Graduation gift, making plans, lots of questions
08-29-2004, 06:16 PM
#1
Graduation gift, making plans, lots of questions I have been looking into a cam for sometime now and i was wondering how badley it will hurt my fuel ecconomy. I was origionally going to go with a 224/230 but i think i am going to go even bigger than that and just 'screw' emissions. I do have to pass emissions once every 2 years, but you can get a waiver if you spend over $600 in emission related parts and labor, or you can even just pay someone off. Anyway just wondeirng what kind of loss i will be seeing.
Right now i have a A4 with 2.73 but when i get the cam in i will also put in 3.23 gears, and a good set of ported heads. From what i have seen on ebay for about 1,000 i can get a good set of ported heads with springs rockers and all. A cam will run me about $200, and i figure about $150 for gaskets and such. Also at the same time i plan on installing longtube headers and a 3" true dual X-pipe setup.
This will be a ways away though, probably January or so. With Christmas and graduation my parents and i should be able to afford it. My parents want to get me a 'nice' graduation gift. Most parents get their kids cars but i've already paid for mine in full without their help so i figure why not upgrade. Will i notice any power gains and will i need to upgrade my injectors? The PO said he put in a Holley fuel pump. Does holley even make a pump for our cars?
Lets say a budget of $3,500 and this car will be my daily driver. Car has 62k on it and i get 22/27mpg
Also i plan on going to UTI so i can pass off alot of this as 'educational experience' to further woo my parents .
Thanks for the help guys
Shawn
Right now i have a A4 with 2.73 but when i get the cam in i will also put in 3.23 gears, and a good set of ported heads. From what i have seen on ebay for about 1,000 i can get a good set of ported heads with springs rockers and all. A cam will run me about $200, and i figure about $150 for gaskets and such. Also at the same time i plan on installing longtube headers and a 3" true dual X-pipe setup.
This will be a ways away though, probably January or so. With Christmas and graduation my parents and i should be able to afford it. My parents want to get me a 'nice' graduation gift. Most parents get their kids cars but i've already paid for mine in full without their help so i figure why not upgrade. Will i notice any power gains and will i need to upgrade my injectors? The PO said he put in a Holley fuel pump. Does holley even make a pump for our cars?
Lets say a budget of $3,500 and this car will be my daily driver. Car has 62k on it and i get 22/27mpg
Also i plan on going to UTI so i can pass off alot of this as 'educational experience' to further woo my parents .
Thanks for the help guys
Shawn
Last edited by Shawn MacAnanny; 08-29-2004 at 06:25 PM.
08-30-2004, 12:31 AM
#2
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Join Date: May 2004
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Let's see 3500 to spend on an A4 car.....
1. 3000+ stall with tranny cooler and shift kit
2. 3.42s or 3.23 gears
3. LT's and TD setup
4. Heads/Cam setup from sponser+ valvesprings and gaskets
That should put you at or over ur budget. I think holley does make a fuel pump for our cars. Check their website to be sure. Oh yes don't forget a tune for ur computer. A PCMFORLESS mail order tune is probably in order. Check out the sticky post above for free mods u can do for virtually no money. Also you can port your throttle body yourself and your intake to match it for a lil more HP.
1. 3000+ stall with tranny cooler and shift kit
2. 3.42s or 3.23 gears
3. LT's and TD setup
4. Heads/Cam setup from sponser+ valvesprings and gaskets
That should put you at or over ur budget. I think holley does make a fuel pump for our cars. Check their website to be sure. Oh yes don't forget a tune for ur computer. A PCMFORLESS mail order tune is probably in order. Check out the sticky post above for free mods u can do for virtually no money. Also you can port your throttle body yourself and your intake to match it for a lil more HP.
08-30-2004, 03:35 AM
#3
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Join Date: Aug 2004
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$3500 hmmmmmmmmmmm
Gears I would go with 3.73's with an auto....I bumped up from 3.23's and wouldn't go back. I don't remember how much it was for the gears and install but I seem to remember it being in the neighborhood of $300.
Torque converter.....stall really depends on the cam you plan on so you might want to get a good idea on the cam you're going with first. But you should also try to match your cam to your flow #'s. Don't want a top end cam when you're getting great flow mid-lift and running out up high. If I remember right my 3200 Midwest was around $450 which was during a deal they were having.
Headers....depends on if you want shorties, mid or LT's. Jet Hot or Hooker LT's are around $600.
Heads and intake....ported stockers can be anywhere from $1K on up. Lloyd Elliot does great work and has packages that include (I believe) heads, intake, springs, matched cam. You let him know if you want more low, mid, high or what "stage" porting.....full port package is around $1700 but you might want to get with him. Hey looky what I found....go to post #4 and there's a breakdown of packages and costs. Looks like he includes vavle jobs and valves in them as well. http://web.camaross.com/forums/showt...=lloyd+package
Now that's almost $3K there and we haven't gotten into the cost of a true dual setup nor have the little things been factored in such as. Head, intake, timing and header gasket sets. Lifters, pushrods or timing chain and electric water pump (might as well while it's all apart...better safe than sorry). Oil, filters, antifreeze, head and header bolts and the really small stuff like fuel line disconnect tools, RTV, anti-seize, scraper, plugs, wires, blah blah blah ad infinitum.
You'll save some money installing the gears and converter yourself but you'll save a TON doing the heads and cam.
Oh and I wouldn't suggest getting a set of heads off of Ebay....just a little too risky for something as important as port work.
Honestly $3500 isn't enough for everything you want to do. Get the basics first, headers and full exhaust, torque converter and cooler, gears and see what you have left over. Remember you're also going to need some suspension work and tires to hook. But after that eventually kiss your rear goodbye and with well over 400 ft/lbs you can say goodbye to that 4L60E sooner or later as well. Went through all of that last year....a few 1.7 60's even with an auto kissed the rear and the tranny went shortly after that even with a cooler. Some folks rear last longer with better 60's but mine wasn't one of them.
Gears I would go with 3.73's with an auto....I bumped up from 3.23's and wouldn't go back. I don't remember how much it was for the gears and install but I seem to remember it being in the neighborhood of $300.
Torque converter.....stall really depends on the cam you plan on so you might want to get a good idea on the cam you're going with first. But you should also try to match your cam to your flow #'s. Don't want a top end cam when you're getting great flow mid-lift and running out up high. If I remember right my 3200 Midwest was around $450 which was during a deal they were having.
Headers....depends on if you want shorties, mid or LT's. Jet Hot or Hooker LT's are around $600.
Heads and intake....ported stockers can be anywhere from $1K on up. Lloyd Elliot does great work and has packages that include (I believe) heads, intake, springs, matched cam. You let him know if you want more low, mid, high or what "stage" porting.....full port package is around $1700 but you might want to get with him. Hey looky what I found....go to post #4 and there's a breakdown of packages and costs. Looks like he includes vavle jobs and valves in them as well. http://web.camaross.com/forums/showt...=lloyd+package
Now that's almost $3K there and we haven't gotten into the cost of a true dual setup nor have the little things been factored in such as. Head, intake, timing and header gasket sets. Lifters, pushrods or timing chain and electric water pump (might as well while it's all apart...better safe than sorry). Oil, filters, antifreeze, head and header bolts and the really small stuff like fuel line disconnect tools, RTV, anti-seize, scraper, plugs, wires, blah blah blah ad infinitum.
You'll save some money installing the gears and converter yourself but you'll save a TON doing the heads and cam.
Oh and I wouldn't suggest getting a set of heads off of Ebay....just a little too risky for something as important as port work.
Honestly $3500 isn't enough for everything you want to do. Get the basics first, headers and full exhaust, torque converter and cooler, gears and see what you have left over. Remember you're also going to need some suspension work and tires to hook. But after that eventually kiss your rear goodbye and with well over 400 ft/lbs you can say goodbye to that 4L60E sooner or later as well. Went through all of that last year....a few 1.7 60's even with an auto kissed the rear and the tranny went shortly after that even with a cooler. Some folks rear last longer with better 60's but mine wasn't one of them.
08-30-2004, 08:05 AM
#4
Well i have 3.23 rear end gears waitingto be installed. I got them for $33 shipped. My rear end makes alot of sqeaking noise when turning so i got them just incase it goes out. I'm sure it's just the LSD working, but ya never know.
So if i get this $1100 set will that give me a noticeable increase in performace? I see a difference of about 40hp from that set and the most expensive set and i figure with $600 i can get 40hp some other way. My ultimate goal is to run mid 11's in this car and still get as close to 20mpg as possible. If i can pass emmissions that is great.
So if i get this $1100 set will that give me a noticeable increase in performace? I see a difference of about 40hp from that set and the most expensive set and i figure with $600 i can get 40hp some other way. My ultimate goal is to run mid 11's in this car and still get as close to 20mpg as possible. If i can pass emmissions that is great.
