I also agree, some what, and that's why I have several different vehicals. But although my 97 is my daily driver, I've found it to be annoying slow. So I plan to so the LT4 bit, and then add a vortec type blower.
I don't think 500hp is to much for the street. After all it's not what you have, but how you use it!

 

i would have done performance mods first. i spent almost 3 grand on body kit, rims, hood, spoiler, paint, and stereo. i should have done performance **** first.

 

Easy question.

1- 12 bolt/9 inch rear end
2- Good Clutch or Stall Converter
3- Jethot Long Tubes and exhaust
4- Wet nitrous setup
5- Delteq
6- Eventually build up the automatic


If you do this setup in that order, you can still have a reliable daily driver, that you can go to the track (or street) on sticky tires, launch as high as you want, and not have to worry. You can spray your way into the 12's safely.

Of coarse right there, I have already spent +/-$4000 without having the tranny built. But you will have one hell of a car.

 

1. Catback
2. Headers
3. awesome Heads with small hotcam sized cam
4. 9"


However if I could do it again Id probably find a really high mileage TA worth under $4000, build a 383 right off the bat and start throwing parts at it till I had a complete motor and then just swap it into my car.

 

1. Exhaust
2. Cold Air Intake
3. 12 Bolt
4. Clutch/Converter
5. Headers
6. Springs/Roller rockers
This combo will give great reliability and decent performance. Stop here if you don't want to get into the engine.
7. Cam/heads
8. Rebuild

 

If I had to do it all over again I would have been more patient and got the M6 I really wanted...

don't get me wrong I love my a4 but an M6 would make me drool everytime I drove it!

best first mod for me is a 160 degree thermostat and a bottle of water wetter and a complete flush and 60/40 mix of antifreeze/distilled water...car runs just above the 160 first mark all the time and runs crisper, ...like it used to run when it is was first started ...now it stays that way...

 

Man, you just dont know what you're getting into.... you will though. Thing is if you have a restrictive budget ide leave it at making it sound good and some gears to make it feel faster and any freemod crap, then deal with it for a while and save up your money for when it starts falling apart. Once you have a couple thousand in savings ATLEAST keep atleast that much there for emergencies and everythign above that not spent on staying alive do as you please. Above all else if its your daily driver THINK RATIONALLY when modding it!!!!! Dont build a race car if you daily it and you will be surprised how fast money pours into it in places you dont think about, 500 hp might seem like a used blower and heads and cam away but I assure you it will end up being faaaaaar more... hell ive spent what I bought it for on it already and I dont even have all the boltons... This may seem like a negative outlook but in plenty of cases its very realistic.

 

I disagree, I think you did it right. For years I've done the performance mods first and ended up with some pretty good handling and running cars, but they all looked like crap.
In 1984 I purchased a new Camaro and did all the body mods. first, then the suspension and finially the engine mods. I'm glad I did it this way, as the body kit I had installed is no longer available. So there is no way I could duplicate this car today. Where as, there are even more engine performance parts available today then back in the 80's.

 

Thats exactly what i would do too. No point in buying a nice low mileage car when you replace or rebuild everything like i have. Its really important to find out where you plan on going. If you plan on upgrading to an LS1 or something don't dump a lot of money into your car because you will never get it back out unless you part it out. I'm seriously thinking about upgrading to an LS1 WS6 but i won't ever get anywhere near out of my car what its worth and i wouldn't have the heart to part it out. Any ways for mods that i would do for performance and drivability.
1. CAI
2. Catback
3. Headers
4. Shifter if M6. Gears or a stall for auto
5. SFC's
6. LS1 brakes.
All together these mods make for a pretty fun to drive car, and they are easy to install.

 

That's the way i have done it and i'm all the way into the Cams and heads already. Also you have to consider if you are going to take optispark of why not do a cam swap while at it and then you think while at it why don't you go with some better breathing heads.

 

If I could do it all over again it might look something like this:

1) Boltons: intake, headers, exhaust, thermostat, 5.0 shifter, etc..

2) Traction, rearend & suspension: 12-bolt rear, good sticky tires, upgraded clutch, driveshaft. And suspension parts like torque arm, etc.. so you can get the most out of the power mods you do.

3) Bottom end refresh: build up a 355 with forged pistons, new bearings (so you don't have to worry about spinning one) etc..

4) Custom head & cam package from Lloyd Elliott

5) Nitrous.

 

If I could have done it all over again, I would have started this way.

1. 12 bolt with 4.10's
2. Street Twin
3. Nitrous
4. Et Streets

 

1, subframe connectors (get it out of the way know)
2, front swaybar and polygraphite bushings.

It won't make you any faster, but It will make driving more fun.

 

New bearings, rod bolts and dished forged pistons = 700 bucks ish.

PTK turbo kit = $4000

= Completely streetable, and stupid fast. I got tired of a loud car with big gears and cam surge and everything else. Would just build something which would be fast and stock sounding.

 

nitrous kit with all the extras