This post is about saving Money, spending it well, and doing it right.
The one thing that I have noticed on the forum is that we all are making Mods to our cars. Not meaning to offend anyone, I will use myself as an example, because it is also true. When I built my 346 LS1 I thought I knew enough and I asked allot of questions. They were the right questions too, but it was what I did not know, what are the right questions for the overall plan for my Modifications. So when I installed my new setup, I called everyone I could think of for advice. I also had a plan that I had spent allot of time on. So this is what I would do now and I am sure that I still do not know all the questions to ask.
1.) Motor: What do you want it to do and do you have an Idea you would like to do in the future. Like the cam, the correct size injectors for the motor, headers, cats, mufflers all of the things you want to do to make the motor perform better. Even if it is a small one like a new air filter setup, plan for it and ask allot of questions. This is a very broad topic so Plan, Plan, Plan.
2.) Tranny: Can the tranny handle what I want to do, do I need a tranny cooler? Do I need a shift kit? Does my clutch or trq converter work well enough and what are their limitations? Plan and ask question allot of them.
3.) The rear end gears. This is an area that I should have asked more questions on. With all the money I spent on the 346, I would have done almost as well just by changing the rear gear ratio for the 1/4 mile. That would have saved me thousands of wasted dollars so again I want to go faster in the 1/4 mile maybe the motor is not the best place to start. Ask questions and Plan and then ask more questions.
4,)Brakes and tires: are the brakes good enough for what I want to do, track, street, Drag strip. Do the bigger brakes keep me from getting a smaller wheel for slicks or drag radials? or do I need bigger wheels and do they affect my gear ratio? If you had the HP and Trq the tires are crucial as to traction and are probably the single best thing you can do for better handling and traction. All the HP in the world is useless unless you can hookup, so ask the question and write down your plan.
5.) The Fuel system: Is the sock pump enough for my current and future plans. What about the regulator is that OK or will that limit the fuel injectors and there duty cycle. The fuel Injectors, are they the right ones. are they matched, are they big enough for my current and future plans.
The fuel line size and fuel tanks. That is harder to change or modify but you should check out how they work for example; when drag or track racing or just having some cornering fun, does my tank have a reserve so that the fuel keeps pumping and my motor doesn't get starved. For most application that are close to 500-hp this can be an issue for most cars today so plan and ask questions.
6.) do I need to modify any stock body or engine compartment things to have the stuff work right, like several air filter require some cutting into the radiator covers. So ask questions and PLan.
8.) the cooling system. Is it adequate for my motor tranny etc. Do I want the 160 degree stat or the 180 degree stat. WHAT ARE THERE BENEFITS AND DRAWBACKS. Ask questions and plan and ask more questions.
9.) Tuning: Do I want to pay for a tune or tune myself, since this whole forum is mostly about that you can ask questions and even maybe get a mentor to help you. But do ask questions and explain your plan and listen allot.
I panned very well for my last setup asked all the right questions and so on.
Most all were absolutely great, but you are the one that needs to mange what you are doing so plan. If you are going to continue to modify your system you should really take the time to learn about tuning.
But I did not ask if my fuel pump and injector were big enough for my application or the fuel pump needed or is my PCM (the 98) OK for this setup.
So this winter, I have to make several changes, because I did not ask the right questions. I failed to make a complete plan and should have asked some of these and it would have saved me allot of work,time and money.
Please use this post to ask for help as to a plan and question to ask and also to mentor, mentoring is a blessing and full of rewards.
I am sure I have missed many issues like is this the right cam. I like a bigger duration with a stroker but that is me.
So can someone mentor me as to my fuel system, please!! I failed to plan for the fuel system and thus I had planned to fail. It cost me around $400.00 for a larger fuel injector set already. Please add anything to this post that you guys think you need to plan for when doing your changes. So when you plan you setup. The most important thing is to have a complete plan
98 tigershark