Jared N259

I recently purchased my first car which as the title suggests was an 86 Firebird with a V6 2.8L. While it feels quick it is definitely weak on the power. The car was treated really badly by the previous owner so I'm putting a lot of work into getting her healthy again. I make minimum wage and I have about $2000 left to put in the car to get new paint, carpet kit, headliner, seat cover, new front tires (replaced the back 2 days ago because one blew), and more maintenance stuff. I was looking for tips on how to give her more power without replacing the engine. Frankly, if I were to put a 305/350 to get more power it would be better to just sell the car and pick up a trans am with one it already. As this is my first car, I have no experience modding vehicles so if any advice could be put in laymen's terms I would be appreciative. I am definitely interested in learning how to perform more advanced work so that's not an obstacle. If the improvement will not give a reasonable boost for money I'm not interested. I have limited funds and spending 300 for a 13 hp boost really isn't going to be worth it to me.

Also, I was hoping for some advice on how to get my engine bay looking nicer without stripping it out. I'm taking a heavy class load for the next couple quarters (College classes not highschool) and they are rather time consuming. between work and school I really don't have the time to completely gut my engine bay and get it back together in a reasonable amount of time. Thanks guys!

Jared N259

Am I being shunned by the community, I never get replies:?l

project89

iTrader: (1)

for the money and time u have ur not really going to get more power out of it

just fix it up replace the broken worn things and do a tune up and enjoy it for what it is

without doing things like nitrous or turbo or a hybryid build all of which in ur case arent feasable the only thing u can really do is like get headers and a cat back ex , cold air intake etc , but even those will only give u a few hp each

Jared N259

I apologize, I meant I have $2000 dollars left to put into getting it back to healthy, then I will start working on tuning with all my disposable income. In retrospect I realized my phrasing suggested I was going to do all that and soup it with 2k.

project89

iTrader: (1)

ok thats a lil different then, but to be perfectly honest unless u do a head swap which is not just unbolt the old heads and bolt on the new ones, a turbo charger or nitrous dooing bolt ons on a v6 is a waste of money.

headers/cold air kit, underdrive pullies , and cat back ex system may get u 20-30 hp but its goi ng to cost more then half ur budget

a turbo on the other hand can be done as cheap as 700-1,000 and can add 100-175 hp pretty easily

in ur situation with ur class schedual and not being able to have the car down for a period of time and being new to working on cars, this isnt something u can really do


nitrous on the other hand will cost around 400 bucks for a 50-125 hp boost but then there is the recurring cost of filling the bottle and the power is only there when u use the nitrous

Jared N259

I don't really have a budget, I just don't want to put 2k getting this thing up to the power of a stock trans am when I could sell mine for 2.5-3k and pick up a mint Iroc for 4.5k in my area ( I have seen and looked at three listing at this price). Would I be better off selling this and picking up a Trans am/ iroc for the money? i have some more experienced car lovers who would give me a hand if i asked.

project89

iTrader: (1)

In ur situation I would fix what's wrong with it clean it up and sell it to buy a v8 car

Ur other option would be to contact member fasteddi and see if he still has his original turbo kit and would be willing to sell it.
If u can get his old turbo stuff then that is something u could install in a day or 2. And be worth the money spent

Jared N259

Alright, the major issue when I bought it was the the bad exhaust manifold but i replaced that the other weekend. This is a bit off topic but I was wondering how much it was worth.
New tires, brakes pads, calipers, struts, shocks, hood lifters, hatch lifters, and alternator. replaced the exhaust system and new muffler with chrome tipped pipes. Full tune up, all filters, belts, fluids, plugs and wires, pcv valve, thermostat, vacuum lines. paint is in good condition, small spider cracking on the front bumper cover, slight chipping on the spoiler. Seats are okay, but the fabric is frayed. needs a new carpet kit and headliner, it has new speakers up front and the ones in back are fine, there is NO RUST.

Thanks for all your advice, hope you can give me a rough quote. If it matters, I bought it for 1800

Dakota W.

How many miles? How well does the engine run? how does the transmission operate? Those are the three main questions I ask about a car before I buy. Regular wear items like tires, brake pads, shocks and struts aren't something I factor into the buying price. They're items that wear and will have to be replaced anyway, so I see no point in asking extra just because it has new ones. The price also depends on WHO is interested. I, personally, wouldn't be interested in it because it has a 700r4. I wouldn't be surprised if you only got 2000 for it, to be honest.

Jared N259

She has 135k original miles, the engine is running very well, and the transmission is very good it shifts remarkably well, no grinding, hesitation or other such things.

Aaron_SK

iTrader: (1)

Put a T5 in it.

You can find a veesix non-WC for dirt cheap on craigslist or in the yards.

That one change will give you enough kick for a high-school kid.

OrangeBird

iTrader: (1)

Correct me if i'm wrong , , But , , Didn't the OP mention this as being an 86 ?

..... And , Aren't the pre 88 2.8 engines the ones with the weak cranks ?

Cause if so , all thoughts of nitrous or turbochargers will get ya would be a grenaded lower end , Right ???

If I am correct , best to just fix it up stock and enjoy it .