I am kinda bored with my stock 97 SS Z-28, bought the car about 6 weeks ago. It has 67000, miles looks new inside and out, it has 18" rims with Toyo 18-40-245's in the front and 18-35-295's in the back,the car also has a full body kit, and also a hood scoop was added.
I'm not even sure the car is a true SS it has 6 small red SS stickers on the outside of the car all around it, even the white leather seats have the red SS logo stiched into the headrest, never saw another Camaro like this one.

Anyway i bought the car pretty cheap, had four leaks on the engine fixed, and the rear seal on the tranny fixed, the car seems to run fine, no other problems, other than it seems to run kinda high in traffic with water temps around 210 to 220.

If the engine was shot, i would just pull it and rebuild it, but since it runs strong, i dont see a need for that!
I'm looking to add maybe 40 to 50 hp , just wanted to know whats the best way to go?

Chas

 

nitrous.

 

The easiest way to add some horsepower would be the nitrous route as already mentioned. Since your car is stock though, I would cover the basis and start off with some headers, and a tune, maybe even roller rockers as well. Those bolt-ons will give you a very sizeable horsepower gain.

 

I would go Longtubes and full exhaust. Also do the small mods. that should give you 50 and that will transfer over to your engine buildup in the future.

Tim

 

I have a K&N CIA, i was thinking 3:73 rear gears, Hypertech or a tune.

The car is pretty fast as it is, just about as fast as my 03 Ford lighting i once had.

Whats the best way to find out if i have a true SS Camaro?

Chas

 

Headers, exhaust, 3.73s, 160 degree thermostat, tune (not Hypertech).

 

I would like a cooler running engine, 210 to 220 seems insane!

Chas

 

How can you be bored with your car after 6 weeks? There are guys that have been having fun with fbodies for 30+ years.

They only made like 1000 of those (not sure if it was 96 or 97) so they are pretty scarce. Ive only seen 1 and it was a 96, white on white conv.
Check the vin number and maybe the engine compartment or on the inside of the door. Thats where id check.

 

check your drivers door for the WU8 code or call slp engineering and give them your vin. 210 is perfectly normal. to add 50 hp, headers (a must have, youll thank us later) nitrous (100 shot will make you grin) but remember if you spray you need to yank out your platinum plugs. they made 2200 in 96 i think and 2400 in 97 i believe.

 

I dont mean bored with the car itself, just want a lil more performance.

I have been thru about 8 cars and trucks in the last 4 years, i think i'm going nuts! Just sold my V-8 powered S-10, was thinking of using the money to pay offthe z-28 loan, or do some mods.


Chas

 

add cai,madz28 tune,headers,catback exhaust, tb bypass ,160 degree thermostat,1.6 roller rockers.

 

I'd go with a good set of long tube headers and an off-road Y-pipe.
Follow that up with 1.6 roller rockers and a good PCM tune.
That should get you around 50fwhp/35-40rwhp.
If you are talking 50rwhp, you will probably have to do more than just these 'minor' mods.
You could get there with adding in some of the 'free' mods such as TB coolant bypass and other simple 'cheap' things such as a TB airfoil, EGR blockoff plate, good MSD coil, top-line (redline or royal purple) synthetic oil, free-flowing muffler, and a 1LE intake elbow.

 

That's not even enough heat to make the fans come on. LT1 fans don't come on until 226°. You have nothing to worry about. Put in a 160° thermostat and have the fans temps reprogrammed if you want to run a little cooler.

 

hmmm maybe check the title????

 

If the temp bothers you a little as it did me (although it's normal, my car also ran around the 210-220 mark in a little traffic) just get a custom tune from MadZ28 and a 160 degree thermostat. I recently got a tune and added a 160 thermo in mine and it never goes above the first tick on the gauge, which on a 94 is around 180 degrees by my reasoning, usually it's not much over 165ish...

I would do the tune after some headers and a catback though, but if you're not willing to do the header swap you might as well get the tune now. Definitely get at least a mail order tune and not a Hypertech though.