rlbrown1987

Basically the title says it all. I have a automatic 93 Z28 relatively stock except for the fact that it has a SLP exhaust and cold air. my main questions are
1)where do i start on the build beside basic bolt ons?
2)can the stock trans handle that kind of power or will i need to upgrade it?
3)if i have to upgrade it what kind should i look into?
i know these are kind of noobish questions but im kind of new to V-8s seeing as how im 23 and made a jump from 4cylinder turbo cars to this, so any advice and or help would be greatly appreciated. thank you

RamAir95TA

To give you a prime example, my 450whp N/A setup (engine, transmission, suspension, rear end, fuel system, etc.) cost upwards of $15k, starting from scratch (where you are currently at).

The stock auto trans will grenade far before that power level, so it will definitely need to be upgraded. I am running a Performabuilt 4L60(e) and am very satisfied.

You could easily have a 450whp car for 1/4th that price if you use nitrous.

rlbrown1987

thank you, i deff plan on going all motor, and i was looking at parts from advanced inductions, and was thinking about going with 3.73 gears.my question now to you is, hows your gas milage looking with that kind of power?

RamAir95TA

If gas mileage is a concern you shouldn't be looking for numbers quite that high. It takes a lot of fuel to make that kind of power. But if I had to give you a number, maybe 10mpg. I've never actually measured it because it seemed pointless.

450whp is quite a bit. If you plan on drag racing at all you are going to have to ditch the 10-bolt (and your 3.73 idea) because you will easily break them (ask me how I know).

95zsean

Really?? Your worried about gas mileage and wanting to make 450 N/A RWHP?

96capricemgr

Not that my car makes quite that number but is certainly over 400 based on performance. Same heads as RamAir95TA is using, probably a shade less cam since I don't have a stroker but cam was spec'd by the same guy.

My favorite place to trace is Great Lakes Dragaway which is 150miles EACH way, 4.10 gears, 3800 stall, every bit of 4300lbs on the street since tools and slicks are in the trunk. I get 18-19mpg out of tanks I drive down there and race on, so that is 300miles of highway and 6-10 passes at the strip. I actually fill up by home and by the time I get down there still have plenty of gas in the tank to race. The Caprice tank is very shallow and flat, if I let it get below 1/2 tank it will starve for fuel right after the launch.

If I was always in the loud pedal I know I could get worse mileage but the faster the car gets I find myself at WOT less on the street. Sure I enjoy the power on the street but with that kind of power on tap WOT below 40mph is going to be a handful and you exceed legal speeds by a LOT very quickly, so opportunity to really use it is limited.

rlbrown1987

lol how do you know???? O_o lol but on a serious note i was wondering only because it was a curiosity thing. like i mentioned earlier im trying to make this into a car where i can have on the street and go to the track as well. i figured 450whp is a repectable number because i know the camaro is way lighter then my old STI, and at 400awhp the sti put down some respectable times at the track. grant it the camaro isnt awd but i figure with drag radials or slicks and suspension work should b able to make up for the diffrence

henryz28

What kind of numbers are you looking for? You don't need 450rwhp to put down good times; a correctly set up 400rwhp car will put down some good times. What was that STI running?

rlbrown1987

my STI was running low 11s to high 10s 10.985 was its fastest time before i got rid of it. so im looking to put down around the same times if not better

henryz28

A well built auto with a quality stall converter; yank ss3600+, Moser 9" Rear end, 4.10 Gearing, a lot of traction and 420rwhp should get you low 11s maybe 10s depending on your location. But don't expect to run 10s NA and not burn a good amount of fuel; a forged motor with nitrous would be the way to go. If you do build it to run that fast you will need a lot of safety mods to run it at the track.

rlbrown1987

yea atco raceway requires you to have a cage if your running 10s and a fire hydrant if you have nitrous. but yea im just looking for low 11s maybe 10s. my main thing i love the way V8s sound when their hooked up i always have

henryz28

Yes a strong v8 has a distinctive sound that can not be produced by a 4cyl. I would contact advancedinduction.com if you want a solid NA car; they will point you in the right direction for the motor. Then you will need a good shop to build your trans and install a custom yank stall converter, the rear end will need to be done and its all about traction from then on. Good luck with your build.

RamAir95TA

Just buy my car, problem solved. I live 30m from Atco.

rlbrown1987

lol i would but i have a thing where i dnt like buying prebuilt cars.. i dunno why its just a pride thing i guess

94QuasarZ

Agreed, I'd much rather buy a stock car and make it my own. More fun imo and you can take a lot more pride in something like that