Ok...25 years ago I had a 69 Z 302 car.... fast. Made mods to go faster....got married sold car. Present day ...kids gone time to play again....just bought a 93 Z LT1 M6 car. Also lots of fun!!! Previous owner put on a Flowmaster cat back system, KN cold air system, short throw shifter and that's about it. I want more horse power!!! If this was my 69 I would know what to do, but times have changed. Is headers still a good add on even with the cat back system. I here chips don't relly help stick cars as much as automatic's. Nitrous IS in the future...but for now what other minor mods can I do to gain some power? Thanks

 

Welcome to the 2000's, old man. J/K about that. . Glad to hear you stuck with an F-body. I would have sold my wife before I sold that 69 Camaro. Enough about that, the catback, CAI, and the short throw are a good start. There is a lot of aftermarket companies that can get you going. Headers are good for these cars, Long Tubes being the better choice. As far as bolt on go fast parts, I could write a book on all the $hit you can buy. If you got the cash, its no problem gettin HP numbers up. I have bolt ons in sig, and I ran 13.93 at 100, with my stock junk clutch slipping. So look around and read the threads on this website, you'll find anything and everything here.

 

Thanks for the input...and I'm not all that old!! How about chips...will they help my stick car much?

 

www.pcmforless.com

 

Do you have to worry about emissions? If so, you may have a few limitations on what you can do. A good start might be LT headers, high flow cat or off-road pipe and a good catback exhaust--some people like to go with cut-outs. As far as PCMForLess (computer programming) is concerned, you don't really have enough mods to justify it at this time in my opinion. The best advise...sit back awhile and read what some of the other guys are doing. Make sure you fully understand what you're doing and the consequences behind it, because I've done a few things that I wished I hadn't because I didn't really know what I was doing. Good luck!

 

I like to hear about the things you wished you HADN'T done! That way I won't do them too!!!

 

Same formula applies to new school. The engine must breathe. K&N is good start. Flowmaster is one of many good endings (I prefer a straight through design; but Borla in sig was already on car when purchased)

Headers will complete the exhale.

On the inhale look into mass air flow sensor, intake elbow, throttle body and intake manifold size increases. This matched to some decent old school head machining matched to larger injectors with fuel management, cam, rockers and valving. Don't ignore tranny and rear.

Keep the old school mentality of planning out the work in stages of the operation of an internal combustionable engine.

Finish it with the new school mentality for programming to match new set-up.

Then put on some suspension and chassis mods and you are good to go with power and keeping the pwer from ripping the car apart.

Stay away from the piece-meal erratic non logical approach some younger folk with alot of money take. It is evident all over the net when you read their complaints about lack of power after spending money in all the wrong places or a lil here and there.

Enjoy the ride

 

Removing Screen/Porting/Polishing MAF--I don't feel there were any real gains to be had on this one. I've already had my PCM reprogrammed to accomodate this change though--so I'm okay with it now.

Seafoam--It did a good job of cleaning out carbon deposits, it also did a good job of making both of my O2 sensors crap out on me. It was about time to change them anyway, but I probably won't be doing this one again.

Some people don't have any problems, I did.

 

I loved the 69 Z's, best looking Z ever in my book. If you thought that car was fast your new car with a few more mods will very likely be even faster. Lot's of people here have gotten their cars well into the 12's with just bolt on mods, as in external engine mods. I got into the high 12's with them then added a cam. Headers would be my fist suggestion for your car, 3:73's are a great mod for the 93 M6, with the gearing in your trans they are like adding 4:10's to a 94-97. Check out my some of my mods and other peoples for some ideas on where to go. Enjoy

 

Honestly, the LT1 and the 1'st gen SBC's are almost identitical. Just a few different design changes to keep up with emissions etc. Heads, cam, bottom end are all the same.

You have a 93 T-56 tranny also, nice aggressive gearing. They changed that in 94. The 2 main things to watch out on is the 10-bolt rear and the optispark distributor (HATES water and the geniuses at GM put it right under the water pump, eh what can you do?). As for mods, I would start with the basic intake/exhaust bolt-ons. CAI, catback, headers, y pipe, possibly a throttle body and a shifter (I would go with a pro 5.0 or an older b&m if you can find somebody selling it). Also, these cars NEED subframe connectors and a strut tower brace. You are not enjoying the car until you have those. BMRfabrication.com is a good website to look for those. That should get ya going for a while. After that, you can get into heads/cam and maybe even a stroker. PCMforless.com will provide the chips you need for everything. Nice heads, a decent cam, and a 100 shot of NOS will get you deep into the 11's and even faster with a 12-bolt or 9" and slicks. Well anyway I can keep going on, good luck.

 

One thing to know before you go too much farther, these cars are harder to work on than the old stuf. I have had a 71 chevelle, 71 Olds Cutlass, 70 Roadrunner (should never have sold it), 69 Olds F85 with a 454, and my 94 Z is the hardest to work on. It can be done but it seems you have to take more stuff off to get to certain things that were cake on my older cars. Plug change can be a life altering expierence. That said, My 94 Z is the fastest one of em all and I have gotten used to the extra work (sort of).