Hello, I am new to the forums.

I bought a 1992 corvette, dark red, 6spd, 70,000 original miles, bone stock. This is the first corvette I have ever owned and have fallen in love with this car!!!! I have owned it about 6 months now and have put about 2,000 miles on it so far (50 mile round trip to work and back everyday).

Anyway, because I am a born and bred gear head, I can't leave well enough alone and would like to do some mods for increased performance. The car is going to be used as a daily driver as long as the weather is nice. I will also be autocrossing this car monthly during the race season. As well as a possible trip or two down the drag strip.

Here is what I am looking for....
#1: Engine wise I have researched everything I can get my hands on including this forum!!!! I know this engine has the "pink" rods instead of the powdered metal rods. Also the non vented optispark. As well as not being able to accept the lt4 knock module. And the ECM that is a bit harder to tune... Lol.

I would like to achieve 400-425 N/A fwhp while keeping a 6000 rpm redline to keep the bottom end together. From my research that will keep it on par with most newer cars performance wise while maintaining rock solid reliability for daily driving.

Unfortunately I don't have sacks of cash at my disposal so this will all have to go in steps and be budget friendly. So........ With all of that being said, I would like your opinions on the best route to take and the best parts to achieve my goals in the engine area.

#2: Suspension and handling wise I have also researched heavily and learned already that the car in stock form can handle better than I care to throw at it right now. However, as I learn the car and get more comfortable with it, I do plan to start trying to find its limits. It will be autocrossed 90% of the time vs. 10% track time just simply because of where I live there are no tracks anywhere close (Amarillo, TX).

So I would like to use the same approach on the suspension.

Also, would like to know the best clutch/flywheel combination for my goals, because the current stock setup doesn't have a whole lot of life left in it.

All the labor will be done my father and I. We are both huge gear heads, however, this our first time dealing with a corvette of any kind and also modifying a fuel injected engine (first time ever playing with an LT1).

I am sure I will have many many more questions as I learn more about the car but these are the questions at the top of the list right now.

Thank you very much in advance. If anyone has any questions please ask.

Thank you,
Chris Daniel

BTW, I will get some pictures as soon as I can!!

 

You can play around with the budget ,bolt on stuff all you like but the major increase in Hp you desire can only be achieved in one hit;
heads and cam

http://www.elliottsportworks.com/
http://elliottsportworks.com/?page_id=32

 

Stacks of cash would solve everything, lol.

To hit your rev goals, you will want to address your valve train. For a very reasonable price you should be able to go with LT4 springs, 1:6 full roller rockers, and LS7 lifters with hardened pushrods. The LT4 redlines at 6,200 RPM. Porting heads and adding a Hotcam, or other mild cam will give you some extra top end as well. If your going to go into the engine, might as well look at a vented opti conversion as well.

Longtube headers with high flow cats, or delete (depending on emission testing in your state) will add a little power as well, of course.

For autocrossing, top end power is really not a factor. Here it is all about torque, handling, and braking. Alot of folks speak volumes about rear end gears. I believe you should have the Dana 44, which will take a 4:10 gear. Though I haven't gotten here yet myself, I've read where this is probably your best 'bang for the buck' modification.

I recently installed Z51 Bilstiens on my FE1 car. I like these alot. Nice firm damper but still comfortable enough for daily driving. You could go further with Z51 springs or aftermarket set up (stack of cash).

Brakes, can be anything from a simple set of nce slotted rotors and good performance pads, to a front C5 conversion. The J55 system isn't bad though.

Clutch/flywheel is another area and much has been discussed. The dual mass FW has one purpose, that is to reduce gear rattle from the ZF transmission. It is about 40 lbs and does it's job well. Eliminating some of that rotating weight will be a big help. You can go all the way with a 13 lb aluminum FW, or a 22lb billet steel, or the added mass option which is about as heavy as the DM. Here's the catch, gear rattle in nuetral. (Though, as I understand and found out too late, ZFdoc sells a counterhaft shim that reduces/eliminates this).

Don't get hung up on Horsepower numbers. In autocross or even roadcourse, you will spend very little time in that range for it to be useful anyway. Torque and handling would be my focus.

 

First thing I would do to a 6 speed car is a 4:10 gear. I have a 92 LT1 with a 6 speed with factory gears as well as a 91 ZR1 with 4:10's. Let me tell you that 4:10's are the way to go.

Not only does the car get up and go much better, but you can actually use 6th gear. Now if you routinely drive 90mph for extended distances, and want the best MPG, then the factory gear is good.

 

Autocross - watch your class rules
Replace worn suspension parts with those that meet your rules.
My 92 z07 option car improved tremendously with just a replacement of the bushings.

 

In terms of improving power - it's all about airflow - you need to get more air (and fuel) into the engine to make more power. I would suggest that a set of Long Tube Headers is probably a very good place to start. They aren't cheap - a set will cost the better part of $1,000 but you'll find that they are probably worth 15 HP all by themselves, and will be needed to support the better airflow other mods will give you.

After the headers - you have a choice. You can go with either better flowing heads (either better flowing aftermarket castings, or ported factory heads, or go with a cam with more duration - which will shift the torque and HP peak) - or do both together. At this point - you'll be well past the flow capabilities of the stock injectors, and will need higher flowing injectors and reprogramming of the Stock PCM. The 1992 cars use a Speed Density EFI system (not a Mass Airflow system) - so without reprogramming, as the engine starts flowing more air at a given RPM - the PCM will continue injecting the same amount of fuel, and you'll go quite lean - which is very bad. Unfortunately - as other posts have indicated, the 1992 thru 1994 cars can not be reprogrammed thru the diagnostic port - you need to pull the PCM, remove the PROM chip, and send it to someone who has the capability to "burn" an EPROM. There are several tuners out ther who have that capability. Headers, heads, injectors and a "tune" can get you over 400 flywheel HP.

As for the suspension side of the car - the car is extremely capable right out of the door. If you autocross - you probaly want to dial in more neg camber - I wouldn't go more than 2 degrees negative, and even at that setting you'll wear the inner portions of the front tires pretty quickly. If your car didn't come with the 13" brakes - the 13" rotors and caliper brackets are bolt ons from a Z51 car, and will improve high speed braking. The Bilstein Z51 shocks are also worthwhile, and if the car didn't come with the handling package - the sway bars from a Z51 car will also improve things.

Enjoy the ride and Good Luck !!!

 

Thank you for all the information.

I was able to make it out to our local autocross this weekend and had a blast. Got to ride shotgun in a C6 Z06..... Awesome car!!!!!

Anyway, defiantly the route I want to go with the car (vs drag oriented).

I have done a ton of reading about autocrossing with the stock pan. I have basically come up with 6 of one/half dozen of another in terms of it being ok or not. So, with that said, one of the first things I want to do is put a good pan on it. I have settled on the Champ pan. However, I don't think I can get a pan and have it installed before the next autocross event.

Will I be ok with the stock pan by adding an extra 1/2 or full quart of oil?
I will be racing on street tires with factory alignment.
The course is setup on a typical old asphalt parking lot.

The Z06 never got out of 1st gear on the course and was never against the rev limiter, so I am assuming that would be a typical low-medium speed course?

Engine wise it will be a while before I can do anything heads/cam wise. I will have to focus my energy on "bolt on" stuff for now, as well as playing with the ECM. I do plan to go with an electric water pump and exhaust when I can afford it. Short term, I want to eliminate the mufflers for no other reason than to make it sound like a corvette should!!

Driveline wise I will probably be putting in a clutch before anything else. I have researched that as well and I am thinking a regular "single mass" flywheel would be the best bet for drivability, "spirited" street driving, and autocross/track type stuff?

In terms of gears, that is something I want to, just have to wait for money.

Suspension wise who makes the best bushings for our cars? I know there is a vast difference in poly bushings out there. Who makes the best for our cars?

Anyway, that is where I am at currently. I will have plenty more questions in the future.

Thank you very much,
Chris Daniel