Z28 upgrades, Low budget college student

[1/4milerunnerZ28]

I already have a Magnaflow system minus the headers, 3.73 gears, diablo programed, E85 flex fuel, K&N intake. The car is a 2002 Z28 with stock parts other than those mentioned. I was interested in a cam, due to the power increase and it makes the vehicle shake. Open to any and all opinions you might have. Limited money available, so bang for the buck with the most power gains for a daily driver. thanks alot.

[0rion]

if it's an auto which I'm guessing it is due to the gear selection a stall should be on your list. Best bang for the buck for an auto. If it's a stick I'd work on getting headers. If you plan on doing a cam you'll want headers anyhow.

[1/4milerunnerZ28]

yeah its a A4, and ive been reading and looking at tons of other comments on headers and found that pacesetter would be a good choice for someone looking for performance to get the job done without spending a fortune. Were could i get a good stall and how much does a resionable one cost. If i wanted to get a cam also i would want one that would have a great sound and everything plus give me tons of power and high prm band right? Getting all three will be something im looking at doing, but i want to make sure i do it right the first time. Thanks alot for the reply.

[andrew rs]

Headers are an almost neccecary for a cam. you wont get near the potential of the cam with out opening up the exhaust.

[ls1blackbeauty98]

i agree with what was said above, a stall is a great mod for an auto car and headers should definitely be on the list especially if ure looking to get a cam. that engine is gonna need to breathe

on a side note, i know ure looking to not spend so much $$$ but if u cant do the work urself ure gonna end up spending some cash, so look into what you really want done and then go from there if u are going to need a shop to install. Also a reminder with the headers figure out whether or not you are gonna wanna stay legal with the catted Y or not with an ORY. so dont forget the Y pipe! alotta people get their headers and dont realize they need a y pipe as well. The headers are something u could try to do yourself but the stall and the cam id leave to a shop.

[1/4milerunnerZ28]

i have a friend with a lift who races modifides on a dirt track who could help me with basic installs. I was looking on ebay and saw a pacesetter header ypipe package for around 450. would that be a good deal to purchase, and could that be done with the resourses i have available. How much would i expect to gain from headers ypipe and a cam. What does a good performing cam cost, same with a stall converter $$$. Some guy is selling a cam. Custom, numbers on the cam are 3714R 3716R HR 13 Specs....... 222/226 .566/.570 on a 113 lsa
Is that enough or would i want more.

[1/4milerunnerZ28]

some guy was mentioning a G5x3 cam, would that be what im looking for. i want a good shake and good power, plus good rpm ranger. Good all around cam for dailing dring though.

[180ls1]

ls6 cam and springs will cost you no more then 200 and should give you at least 20 horsepower.

[1/4milerunnerZ28]

i was looking at magic stick cams and they will produce around 40-80 hp for around 400. would that be a way to go. i can spend around 1500 total on a cam, stall, and headers. any suggestions on what would be the most power and shake for the price.

[THEBRAD]

obviously ur new to ls1s so.... first buy headers and a y pipe going to cost u the least and ull gain good hp and tq. secondly before u buy a cam, especially a big one like u THINK u want, ur going to need headers and a stall convereter. and lastly ur cam selections are a little off for a no money college student which im guessing daily drives this car and probably would like to save some gas. with a large duration cam not only 1, r u making it hard on ur motor to rev that high, although the 01-02 do have better rod bolts, they r still week and wont last long reving to 7000 rpms everyday, secondly with the e85 ur running now ur already close to maximum duty cycle of ur stock injectors so ull need new ones plus a new fuel pump. and lastly bigger isnt always better, ESPECIALLY ON A DAILY DRIVEN STREET CAR. buy a texas speed 228r or something similar and ull have one hell of a mean running daily driver.

[1/4milerunnerZ28]

I guess i want something that produces the most power for the price. Ive been reading that people can achieve around 380-410 hp from a cam only. I have only put maybe 1,000 mile on since all my upgrades. I just really want it to sound like a clasic muscle car with a crap load of HP, with the sound and shake. Gas mileage isnt that big of a deal as long as i get around 15 or so. I can afford to spend money if its worth it, but if i could save it in places by buying something less expensive but equall in performance that would be better. I dont care if the products have expensive names, as long as the product performs just the same.

I was looking at a stall on ebay, there are 3000-3500 , does that sound right? If so what would i need to get if i had a cam, headers, exhaust, gears, chip, and whatever else. I dont know how much power that would equal or what kind of stall would be needed for my HP.

[1/4milerunnerZ28]

I was wondering if a 2800-3200 stall or a 3200-3600 would work better for my car with 3.73 gears and a potential cam with headers and y pipe

[0rion]

check out the sponsors section and go to fuddle's site. There's a ton of stall info on that site and John is a cool guy who will answer any stall related question you throw at him. I've been running my fuddle for a couple of years now and it's been great.
I wouldn't even look at anything less than a 3500 rpm stall and don't forget a tranny cooler. There is no mod better for an a4 car. .5 off your quarter for $450.

The best thing you can do is read as much as possible and get a game plan together before you buy anything. With a decent sized cam you're gonna need a stall, tranny cooler, headers, pushrods, valve springs, timing chain, and oil pump (which you can probably get away with not swapping the oil pump but if it's torn down that far it just makes sense to get a ported LS6 pump). While everythings apart you might as well and get an underdrive pulley too.

[Zedicous]

I'd go with the MAC headers over the paceshitter..
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/MAC-H...spagenameZWD1V

[0rion]

I'd go with the MAC headers over the paceshitter..
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/MAC-H...spagenameZWD1V

nothing wrong with pacesetter headers. I've ran mine for 3-4 years and they still look great and haven't had a single issue with them. I happen to like MAC's but no way would I take MAC's over a pacesetters.

[Zedicous]

nothing wrong with pacesetter headers. I've ran mine for 3-4 years and they still look great and haven't had a single issue with them. I happen to like MAC's but no way would I take MAC's over a pacesetters.

MAC is just a better product, plan and simple. Makes more power with a great fit. I wouldn't put anything by PS on any of my cars. Only brands i would use would be MAC, BBK, LG or Dynatech.

[1/4milerunnerZ28]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...2BSI%26otn%3D8


This product actually matches my 02 ls1, is this the same product you would recomend for mac.

[1/4milerunnerZ28]

If i went with pacesetter does it matter if they are cromed, plated, coated, or black. Do any perform better? I found some package deals on pacesetter on ebay, some were black and alot cheaper, is that because of the quality or the look. I dont really care. thanks.

[0rion]

The coating will help keep temps down and hold the rust at bay a little longer......get coated headers. Worth the extra scratch.

[THEBRAD]

im pretty sure macs dont make more power than pacesetters, but i could be wrong, ill wait for somebody to prove to me that i am. macs arent true long tubes like pacesetters