So heres what im thinking about doing, not anytime soon, and not all at once, but i just want to plan ahead b/c ive been saving up some money to do some work on it sometime in the near future...

But ive got a 98 Trans Am convertible A4, which is stock except for Hooker catback exhaust and a 3" cutout.

Now heres my plan...

Switch from the stock 2.73's to some 3.73 gears.
Hooker Long Tube headers
TR 224/224 112LSA cam
Stall (dont know what kind yet...)

Now do i need to do anything suspension wise? Or rearend wise? Or tranny wise?

What is the TR224 cam like? Is it pretty good? I dont need much power, just enough to make it a fun little toy. I can always change the heads too down the road if i want more power...

But how does this look? Any suggestions?

Also, what could i expect to run in the 1/4 mile?

 

The Futral Motorsports cams are proven. I'd go with them.

The F-11 or F-13 would be optimal for your use.

Stall size? I'd go with a 3200-3600 for the street, but something like a 4000 is optimal for the LS1 motor, since it makes peak torque so high.

Mike

 

ls6 intake.

 

with just the cam and exhaust you list....you should see 375rwhp through your auto. should be a nice flat torque curve with a good powerband.

the 224 cam is a proven all around mild cam...great for a daily driver.

some basic suspension upgrades would probably do you good. subframes, lower control arms, panhard bar and a poly torque arm mount.

if you want a little better handling in the corners, bigger sway bars make a nice improvement

 

you look to be on the right track for your goals with the cam, gears and headers. i would add an LS6 intake to the list as the LS1 intake may choke it a little bit.

as far as suspension goes, i would look into a new set of shocks first. the stock shocks and springs on a '98 f-body are going to be pretty beat. i'm of the belief that SFC's aren't necessary if you have good shocks and springs. they just bandaid fix the problem of old shocks/springs. sam strano is the man to talk to regarding suspension. he can set you up for street, strip, street/strip, auto-x, street/auto-x. there's going to be sacrifices for each, but he will be the best help for you.

the factory rearend can go boom at anytime, especially with sticky tires and an M6. you should be alright for a while with your auto and street tires.

 

"i'm of the belief that SFC's aren't necessary if you have good shocks and springs. they just bandaid fix the problem of old shocks/springs"

how do you expect good shock/springs to function properly if the body of the vehicle they are attached to flexes every time you hit a bump??

 

the 4th gen chassis is much stiffer than a fox body mustang or an older fbody. it was designed around being universal for convertibles and hardtops. the flex that people feel is due to worn out shocks/springs/bars. there really isn't flex actually involved in the chassis.

SFC's work on cars with stock shocks because impacts that should be damped out by the shocks aren't. Instead, they get transferred into the body where the SFC's will help dampen them.

check out Sam Strano's responses here. I trust him with my chassis & suspension more than anyone on this planet.

http://ls1tech.com/forums/showthread...3&page=1&pp=20

 

Then how do you explain stress dimples on the rear quarter panels of a 1 year old 98 SS M6 that I made about 80 passes with during that first year.
Are you going to tell me that it was caused by brand new worn out shocks?? Well you'd be wrong because it had/has the SLP upgraded shocks that still work great.
Straino really knows his stuff but he doesn't focus on drag racing. His focus is road racing where maybe the chassis is stiff enough. But it needs a little help for straight line hard launches and a lot of us do just that.

 

SLP shocks aren't that great and certainly aren't great for drag racing. 80 passes in a year is a lot...a car drag racing that much should probably have SFC's, especially if they are cutting low 60' on hard launches. that's also a buttload of stress on the suspension and will help wear components out prematurely. this is one of the instances where good shocks/springs and SFC's work well together.

as far as dimples, many cars with SFC's have gotten dimples...two of my friends included. one of them has 3pt connectors. if there really was that much flex in the chassis, the doors wouldn't open and close right and the floor board would be wrinkled. that's the part that the SFC's actually connect. The rear quarter panels have solid frame under them and are behind the "weak area" that the SFC's connect.

i understand strano doesn't focus on drag racing, however, he understands spring rates and suspension geometry in far greater detail than people who consider themselves suspension wizards.

 

I'd do the gears & stall around the same time.
Same goes for the headers, LS6 intake, and lid.
Then, the cam if you're going to do it. Look into a 224/228 .581/.588 110+2lsa cam. You can get a hair more out of them than the straight 224's. Just don't go too big or all your power will be higher up in the rpms and early LS1's aren't known well for spinning high (weaker rod bolts).

You might want to find someone who can tune your car before you get too far into it because you'll be running lean before you know it - even with just bolt-ons.

As for rear/suspension mods, get some tubular sub-frame connectors, lower control arms and maybe a rear-end girdle. They're said to help a little with the weak 10-bolts. But, my rear end guy says they're not always worth the money since the ring gear tends to be the weak link.

 

A little input on this subject. The ring gear can very well be the weak point but it is somewhat because the case flexes allowing the ring and pinion to seperate under load so that the gears are contacting further from the base. Every time that you pour on the power the pinion gear tries to push the ring gear out the back of the case. The aluminum support cover with the bearing suports helps to keep this flexing to a minimum. My 10 bolt with a TA cover behind an A4 ran me into the mid 11s for 100 passes a year until I came up with the money to upgrade to a 12 bolt.