Ok, well I'm bored and I'm finally beginning to get my debt straightened out/get a second job so I can finally begin to take care of my neglected LT1, so you're getting a story and a list of plans. If anyone see's anything wrong or has a better suggestion for my "plans" please let me know.

Well, I bought my Formula in Feb 2004 as a total basket case. The car was bought for $5500, with a rebuilt motor with less than 2k on the clock at the time, and less than 100k on the body at the time, i thought it was a steal. It was the first and only car I looked at after selling my previous car, a 1990 Mustang 5.0 Coupe. I remember looking at it and not being to overwhelmed with the car, until I got to drive it. Man this thing was WORLDS faster than the old 5.0 I used to drive around, especially past 3000rpm. And that, was the start of a very strange relationship, one that has nearly turned me from bleeding ford blue, into a GM man.

I have to admit, when i first got the car, i thought it was amazingly fast. It did have its fair share of problems, some which still arent fixed yet. The first time to the racetrack was a very dissapointing outing. My first run was a 14.2 @ 98.xx. Not bad for never having driven the car in a race setting before i thought, so i kept at it. After 6 more runs, only on my last run did i beat my initial run, with a 14.179 @ 99.97mph. Something was obviously wrong I thought. Noticing that the car was running extremly rich, I decided that the cam needed to be properly tuned in the ECM. So off goes a paypal to Ion Solton of MadZ28.com fame for $180 for a new ECM and a tune for the cam programmed onto that ECM. Next outing to the track didnt fare any better, with nothing but a string of 14.2's and 14.1's. Then after talking with Ion, it was determined that I should get rid of the Granatelli MAF in favor of a stock GM peice. My buddy Mark lent me his ported stock MAF , and back to the track I went. This time, I'm happy to say i was fairly pleased with my times. All three runs of the night were within .019 of eachother, with the best being a 13.849 @ 102.68mph. While it is obvious that the car was running better, It still needed some work to get it running like I believe it should be (105mph traps). I bested my previous 13.84 a few weeks later when i returned to the track and nearly hit a 2.0 60' on 5 year old dry rotting 245/50/16 Eagle HP's, and i pulled a 13.6@ 102.4, along with a few 13.7's and a few 13.8's. I bought a stock MAF from a fellow on CamaroZ28.com for $30 and put it in the car and purchased a set of MSD wires (one of wich was soon to be cut nearly all the way through and wrapped an inch thick with MSD vulcanizing tape, I'm sure that didnt help the whole bad ignition thing) and took it back to the track. I was rewarded then with a couple of 13.5 second slips and near 104mph traps. My best run was a 13.525@103.91 with a 2.096 60' still on the dry rotted no traction Goodyears.

Well, soon after I decided that I needed a new car to drive around in, one with working AC and power options and not 17mpg highway. So I bought a 2005 SRT4 with 38 miles on the odo. It's served me well so far with nothing less than 20mpg city with me romping on it every chance I get, and 27mpg highway as the lowest highway outing, once again with me boosting when I could (what can I say, boost is addictive). Since I now have a daily driver and we are finally getting a garage built, the Formula will finally get the attention it deserves.

Plans are to basically completely revamp the car. After driving the SRT4 for a good month and a half straight and then having to drive the formula for a few days when the back window got busted out of the Neon, it became painfully obvious that the formula, well, it ran like complete dogshit. I have no idea how it ran the times it did, because it had a huge ignition problem, the clutch was pretty much gone, and it ran pig rich. So attention will be turned to the main problems first of the ignition, fuel, and clutch, and then the rest shall follow.

Ignition
-NGK TR55 plugs
-Elitesparkplugs.com 9mm HS OVC wires
-AC Delco Optispark (complete)
-MSD Blaster Coil
-MSD 6AL

Clutch
-either a SLP Stock Replacement or Spec Stage 2-3
-resurfaced flywheel
-new pilot bearing

Fuel System
-Racetronix 255lph fuel pump
-Delphi 30lb injectors

Interior
-97+ Center console
-New Headliner
-Corbeau A4 seats
-Grant steering wheel

Exhaust
-Hooker/Jet Hot or Pacesetter Headers
-Mufflex 4" Y pipe or 3" duals w/x pipe

Engine
-Ligenfelter CAI
-Ported heads (Ai? LE2?)
-Cam (GM847? CC306? Custom grind LE2/3?)
-383 stroker shortblock or forged 355 for Forced Induction

Rear end
-Moser 12 bolt
-4.10 gears

Suspension
-Hotchkis Sway Bars
-Bilstein Struts
-Eibach LS1 Prokit
-UMI SFCs
-UMI Relocation brackets
-Homemade Adjustable Panhard bar and LCAs
-Tubular front A-arms
-Tubular K-member

Brakes
-UMI Corvette front brake conversion
-Hawk HP+ Brake pads front and rear
-Slotted/drilled rotors (only for bling, car will likely never see road course anyway)

Wheels/tires
-17" Gunmetal ZR1's
-17/18" z06's
-Goodyear GSD3's

Exterior
-New Paint job (Gunmetal Gray or Black)
-ws6 Ram Air hood
-LS1 style Formula badges
-LT1 style taillights


Now keep in mind these are plans, and arent likely to actually take place in the near future, but as money flows in stuff will be bought. It should be fun. I'll update this thread as things are bought and installed.

 

 

Clean lookin car man, I remember the first time I raced a srt10 in my 95 z, boy was a suprized, especially since when I raced my brothers 05 wrx sti, I beat it by about 2 cars on the quarter, this srt wasn't stock i dont think, once i got to 3rd and had traction it was a dead lock, (he got the jump), we did another roll from 2nd(in my car with 4.10's) and acutally we both started pretty good, and I only beat him by about a car at 110 ish, thought it was as cool little car. Lt1s are real fun and torqy, I just baught a 98 firebird formula and I gotta say ls1's feel reall weird down low. Up high it pulls pretty good for stock everything basically. I dont think i'll ever loose my love for lt1's, my first decently quick car. 13.5's is real good for being stock, I got a 13.9 modded at 101, at a very bad track, (LACR in palmdale california, da was over 5500) never got the chance to take it to a good track before I sold it. Anyways good luck with the car!

 

thats a clean car dude..plans sound good..i plan to do the same here soon..got my daily on the way..a 94 grand prix..then im going to fix the **** that needs it on my car..

 

Yeah, unfortunately its not stock with those times. I had the mods in my sig (baby cam and exhaust mainly), as far as I know anyway. I'm hoping that just with a new clutch, ignition, and possibly a real tune or a new fuel system I can get it into the 12's on street tires once I get some wider tires.

 

only thing i'd change on your setup is instead of a Moser 12 bolt rear, replace it with a Ford 9". my dad one in the rear of his 97 SS and after a few months, BOOM!!!, blew it doing a controlled clutch dump at the strip. he put a 9" in after that and so far, it's practically indestructible. parts are cheap for them too. they weigh more, but not by much, plus, the extra weight keeps the rear tires planted on hard take offs. only problem is i don't know of anyone who builds them with ABS or TCS. just my $.02

 

How do you port an Maf? I just got my camaro like 3 weeks ago and I'm trying to do little things. I descreened the Maf. But, is there something that I can do better?

 

Honestly, porting the MAF isnt worth it at all. I picked up a solid 1mph and 1 tenth going from a ported MAF to a completely stock MAF, and the car ran much smoother with a stock screened MAF.

 

1mph and 1 tenth is actually not too bad at all. It really just depends how hard it is to port the maf. Every little bit helps. Personally, I thought it wouldn't even help that much. I bet a CAI doesn't even give you a 1 tenth gain. Anyway, how do you do it? Is there a link with the steps how to do it? Also, what do you mean your car ran better when it was screened and normal? I wouldn't think porting the Maf would make your everyday driving worse. Although, I could be wrong...

 

I wouldn't even touch the MAF.. you could make a pretty expensive mistake.

 

i'll trade my ported one for your stock one. porting it was a bad idea.

 

I think we have a misunderstanding, I ran a 13.5@104 with a stock MAF, with a screen and not ported. With my buddies ported stocker, and better weather, I could only muster a 13.6@102.5

I was faster with a stock MAF than with a ported MAF. And it runs better with a stocker. My recommendation, keep the stocker. And a guy i know picked up 18.7whp from just a K&N CAI. So take that how you will. I was also told by MadZ28 that I would gain another mph or two going with a CAI compared to the stock intake. So far, He's been DEAD ON with lwhat I've run, he told me I'd run 104mph traps with a stock MAF, and I'ld probably trap 105-106mph with a CAI. Of course, I think I'll be faster once I get my ignition system worked out, but I'm very happy with the tune and what he told me.

 

Plans sounds good. I'm hear to help you with whatever and you know that.

Scratch those springs and shocks and go with some HAL adjustables and prostars. You know how we gotta roll.