nathanours

Hey everyone,

My car is a stock (except for muffler elims and x-pipe) '96 LT1 Auto. I'd like to get a little more performance out of it than I currently am. It has the 2.59 rear ratio. I know upgrading that to the 3s would help, but currently I've got around $500 to put into it. I am relatively new to this so if you could help me learn a little I'd appreciate it.

First of all, I've heard people at a local dyno event tell me that I should have the car tuned to get a nice gain. I live in colorado at 5500-6000 ft altitude and was told I'd get a lot from tuning it better for the thinner air. Is this true? How much would this cost? Does it involve getting some sort of chip or can it be done to the stock computer?

Secondly, I've heard I should port and polish the heads and runners. What exactly does this entail? I assume it enlarges the openings for the air to enter the engine and smooths things out for better flow, but again I am a novice. If I was to have this done how much would it generally cost? How hard would it be for me to pull the heads myself on my car to take to a shop? I've replaced calipers pads and rotors, tore apart door panels to fix regulators and motors, and replaced the valve cover gasket on my 96 camry. This is about the extent of my knowledge though. I do have a set of factory service manuals.

Aside from these two options, what can I do to increase power? I want to keep the car reliable and don't want to get away from NA.

Thanks for the help,

Nathan

James93LT1

http://elliottsportworks.com/

http://www.advancedinduction.com/

http://www.totalengineairflow.com/

http://home.insightbb.com/~nathan.pl...rformance.html

http://home.insightbb.com/~nathan.pl..._corvette.html

nathanours

So according to the insight article, I could use a set of 1.7 ratio rocker arms and pick up 14-15ish hp with my stock LT1 cam?

Also, thanks for the links for the porting and polishing guys. How hard would it be for a semi-novice like myself to remove the heads though?

Also, would an LT4 intake manifold give me gains by simply bolting it in place of my LT1 manifold?

Again, I'm not looking to run out to a shop and have any of this done until I figure everything out, I'm just trying to learn.

Thanks

cv67

I would leave it as is for now and save a few thou.

leesvet

You said you have the REAL FSM set? the 2 books from GM?
Thats a start.
learn the system first. Save the money as you do some searching on fleabay for various parts, and look at all the Corvette enthusiast catalogs and online advertisements for the different parts and performance upgrades. That will give you an idea of the money or the financial investment that you are about to make,.
You will spend quite a bit more than you are thinking....headers to get a half decent exhaust flow...$500. Upgrade the rest of the exhaust another500 to $1000.

Intake pieces.. Intake can be $450 to $900. Throttle Body $350-500.

New high performance heads can run $650 used, to $2000 new.

Hi-ratio roller rockers for intake side only $250 or more.
It adds up quick.

What I'd start with...test the engine and controls to see if the basics are operating as they should,. money spent on aftermarket is wasted unless the base is operating well.

K&N filter.
1.7 or 1.6 RR for intake.
That'll eat up $500. Thats doing the work yourself.
Theres also fuel injectors. Not that yours are known to be bad, they are an older generation thats been improved and they WILL go bad at some point in the near future from age and alcohol exposure.

After that, you can buy a used intake and heads off FleaBay and spend the winter porting and cleaning it up, let the machine shop check the heads then you can port the passages in the heads and match to the intake. Important to keep each runner vol the same, so do some research. When done, have that whole mess installed and sell the old stock parts that came off the engine to recover some of your money...and so another guy can go thru the same road to budget rebuilding. Unless your block has damage there is no reason why your inframe @ home can;t yeild good power gains AND give you a reliable, and enjoyable engine. Plan the work so whenever it is apart you will have upgraded parts sitting there, like timing chains, pushrods, lifters (if necessasy) and just have whatever you might need so when it IS apart you are not running around, out of money wishing you had anogther set of lifters or rocker arms or whatever...Whatever you do not use you can return. Many guys here get their budget builds down to a final cost of close to zero IF they planned it well, get some deals on some used parts and sell their old parts to pay for it all.

Its just going to cost some $$
Nothing under the hood on a Corvette is cheap or inexpensive. Even the things that seem reasonable will add up to a collective cost that you just didn't see comin...and of course there is your labor time. But, that doesn;t count since there is a huge fun factor and learning curve that by definition, we should be paying someone else so we can have that much fun. It is fun. As much as I curse things that don;t cooperate or tools that won't work, I love it. Working on the car is damn near as much fun as driving it....and there is a ton of satisfaction involved when you do it yourself.

Good Luck

BTW
refference YouTube for lots of "how to" videos on everything from basic rebuild to inj swap...and all other repair or parts exchanges. Very helpful. Until then , learn the C4 engine mngt system and how it works and what it does. Once understood you can make informed decisions regarding which step to take next. Too many people just start buying aftermarket junk and bolting it on and end up here with the question..."just spent $1100 on TB and air intake/cleaner and car runs like crap" or the best..."I just installed some 32lb fuel injectors to replace the stock 22lb and the car misfires and smokes all the time..."

Learn the system and make smart choices and you will get there..maybe with some change in your pocket !

Good Luck and congrats on your Vette !

nathanours

Thanks, that's very helpful. Yes I do have the 2 volume red phone book looking fsm set for my car. I'm also debating taking an engine building class from the local community college.

TA

Taking a class sounds like an excellent idea. You sound very motivated and I'm sure you can handle any of these projects, but a better base of knowledge going in will surely be helpful.

383vett

$500 isn't going to get you far. I would start with new plugs and wires. Then get yourself a tune for your altitiude. Don't stomp on the go pedal if you travel to sea level areas. That should get you some good gains and use up your dollars until you save up for hard parts.

John A. Marker

with 383. $500 would be about the cost of a tune for the car. Make sure the basics are sound.

I have heard of good results with the 1.6 RR. But I believe you need to upgrade the valve springs when you make this change. The springs and RR will probably set you back a little more than what you have to spend.

nathanours

Thanks a lot guys, this has been very helpful. I'm planning on doing the plugs and wires, and changing the transmission fluid in the near future already.

What would you guys recommend for the best quality plugs and wires? I've read I should get something that will fit in the brackets already on the car. I want to get the best stuff that I can. Also, red plug wires would be a plus, just for the looks. What is the general consensus on the best plugs?

Also, I'll be driving between 5300-8000ft so driving it at sea level won't ever be a problem.

JrRifleCoach

Why don't you hit the junk yards for a rear end?
Or a totaled C4 with 3:07?

Best mod you can make for now.