Hello, you guys may remember me. I'm the guys from the zero mile vette thread. Anyway, for those who followed that thread I have decided to keep the 89 convertable and drive it. What are my options for uping the performance here. I would like to get to the level of an 03 z06. Is that a dream and what would it entail. I know I could supercharge or turbo charge but how reliable is it on an old (new) car. Also if when you respond I could get a little detail that would be great. For example rather than saying supercharge it give me a reputable company with which I could talk to and so forth. I would really like to here most about the options other than forced induction though. Last and the thing I need to know ASAP is how big of wheels will fit this car. Will 18 and 19 inchers fit off the new c6? I think zo6 wheels will but can you even get those in 18/19. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks

 

I just got a new Mid America Motorworks catalog, they have Z06 and C6 wheels to fit C4's. Ad says with no adapters, so maybe stock ones need adapters to fit, I don't know but I'm sure someone on here does.

As far as getting Z06 performance from an L89 without forced induction, you're looking at some strengthening and major airflow improvements. All the usuals like heads, cam, intake, headers, exhaust, then all the tuning/programming to optimize the system. I'm sure someone on here will have more difinitive answers like manufacturers and part numbers.

 

Do some searches and start back tracking to read old threads. You will learn a lot more doing that than the all the answers you could ever receive from this post. You'll get a wider spectrum of modifications and how they work.

RACE ON!!!

 

Take a look at the "L98 Mods" article on my site for a recipe that will put your '89 well into the 12sec range.

Basically it consists of heads, cam, exhaust, fuel, spark and intake mods with the result being a very streetable 375+ chp L98.

BTW, do you have an A4 or stick shift, what gears, how many miles and will it be seeing the drag strip on a regular basis???

 

The car is a 6 speed it has 150 miles on it, yes 150, and I will probably drag race during the summer.

 

Good to see you kept it and are enjoying it!

 

You've got a 1989 vert with 150 miles on it and you want to drag race with it? Why not just drive down the road and throw your money out the window? This makes absolutely no sense. Why not sell it to a collector and take half the money you get and buy a late model C4 with higher miles and run the **** out of it?

 

I considered doing that but I got this car from my parents at an extremely low price and I'm not into profiting off my family. In other words the car was almost given to me with the intention of keeping it in the family. I am going to honor both my parents and grandparents wishes. On the other hand why not have a little fun doing so

 

As for the Z06 performance; no dreaming required. It WILL be extensive, but 400 ft/lbs of torque is easy (REALLY easy, like just a few bolt-ons). Getting to 400 hp is a bit harder, but if you actually make it, you'll probably be putting out 440-490 ft/lbs and be much faster down the strip than a car with a stock LS6.

Just don't get caught up in the "PEAK HP" trap. If you want to spin a dyno meter, the L98 engine is not for you; if you want to win drag races..... you'l be just fine.

And as for details, here is the most easy way to do it :

in one simple step.

Just send your car to Doug Rippie (www.dougrippie.com) with a check for the L98 "stroker" package. A few weeks later he'll send your back a car with 400 HP and 490 ft/lbs of torque. Now I admit that there are cheaper ways to do it, but if I were you I'd SERIOUSLY consider this due to the low mileage of the car. You could piece together the same components, and get the work done cheaper elsewhere. But Doug has an excellent reputation and provides a warantee. He has one of those few places that get listed in the description when people are trying to sell their car. And most of the other places have stopped working on cars this old

[edit] He doesn't have the L98 packages on the main page any more, but you can click the engine chart link on the left ond see the L98 options listed on the bottom... Hopefully he still offers this. Anybody from DRM reading this?

 

Wowzers, 150 miles, I had to read that three times (well, the first time counted for two because of the beer).

Anyway, you may have some serious seal/gasket problems to deal with before dragging that baby. Cars that sit for 15 years generally don't get enough lubrication.

Handling wise, you'll never be able to get to the Z06 level, they're just too good; the hard top gives them rigidity and allows them lower weights than the vert. They're the top dog in autocross for a reason. But you can certainly compete in the 1/4 mile.... good luck.

 

Ya i know, the first hundred or so miles I'm very scared of. The car has been started and run for an hour twice a year but still I'm scared. This could get expensive! I am going to go check on the doug ripp thing now. Thanks for all the advice so far.