Modifications to C4 engine...
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: May 2004
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From: Ohio
Modifications to C4 engine...
I'm still waiting for the opportun time to land myself a nice late model C4, i.e. '95 or '96, but I will surely add more horesepower to this after a purchase. Without serious mods such as engine replacement, what modifications have you folks done with your late model C4s that have significanlty boosted power. I would like to get power near 500hp at the flywheel, but not sure it can be done unless I start throwing turbos or superchargers in the thing, or getting a new engine althogher, which will likely have to followed up with a new tranny etc.
I won't be racing the car so this should releive any of you asking "what do you plan to do with the car" type questions.
If I can land a car for around $15,000, I can easily see putting $20,000 into the car for new components, but spending less for the same power would be better.
I've searched the forum for info, but i'm looking for some consilidated info on this thread. I posted about this previously, but some people just can't give good info with out being a-holes.
Thanks,
DD
I won't be racing the car so this should releive any of you asking "what do you plan to do with the car" type questions.
If I can land a car for around $15,000, I can easily see putting $20,000 into the car for new components, but spending less for the same power would be better.
I've searched the forum for info, but i'm looking for some consilidated info on this thread. I posted about this previously, but some people just can't give good info with out being a-holes.
Thanks,
DD
Drifting
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 1,443
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From: Grand Rapids Mi
Simple solution to your power requirements its spelled Callaway Twin Turbo!!!! Other choice is nice modified ZR-1 Either one is better investment that regular C-4 modified unless you just really love to wrench and solve problems Good Luck either way 
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 62,171
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From: Athens AL
C7 of the Year - Unmodified Finalist 2021
C4 of Year Finalist (performance mods) 2019
Read
Start copying
http://www.wku.edu/~nathan.plemons/h..._corvette.html
500 would require a much larger, borderlinei to probably unstreetable, camshaft.
Start copying
http://www.wku.edu/~nathan.plemons/h..._corvette.html
500 would require a much larger, borderlinei to probably unstreetable, camshaft.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: May 2004
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From: Ohio
Originally Posted by vader86
Read
Start copying
http://www.wku.edu/~nathan.plemons/h..._corvette.html
500 would require a much larger, borderlinei to probably unstreetable, camshaft.
Start copying
http://www.wku.edu/~nathan.plemons/h..._corvette.html
500 would require a much larger, borderlinei to probably unstreetable, camshaft.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 5,789
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From: Myrtle Beach SC
St. Jude Donor '05-'06
Your not going to get to 500hp(streetable) on a 350 LT1 without a SC.You can get into the low to mid 400's with a good cam ,ported heads,1.6 rr's,LT headers,Exaust work,A good tune and a little luck
Nathans car is an LT1 300hp car.It will cost in the neighborhood of $6K to do it.
You should be able to find a nice car for $15k so you are looking at ~$20 to get it up there.Where are you going to geta 400hp car for $20k?
Nathans car is an LT1 300hp car.It will cost in the neighborhood of $6K to do it.
You should be able to find a nice car for $15k so you are looking at ~$20 to get it up there.Where are you going to geta 400hp car for $20k?
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 6,080
Likes: 3
From: Clearwater FL
St. Jude Donor '06
You would definately (almost definately) need a stroker to get that power N/A. Member ZIX just posted his heavily moded for the street 383 LT4 to the tune of 466 rwhp or close to that. Not only have at least 15k ready to go, but finding the correct people to make all the components work together in a streetable combo is easier said than done. Guess you could do it for less if you are good at doing the work yourself.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 9,464
Likes: 1
From: Modesto CA
What you're trying to do, is compare an LT1 to an LS7, simply put..buy the C6 Z06, if that's "500hp" is what you're after...
If you're interested in getting "500hp" it's going to take a bit of work to get it. IMHO, I think Nathan's is one of the best performing Stock Cube'd LT1 car...You're going to need more cubes to get that 500hp...but also realize, the LS7 is a 427cid...You want to spend the big dollars for a 427cid in an LT1...it's going to scream, no doubt about it...but, if it were me...I'd just be happy with 350rwhp in a C4...because trust me, with that much power in a C4, it will put down about 90% of all cars you'll run up against on the street, and I can prove that.
If you're interested in getting "500hp" it's going to take a bit of work to get it. IMHO, I think Nathan's is one of the best performing Stock Cube'd LT1 car...You're going to need more cubes to get that 500hp...but also realize, the LS7 is a 427cid...You want to spend the big dollars for a 427cid in an LT1...it's going to scream, no doubt about it...but, if it were me...I'd just be happy with 350rwhp in a C4...because trust me, with that much power in a C4, it will put down about 90% of all cars you'll run up against on the street, and I can prove that.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: May 2004
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From: Ohio
Originally Posted by TIMSPEED
What you're trying to do, is compare an LT1 to an LS7, simply put..buy the C6 Z06, if that's "500hp" is what you're after...
If you're interested in getting "500hp" it's going to take a bit of work to get it. IMHO, I think Nathan's is one of the best performing Stock Cube'd LT1 car...You're going to need more cubes to get that 500hp...but also realize, the LS7 is a 427cid...You want to spend the big dollars for a 427cid in an LT1...it's going to scream, no doubt about it...but, if it were me...I'd just be happy with 350rwhp in a C4...because trust me, with that much power in a C4, it will put down about 90% of all cars you'll run up against on the street, and I can prove that.
If you're interested in getting "500hp" it's going to take a bit of work to get it. IMHO, I think Nathan's is one of the best performing Stock Cube'd LT1 car...You're going to need more cubes to get that 500hp...but also realize, the LS7 is a 427cid...You want to spend the big dollars for a 427cid in an LT1...it's going to scream, no doubt about it...but, if it were me...I'd just be happy with 350rwhp in a C4...because trust me, with that much power in a C4, it will put down about 90% of all cars you'll run up against on the street, and I can prove that.
I spoke with some people at Corvette Corner Cars 2NV (http://www.corvettecorner.com/) in Columbus over the summer, but they made it seem like anything was possible with little to worry about. Ultimately, I don't want a car that needs constant repair just to maintain a silly amount of HP, which is what a lot of folks go through to get those numbers.
I'll have to continue to ponder the idea till I actually buy the car.
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Safety Car
Joined: Jul 1999
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From: Marianna FL
This looks like a pretty decent deal to me. Especially when you factor in downtime and finding a good machine shop to build your own engine. They carry a warranty too. I know your question was about modifying the existing 350, so you could duplicate this engine with the existing LT1. One good thing about the Golen crate engine is that you could sell the LT1 from the car you're buying to recoup some of the cost.
396 stroker, 520 HP.
http://www.golenengineservice.com/html/lt1_lt4.html
396 stroker, 520 HP.
http://www.golenengineservice.com/html/lt1_lt4.html
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 5,789
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From: Myrtle Beach SC
St. Jude Donor '05-'06
All you need is $$$$ for $35k you can get 500hp from a C4 and it will be streetable.Check out blowerworks,Get Heads ported,LT4 hotcam,springs, rockers headers exhaust and your good to go.If you just want it on demand NO2 is the cheapest way to go instead of a blower.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 1,743
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From: Ohio
Originally Posted by Mr Dave
This looks like a pretty decent deal to me. Especially when you factor in downtime and finding a good machine shop to build your own engine. They carry a warranty too. I know your question was about modifying the existing 350, so you could duplicate this engine with the existing LT1. One good thing about the Golen crate engine is that you could sell the LT1 from the car you're buying to recoup some of the cost.
396 stroker, 520 HP.
http://www.golenengineservice.com/html/lt1_lt4.html
396 stroker, 520 HP.
http://www.golenengineservice.com/html/lt1_lt4.html
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 62,171
Likes: 1,735
From: Athens AL
C7 of the Year - Unmodified Finalist 2021
C4 of Year Finalist (performance mods) 2019
Originally Posted by Drug Delivery
He gained over 100HP overall, which is impressive. 380HP (from the above link) is more than enough for the wife, but I would like a bit more. Seems that the car in the link is probably maxed out, so I couldn't expect much more, but didn't the '92 have 250HP, and the later models have 300HP, so maybe a later model could more easily jump over 400HP.
With a 16% drivetrain loss in the M6, he has about 450 at the flywheel.
Pay attention to what you read.
92-96 LT1 comes with 300 CRANK hp.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 1,743
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From: Ohio
Originally Posted by vader86
Thats 380 RWhp, not flywheel.
With a 16% drivetrain loss in the M6, he has about 450 at the flywheel.
Pay attention to what you read.
92-96 LT1 comes with 300 CRANK hp.
With a 16% drivetrain loss in the M6, he has about 450 at the flywheel.
Pay attention to what you read.
92-96 LT1 comes with 300 CRANK hp.
I realized this, but still didn't quite put it together. Long days at work makes my brain slow at home. How reliabe do you think the car is with that type of work? Quality of work and driving conditions obviously dictate.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2004
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From: Myrtle Beach SC
St. Jude Donor '05-'06
These cars can be extremely reliably modded if the work is done right.My car has 161,000 miles on it and still runs great.The LT1 is a very good engine.As with any used car things will break over time but the engines hold up very well.
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 62,171
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From: Athens AL
C7 of the Year - Unmodified Finalist 2021
C4 of Year Finalist (performance mods) 2019
Originally Posted by Drug Delivery
I realized this, but still didn't quite put it together. Long days at work makes my brain slow at home. How reliabe do you think the car is with that type of work? Quality of work and driving conditions obviously dictate.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 858
Likes: 6
From: Hobe Sound FL
If I can land a car for around $15,000, I can easily see putting $20,000 into the car.
Buy a C4 for $15K, then put $20K in it ? Just buy an almost new LT4 or ZR1 - LT5. You won't have to spend that kind of dough. You are not going to race it, where do you need that kind of power ?
Better yet, find a nice ZR1 or LT4 and drive them. You can buy a very nice 20-25K mile ZR1 today for easy $24-$27K.
Most ZR1 owners take very good care of them. Find one where the owner is moving up.
Go to the ZR1 forum, ask questions. Check out: www.zr1registry.com
This will help you make an intelligent decision.
As far as a stock screamer, the LT4 or ZR1 will serve your purpose.
Boatman
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2004
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From: Patchogue NY
Originally Posted by boatman
If I can land a car for around $15,000, I can easily see putting $20,000 into the car.
Buy a C4 for $15K, then put $20K in it ? Just buy an almost new LT4 or ZR1 - LT5. You won't have to spend that kind of dough. You are not going to race it, where do you need that kind of power ?
Better yet, find a nice ZR1 or LT4 and drive them. You can buy a very nice 20-25K mile ZR1 today for easy $24-$27K.
Most ZR1 owners take very good care of them. Find one where the owner is moving up.
Go to the ZR1 forum, ask questions. Check out: www.zr1registry.com
This will help you make an intelligent decision.
As far as a stock screamer, the LT4 or ZR1 will serve your purpose.
Boatman
A ZR1 will maintain value better than a C4; and not only will you have what your looking for, but if you change your mind down the road, you have a car that has equity. Just my .02.
Joe B.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2005
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From: The Motor City
Anything is possible with the right ammount of money. If it were me, and I started with a regular c-4, I would look at an entire motor swap of somesort, certainly bigger ci. and forced induction. This would allow the build to be reliable, and not as radical a cam shaft etc.
The issue would not be just buying a motor that has that potential (many possibles), but getting the car to wotk with that kind of power, rear end , trans., etc., without swapping the rest of the drivetrain and suspension you would probably be breaking alot of parts, and not being to hook up the power to the ground.
I think if you are in that price range you have many possibilities a zr-1 or a callaway would get you there, with the right one of these all you would have to do is turn the key!
The issue would not be just buying a motor that has that potential (many possibles), but getting the car to wotk with that kind of power, rear end , trans., etc., without swapping the rest of the drivetrain and suspension you would probably be breaking alot of parts, and not being to hook up the power to the ground.
I think if you are in that price range you have many possibilities a zr-1 or a callaway would get you there, with the right one of these all you would have to do is turn the key!