Can anyone help me find a good source for mild mods to my 1996 Collector Edition LT-4? I already have an SLP intake instead of the stock one (it's a start).

I don't want anything too extreme since I think the car is pretty rare (6speed convert. with red leather interior and about 25K miles). Just enough to make things interesting.


Thanks!!!

 

That's a rare but nice option car. That red interior really takes some getting use to!!! I like it!

As fellow LT4 owner, I also wanted something that would not show but add some a little something.

However, you need to define what you want to spend, how handy you are with tools, and what you can live with in the way of drivability and appearence.

For example if you change the exhaust to a Corsa or Borla, the increase in noise may not be an acceptable trade off in performance for you.

Or changing the cam may be too expensive if you have to take it to a shop.

By the way, did the SLP manifold help? I have not seen any results on this so I would like to know if it did anything for the LT4.

Also, follow the link in my signature to my website for the mods I made to my car. The car appears totally stock (except for the CE wheels) but I was pleased with the results.




[Modified by Mez, 5:17 PM 8/5/2002]

 

Well the usual mods are 4.10 rear gears, TB bypass, GM hotcam kit, head porting. Maybe some longtube headers, Corsa exhaust.

I dont think any of them would really hurt the resale value as long as you kept the stock parts.

 

Thanks for the response. I do notice an imporvement with the SLP esp. in higher RPM ranges where the added airflow really comes into play.

Borla exhaust is defintely on the menu for this winter. As for a cam, I prefer to stick with mods that I can install myself. While I am pretty handy with tools, I just don't have the setup to take the engine apart.

What have you heard about chips? I have seen a couple on the web but haven't seen anybody comment on them.


As for the red interior. It does take a bit of getting used to. I love it too and it gets alot of looks when the top is down. From what I can tell off of the web, there are less than 30 CE's like mine. Probably much less since I don't have the adjust. suspension or low tire pressure options which were so popular.

BTW - I like your Vette. The CE wheels are nice touch.

Thanks for the information.

 

96's dont use chips, youll have to have your computer sent off to be reprogrammed. A hypertech power programmer would suffice until you change the camshaft. Youre not really gonna get any power from a reprogram anyway until you change some internals/intake/exhaust stuff.

 

Headers are an excellent idea which depend on my cash flow come Christmas. TB bypass?

 

Tb bypass is when you remove the coolant hoses from the Throttle body and mate them together so that the coolant doesnt go thru the TB. This was done so that the plates wouldnt freeze in cold weather, only thing is that it must get below the teens for it to happen anyway. Any other time of year, it hurts performance by heating up the incoming air, so we reroute it. It usually adds 3-5hp.

 

Here is photo of the completed Throttle Body bypass on my car. Note the 3/8 rubber hose routed from the radiator (lower right corner) then along side the MAF then under the injector cover.

General
---------
Coolant is routed from the back of the heads to the throttle body then to the radiator passengers side front. This is exclusive to reverse flow cooling systems as it is necessary to remove steam pockets that can accumulate in the heads and route it back to the radiator. Coolant to the throttle body is necessary to keep ice from forming in the throttle area during freezing weather. If you drive frequently during cold weather, you may want to reconnect it to prevent ice from forming and possible throttle sticking in the open position.

Steps:
============================
1) Remove the passenger side injector cover. Look for steel coolant line that runs from the back of the heads to near the throttle body.

2) Remove the clamps and rubber hose that runs from the steel line in step 1 to the throttle body. This is a short hose with a 90 degree elbow.

3) Remove the clamp and coolant hose connected to the front of the throttle body driver's side and connect to the steel line from step 2 above routed to back side of the heads.

 

The motor is already pretty tweaked, there's not much to do except port heads/intake and add a cam. I suppose that's beyond mild. IMHO, the best mod for speed is a 4.10 gear and a Hurst shifter, the best mods for handling is Z07 swaybars and poly bushings and the best motor mods for an LT4 is the LT4 HOT cam.

Eric

 

Hey, I like the red interior.....a lot of people (including my friends) don't like it.

I think the red interior is cool. Grabs attention like the Corvette should

 

Take a look at my sig for my current list of mods. All of these are bolt on's (except the gears) and completely reversible (but why would you replace the mufflers?) The fan shroud in your car, is it cut? I dunno about the SLP's but most of the AM intakes have you cutting the fan shroud, one consideration.
I ran the 13.07 with the gears, Vortex intake, Borla's, and Fastchip reprogrammed PCM. I expect I'm in the mid-high 12's with the current setup.
I was very unhappy with the tuning I got from Fasthchip, but he claims my gain was diminished due to the low (91) octane that I get here in CA. In my experience verts run a little slower in the qm, but with the LT4 you're one step in the right direction.

Sam


[Modified by LT4Sam, 10:52 PM 8/5/2002]

 

The LT4 is a great motor as is. Best bang for the buck is the 4.10 gears. Here's the history of modification on my Dad's car:

Stock everything: 12.92 @ 109, 60' 1.93
Added drag radials: 12.58 @ 110.55 60' 1.82
Added 4.10 gears: 12.56 @ 108 60' 1.807
Added hot cam: 12.33 @ 112.61 60' 1.799
Switched to A4 12.48@ 109.62 60' 1.722

Now keep in mind that all of these runs were not the norm, they were done when the weather was favorable and the track had excellent bite (the only exception is the A4 run, that was done in the heat of the summer). A typical run for the car would be 0.2-0.3 slower than the above bests for each configuration.

This is with stock heads and intake, stock exhaust manifolds, and stock ehxaust with Borla mufflers. The only other mods are a cut air filter lid and K&N filter. BTW, the Borla mufflers drone quite a bit but sound good

The hot cam is a great bang for the buck too if you can perform the labor yourself. With the hot cam and 6 speed, I didn't even have to reprogram the PCM.

All of these mods can be "undone" to preserve the resale value of your car.

 

Thanks. I love the color but I have only seen one other CE with it for sale at Kerbeck in Atlantic City and it was an automatic, not the 6 speed.

It is a bit garish and I do get a lot of looks but like you say, that is the idea!

:cheers:

 

Thanks.

BTW, nice wheels. How much did chroming them set you back? Mine are still the stock silver.

 

We bought them used off of another forum member. They are the larger Grand Sport wheels that were chromed. It was a package deal wheels, new tires up front and new drag radials out back for $1200 :eek: :cool:

 

I'm all about that red interior.