I have a beautiful , low miles 97 coupe. I use it as kind of a "special event" driver and I'll probably never put a ton of miles on it. I find myself considering some "mods" (starting with a cam) for no particular good reason. I'm wondering if anybody else has jumped into the mod thing and regretted losing the stock manners of the car. There appears to be a down side to most of the mods commonly talked about on this forum. Any opinions? Chuck.

 

I did the bolt-ons and then did the cam swap. I went with the g5x3 cam, which is a fairly big cam and one you can definantly tell is under the hood. Mine has great street driveability but you will definantly need a tune. I dont regret anything i have done. Its amazing the looks i get when they hear a big cammed corvette. Good luck with you decision

Chris

 

Mod it the level of a Z06 but add headers and CAI - you will realize 105 HP increase @ the crank (345 to 450) and maintain total drivability, reliability, and increase the fun factor!

 

C_Williams@RPM, what part of the country are you in, I went to your website and that doesnt even say unless I just overlooked it (and that is entirely possible)

 

 

Resist the temptation to go with a big cam. The way you use your car you don't want a car that shakes at idle or bucks (slightly). Most big cams can be tuned to drive (like stock) but if you want a car that has more power without the tradeoffs of a larger cam you should go with a conservative grind. There are several options out there. Just be brutally frank with your tuner / installer regarding your expectations and stay conservative and you won't be disappointed.

FWIW- I went with a 224/228/115 grind and while the car has gobs of power it shakes at idle and bucks (slightly at light throttle) and stalls occationally after two different professionals have tuned the car on two seperate dynos. All of this would be considered "no problem" by most enthusiasts as the car is scary fast and drives nearly as well as a stocker but,,,,it's not what I want. I'm going with a more conservative cam 214/220/118 and while I know I'll be giving up some horse power, I am expecting the car will idle smooth with no shake. I've also done quite a bit of research and am probably going to install a 25% underdrive pulley to get back some the HP I'm giving up by swapping cams.

In all - You will be VERY HAPPY with the results of modding you car if you do the research and select the components that will complement the way you use your car.

Good luck

 

Did you see much of a change in the fuel gage???

 

i did the same thing to big on the cam / tsp 233/239 600/605 112 lsa it likes to buck like a wild bronco =that & i am also making the move to step down in cam size something like the 02 z06 cam will be just right for me .Being undecided on camshaft selection is very difficult i was just there , best thing to do is get all the info on cams as u can and absorb it .It can be very tiresome .This question also is gonna go back to the mods u have & when u want the power to come in.Street manners are a big deal for me now .

 

All I can say is. Once the "Mod Fever" starts, you may not quit until you have a supercharged 427 and 4.11 gears in the back.

 

I would go with the bigger cam way before i would try to get 10 HP with an Underdrive pulley---I've had them before--The car is harder to turn at slow speeds(parking lots)-overheats---low voltage causes battery to drain in traffic---and going to the alternator overdriven pully is a joke of a fix--if you do that you're putting it back the way it was--so why have it in the 1st place??---not a fan-----ended up taking it off.

 

To me just doing a cam isn't worth the money because if you put a big one in on top of the cost of the cam you've got to add the cost of a tune. If you're not doing the work yourself you could be looking at $700 - $800 for the cam, install and dyno tune.Then, at some point down the line you're gonna want to go back in there and do something that you should have done when you did the cam, so you labor expense doubles.

There's a natural sequence to doing mods that , in the long run, saves you money - like
cold air intake, MAF, ported TB . ported intake;
cam, heads, ported oil pump, timming chain, lifters, injectors and even an under pully:
headers, hi-flo cats x pipe , cat backs ;
gears, TC, trani cooler ( it would help if you shared the info on your car in your sig so people will know if it's an auto or M6 )
Z06 sway bars, tunnel plate, trani brace.
wheels and tires

I know you're going to say "I'm not going that far" - but you WILL.You see, horse power is like money and sex - you never have enough.

MODs are addictive so think carefully before you start then either do a bunch of research on this forum and on LS1tech or ,if you have a good tuner in you area, talk over what you would like to accomplish and MOST importantly how much you're willing to spend.

Do I regret my mods? NO, but I wish there was away I could keep them all and get my money back.

 

Is the above the correct order for doing these mods ???

I'm in the same boat, have a reasonable idea what I want to end up w/ but not sure where to start and the correct order to do them in.

I own a stock 2001 roadster w/ 6 speed and would like to eventually have Z06 handling and power level.

Would a good start be 3.70-4.11 gears, sway bars, and shocks (along w/ new Goodyear F1s of course) ???

THANKS !!!

 

I recommend some independant research and home work. Talk to some shops that specialize in C5 and LS mods. Good luck

 

Thanks for your words of experience. Sounds like I better re-think the underdrive pulley mod. There is no way I would be happy if I had to deal with the issues you described

 

I just started collecting a few things, mostly at swapmeets and car shows. I bought a new Crower 00572 cam and was going to just pop it in and see what I thought. The more I see what else needs to be done made me question what I was really hoping to achieve. I'd like to end up with a nice mannered fast car, which is what I'm starting with. I think I'll ponder a bit more. Thanks for the responses. Wishing all a safe and enjoyable new year!!!!-Chuck.

 

here's a thread on ECS cam
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...ight=ecs+h%2Fc
and this is someone who put it in their car also
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...+h%2Fc+results

 

I understand you completely. I did a 76' Camaro, started with headers, ended when I had over 600 HP and couldn't get the 10 1/2 inch slicks to hook up so I either tubbed it or get rid of it.............................
I sure do miss the ol girl..
as for my 2004 Vette, I put Borla Stingers on it, going to do a air filter system, 373 gears and a torque converter. And I'm telling myself that is all that I'm going to do.....yea, right!
Gohard, or don't go at all!

 

According to c williams web site he is in Valincia , ca

 

You left a little info out, do you want a loud car, do you want a choppy idle that a lot of cams give? Do you care about keeping semi-stock car feel? Have you thought about gears? Since it's an occasional car I would think you just want a faster car and could give up a little of the factory tameness but don't want the headache of a beast around town that you are fighting in traffic. Have you thought about FI? Keep all the stock feel but with loads of power and a LOT less headaches. Can you see yourself being "content" with XXX power? There is a lot of stuff to think about before you start modding so you can be happy and not have do things over and over.

 

Do some digging around using the search engine and check out the results from the 346 package I featured in my 2000 C5 with the stock shortblock. Its not cheap to copy it to the letter but it will leave you with a 450-470 RWHP car that drives like stock, gets BETTER gas mileage, and will run low 11's all day long in the mid 120's (high tens likely in an auto or aggressively driven 6 speed). My car actually made 475 RWHP with a few 480 runs here and there and 435-440 RWTQ. Obviously the AFR 205 heads were the cornerstone of that package and its nice to know that they are a true stock replacement head that bolts on with no fuss and are CARB legal as well. Even if you skimp on a few of the details ($$$) you can still get yourself in the low/mid 400's (again were talking at the rear wheels) with perfect drivability. The car just feels better everywhere....from the quick paragragh you wrote it sounded like just the type of mods you might enjoy....over the long haul. Dont overcam it and don't go with an obnoxiously loud exhaust....both might be fun for a few weeks but grow tiresome the more you drive the car.

Good luck and succomb to the modding. Just choose your mods carefully.

Tony M.