Ahhhh, now it makes sense...thanks

 

Wow! This looks like the answer, doesn't it! The TPiS Mini-ram, the Accel runners and Super-ram and this First intake all seem to fall into the same price range, but this First intake seems to deliver the goods right where I want it. As you said jsup, I still get the bottom end grunt, plenty of power thru mid-range and if I can get it past that 4500 rpm plateau even to 5500...that would be great. Then, while I'v got everything apart, I can drop in some new lifters and 1.6 RR's. Might be worth a few extra ponies...don't you think?

 

The lifters you currently have should be just fine. No need to spend money on those -- use the money for something else.

I have a FIRST intake. I'm still in the process of building the motor so I don't have any real world data yet, but I can tell you that the casting quality and machining work is top notch.

Be aware that the FIRST is not a true bolt-on system. The fuel rails are different and the stock fuel lines will not work with them. Also, you will have to use an external fuel pressure regulator and you will also probably have to do a bit of grinding on the bottom of your distributor housing so it will clear the intake, but these are minor things that are easily fixed.

 

Honestly, you're a few bolts away from new heads.

You can get a nice set of heads for just shy of $1000 and probably get $300-400 for yours.

If the $600 won't kill you, perhaps heads in this mix can help.

 

Are you saying an Stock L98 can make around 300 HP with just headers,intake(Im assuming TPI mods)and rr's?What rpm would this be at?I would imagine peak HP is gonna occur around 4500-4800 or so,no more than 5000 rpms.Whats your rpm for this power at?If its still in the stock range thats incredible to have!

Btw,most of these mods will sometimes make a stock TPI engine feel a bit slower off line until higher rpms,say 2500 or so...most are not noticeable and need a dyno to prove otherwise,or track times.

If someone wants a stop light stomper,steeper gears,torque converter change,(If an auto),is gonna do it if they dont want to mod/change the engine inside.Or even better,supercharge the engine and hang on!

 

50 CHP gain with those three mods is optimistic IMO. Even if you got there it would be at the top end, which isn't usable on a street motor much of the time. If that were correct you should see a 1/2 second improvement with in a quarter mile. That would be the real test rather than these armchair modifications. If the posted gains with the First intake are correct, that looks like the only intake that would produce those gains in a meaningful way. Just my .02

 

Todd, your car is the same as mine. Would you be willing to share the material list associated with just the First intake and the cost?

 

IMO, and it's only my opinion, that gears and converter are something you do AFTER you have the power to support it.

To "fix" a faulty, under powered design I don't like gears as a solution.

On a stock L98, gears will bring the RPMs up to a point where the motor was not made to operate.

 

Ok,keep in mind,TPIS themselves say if you install their MR,they suggest you to install 3.73's and a 2800 stall converter(For autos) for proper street operation.

Back to the stock TPI,

I put 3.73s in my former 86 TPI and it was fun on the street and highway.In fact,it took off even harder than stock and hit 60 very fast.I rarely ever went to 5000 rpms on the street because by then youre going so fast its illegal,and you usually run out of road somewhere before the engine runs outta steam.I loved the gears,its probably overkill for most people but I enjoyed it.

Anyways,Im speaking of keeping an engine stock,and what to do to make it be more fun on the street,not trying to suggest a band aid fix for an engine that cant run over 4800 rpms.


If someone wanted more power,I suggest head,cams,more cubes,way better intake etc.But for a stock engine,non track car,I suggest gears and exhaust.If someone already has 3.54 stock,I dont suggest 3.73 because it wont be that much of a difference.

 

Gears... more stuff to think about now

 

What gears do you have now? Sorry if you already said.

A 3.07 with an automatic is the way to go.

 

I know this is a long thread but I told you about the gear issue all the way back on POST #48. I also recommended specific heads and cam and suggested you not do just an intake because you would need to buy steeper gears. Just bolting on an intake sounds like a good idea until you research it.

 

He says 3.45's 6 speed.

 

Ok, I was too lazy to look.

Without going to 4.11s or better, what's a 373 going to get him? not much..

 

That's what happened to me. It made no sense to do bits and pieces....

 

I suspect ur looking to get the most bang for ur buck. IMHO those high flow runners are an example of pound foolish, penny wise. For the dollar investment, u really don't get that much of a hp return. In this day and age, u might as well set ur mind, that ur not going to get out of any hp increase in ur L98, cheap. I can "almost" guarantee that after u change ur intake, etc, u'll be wanting more. That being the most likely scenario, I would advise of looking down the road of what u finally want. If ur serious about improving ur combo, a mini ram for a manual car is a good STARTING point, but u need to realize, by itself, is not really gonna do squat, in the large scheme of things. It needs to be considered w/ future upgrades to heads and cam (which will more than likely come with a rebuild),headers/exhaust upgrades. For autos, either a superram or the FIRST are logical choices, as STARTING points. None of these intakes, by themselves, are hardly justifiable based on hp return per cost. This is not the old days, where a simple carb and manifold swap netted major hp gains.
A quik fix is always NOS, but u have the problem of refilling and the bottle taking up space in an already small hatch space. U may also consider saving for a supercharger system, that should satisfy ur need for speed for a time, anyways. More expensive, but they always add to resale and u just can't beat the "cool" factor. They are also upgradeable and are always there, so there is no need to worry if the botlle is full or not. Another advantage, is u can take them off and resell for at least part of ur investment. Of course the addition of these power adders should be considered only if ur engine and drivetrain are up to snuff. Or...., u can do like I suspect alot of us do, and, that's to buy a piece here and there with a final goal in mind, and then drop the major coin for the eventual rebuild.
"IF" there is the slightest possiblilty that u will upgrade to a newer model Vette in the future, I would strongly suggest u save ur cash and enjoy what u have. Once u start adding speed parts, realize that the resale goes down and the costs of the parts is a throw away, only for ur satisfaction. U'll get nothing back on a monetary return, only the smile when u drive it. At least, that has been my experience in this crazy addiction we all seem to have. Hope this helps.

 

A miniram is going to run like crap on a stock cam.

 

I said in another post if one had 3.54 and went to 3.73s they would not do much.

My Vette had 3.07 auto,stock form.I went to 3.73 and it was an animal on the street.Not suggesting that for track use with a TPI style set up.
For someone that didnt want to get into the engine,and have more stomp down low,its a very easy way to go.

If one has at least 3.45 and 6 speed TPI,I would leave the gears alone.
Its plenty and going to 3.73 wouldnt be a big jump.
4.11 is way too much for a street TPI,3.73 was pushing it.If the user switched to a MR or LT1 style intake,4.11 would rock with the 6 speed.

 

I've heard of 2 tenths gain from the LT runners, base, and porting. (This setup is supposed to add 25hp -- and it's not in high rpm ranges!). The Tri-Y headers are reported to add 25 hp on stock motors (and full "boost" is supposed to occur by 3k-3.5k rpm). 5 hp more for rockers. Sounds close to me....

I did a thread last Fall and the consensus was the alum head L98 had close to 300hp in it without doing heads/cam. And, I'll be doing a couple of other things like the frisbee and tune. So I don't think getting close to 50hp more is out of the question.

If I wasn't happy, do you think 3.73's are a waste vs my stock 3.33's (on a ZF6 car)? How much (time) would that gain in 1/8th and 1/4 mile times? (How about if this was matched up with the HSR vs the LT runner setup?)

gp

Here's another informative post I found useful on the subject. This post suggests 40-50hp gain.

 

I actually talked to these guys last week (mostly out of curiosity). They didn't mention the regulator and dist grinding you bring up.... I asked what mods are required to install on our motors...

They did say an adapter is needed for the fuel lines and something to connect the TB cable. They said the large dist would fit and didn't mention grinding! I think they said a different TPS or IAC was required, but I don't remember which. Vacuum fittings were all present. And MAFs could be put in front of their round TB with an adapter hose they sell.

Current pricing is about $100 higher than the group purchase amount at the beginning of the year.