Ok, I have had my car for over two months now and I have since replaced the Opti, water pump, spark plugs, wires, ignition module, fuel filter, cleaned the K&N on the Moroso cold air, got rid of the AIR pump, and a few other things.
Now I'm ready to add some more power. On my list is:

PCMforless programing (whats the gain?)
Long tube headers(hooker or whatever is good)
3:73 gears (definatley need advice on those)
New wheels and tires (a must!)
LT4 knock sensor (where do I get that??)
And whatever else that is cheap anyone can suggest.

Oh yeah I have done the throttle body bypass and put the fans ona switch and I am very happy with the running temp now. We are fixing to buy a house so I have to do this stuff on a budget now . I am open for any advice anyone can give meon these basic mods that I hope will drop my times. Thanks alot guys!

 

Well if you are getting headers, I'd go with the Hooker LTs or the Jet-Hot LTs. They have good gains, and are usually cheaper. I got the Jet-Hots for $513 shipped but they had emissions on em so they were like $20 more. And if you get those, definately get a cat-back exhaust. Budget exhausts are Hooker, Flowmaster, and a few other I cant think of. But IF you can afford a $700 exhaust grab the GMMG....its BAD! An LT4 knock sensor you can get from any Chevy dealership, just ask for it. I had a P/N, but cant find it. Search the site and you should find it real quick. PCMForless programming will get a little gain depending on what you are running. A stock car it will be minimal, but if you have a new cam it will be a lot more, I believe. As far as the 3.73's what are you running now, A4 or M6? And whats the gears in it. I know if its an Auto (A4), you can have 3.23's like me. You can check on the drivers side door where there is a white sticker with a bunch of gibberish on it. Look for GU5 if I am not mistaken. That means you have the 3.23's. I am not sure about the 6-speeds though (M6)

Edit: Sorry about the tranny stuff, I missed the Auto in your sig...

 

Right now, tuning wouldn't be worth it, and a knock sensor is only usefull if you are getting false knock or yours quit working. Other than your list, get a catback and maybe some suspension stuff (subframe connectors).

 

IMO you should go for the full exhaust first. JetHot Longtubes($520), Magnaflow or Hooker Catback(under $300), and you'll need a y-pipe(roughly $100). I would imagine that all said and done you could have the exhaust done for under $1000. You'll need small items like gaskets and locking bolts for the headers, but they aren't very much. Also, you can pick up an LT4 KM off ebay for like $35. I got my Magnaflow off ebay last week for $280 shipped, I'm happy

 

Sorry guys I forgot to through in that the car came with a gutted cat and flowmaster. So the next thing would be the hooker headers right? I think they are like $409 at Summit. So the programming wouldn't help me out right now?

 

Those Hooker LT's for $409 aren't ceramic coated, and will rust over time. I think it's worth the extra $100 to get JetHot ceramic coated, and most people say they are actually better quality than Hooker too. I'd hold off on the programming until you've done headers and the gear swap, then you'll need it to calibrate your speedo for the gears. If you ever decide to do cam/head work you can send your pcm back and have it changed for fairly cheap.

 

since nobody has mentioned it...

how bout a high stall torque converter? combined with gears you'll get some serious gains in the 1/4mile.

you mention you have a flowmaster, does that mean a FM cat back or just the muffler.

if it's just the muffler you'll still want to look into a new 3" cat back.

if it is the catback, lookinto a cutout. because FM are known for being the one of the most restrictive of aftermarket catbacks!

but i think a list like this is reasonable:
Hooker LT's (coated), ypipe, cutout, gears, converter (tranny cooler to keep it safe), and suspension parts to keep it all in line, like lca, sfc and maybe a stb.

for suspension look into BMR fabrication, they are high quality, well priced and you get your choice of colors.

honestly if you want power/speed your idea to change the rims/tires will severely eat up your budget...i'd hold off on that till you can find a good deal (they do happen from time to time)

 

You need to specify how you will use the car. I spent money on 17" rims and now I find that I like drag racing. I am going to buy some 15" rims this winter. I first bought the Nitto NT555 and then with 1,000 miles on them I switched to the Nitto drag radial. So I am starting to stack up almost new parts already and not needing them anymore.

Headers and exhaust are always the first thing to do. Wheels and tires add a custom look and are very nice. Cam swap is fairly straightforward and then your looking at new springs, retainers, etc. might as well have the heads cleaned up at the same time.

Rear gear can wait till the cam swap is finished. You should not need the LT4 knock module unless you change your rocker arms.

As for programming you could do it yourself with LT1edit or Tunercat if you have a laptop.

Good Luck!

 

either go gears and a converter or lt's ypipe and new exhaust. The cutout and pcm are two things that a cheap and you'll get them sooner or later. Why not just buy them now?

 

I would get the LT's and a cutout. Also gears. As for the LT4 knock module you might as well get it. You shouldn't need it but i was seeing 3-5*'s of false knock with the mods i have now. So it definetly can't hurt and only takes 5 to install. I got mine from Jason Cromer he sells parts at wholesale. Do a search for him you will find a phone #.