Hi y’all it’s my first time modding a car and I have no idea what parts to order to mod my 2000 corvette automatic coupe. I want to mod it to make it go faster in a straight line and to make it more faster in general. My budget is $2-3k. Can you guys please link me to a list to the parts I should buy or tell me which parts you recommend please and thank you

 

Welcome to the forum. Before you make it “more faster” hahaha, should look into making sure it is fully operational and running strong. No sense in dumping money into something without a solid base. Change all the fluids and make sure all maintenance needs are met. Once you’re good from there start building based on how much you have left. New tires and brakes make a huge difference from the start

 

New tires can set you back $1200…. Google how to read the DOT Date Codes on tires. If your ares are 6 or more years old, change them out asap, regardless of how much tread remains.

All fluids.
Power flush the brake fluid ( I’ll betcha if you look at the reservoir the fluid is dark)
Install an LMC5 module if your doesn’t have one yet. This prevents the computer from locking up the steering column unexpectedly. A must.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/33292569128...a1050570de0ded

Change your air filter and have your mechanic use some compressed air to clean your radiator fins from inside the engine bay. These cars are road vacuums and overheating problems are most commonly caused by debris clogging the radiator. It doesn’t take much.

Now…go get a set of 3.73 rear gears installed for about $2200, and have some fun.

Note: don’t waste a dime on a “cold air intake”. Worthless..

 

Once you have been bitten by the “mod bug” your wallet will never recover 🍻

 

I've been down that road 20+ times over the yrs. Here is what it all comes down to.
1, Is it a toy car?
2. Is it a daily driver?

Chances are you need to drive it daily or at least might have to drive it daily. So I'm going to second what vette4fl advised pus add a few things.
IMO.. FIRST: fully service the car. Get it back into tip-top stock condition. Tires, flush ALL fluids, change both belts, maybe all coolant hoses, clean radiator, recharge AC, clean udders, just fix anything that might be needing fixed. Hatch struts? Hood struts? brakes? shocks? rear diff mount? plugs & coils? clean wiring ground? NOTE: Does your harmonic balancer wobble? That's a biggie to get right before spending on mods.

SECOND: Here would be my list of mods for a semi-daily driver / daily driver. Tint the windows as dark as you can get away with using a ceramic tint (just to lower heat in cabin), Corsa after cat system brings joy to the ears. (a Z06 titanium w/the bypass mod are nice too). Change the rear gear ratio to 3.73 or if you have to use on freeway maybe a 3.4-ish ratio, Upgrade the battery +1 size and use an AGM version, Add a BIG 3 wire kit, Change the headlight bulbs as the stocks suck, I added a BT kit to my stock BOSE radio, and once all mechanical drivetrain parts are in good condition have it dyno tuned for the high octane you will use.
***IF*** you want to take it to the dragstrip and want to spend more... a set of drag radials and a 3k stall converter will really cut ET's and allow you to put those 3.73's to good use. The 3k stall is not to bad to live with daily but it will raise trans fluid temps.

Summary.. I've done this kind of mod vs daily driver thing 20+ times over the yrs. If I could go back and slap myself.. you get the most joy out of a good sounding exhaust, steep rear gear ratio, tuned engine and transmission (firmer shifts), and just having a car that's in very good and reliable condition.
My personal rule of thumb... I need to be able to hop in it at a moments notice and drive 1000 miles without any concerns. My C5Z is like that and in July I plan to do a 3000k mile road trip... if needed I could do that right now.

 

^Man, I hope you copied and saved somewhere! This is a great recipe for new Vette owners. 👍 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

 

All good advice here in the thread. Once you get the car in very good running condition, then do your mods.

 

I agree with everything you said, except the intake. The C5 air filter is VERY restrictive. I agree he may not need a "cold air" intake, but a larger, open filter element, like a Blackwing or K&N, would definitely help some. I have a Blackwing. My A4 C5 was in the low 13s, like 13.20s/13.30s, and everyone told me I'd never get into the 12s with a stock filter. Sure enough, after all the other boltons, I bought a Blackwing, and running 12.90s became the norm. Just saying.....

 

Ah yes, the old filter debate, lol… I should have mentioned the Z06 airbox lid swap thing…

The stock filter flows 1000 cfm, and is far superior at filtering. That’s good for about 800 hp. The problem is the base C5 airbox inlet is too small,, whereas the Z06 inlet is about four times bigger and is definitely noticeable.

A stock out of the box Z06 easily runs low 12’s, so there’s enough airflow. Switching up the airbox lid to the Z does the job. Cost me $50, so there’s that too.

 

My first expenses on a one owner low mileage 03 C5 to include and perform before doing anything else. New tires (check date codes, not rubber remaining). Oil, brakes (I swapped pads and rotors as the price was right at rock auto. Flush and fill coolant system. New plugs, wires). Flush power steering system, bleed clutch and flush. If you can do most of it yourself you would be in the $2-3k range for your first mods.

 

The most bang for the buck and seat of the pants improvement is changing the rear end gears, ESPECIALLY if you have the 2.73s. Going from that to the 3.42s really woke the car up. I was lucky enough to find a low mileage used part a few years ago and save some $$.

 

Agree totally that the stock filter is plenty big enough. However, the box its mounted in is woefully inadequate. Also-Anyone wanting to switch to Z06 type lid, bypass the '01 lid!!! The '02-up lid is far superior to the '01.....

 

I also agree about the stock Z06 times. However, I think I did some things right getting a stock, base A4 LS1 Vert into the mid 12s. Z06 started with a 60hp advantage AND a 6 speed manual......

 

You definitely got it right in a big way. All the right components for driver with plenty whoopass!

 

Thanks vette4fl. I also forgot to mention one place I got lucky was my car came with the optional G92 3.15 gear. It was still at a disadvantage to the Zs 3.42, but much better for performance than the 2.73. It would've been interesting to see what times I would've gotten with a 3.42 and a 6spd. Guys at the track said my 114mph was right there with the Z06 trap speeds they had seen.....

 

I love rowing the gears, but if the C5s came with the 6L80 I would have been all in for that!

 

I agree with many posts above. I have a few bolt ons, headers, exhaust, intake. Last year, went with an RPM 3.73 and yank3200. It’s much better from a dig. Also have 1/4 mile improvement on street tires, best so far is 12.5 @111. Needs a drag radial to load the converter though. You will like the gear, pulls noticeably harder in all gears. Cruising at 80 is about 2700 RPM and I have a 26” tire, 305 30 19.

 

Time for a mid-range cam and some 243 heads. 40 more hp puts you in the 11’s. That is a damn respectful time for a mild cam driver.

 

My 12.50@114mph was with a 3,200 Yank, and 3.15s. Do you have a Vert? Mine's a 2000 Vert, and the damn track owner.......Yeah, I fibbed to his staff. They asked what my car ran, and I fibbed and told him I had no idea. They told me no quicker than 14.00 with no roll bar!! 2 weeks prior, I'd run a 12.89@110 at a different strip. That was thru the stock exhaust manifolds. Now I had the Yank, and shorty stainless headers. So technically, I didn't know what it would run, I just, uh, fibbed a little!! Anyway, I made a couple of 12.65-12.70 runs, then ripped that 12.50@114mph!! Oooh BOY!!!!! That staffer came running at my car as I pulled up to the staging area again, pointing and waving a black flag, and screamed 'You're done, you can stay and watch, but no more racing unless you get a roll bar.' I complained to the owner, Ed Vakula, and told him I ran a street/strip/drag bike for years at his track, many times, quicker and faster than the Vette. I asked him which one would you feel safer in, the bike at 125+mph, or a car@114?? He said it didn't matter, and he was gonna follow NHRA rules for Verts. I said 'Ed, this isn't an NHRA track!' He replied 'no, it isn't. But it's MY track, and I'll run it as I see fit!!' End of story....

 

I am a new owner as well, I was gifted my 2K by my parents before my dad passed. It had sat for a couple years barely driven. All above is very good advice, mine needed quite a few things after sitting. Tires and shocks replaced, oil pressure sensor was leaking, harmonic balancer was wobbly, belts and tensioners replaced, engine mounts, knock sensors, flushed brake fluid, etc. Hate to say but all that was way above 2K without getting into any perf mods. If you want to drive at night plan on replacing the headlights as the stock ones are pretty much useless.