What to do next
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 52
What to do next
OK I have a 98 z28 with headers, 3" y pipe, cat delete, harmonic balancer under pulley, ls6 intake ported and polished tb, maf, and k&n. So I am just wondering what you all think I should do next.
Super Moderator
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 9,507
From: Okemos, MI
Lid? Catback exhaust? Those should have come first. 
Getting more specific about your goals, here are some questions you should ask yourself (and, if you want our advice, you should share your answers with us
).
1. Do you daily-drive the car?
2. Is it your only car, or do you have other reliable transportation?
3. Do you intend to drive it in the rain? How about snow?
4. How fast do you want it to be?
5. How loud do you want it to be?
6. How much do you want it to stand out visually?
7. How reliable do you want it to be? Are you the "don't fix it until it breaks" type, or the "upgrade it first so it never breaks" type?
8. Are you going to race it at a dragstrip? Competitively or just for fun?
9. Are you going to race it in an autocross? Competitively or just for fun?
10. Are you going to race it on a road course? Competitively or just for fun?
Getting more specific about your goals, here are some questions you should ask yourself (and, if you want our advice, you should share your answers with us
).1. Do you daily-drive the car?
2. Is it your only car, or do you have other reliable transportation?
3. Do you intend to drive it in the rain? How about snow?
4. How fast do you want it to be?
5. How loud do you want it to be?
6. How much do you want it to stand out visually?
7. How reliable do you want it to be? Are you the "don't fix it until it breaks" type, or the "upgrade it first so it never breaks" type?
8. Are you going to race it at a dragstrip? Competitively or just for fun?
9. Are you going to race it in an autocross? Competitively or just for fun?
10. Are you going to race it on a road course? Competitively or just for fun?
Registered User
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 28
From: Palmetto, FL
The LS based engines are internally balanced so I hope it is a vibration dampner & not a harmonic balancer...I'm sure you do, it's a common word mistake.
What tranny? Rear gears? You can make a moderate powered car quick as heck on the dragstrip w/the right gears & stall TC if an A4.
Sounds like the start you have is good w/out going internal.
Good advice in the above posts.
What tranny? Rear gears? You can make a moderate powered car quick as heck on the dragstrip w/the right gears & stall TC if an A4.
Sounds like the start you have is good w/out going internal.
Good advice in the above posts.
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 52
I am building a street car, but I want to be able to take it to the track and run so damn good numbers like tens. I have rear gears also. I dont really care about appearance yet because its kind of a sleeper and I want to be fast before appearance. I dont like nitrous either. I have had it before and its just not my style, I want a street car. It has a m6 and 3.36 gears. So I hope that helps out. But ya I am just trying to get the fastest street car as I can. I am almost thinking at this point I need to get wheels and tires to get better traction and then do heads and cam. If you think there are other things to do before that then let me know. Thanks
Super Moderator
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 9,507
From: Okemos, MI
If you want to run 10's and be reliable and livable on the street, you have a couple options:
1. heads + cam + stroker
2. forced induction
3. nitrous
Nitrous is the least expensive to build as far as the engine goes, but you have to pay to refill the bottle after every few runs, so over time it'll catch up and eventually pass the total amount you'll invest in a stroker engine or turbo/supercharged car. Regardless of which engine option you choose, you'll want to upgrade the pistons at a minimum, and ideally the complete rotating assembly.
To run 10's at the drag strip, you have to install a six-point roll bar according to NHRA/IHRA regulations. If you run 9.999 or faster, you need a cage (ten point, I think), and I think an NHRA license as well. You need to decide if you want to daily-drive a car with a roll cage, or if you want to adjust your expectations, or if you don't mind getting kicked out of the drag strip after your first run.
To run 10's without breaking anything and keep your car streetable, you'll need to spend a MINIMUM of $5000 (you could spend MUCH more) on a rear end, axles, driveshaft, drag radials or slicks, skinnies for the front, a set of wheels, and full suspension with double-adjustable shocks. Done properly, the suspension will probably approach $10,000.
Time for bed. Somebody finish the list for me.
Bottom line -- a reliable, streetable, relatively friendly 10-second car is at least a $20,000 proposition on top of what you paid for the car. Some of your mods count towards that; I'd say you've already spent maybe a grand worth of that twenty.
1. heads + cam + stroker
2. forced induction
3. nitrous
Nitrous is the least expensive to build as far as the engine goes, but you have to pay to refill the bottle after every few runs, so over time it'll catch up and eventually pass the total amount you'll invest in a stroker engine or turbo/supercharged car. Regardless of which engine option you choose, you'll want to upgrade the pistons at a minimum, and ideally the complete rotating assembly.
To run 10's at the drag strip, you have to install a six-point roll bar according to NHRA/IHRA regulations. If you run 9.999 or faster, you need a cage (ten point, I think), and I think an NHRA license as well. You need to decide if you want to daily-drive a car with a roll cage, or if you want to adjust your expectations, or if you don't mind getting kicked out of the drag strip after your first run.
To run 10's without breaking anything and keep your car streetable, you'll need to spend a MINIMUM of $5000 (you could spend MUCH more) on a rear end, axles, driveshaft, drag radials or slicks, skinnies for the front, a set of wheels, and full suspension with double-adjustable shocks. Done properly, the suspension will probably approach $10,000.
Time for bed. Somebody finish the list for me.
Bottom line -- a reliable, streetable, relatively friendly 10-second car is at least a $20,000 proposition on top of what you paid for the car. Some of your mods count towards that; I'd say you've already spent maybe a grand worth of that twenty.
Registered User
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 28
From: Palmetto, FL
With the MN6, 4.10's are the gears IMHO, reduce weight as much as possible, strong clutch, and most important is mastering the launch & shifts. The "driver mod" is the most important part of quick track ET's.
And yes, you will need a roll bar that passes tech....perferably a chrome molly over mild steel for the weight savings.
And yes, you will need a roll bar that passes tech....perferably a chrome molly over mild steel for the weight savings.