Hey guys! I am about to tear into my car and start modding it. I was wanting what is the best way to get into mid 13s the cheapest? without n0s either i want to keep out of the power adder area for now. i have about 3 grand to spend. here are the car's specs:

305 LB9 TPI
700R4
Ported plenium
tpis airfoil
170,000 miles on it i am guessing at that i am not sure but it is running strong.
2.73 gears (i think. the speedo is off by different amounts at different speeds and in d or od the difference the speedo is off is also different. i cant find out what gears i have until someone tell me the easiest fastest way besides removing the cover.)
It needs the blue smoke problem fixed also. It does knock when i floor it but i am guessing that is because of 87 octane. when i back out of WOT a tiny bit it stops knocking. The rear end is howling when i am going down a hill without having my foot on the gas.

help me out guys i want mid 13s by springtime.

 

to many miles to put 3 k in

just my opinion

 

that is an unacceptable reply IMHO you act like the car is pouring smoke, overheating, shaking, spewing fluids and it isnt the car is just fine. and by most standards i see people's cars in on here it is far more worth the money than buying something else and it being a piece. this is what i have, i like it, and it WILL be around a long time if i have any say in it.

second i dont know if the engine or tranny has been rebuilt and there is no way of knowing really. is there a way to find out without taking the heads off?

 

sorry for not having acceptable reply ,

its just my opinion
i got a 86 305 tpi trans am with only 27,000 original miles on the car , and i only can muster a 15.7 at 90 , and i did a few mods on her , 3.42 gears , cai , exhaust , shift kit ,air foil , new sticky tires,

but if you got 3 k than spend it on an old high milage motor
good luck and i wish you the best

 

i'd do a compression test before anything else. even if it seems to be running strong. 170K miles is a lot IMO.

 

where can i get a compression tester? how much is it? what is it going to do for me?

 

any parts store should carry one. good tool to have and will test how much compression each cylinder is making.

 

how do i use it? what is the compression suppose to be?

 

do a search in the general engine forum. there'll be tons more info than what i can write.

 

This is assuming that your engine is ok. At 170,000 miles, I'd be a little leary of beating on it. In the end you may end up needing a rebuild. But for performance mods, I would suggest the following:

Edelbrock heads
High Flo runners/base
A cam with about 212° intake duration
3.42 to 3.73 rear axle ratio

This may put you close to $3000, but if you can swing it, invest in a good exhaust system too- like Edelbrock or SLP.

Also, make sure your car is in a good state of tune to begin with- all filters are clean, ignition is up to snuff, injectors are clean and flow well, fuel pressure is correct, etc. Then start thinking about modifications.

For the compression tester, you simply screw it into the spark plug hole on a cylinder and crank the engine over WITHOUT firing it up (you'll need to disconnect the coil wire). The compression gauge will hold the value until you release it. Make sure that there are no cylinders that have excessively low compression relative to the others.

 

This is assuming that your engine is ok. At 170,000 miles, I'd be a little leary of beating on it. In the end you may end up needing a rebuild. But for performance mods, I would suggest the following:

Edelbrock heads
High Flo runners/base
A cam with about 212° intake duration
3.42 to 3.73 rear axle ratio

This may put you close to $3000, but if you can swing it, invest in a good exhaust system too- like Edelbrock or SLP.

Also, make sure your car is in a good state of tune to begin with- all filters are clean, ignition is up to snuff, injectors are clean and flow well, fuel pressure is correct, etc. Then start thinking about modifications.

For the compression tester, you simply screw it into the spark plug hole on a cylinder and crank the engine over WITHOUT firing it up (you'll need to disconnect the coil wire). The compression gauge will hold the value until you release it. Make sure that there are no cylinders that have excessively low compression relative to the others.

 

Well i have the car all tuned up nd all the maintenance has always been performed prior to the actual limit. like oil changes with synthetic blend oils every 2000-2500 miles max. i have all the reciepts for everything i have done and the owner before me had done. he olny had the car a year and his gf got pregnant so he had to sell it for a more family like car. the only major things that have been done was the intake gasket. everything else is normal wear like oil, plus, filters, injector cleaner every oil change, some relays blew, shocks have been replaced all around..ect. i myself have dont the plugs, wires, alternator, k&ns, fuel filter, tranny filter, pads, rotors, cap and rotor, and i generally just keep it well maintained. i dont plan on running the crap out of the car i just want to know that i wont loose easily.

what is stock compression?

 

assuming the motor is ok.
i would do a full exhaust including headers ,high flo cat,catback system
3.45 gears,vigalante convertor,at least a cam comparable to the lt1 cam.this should get you in the 14's easy.while doing the cam you could do 58cc alum vette heads,accell intake,runners.I think this would take care of 3 grand pretty easy.by the way this is my setup except I have a tci converter and I havnt put in the lt1 cam yet.my best is 14.40 and I have 108000 on my motor.
the best thing for you to do is take it out and run it and see what your times and mph are in the quarter.your mph will tell you if your making horsepower or not.my mph is only 93 thats why im putting in a bigger cam.I will tell you if you hit 90 mph
you can get in the 14's at least here in columbus ohio in a third gen.the key is the converter in a automatic

 

i think i am going for gears first. just for the simple fact that the howling is a "problem" and right now the exhaust is fine. i am trying to find out where i can get 3.42s cheap and assembled so my bro can put them in. he doesnt know how to align them properly and i think that is why the rear howls right now (arent aligned just right). if i do have 2.73 in the rear what speedo gears do i have to get to correct the speedometer?

 

the first thing to do is the get any and all problems repaired before u tinker, this will not only be good for the car but save u head ache in the future.

since u mentioned the rearend is showing signs of its age, why not replace it? but not with another 2.73 rear, find ursself a 3.42 10 bolt or a 3.45 9 bolt rear. either of these in good shape shouldnt cost u more then 300 bucks. while ur there, its time to start replacin some of the most important peices on the car, the rear suspension. get urself some lower control arms, aftermarket springs, pan hard rod, lower control arm relocation brackets, air bags for the springs and a torque arm. now ull be able to get the power to the ground. in my own experience its not gonna be fun goin to the track with out some decent tires to hook up, put up the 300 bucks and get a pair of drag radials, you might even want to think about gettin some subframe connectors as well. now with that done the rear of the car should be in good shape. next id have a built 700R4 installed with a 2200-2300 stall converter, u can put in an aluminum driveshaft while your there. theres a few options for the engine, heres what id do: have the stock heads ported, increse the intake valves to 1.94. gasket match everything, port ur base, get some SLP runners and siamese them (how far will take some tinkering) port the stock plenum and install an AFPR (adjustable fuel pressure regulator). ive had good luck with the LT1 grind cam, u got mine for 20 bucks off ebay. but ur car is a little heavier then mine and the automatic soaks up a bit more power. start a new thread on here and inquire about cam options for wht u want to do. the next thing is weight reduction, depending on how far u want to go will decide how much u can get rid off. a fiberglass hood is good for 50 lbs off the front end, tubular A arms, and a tubular K member will take almost another 100 lbs off, the aluminum driveshaft is worth a few lbs savings, take out the AC, and emissions, you can pull stuff out of the interior if u dont care, the jack, spare and rearseats are good for 40 lbs, passenger seat is another 25 etc..
a set of pro star wheels will help out as well some 15 x 3.5s for the front and 15x8s for the rear (perfect for a pair of drag radials) u wont believe how light the weld racing wheels are. this may sound like a lot of money just for a "305" but the good thing about all these mods except for the ones done to the engine, is that its all compitable with any other engine u wnat to put in. good luck.

 

i have been calling around about rear ends and the best deal i have found is a local junkyard will swap me for mine for 80 bucks. now what i need to know is what cars can i get a 3.42 rear end out of that will just bolt up? and will the posi unit out of my rear bolt in the junkyard rear without having to change the alignment of the gears?

 

170k? come on guys he's not driving a Honda here. It's a SBC, they last a lot longer than that without a rebuild.

 

will 3.23 ratio be good enough? or should i try for the 3.42 ratio?

 

now i' all for the 305's but thats just sad.
@ 75000miles i'm running 14.8's

suspenion work-- 2.015 60's
3.42 gears
LS1 drive shaft
MSD igiton
LT1 tb
stock exhaust
free mods

 

any time u change the carrier the gears will need to be aligned again. the 89 and newer 2.8Ls and 3.1Ls got 3.42 gearing but no posi and drum brakes, u can buy a slp take out posi for 99 bucks and have the rear set up probably will only cost around 200 for install, talk to guys at tranny shops see what they say. 3.23s or 3.27s would be a good improvement but i think if u can do it right the first time and get the 3.42s or 3.45s ud be better off.

 

i agree hats what i have in mine and i love it. alotough the 3.42's seem too high at times and at others not enough . on a good pulling day thy are just right and ot alot can hang-(similar timed cars)


oh a lil shot of 75 should amek you rn low 13's. but i dunno about doing that on a motor with 170k.

 

do the slp take-offs (of the newer cars) fit our axles? i'm lookin at gettin gears but would need a new carrier.

 

ur gonna need new axles, in 89 they changed the spline count so they will fit right in.

 

I think you guys are off a bit. I'd start with bolt-ons first, then tear into the motor later.

A 3.23 gear is enough for a 305 tpi motor, and will be fine for his use. You might need to replace the bearings in the rear-end, so plan on $500 for the rearend if you can save some money on used gears or a another rear.

Shift kit for the tranny and 2400 stall convertor. You should be able to find a used convertor in the classifieds.

Headers and exhaust, ram air, port plenum, new valve springs and valve seals, maybe 1.6 rockers if you can find them used, used 52 mm tb.

Take it to the track and see what it runs, then make mods from there.