Family has made me change my perspective on an all around car. I need something that hauls *** and the family. This is why I have been eyeing impala ss. The problem is their crappy mid 15 sec et's.

I am sure that this has been asked a million times, but how do I get the pig going low 13's in street trim and naturally aspirated?

I was thinking stroker at first, but then realized I might be able to use forced induction.
Any ideas?

 

IMHO, the SS is a superb car. The 96 is my favorite year, and the most expensive. Good luck, you will like it after your mods.

 

The Impala is mechanically 99% the same as the Roadmaster or regular Caprice(with LT1 option) so do not limit yourself to an "Impala" unless you have to have the asthetics of that car as it was basically an appearance package on a Caprice, the VIN numbers are even the same it is simply SPID code WX# that makes a Caprice an Impala.

That said low 13s is easy with no need for shortblock work or boost/juice to get there.

My car has gone 11.95 with slight weight reduction with heads and cam, this is not normal results I did just set that record a week ago but if I can do that your low 13s is very easy to reach. Over the summer I tried full weight street trim + tools and slicks in the trunk and went traction limited 13.0 a number of times, on slicks she manages 12.9 in the worst hot humid weather we had this summer and it was a bad one.

It is not cheap though, headers and exhaust will be like $1K easily since all the quality headers for this car are hand built because there is not f-body volume in sales of speed parts. Figure $50-300 on CAI, $525-800 on a good stall, $110-2000 on shift kit or full tranny build, $700+ on posi and gears(8.5" axle is stout though). Have not even started on the motor but at this point $300 on rockers and springs would get you the low 13s if you can make it launch and the weather is good. To make a consistent full weight low 13 second car in your weather though you will need to look at heads and cam. Think you know who I will recommend there.
Oh I almost forgot pcm work at $100+

I know that sounds like a lot of money but start adding up what you spend modding any car and the number gets big in a hurry, we just don't realize it because we don't do it all at one time.

 

^ What he said. And depending on the mileage and care, those things can do alittle bit better than 15's stock. A friend of mine with a LT1 Caprice with unknown mileage ran a 14.9, spinning on bald 225 wide tires and, tapping the gas TRYING not to spin more and on a transmission that only had 2-3-4. All when he was stock. So, if you get a nice one w/ low mileage, you'll be pleasently surprised.

 

Start here: http://www.impalassforum.com/ probably the most information on the net about Impalas. You can also look here: http://dan.esteban.com/impalass/Retu...lass=5&Sort=ET
This is a great tool for getting an idea of what it takes to meet your goal. There is also tons of information on this site for some of the best heads and cam combos for the Lt1.

 

Good point on the ETs my wagon with a couple "free mods" and some slight 87 octane pcm work by me went 15.5 the one night I had it out and that was enough to beat a friend's '04 Impala SS with the 3.8L blower motor. The wagon is again very much the same car just with several hundred more pounds too it.

 

"Over the summer I tried full weight street trim + tools and slicks in the trunk and went traction limited 13.0 a number of times, on slicks she manages 12.9 in the worst hot humid weather we had this summer and it was a bad one." 96capricemgr, I assume you ran the 13.0 on street tires not drag radials. I installed a t56 and 4.10's in my 96 Impala this past spring and I am debating on building a 355 vs a 383. How does your car idle (hotcam,503 for example)? On the street, how usable is your torque band; not from a stop but on a roll? My car will hardly see any track time so I am curious how much the extra torque the stroker would benefit me on street tires (again not just from a stop). Also where do you shift? Btw, my car is a daily driver.

 

Now dwayne how can you say that. Those times are very easily reproducable, you just have to spend some time researching and some $$$ to do it right. Handyman has a very similiar setup to yours and I believe he goes just as fast doesnt he? Add a little winter air, and there you go

 

Much as Handyman wants to compare his apple to my orange it NEEDs to be pointed out he has a 355 reusing nothing but the block. Not to mention a lot of other stuff I lack, but yeah his best is .032 faster than mine.

Yes my times are very easy to achieve just need to do as you said research and buy the right parts not many folks have done so though.


Far as the 13.0s yes that was on normal street tires, well worn 255/50/ZR17 Bridgestone Potenza RE730s.

Far as my usable torque, with 3.73s and 27" tire she locksup at 54mph which is fine, I have the lockup set very aggressively, once locked it stays locked till I go deep in the throttle or slow well down into the 40s. On the rural 55mph roads I travel I do most passing(lots of old farmers) without making it unlock or kick down.
I might be able to get a friend who frequents this board to make some comments on the drivability, he hasn't driven it but did ride along the day she made her 11 second passes and that was a couple hour drive each way.

The idle is noticable, I can not give you a really good comparison to other cams though. Have not been around a lot of other cammed LT1s and of those I was around they were such underperformers I did not pay much attention to the car as a whole(several HOT cammed cars in that group). I need to get a good idle video because you are far from the first to ask and a video would mean far more than I could type.
On shift points 1-2 is commanded 6050 I believe with the others a little lower as is customary with the big 1-2 gear spread of the 4L60E, might sound high but the fast bolton b-bodies are playing with 5800 on the 1-2.

 

i will attest to how well 96capricemgr's car runs........i was there for his 11.xx passes.
the car was driven to the track(im guessing a 1.5-2 hour ride doing close to the speed limit)
the car idles very smooth (in my opinion) and seems to be a solid combo
KUDOS Dwayne

 

Hell I forgot you were here too, so guys there is another guy here who is the one who rode down with me. A few guys from the LS1 section here know the car too, at least the tailights .

 

I have a 96 Impala SS that I use as my daily driver. It has a dynomax catback and a cold air intake that I built myself. I've replaced the 27" tires with 275/40R17s on the stock rims. The car has gone 14.59 @95 at Etown with a crappy 2.10 60". Later that evening I was getting my 60's in the 2.0X range but I couldn't best my first run. I firmly believe that the car had a high 14.4X run in it that night if I could have hooked it on the first run before the DA went to ****.

Plans for my car include 3.73s, 1.6 roller rockers and new valve springs, installing the ATI 3000 converter and a set of tri Y headers. I'd like to get into the 13.50s with that set up.

The Impala is an awesome car. Very comfortable on trips and it moves pretty good. I wouldn't call it fast by any means, but that's what the Camaro is for. I love the way the car drives and looks.

 

with etown air you should come close to that time in the winter months like my friend does..