Wheelie said:
HEY!
If this instead is the "I got my butt kicked by some evil foreign car so now................. Steve
Ah, but remember, it seemed to me the last time I looked he was clearly in my rear view. Just way too close for comfort.
This thread has actually been amazing , but it is a mile off topic.
I realize I did not "pose" the actual question as clear as I should have. That is I would like to see a set series of mods for the specific C4 models (L98/LT1), that become the "tried and true", guaranteed to sink the car deep into the 12's less driver error. At least to me, a street car with functional a/c, stereo, saftey equip, etc. etc. that will spank mid low 12's is the definition of a super fast super street car.
Maybe I can hook up with 2KSonoma very soon and hit the Gainesville Speedway, or borrow one of his buddies G-tech machines to get some idea what I have done already. However, I feel the mods I have on the 90 are fairly hap hazard, and not all a matched set.
I see question after question out there on all the different message boards asking "if I add this, what will I get?, what is this mod worth?, etc"
My tie in back to the imports is the fact that a local tuner is doing this for the import crowd. He has a series of stages with turbos, intercoolers, etc. that he installs. You go up to him and ask to have a honda civic that will run 12's, and he will put you there. In other words, the ricer crowd around here (the fast ones at least) are running about the same thing on each car, and they KNOW how fast they are, thus the boldness at which they will "challenge" any otherwise powerfull nameplate.
Money is a huge factor in any modification.
Things we do know:
1. Better gears help a L98, but work best for a LT1 platform.
2. The auto trans has an awesome first gear ratio already, but could use a higher stall converter for more violent powerful launch speed
3. L98 intakes choke at higher RPM and need help breathing
4. LT1 intakes work fine less a larger t/b no matter how much hsp you try to cram under them.
5. All the aluminum heads are decent, but to get the car to stroll they need to be ported, with larger valves.
6. Aftermarket heads work great, they are out there a plenty, and maybe be the best possible first inner upgrade for the 84-86 cast iron head guys.
7. Headers are a must at all levels of performance mods.
8. All stock short blocks are pretty much fine as they are right out of the box unless you are after exotic over the top performance. My suggestion is to look at cam, head, intake, injector, t/b, e-prom, exhaust, and gear combos and leave the pistons and crank alone.
Jeff has pointed out several times that the aftermarket e-prom chips are fairly generic and don't always give the best possible program for a modified car. In tune with my other thoughts I wish we were set up here to do our own community chip building and burning.
