1988 L98, 4+3 transmission, stock motor. I just purchased a ported plemun, siamesed runners and TPIS big mounth manifold. Want to do the work myself but I am unsure of the problems with taking the distributer out. Any suggestions with this. I am also looking for a BBK 52mm throttle body and adjustable fuel regulator. As for the TB, is there any adjustments that have to be made after installation? The shop manual talks about voltage settings. Is this something I should leave to a pro. I also want to change out the fuel injectors, but I am not certain I will gain anything over the stock GM injectors. Anyone have any experience with this issue. I will also change out the headers but can't find Hooker coated headers. Want a set of headers that bolt in without any modifications. I heard Hooker has a good set, any idea who sells them and the cost. TPIS headers are good but the cost is very high. Basicaly I am looking for solid advise on problems I should expect to run into and how far do I go with changing the intake and still achieve some HP gain. Any advise regarding this would be appreciated. Bill

 

Hi Bill

Take your time and carefully plan what you want the end results to be and how you intend to use the car, everything you buy and install depends on getting this right.

Get the Feb 2003 copy of Chevy High Performance Magazine, theres an excellent article for the beginner on removing your distributor.

From what you decribe as your current plans, you do not need the 52mm throttle body or larger injectors, but the AFPR is a good idea. There is a TPS adjustment on the throttle body that the manual will take you through if you decide to buy one anyway, its easy to do.

Summit sells Hooker headers (coated headers $460.00, Y pipe $130.00), but there are some hidden costs associated with them related to the O2 sensor which bring the price pretty close to the cost of the TPIS headers (if your buying the Y pipe in both cases). You will lose the pre-cats either way, is that an issue for you?

Good luck !

 

Setting things like the TPS and IAC on the new TB shouldnt be a problem for you if you can install and remove the intake. All the directions are in the Helm Shop manual, which i guess is what you have.

Best fuel injectors you can get for the price is the Ford SVO #24s or their #19s. With an AFPR you can adjust the pressure down or up respectively and the computer can compensate without a reprogram.

Hookers are the best you can get for the money, 2149s or 2151s, dont know who has the best price though.

Headers would be about 15hp, the intake manifold about 15-20 and the plenum and runners adds around 10-15hp. It would be great if you port matched the manifold to the heads, though that would be too involved for a newbie and youd want a shop to totally redo the heads.