Budget buildup L98!
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 486
Likes: 0
Budget buildup L98!
So far I have installed on my 85 vette:
K&N $20
air foil $9
relocate air temp sensor $14
fuel pressure regulator $28
160 stat $6
hypertsch chip $60
replaced cat with straight pipe $54
coolant bypass TB $7
cut air lid $free
removed MAF screens $free
shift kit $300
TT II's rims and tires $1200
new paint(maaco $899)
tinted rear window $40
stereo $800
Keep in mind I'm on a budget, have to sneak parts in when the wife is not looking. Or she will cut me off
I have a superram, but no cam yet, waiting for engine to go south before I dig into the internals. plus it is pricey.
Any other cheap mods needed besides intake and cam, heads? To poor to buy B&B mufflers right now.
K&N $20
air foil $9
relocate air temp sensor $14
fuel pressure regulator $28
160 stat $6
hypertsch chip $60
replaced cat with straight pipe $54
coolant bypass TB $7
cut air lid $free
removed MAF screens $free
shift kit $300
TT II's rims and tires $1200
new paint(maaco $899)
tinted rear window $40
stereo $800
Keep in mind I'm on a budget, have to sneak parts in when the wife is not looking. Or she will cut me off
I have a superram, but no cam yet, waiting for engine to go south before I dig into the internals. plus it is pricey.
Any other cheap mods needed besides intake and cam, heads? To poor to buy B&B mufflers right now.
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 81,241
Likes: 3,063
From: altered state
St. Jude Donor '05
You could do springs and 1.6 rockers pretty cheap.Dont need anything fancy, a set of Summit roller tips will do the job. Fullrollers a little better but IMo you wont feel a difference.
Quick and easy job, she will never notice. Just tell her youre changing the plugs
Quick and easy job, she will never notice. Just tell her youre changing the plugs
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 81,241
Likes: 3,063
From: altered state
St. Jude Donor '05
Not much, maybe 10+- depending
You can get some roller tips for $100 or so and springs pretty cheap. With a stock cam I wouldnt spend a whole lot on "good stuff" unless you want to do more later.
You can get some roller tips for $100 or so and springs pretty cheap. With a stock cam I wouldnt spend a whole lot on "good stuff" unless you want to do more later.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 5,107
Likes: 171
From: Dublin CA
You will see 5-10 HP from the RR's. You really want to use 1.6 and 1.5 RR for the 85. Install the 1.6 on the intake and the 1.5 on the exhaust. This combination idles well (better than 1.6 all the way around).
You will notice that the engine runs a little cooler and the oil temp will run about 5 degrees cooler.
Your airfoil is doing nothing
. The Hypertech chip does little, might turn on the fans sooner, but not real HP gains as listed in their advertising. you don't really need to re-work the chip until you change the cam.
The SuperRam will not do much with the stock heads and it is a PITA to install. Good heads are $$$$, but you get what you pay for. HP costs $$$.
You will notice that the engine runs a little cooler and the oil temp will run about 5 degrees cooler.
Your airfoil is doing nothing
. The Hypertech chip does little, might turn on the fans sooner, but not real HP gains as listed in their advertising. you don't really need to re-work the chip until you change the cam.The SuperRam will not do much with the stock heads and it is a PITA to install. Good heads are $$$$, but you get what you pay for. HP costs $$$.
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Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 486
Likes: 0
, I still have the stock mufflers .
Racer
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 477
Likes: 21
From: Knoxville TN
...but i have the same mods you have. Bought the whole kit from Mid America... ha ha. Saving money for a complete rebuild. Just got the tranny fixed and still working out issues from it sitting for a year. But good luck 
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 486
Likes: 0
Any comments on those underdrive pulleys or the air pump eliminater kit? Or anything else you can buy for the L98? I also have a TPI vortec intake, I will need to purchase the vortec heads. Now should I sell the superram and buy large tube runners for the vortec and get a ZZ9 cam? The superram sounds like a big headache.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 486
Likes: 0
Race Director
Joined: Jun 1999
Posts: 14,924
Likes: 9
From: Merritt Ils Fl
Don't mean to rain on your parade but you need to start thinking about some serious exhaust work. What you have done is well and good but you are getting close to the point exhaust will be a limiting factor.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 486
Likes: 0
Keep in mind I'm on a budget, wife hates that I have 2 of everything, anyway what exhaust should I get? The economical way would be to get some ultra flo mufflers and y pipe from Dynomax. B&B's are to pricey. Or what are your thoughts?
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 16,028
Likes: 170
From: oregon
Port your TPI, Long tube headers and 1.5 rockers {coupled with most of the mods you have already done} sent my old '91 to 13.2 in the 1/4. 1.6's are better but require a valve spring change. In fact if your 85 is on stockers it could probably use one anyway. Porting the TPI is a great way to increase airflow through that restrictive SOB. You can't do much with the runners but you can sandblast all the junk out of them and port match to the base and plenum. The base can be increased in size, port matched and also the radius can be straightened in the runners. The plenum has some material behind the TB that can come out and you can port match it to the runners.
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 16,028
Likes: 170
From: oregon
TPIS headers are very good, I keep wanting to see these 4-2-1's that pop up from time to time on ebay for $500 a set. A 4-2-1 in theory would be better at mid range torque production that falls with the 4-1 design. No clue how they work just yet but the idea seems interesting.