for that. I'll try to see if my buddy Ox still has a hookup at Mild to Wild

Jason E

Thank you! Lemme know what you find out!

So, what exactly is the consensus here? Do I need fuel work or not? Some say yes, but it seems more of you are saying no. I have no issue adding injectors to the list if its deemed necessary...I don't really want to replace the pump, though...

z_speedfreak

iTrader: (3)

if going to AI 200's I would def get injectors, also its a very good idea to get a better pump as allot of old stockers cant keep up w/ the added fuel demand you'll have which will rob power and only show up in a dyno and can also possibly cause lean situations. if you do the pump, clean car or not make an access panel, you can do a quality job and cut up a road sign to match the hole and tack weld and rtv or rivet, hinged..we/e floats your boat. other wise if not doing labor yourself and go the "proper" route its gonna be a $400+ job droppin the axle and tank.

Bersaglieri

iTrader: (13)

I watch people get taken all the time on modded vehicles they can't fix themselves. Gotta find someone you trust to work on it. I know probably 2 people I'd trust to work on my car/truck and they are very close friends.

Someone please explain to me why he needs to spend that much money on a head porting and cam package to reach his goals.

-Dustin-

Jason E

^^I'd like to know that too...

With respect to someone working on it after the initial install and tune, I have a good friend that is a GM Master Tech who modifies his own stuff for fun. He may be willing to do the install for me...haven't been able to talk to him about it yet. I simply want a backup plan in the event he doesn't have the time. I know he doesn't have the space to work on it on the side for me...I would have to do it through his work, which I supposed is another option I should consider.

With respect to my true goals at this point, to be clear...

1) 375-400 RWHP
2) Highway MPG as close to 25 MPG as I can get (car currently gets 26-27 highway...I would like to hopefully still get around 24, if possible...)
3) A smooth, reliable combination. Something that won't run hot, suffer from cam surge, etc.
4) Something that will be in the mid-upper 12s still utilizing my 3.42 10 bolt for the moment, on street tires so that the 10 bolt can live for a little while
5) Something that would be low-mid 12s with proper gears, rear end and tires

This may be asking too much...but based on what I have seen on this forum, I think its possible. The only variable I don't know much about is what a combo like this will actually drive like, and what long-term reliability will be like.

But every time I walk through the garage now, I stare at the car and think about what it will be like with a genuine 450hp motor under the hood...and I love that thought

bufmatmuslepants

iTrader: (3)

I do not think you need the 200cc heads to meet ypur goals. It saves you almost $3000 if you leave them out, but heres what i would do:

With the ai 226/234, 0.026" head gaskets, and if you are feeling froggy break out a dremel and an Eastwood cylinder head porting kit and do a little cleanup work around the valve seals and clean up the ports a little. Should easily give you 370-390 depending on how much you do with the dremel. Then add heads later if you NEED that extra 30-40 hp. This is my basic plan for winter, minus the $400 ai grind and more likely a used or $249 off the shelf comp 230/236 or something.

Jason E

^^I'm glad you posted that link about the cam-only AI swap. I read through that yesterday. I am considering that option as well. The reason I continue to lean toward the 200cc option is because if I am going to go through the labor to take the heads off anyway, it doesn't seem like a bad idea to just go forward with swapping them anyway. 30-40 RWHP is nothing to sniff at.

At the same point, money is money and maybe there is an option I could do on my own with my stock heads. I still have more research to do...but at least I am getting closer...

bufmatmuslepants

iTrader: (3)

Thats why I mentioned trying a little port work yourself. You already are going to pick up another set of castings, why not pick up the Harbor Freight Die Grinder as well, and the Eastwood Cylinder Head Porting Kit, plus some carbide bits. There are a TON of pictures of ported heads on the internet, showing the spots where material can be easily removed without ******* up too much. If you take too much out here, and not enough here, you can lose HP, but if you just stick to the basics, you can get another 30-40CFM out of a set of heads and add 15-30hp. No, they wont look as pretty or get all of the potential out like a set of LE or AI heads will, but you save a shitton of money, and get to say "yea I did that myself". You can do the heads before you start the build, on a wednesday night when you would otherwise be watching TV, and when you drop the car off at the shop to get the cam put in, have them put in YOUR heads instead of the $2100 set from AI.

With regarding injectors and fuel pump, if you do JUST the cam, you can get away with the stock injectors. If you add good heads, you will get past that point of "yea you need more fuel". A fuel pump swap is easy IFF (if and only if) you cut the trap door. And yes, you should just CUT THE TRAP DOOR. Your carpet covers it, nobody will EVER know.

CamaroRacing12

iTrader: (5)

there is a reason why AI charges so much $$ for their ported heads. It is because they are professionals. I wouldn't recommend attempting to port heads yourself. Could screw up your whole build. I know a guy with a 396 and a monster cam with home ported heads who just runs 11.9's. I wouldn't do it if i were you.

just my .02 cents