Need more power... but how?

[midnight]

Wazup guys, I need some help from some of you with power behing their f-body. I have a 99 firebird with a smoothed out lid, smooth bellow and magnaflow catback. its fast but... well you guys can relate. "Fater, i must go faster!" So, any ideas of what i can do? I want the exhaust to sound better also. will headers do that? does anyone have headers on a fairly stock motor? i only heard the headers with the cam and... no money for cam yet so. HELP!!!! Let me know what to do. i am a V8 guy who never had a six and HATE nippers! (4 cylinders) So i need you guys to help me out here!! please

Will

[RancidCamaro]

WTF? A nipper? Never heard that one before.

Anyway, my car is the same year as yours and you can see my mods in the sig. Mine is LOUD but I think it sounds awesome UNLESS I GO PAST 3500 RPM. Then it's just goin' nuts. You hardly go past 3500 driving everyday anyway.

However, it's all personal preference. My car drones like a mofo and I like it. Other people hate drone. It sounds real throaty down in the lower RPMs, though, and that's where you'll be spending most of your time driving anyway.

[hockeyman]

Only way to make it go as fast as your prior V8's is to spend $$ on it. N20, S-Charger, Cam, Headers, CatBack, Intake, (etc) will cost lot'sa dough, no other way of putting it...sorry.
If you want the best bang-for-your buck, start with a good intake, then headers, then cam it. Yes, it will cost quite a bit of money, but it will satisfy your power craving (for a little bit).

[grayman]

finish off your intake by cutting out the bottom of air box. leave 1/4" material around edges, leave the center section for rigidity/strength of airbox. And/or get aftermarket cold air intake.

If you have a 2.5" catback consider hiflow cat...if you have 3" exhaust then you already changed the cat.

Headers are cool, we all know that.

Check out exhaust forum. you may be interested in adding a dynomax bullet in the mid pipe if RASP is gettin you down. (deepens overall tone, reduces rasp) Does not inhibit performance.

Valvetrain = money. That is where you will get the most power though. You may end up with a whole new list of things if you change cam as well...springs, lifters,pushrods, while your in their double roller timing chain, TUNING, maybe bigger fuel pump or injectors (depending on how radical your cam is...)

I think you have the LOG style manifolds...if so...kill those things. If you have tubular manifolds...then it is not as important to change to headers. trust me on that one. you can leave tubular manifolds on and still get great benifits out of other mods. :cool:

If you want a big beefy bolt on transformation of your powerplant...S/C. [img]graemlins/rock.gif[/img]

oh, um...ricer...not N*****. The latter is and could be seen as deragatory, inflamatory and just sorta redneck rude. They are both kinda slams...but...maybe you get the point.

Goodluck with the ride. G

[midnight]

Ok, so... s/c. What do i have to do to bolt it on? do i have to change anything like rods, heads, anything like that? and the grand prix gtp is a 3.8 but supercharged, wont that one bolt right on or is it the same mods as say a vortech would be? and.. i know i wont get the power as my 8's, b/c i aint spending that much $ so let me know bout that s/c and if i need the headers or not. i will check out my manifolds tomarrow in the daylight and tell you if they are tubular or not. thanx

[98Camaro3.8]

Why do people recommend such big mods to the newbies?

You've got a 99 so you don't have tubular manifolds.

As always, finish off your intake and exhaust first. Then get into some drivetrain and suspension.

[hockeyman]

Originally posted by 98Camaro3.8:
Why do people recommend such big mods to the newbies?

Because if you don't give them what they want to hear, they will keep asking... :D

[navyblue2000]

if you're such a V8 guy, how about this solution??

"the only replacement for displacement is replacement displacement".

otherwise, let's see...
smoothed out lid won't do much, it still doesn't flow for crap.
smooth bellow? do you have the silencer on still or not? no bellow is going to be smooth with the difference in openeings from the lid to the silencer/throttle body...

OF COURSE headers will help with performance/sound. does a V8 sound better with them? You're doing the same thing, trying to help a motor breathe better. Doesn't matter HOW many cylinders it has...
you have money for headers but not cam? they usually cost around the same. and one offers MUCH better game.

Oh, and I gotta 4 banger that would have a little fun with your 6 ;)

[ February 28, 2005, 06:12 AM: Message edited by: navyblue2000 ]

[grayman]

I wasn't intending to recommend S/C to a new member or somebody just getting interested in L36 performance. That is why I gave the [img]graemlins/rock.gif[/img] symbol. midnight, I was just funnin with you concerning the S/C comment. I just finished up mine about a month ago so I am still all goofy about it. The price of a S/C is not exactly an introductory sort of mod.

Yea, thanks 98camaro3.8, I keep forgeting when the tubular manifolds start. doh!

Both headers and especialy cam swap are advanced mods as far as mechanical skill. more so for the cam but putting headers on our cars is not to be taken lightly. There are plenty of posts/threads in the appropriate forums for all things talked about so far in this thread.

I guess just research as much as you can and develop a goal. then set a plan. Its not good to do a mod and then change it because it is not appropriate for the next mod.

If you have the time, money and skill (and tools, and jackstands and floor jacks and stufF) then good headers will be a cool thing indeed. Keep in mind that you may have other issues when you swap to headers...emissions, spark plug wires, to name a few.

(I know you are not a kid...from the 'v8 guy' comment, sorry if I am telling you things you already know. I think I am just getting sorta used to new people being young and stuff, not trying to be rude.)

Check out my site. Basic guides and mods and some advanced things as well. Most of it I learned here. This forum rocks.

[midnight]

ok, so im getting my car payed off pretty soon. do you guys think it would be a mistake to sell it and get a ws6 trans-am? it will probly end up costing about the same $$? and i didnt think u were rude. i have the lid smoothed and the silencer removed with the stock exhaust size with just the magnaflow muffler.

[FlamespikeMST1]

why doesnt anyone say gears?
its not power but it will let you accelerate a hell of alot faster.
3.73 if auto
4.11 stick
soon there after some tuning, get rid of that speed limiter and let the pros handle the rest of the tuning tweaks

[grayman]

Originally posted by FlamespikeMST1:
why doesnt anyone say gears?
its not power but it will let you accelerate a hell of alot faster.
3.73 if auto
4.11 stick
soon there after some tuning, get rid of that speed limiter and let the pros handle the rest of the tuning tweaks

good point.
that stuff if not in his sig nor his bio. I am tired of asking people and telling them things theydont need to know if they already had 3.42 gears, for instance.

good point though. the 3.42 on my ride helps finish off everything else. it gives meaning to the word LAUNCH.