Ok, I think I'm going to go ahead and give in to my obsession of running an 11 cam only... I was toying with the idea of adding a wet kit because that would easily push me deep into the 11s, but what can I say, I'm a glutton for punishment.

So, the mods I think I'll go with are:

1" Spohn rear sway bar: This will help plant the launch a little better and straighter. I'm still running the stocker, and this is the last piece of the suspension I haven't replaced.

4.30 gears: According to gear calculators, I'm crossing the traps around 6000 rpms with my current 4.11s, and my peak hp according to my dyno hits at 6250 rpms. 4.30s will put me right at 6300 in the traps, which is where I'd like to be...

78mm LSX intake manifold: This cam could really use more air in the upper rpms... this will probably only add 5 rwhp or so over my LS6 manifold, but what I'm looking at is how much longer it'll extend both peak hp & torque... I'm thinking it'll extend things a couple hundred rpms and peak power won't die out as fast. Peak numbers don't mean squat to me, I just want the usable hp in the upper rpms to be as flat as can be.

Besides, I've wanted one for when I put some heads on this car... so it takes care of one more thing I wanted when I step up to some bigger power mods.

How's my thinking? Good? Not bad? Incredibly faulty and asinine? Any other suggestions on how I should spend my mod money?

 

well that sounds good for now. but when u get the lsx if u want to sell the ls6 let me know.

 

I think "giving in to the obsession" was a foregone conclusion. If you hadn't already given in you had me fooled This is just justification for your madness. That said...

Get on with it !

 

I'm thinking some AFR 225s would be better!

But that should get you there. I mean you're one good pass from an 11 now. Those mods should make it an "every pass could be in the 11s car". While some of us low-lifes will have to settle for the once a month (if at all) 11 sec timeslip.

 

That sounds like a good plan to me jason, you also might want to look into some qa1 shocks and springs, will help alot with the 60ft's

 

Yes they will...good call Jason. Eliminate the rear-end squat & let the front-end fly up.

 

Yeah, shocks and springs are probably next on the list as well... Since I've already spent $500+ on the Bilsteins and Eibachs just about a year and a half ago, I've been putting off replacing them.

The other item I'll probably be getting is some front skinnies (Convo Pros, cheap and I don't have to grind the bejeezus out of the calipers)... I'd get them now except I can't afford to replace the rears with Convo Pros at the same time. And I really want to avoid running front skinnies paired with those OEM Firebird rims my ET Streets are currently mounted on. I'm not much one for looks, but I think front Convo Pros and rear Firebird twisties would look like ***... looks weird enough with them on there with my front 17" SS wheels.

 

I don't think you should go with the 4:30s. By both lowering the gearing, and adding the LSx you're going to be trapping higher, which is going to push you into a higher RPM band, and may need to shift again. (I guess I don't know your max RPM, but its something to consider) Of course, you could go with 4.56s and get taller tires

 

Hey jason, if you really want next time at the strip you could bolt up my fronts and see what it would do for you times. with the front welds you just run a spacer. no grinding at all.

 

Hey that would be cool... I'd like to see if it will give me another 1-2 mph and maybe another .1-.2 ET wise. From what I've seen, reducing that front rolling resistance really helps.

 

yes it does, i just have metric radials on the front, but will be getting ds2's soon. I would also start looking at weight reduction jason. Have you tried pulling your front sway bar yet, or back seats and passenger seat when racing? also the bumper supports make for nice reduction. I could put you on my diet and get that thing down to where i am at 3340 with my 220# *** in it.

 

Well, I don't think I need to go too extreme on the weight reduction... but I could use to shed some pounds off the car. I could do without the rear seats, without the windshield washer reservoir & jets, and I could probably look at ditching the front sway bar while at the track... I don't think I like the idea of driving around without on the street.

I should meet up with you sometime and you can go over the car with me and help me ditch some stuff I don't need.

 

Do yourself a favor and buy a 402 short block. Evertybody builds the topend first, but you'll end up breaking something eventually. Houses are built Foundation first... Unless you're Ellis, they rolled his in.

Ryan

 

we could do that jason, i will be at the strip sunday if the weather is nice, or mybee saturday at hooters if anyone is still going. But i woud be happy to help you rip some **** out

 

I actually only live about 10 miles or so northwest from the track... if you do end up going down to race, maybe you could drop by my place afterwards. I got some Lowenbrau and Guiness sitting here waiting for someone to drink it...

 

What can I say it is true.......it is also ONE of two things I owe money on.....PERIOD : hehehe

Ryan makes a good damn point. I may have the fastest LT1 record but the motor started going soon after. Bottom end could not take the heat. 500HP on stock rings was a little to much

Ryan IS talking from experiance here. I was there the day he spun a Stock rod bearing on the Dyno. Sure people do this stuff and get away with it. Then again most of them do not drive there cars half as Hard as we do. I have been Side by side with Ryan(him pulling me) from 60 to WAY over the limit and slow down and do it again, and again..... Ask anyone who knows me I push to the limits and then some. I came off the Boeing freeway bridge one night at over 150 passing a Supra who thought he was bad....and cooked my rotors blue making the next exit! This was after a heated F-Body chase for the past 20 miles Strange things always seemed to happen on the way to Don B's house

I have also seen Thiese guys make over 20 pass's in a singal weekend! Ask Ryan how many back to back N2O Dyno runn's he made testing the NX MAF kit before he cooked a new transmission? Yeah it's True The testing for that kit was done in tacoma on Ryan's car!

The BEST advice I can give is "IF you are going to play be ready to pay...and pay and pay some more!" I sank $12 in to a blown motor one year..... The block is still in the garage! Every since that year I have been 100% cash and carry. I am always up to swap my labor for what I need I am always up to help people do the same! I REFUSE to put it on Credit.

My car is now paid for and soon Steph's will be to. IF I pound the wall at the track due to a breakage or loose a motor I can park it and wall away. Everyone who wants to play this game need's to ask them self's if you can do the same.

4.30s are a fair gear for what you want. THis is not a hit but truth. Lower power cars like more gear. I would not go more then a 4.30 gear if you plan on more power. Are you running a CXE cam? That would explain the low Peak on a stock motor. The cam we just put in Stephs car in much smaller but pulls clean and hard to the 6,500 limit. Those agressive ramps alway look good on a dyno but do not always pay you back at the track. I had this same cam in my car and when I went to a bigger(by 10* both lobes) CXE cam my car slowed down. the damn thing nosed over like it was dead at 6,200 or so. Just food for thought.

That is probably to much for advise but it all helps

As far as parts. I have a set of Front Convos with Metrics I am not using. They clear LS1 brakes(that I have) perfectly. I am planning on going to Pro Star 2.0s. I am also looking for a LS6 intake

JUST to be clear I am not beating on ANYONE here. Just offering Hard earned advise


Good luck man!

 

That kind of advise is the kind of thing I'm looking for, Ellis... so no worries.

My cam's a Lunati grind, which is actually a much less aggressive lobe than a Comp XE-R... in fact, it's more on par with the older XE lobes. I never thought of the peak on this cam as being low... I figured 6250 rpms is on the high side for peak. The power actually is very flat from 6k-6.7k where the dyno was ended... but I'd like to see that number go up about 5-10rwhp and stay that flat...

This cam loves the higher rpms, so I'm trying to feed as much intake into it as I can since it is already crutched toward the exhaust... I don't know if that makes any sense since I'm still pretty new to all this.

Heads will be a big help with this cam, but I'm trying to max this puppy out before digging into stuff like heads and nitrous... and I think once I do decide to go for the juice, I'll go with a 28" tire so the 4.30s aren't a hinderance.

I totally know what you're saying about the possibility of a blown engine... that's one of my biggest fears in this whole game. But I think we all pretty much have to swallow that and say its an exceptable risk... if I couldn't except that, then I would pretty much stop right where I am.

 

I'd pass on the 78mm LSX and step right up to the 90mm.

 

a guy i know lost 12 rwhp with a 78mm lsx over a ls6. only good thing about the 78mm lsx is you can buy the 90mm top piece when you realize your mistake.

 

I dunno, IMO the 90 is over-kill for a stock cube motor. 1300 cfm?! I think the 78 will do just fine on any 346. The only real gains that people have posted with the 90s are on big-*** stroker motors. I gained ~15rwhp going from my LS1 intake to the LSX, and it was all above 4500rpm where Jason is aiming for. And that was with the stock cam.