I have a 99 FRC that is essentially stock. I have the opportunity to put some cash (20,000 max) into it...She Who Must Be Obeyed has vetoed adding more cash and up-grading to a 2014 Stingray.
My list includes
Seats and belts
Proper Steering wheel (? quick-release )
Big Brake kit
Long tubes
P and P Intake and Throttle Body
Cam
Dyno tune
Wheels and rubber

Its my daily driver and will see the track for HPDE about 8-10 times yearly plus other performance related events

Thanks for any thoughts or recommendations
PS located in Vancouver Canada

 

Put more cash to it and upgrade to a 2014. Don't look back you will be more happy with a 2014, plus will out run are run as good with you doing all the other stuff to a 1999 car.

 

But the divorce would really set me back....

Trust me, I would go for the 2014 if I could swing it. A new roof for our primary residence and a new roof and kitchen for our recreational property severely limits my flexibility.

 

I thought about selling mine (for about 12 secs) and upgrading after the frenzy has died down, but;

1. I just don't care for the C7 side and HATE the rear.
2. I like the smooth "sports car" lines of the C5 more than the chopped look of the C7
3. Mine is faster (A LOT)
4. Cant stand the thought of having any car payments.

Soooo, I am modding mine even more this winter, so I can love it (if possible) MORE than I do now.

 

Atleast you have the approval to do the mods Most of us seek forgiveness before getting permission. Of the items I can address:

Seats and belts (Depends on what you're looking for. Carbeau, Sparco, and the like are nice, but even for just the cloth/suede seats you're looking at about $400 per...then when you add the seat rails...add another $125 per. Leather easily sets you back for $800 per. Another option is leather seats I got from http://www.madracingconcepts.com/Sea...s.htm#brackets. Very good quality and I didn't see myself spending $1600 on seats if there was a better alternative. I put them in my other hotrod two years ago...surprisingly comfortable...road trip from DC to Daytona and back with no comfort issues. Another option is check the F/S threads and maybe you'll get lucky.)
Big Brake kit (Got the C6 Z06 big brake upgrade kit from WCC $1995. Not crazy about the stock C6 Z06 rotors drilled and vented for driver's side only in GM's infinite stupidity. The calipers are excellent 6 piston front, 4 piston rear. I plan to replace the rotors with some correctly drilled and vented for both sides at under $500 and still an improvement over stock. XYZ has a nice set, but it's about $3000.)
Long tubes (Maryland speed has excellent prices on Kooks headers, cats, and mid pipes with free coating. $1500 shipped is what I was quoted, but that was actually speaking to someone there not ordering thru their website. Another friend of mine has OBX headers, cats, and mid pipes. Excellent reviews on them with no filament issues. Think he spent $800 on his. Have videos available on both.)
P and P Intake and Throttle Body (Not familiar with this intake or TB, but smart move here )
Cam (A head and cam package would be optimal and get you more bang for the buck)
Dyno tune (Make sure the tuner is worth his weight in gold...enough said.)
Wheels and rubber (The big brake kit from WCC required getting larger wheels. The stock C6 Z06 wheels would not clear the rear calipers so I opted for their replica C6 Z06 wheels. They provide 1/8" spacers, but I found 5/16th worked better with my selected tires...Michelin Pilot Super Sport. The wheels hit me up for about $1200, the tires $2000, but well worth it.)

If you're looking at gaining substantial HP you should strongly consider abandoning the stock clutch.

All this can be accomplished within your budget.

Hope this helps.

 

I'm confused what you are asking.. Sounds like you know what she will and won't let you do Being a newlywed I am learning the struggles of trying to get my better half to endear "mods" and wants for another fun car down the road.

Are you saying she won't let you put MORE than 20k cash down with the stingray?

If it were me I know what I would do... Act like you want to be a better team player and don't do anything... As time passes and her guilt reflex starts to grow-next thing you know the 2015 C7 Z06 has debuted in a little over a year. And we will all want to virtual high five you on the forum when you post pics!

 

P and P was my clumsy shorthand for polished and ported...I'm looking at the FAST intakes but any input is welcome. Given my budget I will likely consider adding heads as well.
My knowledge of shops is limited. I would consider bringing my car down to the Seattle area if there are no recommendations for the Vancouver BC area.

 

If track use will be that frequent, I would first look at brakes. Going fast is fun, but you still gotta stop.... As far as "Big brakes", I would start by going with good high performance pads, new rotors, and cooling ducts.

A good 5 or 6-point harness would be the next thing (or right along with the brakes) Sparco and Corbeau are good seats and you can get mounting brackets to make the install easier. A harness bar that is mounted so that the shoulder straps will be nearly level going thru the holes in the seat back. The sub belt needs to go thru a hole in the seat base. Or with a 6-point, make sure everything is attached properly. Look at the Hardbar setup.

A removable steering wheel may be nice, but you will lose the benefit of an airbag for street use. I'm not up on all of the seatbelt laws in BC, but I would expect that the use of a harness on the street would be illegal just as it is in the US. 5 and 6 point harnesses don't meet the USDOT regulations and are not certified for the street.

Long tubes and a good exhaust will be a help as would the other mods, but will you have to have the car emissions tested? Again, Provincial laws or even the federal laws can be different compared to the US. WA is one state where some counties require testing but parts of the same counties (by ZIP code) don't require it.

For a excellent garage, check with Tom Wong, owner of Wong's Performance Engineering down in the "other" Vancouver. Lots of guys have used Tom for engines and tunes. Tom is also a CF Supporting Vendor.

Where will you be doing track days?? Is there anything left in the greater Vancouver area?? Or will you be headed south to Pacific Raceways, The Ridge, or Portland Int'l Raceway?

 

I've been married for 30+ yrs. The "hidden" mods on my M3 left me with little wriggle room....be very careful planning on "guilt reflex"

 

I was just being funny. My wife's on board with the C7Z

Good luck.

 

Yep. I agree with each of your points.
IMO OP should get a supercharger and go from there.

 

thanks for the advice..I had an M3 heavily modded could pound the brakes all day and just replace the pads...sigh...
I do days with the BMW club so at least 4 days at Mission. Its a small track with a lot of concrete so very technical. I've done Seattle ( hope Santa brings a few gift certificates ), and Portland. Hope to get to Ridge this spring or summer.

 

Supercharged my E36 M3. That was a very nice ride. But lost traction control and one cold morning lost focus and accelerating out of a corner put it into a concrete barrier (at the track).
My concern with a supercharger would be track days especially in the summer months. Won't heat be a problem with extended runs of say 15-20 laps?

 

I had the same problem with all the new vettes out there , instead I just put a supercharger , full exhaust ,CCW rims, and few other upgrades totaling around 12,000 on my 98. I am so happy , no payments , plus the car is scary fast now, very fast . No payments and I can run with most cars out there now!!!! 550 hp is a fantastic feeling . All depends what you enjoy, fast or putting around..

 

Injection is nice but I would rather be blown

 

No offence taken...like I say the "hidden" mods became very problematic when the car was totalled and I had some "splaining" to do. Better to be upfront. Congrats re the wife being on board.

 

They always know...they just don't say anything until they're ready to "drop the bomb" on you. Do nothing and she'll find a different "priority" for those funds. Turn your C5 into an absolute killer ride. .02 cents

 

I personally wouldn't drop $70k on an American car that will depreciate to $10k in 10 years (garage queen or not). Plus, lets be honest, the C7 is ugly...it has the highest scoop/bulge/fin per sq/ft ratio out of any car on the planet. I don't want to start another "do you like the C7" thread, but that thing is so ugly only an American could like it.

The best part about my C5 is that I don't owe a penny on it.

 

Love the Fiero

 

If that was directed towards me thanks. Lots of work went into that car, but when I wanted to upgrade to a LS376 and was given an estimate of $30k for that swap...I went out and got the whole darn Corvette for half that. Having fun upgrading that one too The Fiero is now a "show" car and occasional weekend driver.