New to Ls1 Mods

[FroggyWS6]

Hello im new here, Scott is my name and sarcasim is my game according to my girlfriend...lol ...I am pretty new with the LS1 engine and i just wanted to know if anyone could advise me on how to get the most out of my money... I have a 2002 WS/6 Trans Am its a automatic.... i bought it 2 months ago and man does it beat the crap out of my 91GT ...Im in love with this car!!! I have around 1500$ to spend on a couple small upgrades..and wondered if anyone out there could point me in the right direction..im already doing the free mods, and plan to get a lid, k@n,&smooth bellows...but im unsure on what would give me the best bang for my buck... the car came with a flowmaster exhaust system on it but thats it.. Should i Get Headers and a Ls6 intake or ??? what brand is good ...i seen these pacesetter headers they were kinda cheap ...are they good enought to run or should i spend my money on a different kind? any suggestions would be highty appreciated...i hope this is where we are suppose to post these kind of questions if not sorry in advance...Scott

[0rion]

lid, stall, and drag radials.

[Hot Black Trans-Am]

You already have an LS6 intake.

[danziger]

lid, stall, and drag radials.

This is the best advice you will get...period. Although I would also vote to include a shift kit and tranny-cooler with the package...

[GottaHaveLS1]

All of the above is great.... I would recommend getting LT headers with an ory if you can pass emissions. If you can afford stainless, get that but i'm happy with my coated pacesetters. They're like half the price of stainless steele headers.

[FroggyWS6]

Thanks for the advice!!....i did not know i already had a LS6 intake i thought that was a vette intake?...will installing a stall change up the normal driving in town or will it just be mostly for takeoff? 3200 stall? or lower? what about gears ...is that a good item to change due to its an automatic or should i leave those alone?

[jimmybling31]

Thanks for the advice!!....i did not know i already had a LS6 intake i thought that was a vette intake?...will installing a stall change up the normal driving in town or will it just be mostly for takeoff? 3200 stall? or lower? what about gears ...is that a good item to change due to its an automatic or should i leave those alone?

stall is just the torque converter. i did a 2000 stall and saw a big change at the strip with driveability. whatever the stall is is where it will fully engage into gear. so a higher stall means harder to take off at red lights. i would go higher than a 2000 though. i wish i had a 2500 or 2800. it would be very nice for my lt1

[0rion]

I wouldn't get anything less than a 3500. I run a 3500 in mine and it's no big deal. Once you get up to speed the convertor locks up and drives like stock anyhow. It just takes a few more rpm's to get the car moving, it's not like you have to wind it out though, just a little more throttle than stock. .5 off your et for ~$500 depending on what brand you get. There is no better mod for an auto. Also, as danziger said, get a tranny cooler at a minimum.
What gears do you have now? I wouldn't put a dime into the stock rear, I'd save that money for other mods or for a 12 bolt down the road. The stock rear is a very weak link in the drivetrain.

[9T8W66]

All the stuff listed above are excellent mods but in reality we need to know if this will be a Daily Driver or Weekend Toy.
While I am not an expert on Stall Convertors cause I own an M6, I know that they can sometimes hurt low speed driveability, so this might be something to think about if the car is a DD. Although a gear change along with the stall can usually overcome this.
Your exhaust isn't the greatest, If you do a search you'll find that most people would not recomend a Flowmaster exhaust kit, mainly cause of the resrictive nature of the 80 series crossflow muffler. But if you like it thats all that matters.
Also don't waste your time or money on a smooth bellow or an aftermarket MAF, just get a Lid.

[FroggyWS6]

Thanks again ,,, the car is driven mainly on the weekends and out of town sometimes....as far as gears go they are stock and im very new to Trans Am so i cant give u any more info than that... is there a section here which will explain what upgrades the WS/6 came with from the factory? so i can at least know what my car is and has in it?

[FORD RECOVERY EXPERT]

ws6 in 01-02 came with exhaust, tall airbox, ls6 intake (all ls1 used this after 01 due to egr delete) wheels (17") ram air hood and a badge under the right taillight. i ran a 4000 stall in a 99 z28, no streetability probs at all... worked fine, strongly rec the b&m supercooler, stall are massive heat generators... my tranny temp gauge was like 180 t0 280 in seconds, but after take off the temp rapidly dropped.... lid, tune, straight duals off stock manifolds dumped under front seats, 3.23:1 rear, et street slicks (not dr's) th350 conv w 4000 stall, ran 7>30's in the 1/8 mile... btw see the bolt on sticky at the top of this forum

[98ls1blackbird]

After the lid, stall converter (don't get a cheap one), and DR's, get some 3.73 gears. They are worth about .3 to .4 also. Suspension mods are always good so you can get the hp to the ground. i.e. sub frame connectors, LCA and relocation brackets, and an adjustable torque arm. If you can do the work yourself, $1500.00 will go a long way. If not the first three is about all you are going to get. Good luck and have fun.

[0rion]

you can check what gears you currently have by the sticker inside the drivers door jam. GU2= 2.73's and GU5= 3.23's

[Hot Black Trans-Am]

Once you get a higher stall converter you wonder why they didn't put them in any higher from the factory.

Sounds like you have a good list to get started on. Good luck and happy modding!

[bamaz28]

You already have an LS6 intake.

+1

[FroggyWS6]

Thanks for all the great advise i really do appreciate it and will enjoy making these changes ....Scott