more power???

[wildmann_87]

I have a 99 z28 with SLP intake, granatelli z06 mass air flow sensor,8.5mm spark plug wires, pacesetter long tube headers, pacesetter ory Y-pipe, magnaflow catback exhaust, kyb 8 point adjustable shocks, SLP subframe connectors, lous short stick,k&n air filter z06 17" wheels, SLP sport suspension springs, O2 extension wires, O2 eliminators, CAGS! skip shift eliminator,V-Plus voltage Booster and bosch Platinum plugs. now having said that i didnt puts any of it in, it was all done by the previous owner. what can or yet should i do to make this a bigger badder car without having to drain my wallet cuz im a college student and dont have a ton of money???

any help or insight would be greatly appreciated!!!!

[c5z28]

Tell us how much money you have and we'll tell you what you can do.

[wildmann_87]

Tell us how much money you have and we'll tell you what you can do.

im 21, in college and work as a server at the local chilis resteraunt.... so basically not alot.

ide like to go fast and reliable if it takes time to build up the money i need for good quality then so be it!!!

[wildmann_87]

Tell us how much money you have and we'll tell you what you can do.

oh and p.s. im kind of a newbie so if you could dumb it down for me that would be great

[c5z28]

yep. An ls-6 manifold would net you about 10rwhp and set you back about $300. You will throw codes since the egr will be deleted but nothing crippling.

[wildmann_87]

not to worried about codes, thnx. anything else???

[c5z28]

Cam swap cheapest about $250 for a used cam, $170 for valve springs, $180 for oil pump, $50 for a timing chain, $80 for some used hardened pushrds, and 400 for a tune. Depending on the cam aywhere from 20hp-50hp(50 hp being rare). Oh and a lot of time installing this stuff yourself so you save $600 from someone else doing it for you. $600 is a set of stock ls-6 heads or some ported and milled stockers. Then you have to fork out $120 for head gaskets and spend $129 on lifters while you are in there.


let me know if I scared you or not?

[wildmann_87]

haha i did take some auto shop in high school so i can understand "most" of what ur saying.. scared... no but doin it myself would be a problem with my lack of time, skill or knowledge. i found a mechanic friend of mine willing to help me though so ill bug him for help as well as far as the install goes

[c5z28]

So that takes us back for how much power and how much money you got? Any particular power goals? installation of 4.10 gears, lower control arms of relocation brackets for traction.

[wildmann_87]

ide like to stick somewhere around 450-500hp, only because i heard after that the car becomes unreliable and constant money pit... is this true??

[c5z28]

N/A you are looking at 450 rwhp max. Unless you have nitrous or the money to put on a blower.
A nice set of heads are about $1000 used and the cam swap pricing has been laid out before you. All that is left is to decide what cam setupo is right for you. The majority will say the 228R, 228/232, but the challenge is to find something you like, my taste is a little out of the ordinary.

[67rsss]

Your easiest first swaps should be simple weekend putz things while you learn. I would seriously consider the LS6 intake swap, not hard ro expensive, and you can do it yourself very easily. Long term I would be planning a head/cam swap with your power goals, but also remembering that the 6 speed is pretty hard on u-joints and the wimpy rear. You will want to upgrade your oil-pump and timing chain during the cam swap, so plan on that. How is your clutch? May be another somwhat inexpensive area for you to work as well. Dropping the T56 isn't fun, but it is something you need to experience at some time or another. There are many little things that may not equal a ton of power, but increase your enjoyment anyway. A weekend detailing th engine compartment from top to bottom will definately get you better acquiented with your car, and can help you identify problems before they are problems. Another great area to spend a little time and money is your brake system. You don't have to go bonkers, but slight upgrades will help the car perform better and safer. Not sure that the voltage booster is doing anything for you. You may want to consider upgrading your torque arm, lowers and panhard as well. How are the bushings? Poly would tighten things up a bit. Fluid changes are a good thing to do as well. You should easily be able to do a cam swap for under $1500, with used heads you should fall in the $2500 to $3K range. Not to shabby, and you WILL notice the diference. Oh, if the car hasn't been tuned, get it tuned. Good luck!

[67rsss]

Just noticed you are in CA, how are you dealing with registering the car without cats? Codes will become a huge problem for you if you are not careful.

[Mr. Luos]

First off....replace that MAF with a stocker.
Then get either AutoLite AR103's or NGK TR55's for spark plugs instead of those Bosch piles.


Then look for an LS6 intake.

[wildmann_87]

Just noticed you are in CA, how are you dealing with registering the car without cats? Codes will become a huge problem for you if you are not careful.

i do have cats but i got some cat delete pipes made and put in there place so that when its time for registration it only takes like ten minutes to put the cats back on

[wildmann_87]

First off....replace that MAF with a stocker.
Then get either AutoLite AR103's or NGK TR55's for spark plugs instead of those Bosch piles.


Then look for an LS6 intake.

ya i read ur posts on the gmaf so ill replace it today since i have the original still... thnx

[wildmann_87]

Your easiest first swaps should be simple weekend putz things while you learn. I would seriously consider the LS6 intake swap, not hard ro expensive, and you can do it yourself very easily. Long term I would be planning a head/cam swap with your power goals, but also remembering that the 6 speed is pretty hard on u-joints and the wimpy rear. You will want to upgrade your oil-pump and timing chain during the cam swap, so plan on that. How is your clutch? May be another somwhat inexpensive area for you to work as well. Dropping the T56 isn't fun, but it is something you need to experience at some time or another. There are many little things that may not equal a ton of power, but increase your enjoyment anyway. A weekend detailing th engine compartment from top to bottom will definately get you better acquiented with your car, and can help you identify problems before they are problems. Another great area to spend a little time and money is your brake system. You don't have to go bonkers, but slight upgrades will help the car perform better and safer. Not sure that the voltage booster is doing anything for you. You may want to consider upgrading your torque arm, lowers and panhard as well. How are the bushings? Poly would tighten things up a bit. Fluid changes are a good thing to do as well. You should easily be able to do a cam swap for under $1500, with used heads you should fall in the $2500 to $3K range. Not to shabby, and you WILL notice the diference. Oh, if the car hasn't been tuned, get it tuned. Good luck!

any particulars on what kind of brake rotors like cross drilled or slotted or both. any brands that work particularly well???
and how about the material of the pads???

[wildmann_87]

N/A you are looking at 450 rwhp max. Unless you have nitrous or the money to put on a blower.
A nice set of heads are about $1000 used and the cam swap pricing has been laid out before you. All that is left is to decide what cam setupo is right for you. The majority will say the 228R, 228/232, but the challenge is to find something you like, my taste is a little out of the ordinary.

a lil to techy for me to understand quite yet. can wut exactly a cam setup is???
thnx

[karpetcm]

If your looking for more power id go with nitrous. Just get a nitrous kit, change out your plugs, get a bottle heater and get Frosts tune for nitrous and your done. Nitrous kits vary but you can find them for a good price. Otherwise get a LS6 intake, UD pulley and exhuast cut out and you should pick up atleast 15-20 rwhp with all those.

[wildmann_87]

If your looking for more power id go with nitrous. Just get a nitrous kit, change out your plugs, get a bottle heater and get Frosts tune for nitrous and your done. Nitrous kits vary but you can find them for a good price. Otherwise get a LS6 intake, UD pulley and exhuast cut out and you should pick up atleast 15-20 rwhp with all those.

ya im not really down to go nitro quite yet, maybe in the future though. thnx for the other info though