Another "What's next" Thread

[Pliskin1]

I spend time reading and trying to learn before I ask any questions, but sometimes it seems the more I read the more confused I get. Note that I have 2 strikes against me: I'm about as efficient with a wrench as a monkey with a chainsaw, and I don't have big piles of money sitting around. So upgrades and modifications to my car come in stages, leaving me with what's next syndrome.

Quick history: Car now has 52,xxx original miles. Signature has what's been done, plus there are various other things not in the signature (all fuel lines replaced, all brake lines replaced, aftermarket gauges for boost, water, and oil, adjustable FPR, wastegate, etc) which I did to try and make the car more reliable/drive-able (it only had about 500 miles put on it between 2006 and 2014 while is sat garaged in Florida).

I'm running 93 pump gas and can go about 14.5-15# of boost on the stock turbo. Anything over 15# results in knock (I occasionally get small knock, but never seems to exceed about 1.7* of retard, and only briefly).

I'm focusing more on engine mods for the time. I realize that proper suspension & tires (and brakes) are part of going faster, but that stuff is going to come later.

I have a list of things that I know/assume I should do, but with limited funds, I lack the ability to prioritize what should be done.

My ultimate goal would be to have this a mid-11 car. Its a street/cruising car, I'm not a track guy so far. Given a budget of say, $2,000 (parts only - not labor) what would be the next best steps? Here's what's running through my mind, but again, I have no idea what the best order is:

MAF pipe and translator (and do I go LS1 or LT1)?
Downpipe (do I go 3"? 3.5"?)
Boost knob?
Turbo Bell?
Alky?
New/bigger Turbo?
Bigger injectors? (always thought 11's were reachable on the 009).
T/C?
Cam? Pistons?

Or is it smarter money to make sure everything is up to date simply due to their age, such as oil/trans cooler hoses, 150amp alternator, starter etc.?

Appreciate any insight.

 

[MonstrNrgy]

I ran an 11.65 With stock motor that had at the time 130k or so miles. (see sig) One of the biggest bang for your buck will be an alcohol kit (Alycontrol) with a matching TT Alky chip and turn the boost up to whatever you can do without seeing knock. You will definitely need a drag radial of some sort to get any kind of traction.

 

[TurboTnZ06]

Alkycontrol, TT chip, drag radials, manual boost bleed controller (RJC).

 

[dynoman]

Add a Powerlogger to the list so you can review a run , then add alky with chip & drag radials = 11's , along with what you already have !!

 

[Mr.Spool]

My ultimate goal would be to have this a mid-11 car. Its a street/cruising car, I'm not a track guy so far. Given a budget of say, $2,000 (parts only - not labor) what would be the next best steps? Here's what's running through my mind, but again, I have no idea what the best order is:

the transmission will need to be addressed at that power level and will eat your budget up.

 

[Mr.Spool]

Alky?
New/bigger Turbo?

alkycontrol for sure and I would throw a 49 turbo on it for mid 11's and I would leave the stock motor alone.if you want to lower your goals to higher 11's or low 12's the stock turbo pushed will get it done.either way tuning and driving the car will make and break you.

 

[VtheGNMan]

E85 available near you? Pretty easy conversion and power on tap without depending on an aux alky pump.

 

[SHADOWII]

2k doesn't go very far in today's market. You have some good suggestions here. To help the $ go farther, check the "for sale" section often, and only buy when you will be getting the most bang for the buck. The more you monitor the f/s section the more familiar you will be w/the going prices. Roughly, 30-50% savings can be had on good parts. Most of us sell to upgrade and others to clear the garage or leave the buick scene.
Btw, a trans cooler will extend the life of the trans somewhat and would be a good investment.

 

[toofastforyou]

A front-mount intercooler and a 3" down pipe with adjustable wastegate will definitely give you the most "bang-for-your-buck". A cooler thermostat will also help keep the temperatures down.
-->Also, VERY IMPORTANT: Make sure you have a good boost gauge and get yourself a Scanmaster to monitor what's going on under the hood! You don't want that engine to run lean! …because too lean = BOOM!
And last, I can't comment on alky because I never used that stuff but it seems that it gives good results and I know a lot of guys swear by it...
Good luck,

Claude

 

[Pliskin1]

Thanks Guys!

Tires are definitely going on, and separate from the budget I mentioned above. I should have made that clear as I know its necessary.

So it definitely seems that Alky is the quickest way to get to where I want to be. Got it. But to kinda restate what my original post was, I was just randomly listing things that I suspect should be done without knowing the order.

If I happened to list them in the order I should purchase & install, then call it dumb luck. In other words, I'm assuming I can't take my car as is (with no MAF/Pipe, DP, Boost knob,) and just slap Alky on it and assume I'll get into the 11's. I have to do those things first, correct?

As far as some of the other suggestions:

VtheGman - No E85 anywhere in the state of NJ that I'm aware of, so that conversion isn't what I'm looking to do right now.

Shadow - I eyeball the For Sale often. Definitely have learned a lot!

TooFast - I do have a scanmaster and aftermarket turbo gauge, as well as running a 160* thermostat. Also had the stock radiator re-cored and enlarged so that its still stock appearance, but better cooling.

 

[josh young]

IMO,
bigger cam/ pistons- No.
turbo bell - if you upgrade turbo you can kill 2 birds with one stone, if you want mid 11's you will need an upgraded turbo.
I'd go with a set of 60#ers just to be safe and a matching chip for whatever you decide to run.
boost knob - been there without them. Just need a HD adj. wastegate.
T/C will need to be addressed with a larger turbo unless you stick with a TE44 or a TA49, you still may want one.
Downpipe- 3 inch will get you there and more.
MAF- personally if yours isn't acting up, keep it. People have gone well beyond midd 11's with stock stuff.

 

[achalmersman]

Add a Powerlogger to the list so you can review a run , then add alky with chip & drag radials = 11's , along with what you already have !!

This.

The stock turbo will become significantly less efficient above like 24-25lbs but the professionals like Bison could give more insite on that.

 

[Pliskin1]

OK, thanks again guys. Now its starting to come together. Appreciate you all working with me and providing your insight.

The $2K number I threw out is because I had to start somewhere. I didn't want to be one of those people who asks a shitload of questions, and then say I was only looking to spend $500. So now that I have a better idea on what I need to to/get, I'll adjust the budget accordingly. If it ends up a little higher, that won't be the first time!

Thanks!

 

[Undercover87T]

Add another $2500 beyond that for a built trans with converter. Stock bottom end, cam, and heads will take you to that number. A TE44, 3inch downpipe, dual 2.5in exhaust, LT1/LS1 MAF w/translator, 60lb injectors, alky kit, and Turbo tweak chip should get you there.

 

[TurboTGuy]

Alkycontrol, TT chip, drag radials, manual boost bleed controller (RJC).

This^^^^ except get a Hallman boost controller. Much more accurate, easier to use and it doesn't look like a bunch of Home Depot swamp cooler parts that have been screwed together. The price is comparable, shop around a bit and you can find the Hallman controller for $12 more ($75.99 with free shipping ) than the RJC controller.

 

[turbotroy]

Along with a boost gauge, I like to have a fuel pressure gauge mounted next to it. That way you always know boost and fuel pressure is rising 1 to 1. If it doesn't LIFT!!

I run the glow shift gauges, while not the most accurate overall, will let you know if your fuel pressure is climbing with your boost. If your on a budget, they're the best bang for the buck, imho.

What is a boost knob, of which you speak?