Aaron_17

Are there any good, inexpensive mods for my 1990 3.1 'bird? I would like to increase the horsepower a little if possible.

Any suggested mods and estimated performance increase for the money would be helpful. Thanks!

Dale

iTrader: (12)

Check my "profile" below, plus


Headers
Roller rockers
3.4 block
Ignition module
Oversized TB
Major Good Tune up

I'm sure im missing a few hear.


To early in the morning

SAEspinz80

check my profile too.....most expensive thing on that list was the exhaust.

confucius101

hey dale do you got a pic's of your clear tail lights???

Camar_Hunter_c

think that was fender lights, they are on ebay al the time bout 20 bucks or so.

confucius101

thanks!

Dale

iTrader: (12)

Yep, fender lights, not tails.

I wish so bad some company would come out with aftermarket tail lights for us.

Quick6

I wish for that everyday...

Nixon1

What you should do all depends on what your definition of 'inexpensive' is.. I'd rig up your own Cold Air Intake system..I've gone through a few and they really do help over the stick intake. For now, I'm sticking with the almost stock system..using the same size cylindrical air filter but removing the can that restricts air to it, and removing the sensor from it as well...lay the sensor down in the middle of where the filter is and make sure the filter fits over it snugly..then bolt the lid back down, so the filter now takes in air from all sides. Not the BEST system since you're still retaining the stock restrictive arm, but it's simple and it won't break like ducting, etc. will. Believe me, I've dealt with both! I had a custom ram air style setup fall apart on me on the interstate... Ignition is a cheap way to make better power. Not necessarily power cause you wont see much from it..but you'll get a smoother, quicker throttle response, better idling, and better engine operation throughout the powerband. I don't recommend platinum plugs personally just because I've had bad luck with them on stock ignition..right now I'm running Rapidfires. But you'll hear everything under the moon as far as spark plug recommendations..but the general consensus seems to be Rapidfires although some have had good luck with platinums and some have had bad. Cap and rotor, I'd pick up one of those Blue Streak autozone/discount(it's called discount here, but elsewhere it's advance I think) deals (can't remember which one)...whatever cap and rotor you get, make sure it's got copper or brass plated terminals. Plugwires....7mm's will do but if you're planning to build the car, go with 8's or up. I'm running Taylor SpiroPro 8mm wires..they work great. Make sure you get spiral wires and not the solid cores...solid cores will mess with your radio because they create too much RFI. (Radio Frequency Interference) For exhaust, I recommend the Dynomax Super Turbo catback...SummitRacing.com sells it for about $160. It makes a BIG difference over the stock setup, and it sounds very nice..not too loud, but very deep and very noticeable. If you want to make it louder, run a pipe through your catalytic converter..but beware, this ISN'T smog legal and if your car isn't in very good tune, you'll fail emissions. If you want to keep emissions legal, purchase a high flow cat. They're built well enough nowadays that you wont see much of a difference between the high flow and no cat at all. But DO NOT gut your existing cat...run a pipe through it to take it out..gutting creates exhaust turbulance. If you decide to do something else for your exhaust system, go no bigger than 2 1/2 in. pipes... Other people have tried 3 in. and it's just too big...robs power. Now that I've written a book, hope that helps!

Dale

iTrader: (12)

I don't consider it a book if its all good info.

pontiacguy1

Hey, I have the stock Y pipe, a Catco high flow catalytic converter, a 3" exhaust pipe, and then a Dynomax muffler with two exits. I did notice a slight loss of low end torque, but a significant increase in top end power. Since I retained the stock Y pipe, I feel I didn't get my exhaust too big. It really seems to help when I use the juice. I definitely think that to go larger than a 3 inch pipe would be a waste, but the 3 inch isn't as bad as I have heard people claim, in my opinion. If I wasn't running the juice though, the 2.75 inch pipe would probably be better all around choice.

You can always add a 75 HP nitrous system to your car. I have that, and it has definitely made a difference. I was going to try to adapt a centrifugal supercharger to my engine, but I ended up doing the nitrous kit because it was far cheaper, and I was still in college at the time. It cost about $475 for the kit for a 5.0 Mustang that I used. That comes out to roughly 6 dollars per HP added. Not bad when comparing the cost per HP of most mods.

Joe_L

Well cheap is the problem here.
You can do a coolent bypass for free. That is if you live in an area where you know your throttle will not freeze up. HEres the page
https://www.thirdgen.org/newdesign/t...ntbypass.shtml

Another cheaper one is a 'Cold air intake".

And I would say the best one, not realy cheap is a new cat-back exhaust system, probably good for close to 10hp.


Those are best ones I can think of for "cheap".

Another cheap one is shed weight. Remove spare tire and jack lightens the car making it slightly faster.

Nixon1

Definitely.. The TB coolant bypass is debatable..some say it's made a difference, others say it hasn't...but the concept behind it (this is addressed to Aaron) is that there are lines that circulate hot water through the throttle body..this keeps it from freezing up in cold weather, but this COULD heat up your plenum and basically, heat the intake charge as it goes through, making it lose density...the colder the air, the better, as is obvious by the name 'Cold Air Intake'. The exhaust made a HUGE difference on my car. Cars I used to lose kinda sadly too, I beat now. I was amazed. I would still recommend the 2.5 in pipe unless you really know what you're doing to keep it from losing too much power. But personally I appreciate a lot of low end torque..that's what wins me races sometimes. Cost-wise, nitrous is without a doubt one of the most effective things you can do for power gain...if you can afford it, it's amazing when you hit it...but the problem is price, and the fact that you can't drive around with it on..it's instant on and off power...basically, quarter mile power. And like Joe said...weight is one of the most effective ways to gain speed. You'd be amazed how crucial a few pounds here and there can become. These are fairly heavy cars..anything you can strip them of would be beneficial. Personally, if I knew I wouldn't have to drive more than one person around now and then, I'd pull my back seats out among other things! Although I'd probably just replace them with subwoofers... I'm trying to make this into an autocrosser and showcar rather than a bracket dragster.

And Dale..thanks. I try to be as detailed as possible cause I know when I was a newbie on this site, I wished people just spit random info at me now and then so I could learn some stuff about these cars...took me over a year to know what I know, and that still isn't that much. I'm not a practical knowledge guy...I'm a theory guy. Lol...

TomP

Nixon1 already touched on this matter, but here's the full, complete, not-missing-anything, major tuneup for your 3.1. I'm stressing "full & complete" because you should do it all!! Yes, everything!! When you're done, it means you've put the car back to "original" running condition, and you'll see even more of an improvement with a cold air intake and an exhaust. Wouldn't quite make sense to throw an aftermarket exhaust on when your car still has the original 10 year old fuel filter on it. If you do the work yourself, you'll save a lot of coin, and you'll do much more than a local garage ever would- not only for a tuneup, but, for the money you'll spend at that garage. I knew a guy who got charged $120 for just plugs, air filter, oil & oil filter, and fuel filter. Imagine if they charged him for a major tuneup!! When I worked on his car, the wires and the distributor cap were the original '91 units! The cap/rotor was in very bad shape; in fact, corrosion had built up on the cap bolts and it took a lot of effort just to get the cap off! I think parts for his '91 v8 Formula (I didn't charge labor, just parts) came out to a bit under $110.

-----------------------------------------------------------
Tom P's Major Tuneup Info: 3rd gen (82-92) F-body series

Here's the Major Tuneup stuff- this covers alot more than a garage would do for you, and it'll wind up to be cheaper (or at least the same price)! First, buy a Haynes 82-92 Firebird (or 82-92 Camaro) manual.. they're about $15 from any auto parts store. I like them alot better than the Chilton's manuals (which aren't what they used to be 25 years ago). And of course, the ultimate manual is the GM Service Manual, available from http://www.helminc.com - I paid about $60 for mine back in 1994.

Replace: Distributor cap/rotor, spark plug wires (use aftermarket), spark plugs, air filter (use K&N replacements), PCV valve, fuel filter, engine oil/filter, auto trans fluid/filter (or manual trans gear lube), and rear axle gear lube (use limited slip additive if required). Check and reset the timing to stock specs (in Haynes manual). Check and reset the TV cable if you have an automagic (in Haynes manual). Do a lube job and get an alignment done- the car will go faster "easier" if the front wheels are straight. Buy a can of "Intake and Throttle Body Cleaner for Fuel Injected Engines" by Gumout (yellow or gray can, with a red cap), and follow the can's instructions to clean out your intake. DO NOT USE CARB/CHOKE CLEANER- this removes the protective coating fuel injected engines have. Put a bottle of injector cleaner or my "red magic" (STP Gas Treatment) into a full tank of good gas.

It's also a good idea to replace your coolant, check your brake fluid level and p/s fluid level, check the belts, and check your brakes while you're at it.

Call Summit Racing at 800-230-3030 for a free catalog, then you can pick and choose a spark plug wire set and get your K&N air filter(s). (You can also find this stuff through their website, at http://www.summitracing.com , but it's not as thorough as the catalog.) When you leaf thru the catalog, you WON'T SEE any parts listed for a 2.8l v6 - you need to call them and ask them for part #'s/availablility. (Same goes with exhaust, etc.) If you're like me, and can't want to wait for the catalog in the mail, call them and order one anyway! Then, go to their website, at http://www.summitracing.com , look up their ignition wires, decide on a brand, and give them a call for a part # and price.

But definately do a tuneup first... you'll see the best improvment from the "fun" parts when your car is in good running condition.

-Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l)

Nixon1

Tom...I heard somewhere that the stock Multec injectors take unfavorably to injector cleaner...?

TomP

I asked Vader about it; he said he wouldn't trust any cleaner to do anything worthwhile- but he didn't say it would hurt them. I'll have to email Rich at cruzinperformance.com and find out.... I still doubt it.

Nixon1

Yeah..it's hard for me to believe that they would advertise something as safe for all cars and that it would mess up our injectors...but hey, I don't know who said it, or when I heard it, but I DO know it was on this board!

92RSMuscle

iTrader: (1)

Carbon clean system restors alot of lost horsepower, it does a helluva job