ok... heres my deal... i may not be a complete noob to all this... had my 94 Z since March 31 07, but since then its been mostly work and no play... ive been able to do a few mods... K&N Intake, Had to Replace the Radiator(Pain), and just got true duals put on about 3 weeks ago... so now its finally getting to the fun part of owning one of these cars... except... i never got the knowledge of cars id like to have. so therefore... my two main topics are...
-Cams
&
-Headers

Ive heard from numerous people... that now that i have my duals put on, my next big things should be cams and headers... does everyone agree? What are good brands for both? Good Styles? Good Performance? what im looking for in my car for those who need to know what my goal is... is to make a it fast street car... im not a guy whos gonna go to the track... i simply need a car that runs... and want it to be able to beat up on most cars that think theyre faster... other camaros trans ams... and then the ricers... but any info at all about those two topics would be greatly appreciated..

As the title says... i need some schooling on Cams and Headers

 

We need ALL! info on your car in order to point you in the right direction. As we know little to nothing in what you got, plus a list of mods. The best way to do so is just add it in your signature like I and many others have. You can do this by going to user cp below the forum directories at the top of this page.

All we know is you have a 94 z. is it an automatic? 6 speed? what gears are rearend and what are all your mods? mileage? is it a daily driver or weekend warrior, what are your goals for the car etc...

You're going to get the most power out of a Cam (depending upon which one you get typically the CC305,CC306,503,GM847, and the LT4 hotcam are the most used. Another is your Heads (AI, Trickflow, TFS, Lloyd Elliot, your combinations are endless. You just have to make sure all your mods compliment one another to see best results. Heads and a cam typically need to be installed together for best results.

If you'd like to learn more about the 93-97 f-bodies there are plenty of good service manuals and internet sites. As far as manuals you can't go wrong with the Haynes Service Repair 93-02 F-body or my favorite Chilton Camaro/Firebird 1993-2002. You can find these at checker and other parts retailers.

Online the options are endless. Shoebox, Wikipedia etc. A search would put you in the right direction.

 

Headers and a cam are very worth while mods, but come at the expense of supporting modifications as well. (Our cars only have one cam by the way) If you choose the cam route, you are going to be wise to buy all the recommended parts such as springs, roller rockers, pushrods, retainers, locks, seats, seals and so on. A proper cam install is going to run you at least $800 or so. Give or take whether you find used parts.

One thing you should consider though is the mileage on your car. 150,000 is alot of miles to be doing a cam swap. I am not saying it can not be done, but the risk is greater. You will also be swapping more parts due to wear and tear like lifters and a timing chain set.

A popular and proven cam for a stock head daily driver would be a Comp Cams 503. It is the cam I went with and hope to be happy with. There is also the choice to go with a custom grind cam made just for your needs. Very popular and smart.

As far as headers go, I personally wouldn't do anything but Long tube headers. If you have the bucks, go with Kooks. If you are on a budget, go with ceramic coated Pacesetters. With the dual exhaust you have now, it will sound awesome!

 

There are WAY more options than just cam and heads. Try bolt ons for now. You can run mid 12s easy with just bolt ons. I'm not even going to consider a cam or heads until I max out the bolt ons.

 

Kaj- I just added all the mods and details to my sig... although it seems simple... thats what i have done... everything other than intake, and true duals... everything is stock.

Sinister95Z- Thanks... im probably gonna go with longtube pacesetters... been looking into those a while... and thansk for the info you gave.

LSWHO- What bolt ons are you talking about... a list would be great to help out...

Any other replies are great. keep em comin
$Glen$

 

Are you saying you invested in a custom true duals setup using the STOCK exhaust manifolds, and now you want to do headers? How much of your system are you hoping to salvage?

 

Yeah, it's definetely going to be PITA to go back and do headers now. Really glen if you're to do anything with your car you might consider rebuilding your stock shortblock. Adding new mods to 150,000 mile engine is generally speaking: not a good idea. Parts will start to wear out and you'll be sitting with a really big PITA.

 

Injuneer- Yes... thats what im saying... again.. me bein pretty new and looking for a louder exhaust was basically the reason for doing so...

Kaj- Ive been thinkin of doin that also.. but im 16, workin two jobs, and dont really have the time or skill to rebuild an engine... and certainly not the money to get someone else to do it. so im just looking for whatever things i can do to help make my engine last longer, and be a lil faster at the same time...

 

Look in to cold air intakes. They are a relatively cheap, and a very easy to do mod. If you have an auto, a transmission cooler will be a good investment. Search for TB bypass on here, i think there's a thread with pics. Could also look in to getting 1.6 roller rockers and new valve springs. Once you go beyond that, though, it starts getting more in depth as to engine tear down, part costs, time, etc. New valve stem seals would be a good idea with the valve spring swap.

If you want to make the car faster you could always do things such as a new torque converter (auto), and/or getting larger ratio gears in the axle. 3.42 to 3.73 for an auto seem to be the most favorite, 4.10 for a manual.

As for cams and headers, I agree with what others have said. It is going to be hit or miss with the cam on 150k. Some people have pulled it off, others have not.

 

MyShibbyZ28-Ok... feel what your saying.. .already got the K&N CAI. As for the other recomendations... any sites or links to products i could use to help know what im looking for and how much itll cost... i.e.
roller rockers
valve springs
transmission cooler

and as far as the rear end goes... how much does it cost to do a rear end swap to a 3.73? with whatever the stock is...

 

The A4 cars came with a base 2.73:1 (GU2) rear axle or a "performance rear axle" with a 3.23:1 (GU5) ratio. Look on your build tag for the GU- code to see which gears you have. If you have 2.73's, you definitely need new gears. You are looking at $500-600 for a gear swap, including the gears, install kit and labor.

 

glen, check out the supporting vendor index at the top of the page. It's a good place to start. You can also find some pretty good deals on ebay. I really only use these places:

http://www.lmperformance.com
http://www.marylandspeed.com
http://www.thunderracing.com

 

crane gold 1.6rrs ftw, also get yourself a converter if its an auto. if you dont have the money for a rebuild, i wouldnt look into anything further then just boltons (1.6 rrs, converter, gears, headers, intake, underdrivepulleys, ls1 driveshaft etc) and i would really suggest working the suspension and brakes really well until you can afford to do a motor. reason being is you will be doing alot of street racing im sure=needing to brake pretty quickly for unexpected mishaps(we all wish the best for u, but it happens when you are racing in the streets) and a good suspension setup will help plant that power where it belongs. invest in a radar detector if at all possible as well.

my car is an m6, got some expensive brakes, and the suspension will be set up for roadrace seeing as i dont see the 1/4 mile track much, and like to drive as fast as possible where ever im at.

hope this helps some...

o0o and as far as cams go, cc305 or cc503 will be ideal to get the most outta the street setup. even the lt4 hotcam kit(will have everything you need) will get you where u need to be. ive never heard/seen any1 mess up there motor at highmileage simply from adding a cam, but then again im coming over from mustangs where mileage doesnt matter as much....