Suggest some mods!

[t3ch]

Alright. I just got a 98 z28 and want to toy with it some. It has aftermarket pipes, a shortshift, and an upgraded clutch.

I'm going to first off changed all the fluids, spark plugs, etc... Then comes the good stuff. I found some cool stuff on ebay like aluminum grilles for relatively cheap, xenon headlights, maybe new taillights... I'm looking for either performance or cosmetic things to poke with, so any suggestions are welcome.

I'm not looking to spend thousands on a turbo charger or anything, that comes later.

[z28-4-Chris]

dont get new tail lights. if anything, get the lt1 taillights. All the other ones look like garbage IMO.

Aftermarket pipes doesnt really mean much to me. Is it a full exhaust system, catback, y pipe, headers? Find out what you have and dont have in terms of exhaust.

I would suggest the first thing you do is purchase a lid. go on ebay and here as well as LS1tech to find some good deals on performance parts.

[shaun_t50]

Post up some pics!

I say a drop,rims and rear suspension....of course cold air too.

[camarokid02]

slp flowpac
sub frame connectors (SFC'S)
Strut tower brace (STB)

[t3ch]

Sorry, for some reason my signature wasn't posting.

http://ogsth.com/old_site/misc/pictures/camaro/

I have to contact the previous owner today for a list of mods and what they exactly were...

And I don't think I'll be replacing the whole lights, just the bulbs on the inside.

[t3ch]

"Steve -


* Engine programmed
* short shift
* Centerforce stage 2 clutch
* .410 gears
* SLP Loudmouth exhaust
* K&N air filter

Also, I see a note about the axles, but I can't read it exactly - they are either new (or 'ney' or 'nex') - probably 'new', but I can't be sure."

[shaun_t50]

Ya,deff new rims....CAI...lose the front plate....remove side moldings and plastic badges(replace with stainless or leave them off)....a drop and rear suspension....STB....TB-bypass......stainless "camaro" inserts for the rear.....black headlights and turn signals(and side markers).....paint the calipers and brackets....ight aswell get rotors from ws6store.com,4 slotted and drilled rotors $169.

HOLY MOLY!! I just seen the bay pics.....DEFF! clean that up,man its dirty!

[camarokid02]

or you can go with the good rotors, solid not drilled not slotted, neither does anything and even makes the braking worse

a solid rotor with todays pads will not gas or anything


dont remove anything from the car untill you know what itll look like, cause you cant go back

you have a wisper lid and k&n filter so you wont need the whole slp flowpac, but the cold air intake (CAI) will help you out

the strut tower brace (STB) will help the front suspension
SFC's help stifen the chassie and are worth it
you dont have to do brakes unless you need them, and if you dont dont waste the money
dropping the rear (aka lowering the car) will cost a pretty penny, and you should look at pictures to see if thats what you really want to do

the basics for performance are the following: often referred to as bolt-ons:

cold air intake, k&n filter(you have this),

new air lid(you have this),

smooth bellows(gains will be minimal, but its a nice appearance part),


a little more advanced, and a little more costly performance:

catback exhaust system(donno if you have this, sounds like just tips at the moment) you might want to consider slp loudmouth, borla, corsa, magnaflow, all offer similar performance but all sound different (www.ls1sounds.com will help you figure out what sound your looking for and what catback to go with, pay attention to the setup, for instance corsa with headers will sound different than corsa without headers),

y pipe (the stock y pipe is flattened and youll see a 10 hp gain with an aftermarket one, slp makes a good one, but if your going to do headers, get a matching y pipe with them instead of a slp or fabricated y pipe),

headers- shorty, midlength, and longtube, ranging from least to most gain in hp and performance, you also get louder as you go, you can run cats with all but most dont run them with lt's, you will fail visual emission inspection but can pass the sniffer with cats


suspension:
basics and least costly but msot effective right now: STB,SFC

below is a list of what everything does

Originally Posted by Phantompooper

I think he wants to know what all of that stuff does, where it goes and how it'll help with the suspension.

We'll start with the basics.

Springs - Lower your center of gravity, putting you lower allows the car to "stick" to the road a lot better.
Shocks - Dampen the hard hits your suspension takes, allowing for longer suspension life and a much easier ride for you and your passengers. Good shocks also help to keep your vehcile level in the turns.
Lower (rear) Control Arms - these "push" your rear axle down during a launch, this reduces wheel hop, which is a killer of 10-bolts. The stock, stamped factory pieces flex, which keeps you from getting the most pressure downward.
Lower (again, rear) Control Arm Relocator Brackets - when a car is lowered, the axle stays the same distance from the ground and the body drops. When this happens, your rear LCAs aren't angled "down" as much. Lowering the place where they attach to the axle allows the LCAs to function better, even on non-lowered cars.
Torque Arm - the torque arm keeps the rear axle from "raising" which is what happens when torque is applied to the driveshaft. The stock piece is also stamped metal and flexible, an aftermarket arm is much stiffer and can be adjusted, changing the angle of your rear axle, which can better take advantage of the driveshaft torque.
Sub-frame Connectors - a great thing to have, they should have been installed from the factory but due to weight considerations, blah blah blah....They connect frame rails, the triangulation stiffens the frame and reduces flexing. Stiffer frame = better turns, better acceleration.
Adjustable Panhard Rod - the rear axle setup in a 4th gen Fbody is a spiderweb of struts and bars to make everything work. The Panhard rod centers the rear axle, otherwise it could shimmy to the left and right. When a car is lowered, the center of the axle moves slightly to the left with a stock panhard rod, adjusting it puts the center back where it should be, the center.
Sway Bars - when a car corners, the weight is shifted from one side to the other. More shifting reduces the control you have in a turn. Bigger swaybars and polyurethane end links stiffen up the side-to-side shifting during turns, again leveling the car and allowing for more control.
Polyurethane Bushings - as mentioned above, they are much stiffer than stock bushings. They do reduce the ride quality some, but reduce lateral roll and increase the ability of the car to put it's power down due to less flexing from suspension components.
Front Upper and Lower Control Arms - usually much lighter than stock pieces, and stiffer. Allowing for better travel of the front suspension
Shock (NOT STRUT!) Tower Brace - the shock towers form a "U" shape in the front of the car with the bottom being the K-member that the lower control arms and engine mount to. The Shock tower brace completes the circle, making the "U" shape an "O" sort of shape. Like subframe connectors, they triangulate the frame (albeit on a different plane), stiffening it up.
Crossmember Brace - connects the two subframe connectors, completing the total subframe connection. Most also come with a driveshaft loop, allowing you to comply with NHRA sub 13 second 1/4 mile times at most tracks.

As you can see, a lot goes on under there. You can modify any and all of these components with a multitude of different results. Some combinations are better for drag racing, planting the rear, and some are better for auto crossing, leveling the car and stiffening up the ride.

Hope this helps.

[t3ch]

Woah that's a lot of stuff... Thanks for the suggestions, keep em comin if you got em.

What about mods that are not necessarily performance enhancers but just stuff that should be done? ie. the skip shift eliminator. Anything else?

[99KamaroKid]

thats a reallly dirty engine bay...clean that bad boy up!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[joelx21]

Very nice car man!!!

Originally Posted by 99KamaroKid

thats a reallly dirty engine bay...clean that bad boy up!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yep, he has a point... also, I can't belive that some out there has a dirtier engine bay than me!!! LOL

[Z28Interceptor]

I have a 2001 Camaro Z28. I bought it off a family friend and it has the B4C interceptor package. So far I have hgh flow cats, 3 inch mandrel bent catback with the dual Flowmaster setup. I also have a chip, positive traction rear end, shift kit, and gears. What would be a good mod to go with next? I have a 75 dry shot that will be run on it.

[Ripper415]

well you already have a lid and a strut tower brace, so id say for right now get some nice chrome rims, dark tints and for gods sake clean the engine bay!