StayinStock

Hey guys, hopefully you can help me out here. I'm currently tossing the idea around of doing a mild cam and a light stall on my 98 coupe. The car currently is bone stock minus axleback and intake. I just want to warm it up a little bit, nothing radical... 380-400 wheel would make me plenty happy.

What would be a good combo and is there anything else I should do while I'm in there? I tossed around switching to a 241 casting head and doing some mild port work to them to help the combo too. Motor is a 98 with only 27000 miles on it, rarely abused so im sure the bottom end is up to the task. Ive heard alot of guys say to do a balancer and a timing chain while you have it all appart. Any suggestions there?

My gut tells me to keep the stall under 3000 but im in the dark on this one. Car has 2.73 gears which i plan to keep for now since I like the highway drivability of this car and would like to keep that aspect.

My goal is to not loose alot, if any driveability. Keep a mild cam, make sure all my hvac stuff still works, the car is reliable and that everything will hold up to the extra power. Let me know what you guys think, really just trying to get ideas right now before I start piecing it all together.

Thanks

n8dogg

380-400 wheel on an automatic with 2.73 gears will take more than a mild cam. You'll need to be around 475 engine HP to get those kind of numbers and that's a 130 hp increase!

Big cams will only get you 75-100 hp!

You mentioned you like how drivable your car is, forget about a cam if you want those kind of numbers, it's going to be a big cam and you will sacrifice some of that drive-ability. Go with a supercharger! 150+hp gain with all the drive-ability in the world.

Bill Curlee

FRIGGEN took the words right out of my mouth!!! Could NOT have said it better!!!


You need to do some SOUL searching before you start the MOD BUG! Your WALLET is NOT goiung to be happy!

Oh,,, dont forget,, YOU WILL need a PCM tune after you do your modding!!! Good Tuning work cost $450-$500



So,,, you get to the MAGIC 400-420 RWHP mark.

Holy CRAP, My transmission is slipping! Now I need a new level V RPM Tranny and a trans cooler.

New Trans installed! Happy owner jumps on the GO FAST PEDDLE and breaks the differential output shaft. SON OF A Beachnut


( Rearend repaired)


Man,, I hate these 2:73 gears. Need 3:42s Rearend back out and 3:42s installed and the TUNE (YEP) is changed again to readjust the shift points!

DAMN IT,, whats that noise?? Holy CRAP! My Torque Tube Couplers are SHREDDED!!!

The FUN NEVER STOPS!

Its a SICKNESS that doesnt have a cure!

TRUST ME! I have the BUG!!

Bill

zeevette

What Bill said. Wait for the time you can afford a power adder. Of course, you'll still need to upgrade the drivetrain.

Bill Curlee

Moral of the above story is,, You cant just add HP Mods and think you have solved your quest for
" I just want to warm it up a little bit, nothing radical... 380-400 wheel would make me plenty happy. "

Making a car faster comes in a TOTAL PACKAGE. When you add power, the weak link in your power train will not be happy.

You will need to improve the suspension (shocks, swaybars, springs),

Most STOCK C5 A6 transmissions work fine at stock power levels. When you add power, they ofter require up-grading to survive. Especially if you install a moderate to large cam or supercharge the engine.

Installing a cam will require a new higher stall speed converter. No doubt about it. That mandates the addition of a aftermarket trans cooler.

Any way you look at it, the Torque Tube Couplers should be replaced with new OEM Rubber. May also need new TT Bearings

Yep,, you have one of the weakest slowest rearends of all the C5s. You will not be happy with it. 3:42s do not reduce the fuel efficiency as much as you think.

Proper tuning and you may not even see a difference.

Here is a list of stuff that you will need to gain any decient HP/TQ

Most of the stuff listed is changed for reliability and doesnt even contribute to increasing HP/TQ

Reliability stuff:

New lifters. Recommend LS7 or Caddy Racing Lifters
Rocker Trunion up grade (COMP CAMS Trunions)
New Pushrods
New Harmonic Damper
New Melling High Volume Oil Pump
LS2 Timing Chain
New Spark Plug Wires, Recommend GM Performance Red Wires
New Plugs
Oil Sensor relocation kit
Strongly recommend ARP Head stud Kit.
ARP Damper Bolt
Pin the damper to the crank!
New Torque Tube rubber couplers
Trans Cooler
New Lifter Buckets
New Valve Springs ( MANDATORY )


HP Stuff (for a moderately cammed engine)

Minimum 2001+ C5 Intake manifold
Maximum FAST 92 Intake Manifold or FAST 102 Requires 90mm TB
New higher flow injectors 36/lb/hr minimum. Bigger for bigger cam
CAM.. Pick your poison carefully. There are hundreds to choose from
-New heads. Your heads will NOT allow you to get the most out of your new cam and will be a choke point for improving HP. Low compression and small valve and runners
Differential work= Output shafts, higher ratio, Higher ratio requires up-grading to a new differential case.
Bigger stickier tires for better traction!!
Headers.
New CATs and a mid pipe
NEW TUNE!

FI Up-Grade

Supercharger
New radiator
Bigger stickier tires for better traction!!
Boost Gage
AFR Gage
New 2 Bar MAP sensor
New Heads with bigger valves better runner volume
New Fuel Pump or Boost a Pump
60 lb/hr injectors

DONT FORGET,,, Tuning for any thing done between the MAF and the flywheel

Like I stated earlier,, Its a sickness. I know I left something off the list!

Bill

StayinStock

I follow you guys on that... I have a 97 Trans Am with a fully forged 4 bolt 383 stroker on a vortech v1 and 24x management. Tunings not an issue, I do my own. I've been through all this with before... I guess I should have phrased my question diffrently. I would like to make a little more power (I just threw a number out, should have known better) while retaining drivability and not getting that far into anything else. I want a mild cam bolt on car... power to the wheels really dosent matter as long as it drives like stock, not looking to burn the world down with it. I have my racecar to suck my budget down, this ones my driver.

That being said what do you reccomend

zeevette

I can't advise you on a stall, but a 224-228@114 will drive like stock, when tuned, and give you from 25-45 HP. Of course, springs, chain, are a must do.

reactor2

Don't waste your time with a little z06 cam, tearing into the motor for a cam that isn't that much different than the LS1 seems silly to me. The power gain you see will have more to do with the tune than it does the cam.

Best bang for the buck: NOS. A wet kit will cost around $700. Get the RPM window switch, fuel pressure safety switch, and bottle heater, and you will be good to go. The stock fuel system will easily handle 75-100hp.

The z06 cam will do nothing for you, a stall with those 2.73s will just be annoying.

C5Natie

When I had my LS6 it made around 450rwhp with a 237/243 112lsa cam and TFS heads. Also had 3.42 gears and a Yank 3600 stall. Then of course I lost 4th gear and had to rr the trans. Then I milled the heads for 12.3:1cr and a FAST 102. Bumped it to around 470rwhp running an E85 mix. Its a domino effect and it aint cheap. Lol. Thats why I just swapped in a LS3, slapped on a Vortech made 600rwhp and called it a day.

RonSSNova

Gee,

I think a small cam and 243 heads, LS6 intake, long tube headers, 3200 yank and 3.42 diff would do it nicely.
By small cam I mean mid 220 duration, <.600 lift, 114-115 lobe sep.

Agree that a stall with 2.73 would be annoying. That is well put. Ha!

All the other stuff is nice (I did it all, I drag the car a lot) but not a necessity.

Trans cooler, yes.

Tune required for sure.

Ron