Questions about buying my first performance parts

[BlueBird_99]

Ok so I'm ready to begin upgrading my 99' Firebird (3800 V6) this summer after thinking about how I want to do it. But I need some help deciding what exactly to buy.

Now I know a lot about cars in terms of technical date and information (when I'm with my friends I can pick out any car on the road and tell them the make, model, year, and tons of info about the performance, etc). But I know nothing of the mechanical side of vehicles other than how to change a tire and my oil.

For starters, I need to know what kind of parts are compatible between the LS1 and 3800 engines b/c I'm looking to start with intake/exhaust. Since my car is a 3800 V6 I want to know what would work best for me and what kind of parts I can buy that will fit my car even though they may say they're for LS1's.

What I'm looking at currently is this kind of setup:

-Pacesetter Headers
-Fast Toys V6 RAM Air system
or
-SLP Cold Air Induction system
(could someone tell me which of those 2 is better?)
-Whisper Cold Air lid
-K&N Performance Air Filter

Does that look like a good first setup? And just to be sure I didn't overlook anything, those parts are all compatible with the 3800's, right? Any suggestions/comments would be greatly appreciated.

But this is only half of it, next comes exhaust and I'm quite unsure about what to get. I need some oppinions on what kind to get. What I'm looking for is that unmistakable V8 sound. I don't want people to know it's a V6 w/o looking under the hood. The SLP Loudmouth is probably a little too much, it almost sounds like a diesel engine in a damn semi. But I still want a throaty growl with the heavy idle and loud roar upon acceleration. I've listened to all the sound clips from that "Exhaust sound clips!" thread and the ones I like most are this one (which describes the setup as 'Cam, Pacesetter headers, open exhaust') and this one (which describes the setup as 'Cam, Headers, Catco cat, 3 inch I-Pipe, Flowmaster 80 muffler').

So what can anyone reccomend of a good catback system in terms of the desired sound and overall quality of the cat, muffler and pipes?

[LwnGy83]

First off, welcome to the hobby. Now, as for your intake, Go w/ the whisper lid, and between the fast toys or the slp, they are pretty much the same (as far as I can tell) so it's just your personal preference. If you're gunna get the whipser lid though, you might as well go ahead and get the smooth bellow to make air flow better between the lid and the throttle body. For exhaust, Pacesetter are a great header, make sure to get the coated ones though. As for cat back, I'll recommend Flowmaster 80 series muffler. My setup right now is a Catco cat, and a 80 series muffler w/ 2.5" piping, and it sounds like an 8... I get asked if it is all the time. But if you're gunna be putting headers and cat back on, you might as well put a new high flow cat on just b/c it'll be easier to do it while doing the other stuff. So... Good luck, hope this helps.

[asdf1234]

Not to be rude or anything, but you're not going to get the "unmistakable V8 sound" from your V6. Its unmistakable for a reason. You can make it deeper and louder, but its still going to sound like a V6, because it is a V6. I'm just saying this so that you don't get your hopes up and buy complete intake and exhaust and end up dissapointed like a lot of people do on this board.

[BlueBird_99]

@asdf1234: Well I guess I overdid my description of the exhuast. I know what you mean about it being umistakable for a reason, but like LwnGy83 said, you can still get a beefy sound which fools most people or will make them question what's under the hood.

@LwnGy83: Well the Fast Toys RAM Air has a warning about how water may get into the induction at times (when driving in rain for instance) and how they include a piece that can be fitted on in just a few minutes to avoid this (it's explained in the link I provided at the bottom of the FAQ section). Whereas the SLP system has no mention of this sort of flaw. Should this sway my decision of what to buy?

As for the smooth bellow, I can't find one that says it's for the 3800. All the smooth bellows I find are for LS1's. Are there any V6 specific bellows or are bellows interchangeable on 3800's and LS1's?

And can you reccomend a good high-flow cat then?

[ May 29, 2005, 12:22 AM: Message edited by: BlueBird_99 ]

[jaberocs]

Originally posted by BlueBird_99:
As for the smooth bellow, I can't find one that says it's for the 3800. All the smooth bellows I find are for LS1's. Are there any V6 specific bellows or are bellows interchangeable on 3800's and LS1's?

im pretty sure they dont make smooth bellows for 3.8 f-bodies, but you can check this out for a home-made one: http://home.comcast.net/~grayman99/Air-intake.htm

[2001V6Power]

as far as headers people recommend the pacesetter headers, but i have the rk sport and i love them. I bought the borla cat back and its expensive as hell i would not recommend them at all. they are way to much money!!I would recommend flowmaster cat back descent and cheap as well. you are heading the right direction though. here is my list if i were you
1.exhaust
2.whis. lid/ram air
3.headers
4.gears
5.port and polish

[Red]

just to say i live in oregon which means i see lots of rain. I also have had the ssra for a couple thousand miles with no problems. I checked the filter after the first few times of rain driving.

Just be smart, dont go through puddles up to your intake level. Unless you go mud bogging, driving through deep water or squirt water in to it when washing your car i cant see any water getting in there.

also i dont have any extra piece to stop water.

[BlueBird_99]

@Red: Well what about an automatic car wash that sprays the undercarriage? Could that possibly get water into the induction?

@2001V6Power: What do you mean by 'gears' and 'port and polish'? Remember, I don't really know anything about peformance modification.

[jaberocs]

Originally posted by BlueBird_99:
@Red: Well what about an automatic car wash that sprays the undercarriage? Could that possibly get water into the induction?

@2001V6Power: What do you mean by 'gears' and 'port and polish'? Remember, I don't really know anything about peformance modification.

car washes suck. if you really care about your car you'll wash it yourself :D :rolleyes:

and by gears, he means changing your stock gears to make your car accelerate faster. check out the mod encyclopedia for more info. i have 3.23s because i have a 3.8 manual trans, but im planning to get 3.73s

[grayman]

I never got water in the intake from the fast toys snorkel extension. If you are concerned just get the SLP version that does not come with the loser snorkel portion.

As for intake wheter you buy a lid or customize (smooth stock lid my removing fins) you will want a smooth air bellows...you can make that for nearly free and it works real good.

If you are getting headers then do a full 3" exaust conversion. Save a lot of hassles and get a catback built for a 94-97 V8 LT1 F body. trust me.

Read all about the above and more complete with guides on my website.

welcome to the club.

[jaberocs]

hey grayman, i have a question. so if i were to buy a borla catback, i should get the one made for the LT1? here's the link: http://www.lmperformance.com/1656/2.html

sorry bluebird for jackin the thread, just didnt want to make a new one for such a simple question

oh and grayman, why is the snorkel portion a loser? :rolleyes:

[majeskyb]

Okay. The reason people say go with the LT1/LS1 exhaust parts, is because they're 3" piping, where the ones made for our cars is usually 2.5" piping. stock on our car is 2.25" piping. If you have some money, why not look into Clear Image headers . They're the most expensive, but people agree they're also the highest quality and the best that you can buy for the camaro. With gears, here's a link to a company that sells f-body rear-ends. You can pick one up from a z28 relatively cheap, with an LSD and a better gear ratio. Complete rear-ends . Just read the whole web page, and if you have any more questions about those, feel free to ask us.

One last thing. For the cat-back, what did you think about the TSP Rumbler? It's cheap, and people that have it seem to prefer it over the loud mouth for being smoother and less raspy. TSP Rumbler Just go about 3/4 the way down that page until you find the Rumbler. It's pretty cheap too. Good luck and enjoy your new found passion!

[BlueBird_99]

@jaberocs: Well can you refer me to some good gears to help me achieve this better acceleration? I wouldn't know where to look.

And what can anyone reccomend in way of a new chip to help me get more power out of my engine?

[jaberocs]

well if you have at a manual trans, i say get at least 3.73s if you have a manual transmission. you can even get 4.10s if you want, but that might be a little much. you can find these on eBay or one of the sponsors' sites.

[98Camaro3.8]

Don't expect your exhaust to sound like that vid of my car (the one you listed). That was with internal engine work and no exhaust. Stock engine going through an exhaust will sound much different. ;)