suspension. all the power in the world doesnt mean jack if you cant put it all to the ground. a good suspension will help your stock tires get better traction than a wider set of tires will alone. get some SFCs, rear control arms, torque arm, panhard rod and a good spring/shock setup and you'll be set. spend the rest (if there is any left over) on gears/stall.

 

Werd. I'm planning on removing 1000 pounds from my car if I can. I may not get quite that much but I know it will be at least 500.

http://web.camaross.com/forums/showthread.php?t=303211

Just scroll down to my posts about weight reduction. I haven't done anywhere near all of the stuff on the list yet but I've taken 125 pounds off and barely dented the list. Another thing that can be done is to use Speed Glass, which will save you 64 pounds in a 4th gen.
http://www.percyshp.com/speedglass_p...ight_save.html

 

Thanks for the input Cantonracer and others. Most mods will be implemented after Christmas since I have a long list of nice people. But for discussion...

A tranny cooler has been on my mind for sometime, its just a matter of time and money, I feel that the weak link on my car is the A4 at the moment. B&M 24000lbs GVW was one I found most owners were happy with. $50 from Summit.

Homemade ram air, is questionable, I am worried about the water getting in. Perhaps I'll re-route the ram air from behind my Hella FF75's into the filter area.

Electric WP, I was going to do this when I was doing my opti and WP install, but I didnt have the time or money to get a 1LE Elbow and opti and get the electric waterpump shipped in the small window I had to get the car fixed. I found a new CSI for $135.

I did have a 1LE driveshaft laying around, but had to sell it quick for money since my reliable opti crapped out. I'll consider yours after Chirstmas if I have the cash.

Pulley's I though didnt do much, I am not sure what brands are even reputable. I know TPIS has a set in their catalog for $100 or so that includes the new belt. Used of course would be less. But I dont what to lose any electrical power since I have to run an aftermarket stereo system thanks to by Bose crappin out. Not to mention the Hella FF75's I added and the electric WP I am considering.

1.6 RR, I have wanted for sometime, but I am worried about botching the install and having a very messed up valvetrain. I dont know wether its worth going the extra mile for some pro mags for future modding or just grab some cheap LT4 ones. Definately need someone with experience to help out, ahem

BFG DR, my buddy has a pair on some T/A rims he wants to sell me for $100. I dont know how used they are since everytime I talk to him, they have fewer and fewer miles/passes on them. Maybe I'll get some pics on here for everyone to see and a tread gauge. I have considered these, but I would like something I can always have to hook on the street. Like the SS wheels and some decent grippy street tires.

Stall would have to come after the tires, no way I'll be able to drive around in the rain with a stall. I can barely now.

Weight reduction: The spare and etc is leaving soon, but I need a radio, so it might get replaced with a thunderform and amp. =/

Tune, I have a AKM calbe I bought used, and am getting a madwolf unlimited email tune sent to me tonight that I will be administering tomorrow afternoon. Of course I hope to get a tuning program and get some spark graphs and other info using a laptop during driving conditions.

As far as "knowing the right people" I would really enjoy having some local F-body buddies who could help me with an array of things. I have general friends who are extremely helpful with my installs and such, but the local F-body guys leave something to be desired. The only two I know who are advanced LT1 fellows, absolutely will not help anybody with car questions or issues, to spite their wealth of knowledge. The one has a 500hp 383 stroker with 3 bottles of N2O on it. The other, the stroker's student almost, runs a catback with a built tranny (which he blows about 8 times a year for the following reason) and N2O. I have phoned them several times over several issues including help with diagnosing my miss/detonation, installing optispark and just general events. Nothing but refusal. They wont help since some kid they tried to help put N2O in just left the kit there and expected them to instatll it for him. So now no one around here will lend out knowledge. Which is why I came here, where everyone even local guys like you Cantonracer, offer helpful information. More than anything I would just like the have a knowledgable LT1 person listen to my engine and perhaps check out a few mechanical issues. I have been worried about the pistons since I had detonation and a bad miss with my dying opti. Having another LT1 to compare or someone who knows LT1's test it would be awesome. Thank you very much. I would ike to hear more about getting dyno tunes and the other things knowing poeple has to offer. Thanks again.

-Dustin-

 

A good set of sway bars is a nice choice for a daily driven street car. Or add some springs and shocks which will make a huge diffeference on the corners . Or all of the above! Power is great, but some nice suspension pieces makes every turn a lot of fun. Good luck with whichever route you go

 

Thanks, I have the PHB already, and LCA and SFC, are coming also. Its all a matter of time, but I am glad I got some direction, I like how I have seen alot of mid 12 second bolt on cars lately. Thats my new goal.

-Dustin-

 

At this point i'd suggest a trans cooler as your VERY next step. I have a 28k lb GVWR summit cooler on mine and it works good. Even if the car gets real hot the trans still shifts tight and fast. Before the cooler, on very hot days going through town, i'd notice the trans feeling a little sluggish and sloppy. After the cooler, i never had that again. Also, there's a site on the net of a guy with a 95 tahoe who talked about some mods he did to his trans (same 4L60E as in our cars). He installed a trans temp gauge and noted that the temps on the highway and in town would generally range between 180 and 225, respectively. After that he installed a large cooler and the temps lowered and stabilized between 150 and 180.... never going over 180 even while towing. This is VERY healthy for your trans.

Also, if money is tight and you're looking for bang for the buck, go for a stall at this moment. You'll be taking more advantage of the power you make. And you won't break the bank. Since you have 3.23s, i'd hold off on higher gears until you get a larger and more rev-happy cam. I had 3.73s behind my car w/ the auto for a few days... traction in first is a joke. And the 1-2 shift was an adventure in trying to keep the damn thing between the lines. Add a stall to that and you'd lose about every race simply since you'll do nothing but spin (unless, of course, you're running some sticky tires).

 

Thanks alot, I think the B&M 24000lb GVW Transmission cooler is next on the list, since I just got my MADWOLF Tune, which, was incredible to say the least on my bolt on car.

Gears seemed fun until I realized how bad my traction really was, I forgot that since I got my headers I have only floored it from a stop one time, and that was enough for me sliding around to know that traction is but a dream until sticky tires come along.

Stall, I cant go with until I get those tires, I think leaving stoplights at 2800rpm and higher is going to cause major driving issues.

For the moment I am going to work on some low cost appearance mods/weight reduction and ask for SFC, LCA, and an E-WP for Christmas. Also I need to get a CD player in this car cause the lack there of is driving me nuts. Thank God I started working for Best Buy.

Around spring time I am going to have enough dough saved up for some nice wheels and tires to keep this heavy chevy glued to the road. Then comes that stall.

Also, fastcaddie, what do you think of the T56 and the 4L60E? Since you have had some experience with both? Is it worth the change? I am contemplating the change. Cost wise it seems effective through not needing a stall and having gears, but saving gas money over the A4. I seem to do my fair share of highway driving. And the T56 would be a dream.

-Dustin-

 

the t56 is much stronger than the 4l60e. i did the change myself and say that its very worthwhile. more fun driving, better gas mileage, lasts longer, etc. instead of dropping hundreds on a stall, put it towards a T56 and a nice clutch.

just my $.02

 

Dustin,

I'm much in the same boat as you...Since these are our daily-drivers, a lot of things need to be considered since you already have the basic bolt-ons (intake/exhaust) that are proven to increase horsepower/torque without affecting drivability...If anything, gas mileage is improved with "normal" driving habits...But beyond this point, is where you really need to look seriously at the affect certain kinds of modifications can have (pros & cons).

Is your car strictly a daily-driven street car? Street/strip? Only strip? Do you want power down low, up top, or somewhere in between? How often will you use it? And how much are you willing to put up with in terms of drivability, reliability, costs, etc.? I think once you can really answer those questions you'll have a better idea of what direction to go in knowing full well the side-effects or consequences your decisions may end up having...

Real quickly, for example: I daily-drive my '95 A4 Z28 (see sig for mods) through rain, snow, shine, whatever...All my driving is just around town and I rarely get above 60 at the most (I don't street race nor do I want to risk a big speeding ticket)...I'll probably take it to the track a few times a year, but I'm not real concerned about 1/4 mile times either...In all honesty, I bought the car to have a good looking/quick daily-driver with a great sound...Well, I basically already have that and don't want to try to turn it in to something that I never intended it to be...So I've got a few more bolt-ons planned including headers, but doubt I'll do anything big (heads/cam, supercharger, stroker). I have my LS1 toy for that! It just all depends upon what you specifically want out of the car and how you set it up...

PM me if you want any info on certain kinds of mods (gears, stall, cam, N2O)...

Mike

 

The T56 is a tough trans despite what happened to mine. I still have no idea what killed it, as i never beat on this car. Bone stock with the A4 and 2.73s i regularly got 20-21mpg with about 80% highway driving. After the CAI, MACs, and hooker cat back i regularly got 24-25mpg. Then when i changed over to the M6 and 3.73s, mpg hovered around 26-27. [edit]- FWIW, OD with the '60E and 2.73s is the exact same overall ratio like the M6 with 3.73s.... both turned 2k rpm at 80mph and identical everywhere else. Very little difference in mpg. With my 3.23s now i turn about 2500rpm at 80 and mpg seems to avg around 23-24mpg, so i didn't loose much over the 2.73s. The 3.23s are a lot more fun though. [end edit]

The fun factor is what really got me started on wanting the swap. Nothing like bangin through the gears with the torque and healthy rumble of a 350 under the hood. With the A4, the 1-2 shift at 5700 will drop you down to about 3200rpm. The 2-3 shift drops down to about 3500rpm and the 3-4 does also. With the M6 you never fall below 4000rpm after any shift.... keeping you right in the meat of the powerband. Top end with the M6 is definitely stronger, while the off-the-line antics are better suited to the auto. I had planned on doing H/C after the swap, which would be great with the close-ratio gearing of the T56. But some unforseen financial issues stopped me from going further. But i still enjoyed every minute of driving with the M6. Although i'm sure an A4 with a 3800 stall would be a beast from any speed, i really wouldn't want to put up with a loose stall like that during everyday driving.

IMO, if you plan to keep the car on the strip and don't plan to get out of the 11s, a properly built 4L60 with a high stall is for you. Once you start getting into the 10s, even the best of parts available to the '60 is beginning to suffer and another auto will have to be swapped in. ( With the recent development of a K-member designed for a 4L80E swap into a 4th gen, this is the route i'd personally go). For auto-X, road course, street, etc.... the M6 will do a better job.... and will be more fun to boot. An A4 to M6 swap is not cheap, no matter how many corners you try to cut. I ended up spending about $2800 all in all, and the changover kit with all the major components was $1500. After a new clutch, PP, shifter, trans mount, gears and install of gears, it really added up to a lot more than i thought it would. If you'd like, you can do a search under my user name for "M6 conversion" and you'll see my old threads detailing from start to finish of the swap. Prices, vendors, time lines, ect. Looking back... since my M6 is now dead, i should've just spend $1500 or so in building up the '60 and got a higher stall to start with. I'd be about 5-$600 richer and a lot less pissed off.

Sorry for the length...

 

Well heres the situation. At first this car was just my summer car, and I could care less about daily driveability. But it has since become my daily driver through everything, until I can find a beater. Now, I do want it to be fast, but I dont want it to be a burden either. Bolt on's seem to be a good route to go, but its hard to go much futher with an A4 since driveability is sacrificed greatly through cruising rpms and stop light to stop light dirving. A stall makes stoplight to stoplight driving rough especially when its wet in any way shape or form and adding gears is going to kill my already rough highways criusing RPM. I do alot of driving, this is my G/F and I's only car until she gets one. Of course when she gets one, that moves my car back into a summer driver. I hit the strip once a year maybe, I mostly want a street car with a strong backbone. Something that rivals most things on the street to date. I dont really want to be beat by a ricer, ever. I know from experience that I am about even with a Lightning, and close to or even with an LS1. I would like to surpass most factory vehicles, like modded SRT4's and other turbo imports and Corba's. I would like to be a mean street machine, but nothing that barely can be driven down the street.

I am aware that beyond this point is going to mean big changes in the way my car drives, performs, and its stability. Of course the topic of the thread, the next BIG step, since it seems that the next step is going to be the biggest leap in performance, driveability and reliability to date. I have weighed many different future directions, but they all seem to be very harsh on daily driving, so for the moment I am going to have to try and perfect my bolt on car till at least summer. I spoke with a friend of mine recently and he runs 12.46 with many but not all bolt on's. This is the kinda range I would love to be in with bolt on's. He says his buddies always make fun of him for having a bolt on car, but he also beats them both in races. For the curious one has an LT1 with a H/C package. Thanks everyone for your comments, this thread has given me several constructive things to think about when it comes to the future of my car.

 

do your car a favor and save up like 300 bucks and buy a lil beater civic. might even end up saving on insurance

 

Well Chrome SS 10-Spokes and Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3's 275/40/17's have been mounted on all four corners. Now its time for me to sink my teeth into more mods. Included with HP/TQ hopes...

B&M Cooler - $50
E-WP - $135 - 10rwhp/rwhp
Aluminum driveshaft - $100 used 2rwhp/5rwtq
1.6 Full Roller Rockers/Springs/etc - $200-350 - 8-15rwhp
ASP Pulley - 23% or 34% crank underdrive - $70-100 - 5-12hp
TB Bypass - 73.6 rwhp (6rwhp/tq)
Ram Air Mod - 43.6 rwhp
LS1 front brake conversion and rear LT1 pads/rotors - $250+

I know they are little things but its what I have in mind until I dive into big money mods. I am hoping for some nice solid low 13's or perhaps a 12 on a prayer and some angel wings.

-Dustin-

 

I'm getting headers next, then a stall. I'll also get wheels/tires then, and new hatch, front bumper, ground effects and reat bumper

Then I'll get a new transmission and a new Moser 12 bolt, then most likely heads/cam I have a daily driver too, not too bad to have one that can whoop anyones *** on the road

 

Watch out now, you'll get in trouble with that kind of comment

Why are you getting new body parts?

-Dustin-