I read in a review of a '97 Z28 recently that the owner has "heard of people getting it to 400 hp with just bolt-ons." I would like to know, coming from the experts here, just how true this is. What would it take to get a stock LT1 5.7L Z28 to 400 HP? Exactly which parts/systems would require upgrades, and to which parts (staying within the realm of "bolt-ons")? Also bear in mind that I'm still in the process of learning all the jargon, so please keep everything in accessible terms if possible.

I'm really curious about this one, since one of my goals since getting my Z has been to get it to around 350-400hp without doing any major engine modifications like boring out or adding a supercharger or something.

Thanks in advance for your input!

 

i dont know how they did it but i got all the bolts on could even think of and with an LT4 cam kit and im still under 400hp at the crank. Maybe there bolt on was a supercharger.

 

I bolted on my cam retainer plate and timing cover

Seriously you need to think about the $ to gain ratio. Got alot of people lately spending lots of extra money for crap just to say they have the best stock headed, 6 speed, stock suspended, stock bose radio, bolt on, stock geared, blue camaro in the 12's in south eastern kansas, this side of deerlick drive.

This is what you need to consider. How fast do I want to go? How much money do I have? How much of one can get me the other?

Generally speaking good running cars in these catagories...
Bolt on car 350-375HP at motor
Cam and bolt on car 375-425 at motor
Heads, cam, bolt ons car 450-525+ at motor

Now realize there are cars in each of these catagories that run the same times at the track. Cars with 500hp at the motor running mid 12's and bolt on cars running mid 12's, right beside cam/bolt on cars doing the same.

What I am saying is find a goal, not a HP/TQ/Dyno one, and find what way you want to get there. HP/TQ and Dyno numbers mean nothing where the rubber meets the pavement.

-Dustin-

-Dustin-

 

Honestly, I'm looking to slowly improve the car over a decade or so, adding things as I can afford them. I'm mostly just trying to get an overall roadmap of some kind going.

 

It's possible if you consider a cam and heads as bolt-ons.

 

Well using the rough catagories I highlighted the 1/4 mile performance will depend on suspension, gearing, tires, good transmission, and lots of seat time. A guy who runs on street tires with a cam might get creamed by a guy with bolt on's, M/T's and a healthy stall.

Also take note that some people refer to HP and TQ at the motor or at the wheels. Be specific when you talk about them otherwise youll get mixed results.

-Dustin-

 

Mine is bolton as well then.I bolted my 383 right in there


400hp can not be done on a bolton LT1

 

yeah thats pretty much what i am thinking

yeah me too


there is some good information in this thread already

 

Pardon my denseness, but what all does a "cam" refer to and entail?

 

camshaft

you should prolly start off with an exhaust system

 

That was my plan for now. First just a cat-back and then headers and Y-pipe once I save up some more.

It seems this question is a lot muddier than I first anticipated. Sounds as if HP is a much vaguer way of defining a performance goal. Let's say that my goal is a 12-second car. How would one go about getting to that level with relatively do-it-yourself upgrades and for under 10k little-by-little?

Oh, and how complicated is a cam replacement for someone whose most complicated job so far was replacing the distributer?

 

You're where I was 4 years ago. Doing your own labor will help you understand your car, save you money, and allow you to go faster for less $$.

That being said if you want high 12's that can be done with most of the bolt ons, a good torque converter, and traction.

Mid to low 12's would be easy to get into with the above plus a camshaft/valvetrain upgrade.

You could get into the low 12's with a $2,000 budget. Even less if you stripped weight. With 10k you could be in the 11's or even 10's.

Dont forget you may break parts, need gears, blow the transmission, etc. It cost money to go fast, how fast do you want to go?

Doing a cam swap is a simple yet detail oriented swap. Once you get the other mods done youll be fine doing a cam swap. We will help you.


-Dustin-

 

Thanks a ton, Bersaglieri! That is very encouraging and I will definitely come to you guys for help and suggestions at each stage.

Unfortunately, I am very much at the beginning of my learning right now. There's a lot I still don't understand about the car that I want to familiarize myself with before I start anything serious. I have a Chilton repair manual, but it doesn't really have much of the "here's this part, here's what it does"-type information. Even a nice glossary with synonyms and related terms would be insanely beneficial.

I don't suppose any of you could recommend some kind of an online "beginner's guide to sports cars and performance upgrades" perhaps?

 

Since it's easier to say what is not bolt-on, here is my list of what's not:

- heads
- cam
- N20
- turbo/blower
- more cubes (383 etc.)

With that said and a 350 shortblock in stock configuration, you will not get
to 400 rwhp with bolt-ons. You will probably be in the low 300s at best. Not to
burst your bubble here, but you need to be realistic. And there is nothing to shabby
with numbers in the low 300s. My car is a total blast to drive and that's where I am.

I just wanted to add that if you are talking crankshaft (engine dyno) horsepower then
you can add about 15% to the rwhp numbers. If this is what you were referring to with
your post then you may have a shot at 350 if everything else is working well together.

 

alright, so let me get this strait first, you want a 12 second car correct?

this shouldn't be hard at all, im going to recommend you do the following:

ceramic coated longtube headers
off road y pipe( if you don't need to pass emissions, get cats if you do)
good cat back
QUALITY torque converter ( about a 3000 stall)
some 3:73's out back
get some drag radials
and finally, have a nice tune made up for your car

with those mods, you will be solidly into the 12's without a problem your car will remain relatively driveable, and reliability should still be pretty good.of course the other route could be to just spray a 125 shot, change the plugs and call it a day. now about your horse power numbers,

generally full bolt on lt1's make in the neighborhood of 300hp. like the guy above me said, 300wheel hp is no slouch and can definitely put you in the 12's.

a cam'd only lt1 will usually make between 330-390rwhp, depending on the cams size,duration etc.

stepping up to a heads/cam stock bottom end lt1 should net between 370-420rwhp. the weak link becomes the bottom end, it cant spin fast enough to support much more power then this.