Price?

[mcdoogle6969]

I'm looking at what I am still wanting to do to my car next summer, and one option is heads/cam and a KB blower.

My question is, because I don't want to bug the shop months before I even get at it, what is a good estimate price to get the parts + labor and tune? I'm very curious.

I know a supercharger is around 7-8k for the kit, but that's about all I know.

[mikepage0007]

do you have any mods? waht kind of hp are you looking- ls3 orl99 ? ...i have the polished kb with a magnaflow 3in.cat back on ls3...no headers..am running 560rwhp and 520rwtq @ 7lbs boost...i feel that is plenty for me...maybe down the road i will get some lts and retune that will prob get me close to 600...personally i would skip the cam and heads with the power adder unless you are considering going to replace lower end with forged internals...if you think you can live on 600hp @ wheels ..than all you need is a kb and lts....if your looking for more hp prepare to replace entire driveline and a lot more stuff...if i were you i would get the kb,lts, a good catch can and wideband/boost/fuel gauges..and a custom tune...this would get you where you want to be...any more hp and you may run into fuel pressure problems..also clutch and so on..u get my drift..approx about 1500 to 2k for all install by a very good shop and tuned..make sure you get some references from the forum on shops close to you if possible...one thing you don,t want to do is try to save a couple $$$$ and let idiots work on your car..good luck

[Camaro54]

Originally Posted by mcdoogle6969

I'm looking at what I am still wanting to do to my car next summer, and one option is heads/cam and a KB blower.

My question is, because I don't want to bug the shop months before I even get at it, what is a good estimate price to get the parts + labor and tune? I'm very curious.

I know a supercharger is around 7-8k for the kit, but that's about all I know.

Just call the shop and have them give you a quote. They will take a day or two to put a price together concidering all the parts they will have to order. That price will be saved in their computer so they will have it come spring when you're ready to do the work. I just got a price from a shop to do a cam and lifters plus a few other small things for early spring. You are not bugging them as long as you let them do work on your car. That's how they get customers by giving prices and selling their services.

[ravensjeff]

Most shops will be glad to give you an estimate.

[mcdoogle6969]

Right now I have LT headers, CAI, exhaust and a tune. I have the L99.

my goal is to get into the 550-600rwhp range.

I just feel like I'm bothering them if I ask them for a estimate but won't be doing the mods for awhile yet. Just trying to get some good guesses.

I would like to have a cam because I love to lope, but I also would love to have a blower too....

[mcdoogle6969]

Anyways, I suppose I'm just wondering.....

Do you guys think the end cost will be over 15k?

[usmcjlp]

Originally Posted by mcdoogle6969

Anyways, I suppose I'm just wondering.....

Do you guys think the end cost will be over 15k?

For what you're doing no way. Shop around. KB does not have much give in the price compared to other systems. So I would negotiate on the install.

Whipple, Maggie, and Edelbrock are all good options as well. MikePage is right, that it depends on your end goal. If you do not intend to go forged internals and run higher than about 8-9 psi, then any of these systems will get you there easily and safely.

I chose the Whipple 2.9L system because I had a local installer that could provide easy servicing if I ever had an issue. I am at 590 rwhp with SC, kooks LT headers and stock exhaust. I am in the process of installing a cam and meth system to get me hopefully in the mid 600s. I will be stopping there until I have the funds to build the motor.

I would not pay more than about $1200 for a complete install. Make sure you know how much final tuning will be. I had many shops quote me what I thought was a reasonable cost to install, only to find out that it would be an additional $600 to tune. As an example, there are many shops that will sell and install a maggie tvs2300 for $6400. Now that is just the labor to install the kit, custom tuning is more. So realistically maggie installed and tuned for $7000.

Does that sound reasonable? Is that what you were looking for?

[mcdoogle6969]

Originally Posted by usmcjlp

For what you're doing no way. Shop around. KB does not have much give in the price compared to other systems. So I would negotiate on the install.

Whipple, Maggie, and Edelbrock are all good options as well. MikePage is right, that it depends on your end goal. If you do not intend to go forged internals and run higher than about 8-9 psi, then any of these systems will get you there easily and safely.

I chose the Whipple 2.9L system because I had a local installer that could provide easy servicing if I ever had an issue. I am at 590 rwhp with SC, kooks LT headers and stock exhaust. I am in the process of installing a cam and meth system to get me hopefully in the mid 600s. I will be stopping there until I have the funds to build the motor.

I would not pay more than about $1200 for a complete install. Make sure you know how much final tuning will be. I had many shops quote me what I thought was a reasonable cost to install, only to find out that it would be an additional $600 to tune. As an example, there are many shops that will sell and install a maggie tvs2300 for $6400. Now that is just the labor to install the kit, custom tuning is more. So realistically maggie installed and tuned for $7000.

Does that sound reasonable? Is that what you were looking for?

Thank you, this helps. I figured the blower is what will be the biggest chunk of money, I'm also curious how much a heads/cam and gear install would be on top of that. I know that things like this get quite pricey!!

[mikepage0007]

well if you go kb , your cai is gone..kb has there own intake...kb,s install are a little more time from what i have read and from my installer...with sc , you def want a catch can{ read up on catch cans}, also gauges are a plus.....remember that rwhp dyno is 10-15% of acual motor hp_ {research this}...so if you run kb and lts and custom tune that will get you at least 550rwhp which translates to 605-635hp @motor...do you really want to push stock motor and stock driveline more that 635hp...answer is no...the kb is capable of 1000hp, so down the road save your $$$ for internals plus cam, also will need more fuel , and axles..trust me, i cannot run wot in 1st or 2nd gear without tires breaking loose..anymore hp than i have would be a waste...you would also need a blower cam which has different valve durations than a normal aspirated engine cam...seems like you have plenty of time to do research...also my tune was done in high heat and humidity{florida} you should have decent weather for sc in wisconsin..usmcjlp is correct..there is a factory tune that comes with sc , but that is in no way the same as a custom tune...a custom tuner takes in all mods and sets certain perameters of everything to maximize driveability-shift points-disabling other things...etc..i pd approx 1600 for install and custom tune by mike norris ,who is a highly recognized tuner in ls motors that travels thru the us...he is based in indy...but you should be able to get sc- -custom tuned-gauges-catch can and everything installed arond 11k...if you are planning spending 15k, than i would consider the cam - internals and meth.. might be able to get a deal with some negotiating..and if honestly you are going lsx down the road , than stop wasting $$$ on l99 and wait for lsx...

[usmcjlp]

As you can see Mike Page paid $1600 for install and tune by Mike Norris who is without a doubt one of the better LS tuners in the country. I spent a lot of time on the phone with Mike and he is extremely knowledgeable. If some local shop asks for a lot more they are gouging you.

Mike is right that the KB is much more complete than the other kits on the market. It includes a CAI, the only system on the market that does so. I think it's interesting that both fast lane and injen follow an approach design by KB.

The Whipple requires you to mod the factory box. I'll be honest here, the instructions are to cut out the bottom and install a K&N filter. I dynoed it that way and then with a rotofab CAI that sells for ~$380. Guess what, not much difference. Both of these systems come with a boost a pump. The whipple comes with an msd Boost a pump, the kb is proprietary. All I can say is the MSD is working fine. I will post here if that changes when we retune. I have been told that unless you intend to exceed 700rwhp, there is no need for a dual fuel pump system. I almost installed one and decided to wait to see if it was an issue. It wasn't.

Bottom line, don't believe any vendor's hype. All superchargers will be in the same ball park. None will be night and day difference. All will be within 10% of each other. The most important thing is how you will use the car. Don't spend a ton of money chasing some dyno number. Heck, my car is still being built and I wonder if I should have stopped. There is, like with everything, a point of diminishing return. The SC is definitely the game changer. Everything else is just icing on the cake.

By the way Mikepage0007 thank you for all the help with my build.

[mcdoogle6969]

Good info guys, and thank you.

I think I will just do gears and a KB until I can afford a 427 LSX. Question is, for the L99, would going with the 3.6L be fine? If I plan on doing a motor swap down the road I would like to have the big boy blower under the hood. Is the 3.6L "pointless" for the L99? Or would I see more gains over the 2.8?

[mikepage0007]

i would stick with the 2.8, it should be able to handle 1000hp...you will not be able to push more than 7-8 boost{500rwhp +} safely thru ANY SC{ without forged internals or meth}... also my kb did slightly rub @ pulley to hood insulator...i think that was from torque...so not sure how 3.6 fitment is...save the money on gears, get your suspension done 1st,or go for a better stall converter..you can tweak your shift points ...no rush...wait till you get sc on and custom tuned b4 you jump to any other mods..you can than look at what you REALLY need next..i would lean towards meth or possibly something like sc1250 is working on{ the chiller}..this would possibly let you go smaller pulley and increase boost{ more hp} but as usmcjlp said, fuel is very important in superchargers, or should i say ,lack of fuel... ...you run out of fuel, big problems{ detonation}

[mikepage0007]

2 links to stall converter and gears.. any questions ask ted{jeanetty}real straight up and knowledgeable..http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=104458 http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=101694

[usmcjlp]

Originally Posted by mcdoogle6969

Good info guys, and thank you.

I think I will just do gears and a KB until I can afford a 427 LSX. Question is, for the L99, would going with the 3.6L be fine? If I plan on doing a motor swap down the road I would like to have the big boy blower under the hood. Is the 3.6L "pointless" for the L99? Or would I see more gains over the 2.8?

You can't run the 3.6 KB on a stock block. It runs at a minimumof 14psi and so requires a built motor. See Midgard's build. Several guys are using the 3.6for dedicated dragsters.