I was possibly interested in putting a cam into it. What is a good cam? After all is said and done how much am i looking to spend? Also what is the cheapest cold air intake i can get? What are some other mods that i can do to help speed it up and give it a nice roar?

 

i have just about 4k to spend, im not buying an 8 cylinder, im 18 and cant afford insurance for obvious reasons(fast food minimum wage=little money)

 

I don't know why the V6 guys aren't chiming in. They're usually pretty helpful.

I know that one place to buy performance parts is 3800performance.com. I've never bought anything from them, but they sell cams, intakes, and exhausts for 3800-powered F-bodies.

I can't really help you decide what's appropriate... I'm more of a V8 guy.

 

I can vouch for 3800performance, I bought all of my parts from them for my GP GTP. They do offer a couple cam grinds which are made by Comp, both look like they will offer good street manners.

 

go to intense-racing.com they got heads and cam packages....pistons....performance packages...maybe get some pacesetter headers, and a borla exhaust. put some 3.42 gears in it, jet chip stage 2, and maybe a lil spray but id only start at a 75 shot of spray. or if everything is running right on your car, you can forget all fo those and go with a P600B procharger custom made set up, i was gonna get that for my car and it would cost around 6k, and it would make about 400hp with about 15-17lbs of boost so it would run about low 12's maybe high 11's. u can prolly get ur car to about 280-300hp with 4k just get heads and cam, and some gears and ull be running quick

 

summitracing.com, lmperformance.com, 3800performance.com. For cold air, for around $100 is the SLP cold air induction, that works well.

 

that's alot for a $300ish cam.... are you looking at having somebody install this for you or are juy doing this yourself? Anyways for a big cam on a 3.8 I have heard of some increase in HP etc but nothing to write home about... maybee you want to look at other options: I hate to say turbocharger or whatnot, but I geuss I can rationalize it as you said you couldn't do V8 becasue of insurance.

 

i want the cam cause i heard it really increases sound, i said 4k because i want more than just cams.

 

if it is sound your after I would look into headers - pipes as they would be a lot eaiser to install (not saying do a cam is impossible but it is a bit of lengthy process). There is a definte difference in sound between good exhaust and a modded engine, but I'm just not sure how much sound your going to get with a cam on a 3.8?? sure there will be some.

Geuss the one thing that makes the cam sound interesting to do is it would be kind of unique: everybody has either pipes or turbo, but I wouldn't expect many people will have the cam set up

happy shopping and good luck with the project

 

Headers on a V6?

They sound awful, IMO.

 

Regardless of sound, if you are planning on doing a cam upgrade and what not, I would upgrade the exhaust, headers being of the upgrades.

 

this is a 3800 SC soon to be turbo with an Xp cam. sounds good at idle but all 3800 sound bad wide open

 

intense-racing .com, zzperformance.com 3800performance.com thrasher.com check out a 3800 forum 3800pro.com lots of f body guys and even a guy who has a 8.9 second firebird with the 3800 engine in it how many guys here have an 8 second car.

 

What kind of work was done to the firebird? There is a guy on here with a pretty quick turboed 3.8L. I never discounted the V6 and what it can do. Lets not forget the good old Grand Nationals.

 

If you have that kind of cash why not just swap a v8 in.... Who said insurance had to know?