[KingLT1]

A higher stall converter offers the least bang vs buck on this platform. 1200.00 plus labor and fluid for 1-2 tenth resuction is not what I would consider a value leader but it's still a good mod. The main issue is the aftermarket converters do not lock up until 4th gear where the stock converter locks all gear so it is more efficient. On the other hand the stock converter has shudder issues, but it can easily put a bolt-on e85 car in the 10's. Some setups require upgrading the converter such as aggressive heads/cam setups. Some FI builds work better with a higher stall as well.

The best bang for buck mod IMO on this car is e85 and a flex fuel sensor followed by ported intake manifold and throttle body. However, If you plan on going heads cam then just skip that and go right to a ported MSD and LT5 tb.

The single most important thing for these cars is finding the correct tuner which is not that hard with a little research. Do not take these cars to your average PRO LSx shop. Do some research because the tuning to make these cars work is critical.

Here are the bolt-on mods I had:

Rotofab dry-400.00
Pray ported Intake manni / Throttle body -550.00
Ca performance cat deletes- 250.00
SMG flex sensor-160.00
Pray performance base tune (I had to write and finished by me)-250.00
HPtuner credits- 150.00
Nitto NT555r 305/35/20-600.00

I don't track my car, but I have a couple nice concrete back roads in a industrial park I test on.

Bone stock my best was: 12.4 1/4mi 4.2 0-60

Best with mods listed above: 11.5 1/4mi 3.4 0-60

So for 2360.00 I dropped 9 tenths off my 1/4 time.

Still plenty left to do if you want to pursue bolt-on power but the bang for buck declines fast.

Stall converter- 1200.00
TSP 2" headers- 900.00
Ati balancer- 460.00
Drag wheels/tires- 2000.00 depending could be more or less
Lithium battery- 250.00
Race seat and bracket-500.00ish seat plus 160.00 for the bracket.
Aero space brakes front/rear- 2000.00

These mods will net another 6 tenths or so reduction.