ok i'm really starting to get serious w/ buildingm y formula. i have an lt1 w/ 96k miles and i plan to fully rework the car. does anyone have a really high hp lt1 that they can drive day to day w/o any problems? i wont really drive this day to day but i will be driving it often. I have the cash, but i just dont know what parts to get. thats why i'm here to get some advice. i will be dropping 25+ thousand dollars into this car. please don't tell me to buy an ls1. i love my little lt1. i plan on having a forced inducted car. i haven't decided whether to turbo or supercharge it. keep in mind that i live on a remote island (hawaii). no one can dyno tune f-bodies for crap around here. i will have to rely on a mail order tune. if i do get a vortech kit, i hear it comes w/ an fmu. do you think it would be a good idea to run the fmu? please give me some ideas on what to do w/ my build. car is a 97 pontiac firebird formula. thank you.

 

start of by buying my brand new ATI p1sc stage 2 kit i have for sale

 

first i need to know if i would be able to run a supercharger and a 355 block w/ a mail order tune. i'm trying to avoid shipping my car down to the mainland. thanks though. i'm also undecided whether i want to turbocharge or supercharge. i think it would be better to run a turbo because i can lower the boost when i drive day to day. a supercharger will always be there. am i correct?

 

With those RWHP numbers you will have to have it Dyno tuned. You would be running quite a bit of boost and it wouldn't take much to run lean and burn a piston or pop a head gasket from detonation. If you went mail order you would have to get numerous dyno runs with a wideband to get it anywhere near close.

I would go Torbo. Probably twin.

 

go talk to these guys...they have some sick setups, and if you match the ones they have built you should be able to get a decent mail order tune, since they can duplicate what they are running.

 

heres an idea:
get some really good tuning software like LT1edit for yourself and then buy a wideband O2 sensor. Talk to Ion (madz28), he has tuning through email available. you can send him your data logs and he can tune accordingly until you get it right.

 

If you expect OEM levels of reliability and longevity when you take a car/motor designed for ~275hp and triple the output, I think you wll be disappointed. Every major system in the car needs to be upgraded. The costs are considerable and IF the best parts are used in a skillfull manner, you can certainly put miles on it. But if nothing else, the use of pump fuel in an OHV motor making >2hp/ci is going to cause problems if you drive it hard much. Overall, I think your goals are not acheivable at a reasonable cost.

Rich

 

For 650whp, forget an FMU. You can do three of the following and still keep the stock ECU:

1. Walbro 340 single intank, 72# injectors, impedence converter, Kennebell BAP

2. Dual Walbro 340 intanks (one activated by a hobs switch) 72# injectors, impedence converter

3. A1000 external pump/filter/regulator setup, 72# injectors, impedence converter.

Stock fuel rails should be fine at that power level. You can get a mail order tune, but I suggest you get a WB O2 so you can keep track of A/F while driving and also log data to email back to your tuner. You could get a base tune, and like someone else said, buy tunercat and fine tune it yourself.

 

Forged everything, with a nice big single turbo for some good boost



You also probably won't be running on street tires with 650wrhp+, so a set of radials will have to come into play along with a 12 bolt im thinking



Should be a fun car for the street

 

www.proturbokits.com

Nuff said

 

My thoughts....

The engine needs to be built and dyno tested exactly how you are going to install it before you get the motor. This should be done with a aftermarket ECU but a MAF stock system might cover it.

Your going to need boost so your budget has to be pretty big to get all of this done.

Bret

 

Yeah I would think u are going to use every bit of that 20,000.I would rather have a 400rwhp and spray a big shot on it like a 250shot on top of the 400.The stress of 650 rwhp all the time is going to be nuts the spray would help take some away.Unless u plan 2 race your car every inch why do you need the power all the time yeah it would be cool but dirivn it everyday would be asking for it.It wouldnt take a very big prob jus a very small one to turn into a big one real fast in a motor like that.Good luck and hope u have the car already.I'm not tryin to be a dick or change your mind.I guess everyone has whats a everyday car and what isnt.Me myself would rather not be changin head gaskets like women and have to buy race fuel.Vavle springs once every 6 months,big stall dont bug me at all.

 

if you want to do it reliably i'd plan an ls1 swap, it's going to be tuff to push a 23 degree head car to 650rwhp on pump gas reliably and is going to cost a lot more.

 

Forged 383cid with AFR 210cc Heads and D1SC ATI Procharger +15psi ---- I guess you will there.

 

Another option would be do to a solidly built 383 AFR headed Super Vic intake etc. This can get you into the 450-500rwhp range and if done right can be driveable. Then you would need a 150-200 shot to get your target power range.