hai Ken,
So you wanna "dress up" your vette? I'll tell you what I am doing, maby it's worth lising too.
You know a little bit of already, so you know I have a '86 vette too. I bought this vette because of the age (you can't buy them new anymore) and the potential of building a nice streetracer of it! You can almost buy anything for it or there is always somebody who can make it for you.
At first you must reconize the weak points of the vette and upgrade them. So if you turn it too a awsome racer, you must upgrade the wheels, brakes, shocks and the weight. Then the airresistant.
then the wipers, lights and dash. And the stiffness of the body.
I am building now for 1,5 year, this is because of the long periods of waiting for parts or for the knowlige how to do something right in one time.
I started with new wheels, 18" aluminum/magnesium race wheels. I wanted the 335x30x18 in the rear, so you need a 13"wide rim. There only a few firms who can make a rim like that. Al the us wheels have not the quality of a european wheel. I drive the michelins, those are the best tires in the world. Also you can use the Yokohama.
I have used polyurethane busings, and I am still looking for a excelent set of coilovers. Maby JRZ or Sachs, with eibach springs. It will cost you al lot of money!
I have bought Brembo Porsche brakes (all around) the better brakes are AP but this will cost twice as much!
Use a battery location kit, and remove the original headlamps (a redisinged a new front bumper, with new lights for better sight and airflow) remove the EGR complete.
So you now can make cornering, better than any car in the world (I think, i beat a porsche 996 hahaha)
The engine, use a small block, never a big block, this because of the weight, the extra weight want to go staight a head!
I am building a small block, 427 cid with a supercharger, this I do for fun. But it's better to have a engine without the supercharger, one who can make easy 7500 rpm. I have the tpis headers and the LPE SuperRam, also the edelbrock heads.
This, because I want a engine who is relayeble and fast, easy to drive with (we have a lot of traffic in the Netherlands)
I also will install a whole new computer, one who is adjustible. DTA race computer, this will run my engine much, much smoother, and more performance at less fuel. Al the other things like MAF and sparkcontrole etc. leaf it away.
i have made a new dash, with autometer gauges 200 mph 5" and a 5"tach, so you easy can see what you are doing.
I have the ZF 6 speed gearbox, I have this winter a aluminum flywheel, centerforce dual friction and a shortthrow shifter. (I have heared that the hurts is out of production??????)
My advise is: build a streetracer, who you can handle (so you are not to drive you into your grave) and faster than any other sportscar, also in the corners. You better changes FIRST you wheels and tires, brakes and shocks. Second the superb engine, and test the car on the Dyno, so you know what you have. And 400 hp on the wheels is a lot, there are not much cars who have this.
And consider this, more than 400 hp, can you drive this?
So for me the vette is the ultimate fun, because here in the Netherlands they know, a vette is a american sportscar, but not so fast. Hhahahahahahahahahahahahhahhahahahhhhhhaaaaa! I beat them all, and how!
Good luck!
for what I hope will be an enjoyable experience. Makes me realize how I need to get off my rear and get to work on my own car. Got a day off tomorrow, so maybe I'll finish something. --Bullitt
