It's time

[motroman]

I've the GN for a couple of weeks now and have had a lot of fun beating poser's with "wings" on front drive vehicles with spray can painted calipers.

As I mentioned in another thread, this Buick is quicker than my Camaro and probably just as fast in the 1/4(13.3/101).

But, now, like the rest of my cars, it's time to put some good money into making it faster.

I have only one condition, actually, my wife has one condition since she drives the GN almost as much as I do.

The car has to be streetable enough and easy to drive during normal errands as well as fast when we want it to.

So, I'm trying to see what a grand to $1500 bucks will buy.

I wanted to spend more but that's what's left of my "mod" budget after I blew the input shaft bearing on the Muncie this weekend in the Vette.

I'm thinking making the GN breathe easier by adding new exhaust manifolds, high flow cat, down pipe, crossover pipe, new Duttweiler ends for the intercooler, MAF pipe, and cold air intake and filter.

Do I need to change the chip or fuel injectors with these mods?

What do you guys think?

 

[BlownZ]

I'd spend 5 bucks on modifying your wastegate rod.

I'd spend 300 bucks on some blue top injectors.

I'd spend another couple hundred bucks on a street and a strip chip.

I'd spend 20-50 dollars on a decent boost gauge.

I'd spend a few hundred dollars on a scanmaster

Whatever I had left I would invest in a set of MH street slicks

Anything else left over I would invest in track time and learn to tune it.

Forget most of that other crap...it's a waste of money until you get into the mid 12s at least as a stock GN is easily capable of doing.

 

[OKTurbo]

First thing is to do the "spring cleaning"
http://www.gnttype.org/maint/basics.html

Next check out the "recipes" on gnttype.org
http://www.gnttype.org/techarea/recipes/recipepage.html

New exhaust manifolds (headers) aren't necessary until you start going VERY fast (11's). The other stuff you mention is a good idea, but check out the recipe page to see what has worked for others.

Generally speaking, Grand Nationals need upgraded fuel system....hi flow pump (Walbro 340)...hot-wire kit...adjustable fuel pressure regulator. You'll also need some kind of a scantool to help tune the car.

Find a chip that your car likes, put in some race gas, turn up the boost and your running 12's.

John

 

[T-Type Mike]

First off you should check out gnttype.org. Go straight to the Spring Cleaning section and start there. You need to make sure your car is running Great in stock trim before you start to modify. Then go out and buy a scan tool, Scanmaster, Turbolink, or Directscan. Then you can go back to the Gnttype.org website and look at the Reciepe page. All the info youre looking for is right there. Any problems you come across, just ask on this board, plenty of knowledgable people here to help. Good luck, have fun and be safe. Mike

 

[motroman]

Thanks everyone. The "recipe" page looks really complete.

This is going to be a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to driving a streetable 12 sec. car.

The way it is now, it's not that far off although I was trying to remember that old drag racer formula about modifications.

It's goes something like it will take you $1000 to make a 13 sec. car a 12sec car, another $2k to make it an 11 sec. car, and another 4k to make it to 10sec.

The GN may be cheaper.

 

[ES1]

I would get the injectors cleaned and then spend that money on an alky system and boxed LC arms.
This would be after the basic upgrades mentioned.
The dutweiler neck on the stock IC is another good mod.