Question for those experienced in boosting.

[Xanthos]

Well, what kinds of N/A mods could I do then for under about 5 grand? I'll be using it as my daily driver, so track tires aren't an option... Do you think I'd be able to up the suspension enough to reach 13 second et? I don't know much about tuning out fuel injected cars... I got my IROC to about 5 seconds flat 0-60, but it had a carbed 86 truck 305 (210 stock HP, 250 stock tq). I just bolted on an edelbrock with a K&N Filter, put glass packs on instead of the stock mufflers, and dismantled the entire emissions system. What kind of stuff can you do, cheaply and easily, on a DI? Upgrade the throttle body, lighten the flywheel, higher flow injectors (does DI use injectors? I thought it did, just in a different place), and retune? What kinds of suspension mods would you suggest? I was already thinking about thicker roll bars and a strut tower brace to reduce body roll and flex, but I don't know much about the kind of mods needed for quicker drag times...
- Xanthos

[CamaroSpike23]

Originally Posted by XanthosV6

Thats an interesting question... I didn't think about using an intercooler... Intercooled systems make more power than non-intercooled systems, right? So maybe a 5 psi intercooled system would be enough power to reach a 13 et without changing out the engine components - especially if I run it on premium fuel, that way the engine doesn't have to retard the timing...
- Xanthos

if the system is identical, then yes intercooled should provide more power due to the denser/cooler air charge

you are wanting to hit 13s. thats easy as pie. pull a lil weight off the vehicle, set up the suspension, throw some slicks on it and hang on.
you dont need to go FI for that. and plus for all the money you'll spend trying to fab something up for the car, you could dump that on some slicks and suspension upgrades and be hitting 13s easy

Originally Posted by XanthosV6

Yeah... maybe I'll just go with 5 psi and an intercooler. If I need it faster than that, I can always lighten the flywheel and the crank pulley like I had originally wanted. And theres always premium gas when I want more power...
- Xanthos

be careful with lightening the flywheel, they tend to whine or otherwise make noise after they lose the weight. however, thats a lot to mess with just to get to the flywheel to lose weight. swap out to some lighter wheels/tires, pull everything that isnt bolted down inside the car. swap to a CAI, maybe exhaust, pull off all the lil covers inside the engine bay. every pound lost helps

Originally Posted by The_Blur

Start with traction modifications, and go from there. You will surprise yourself with the time improvements just from mounts, strut bats, and stuff like that.

Everything else you propose would be kind of dangerous. I don't know the limits of the LLT internals, but I imagine you'd be much better off rebuilding the motor for this. You're looking at a serious project, and you should aim high for performance. What you want can be done, but you don't want to push your motor too hard without backing it up with top notch parts, like pistons and connecting rods.

traction traction traction... its all about suspension. period. no use making crap tons of power if you cant put it to use.

and as far as going with top notch parts, dont skimp out when building a motor. do plenty of research on FI, intercoolers, oiling systems, wastegates and other stuff needed for a custom setup.

also keep this in mind:

Cheap
Fast
Reliable

pick 2.

Originally Posted by XanthosV6

Well, what kinds of N/A mods could I do then for under about 5 grand? I'll be using it as my daily driver, so track tires aren't an option... Do you think I'd be able to up the suspension enough to reach 13 second et? I don't know much about tuning out fuel injected cars... I got my IROC to about 5 seconds flat 0-60, but it had a carbed 86 truck 305 (210 stock HP, 250 stock tq). I just bolted on an edelbrock with a K&N Filter, put glass packs on instead of the stock mufflers, and dismantled the entire emissions system. What kind of stuff can you do, cheaply and easily, on a DI? Upgrade the throttle body, lighten the flywheel, higher flow injectors (does DI use injectors? I thought it did, just in a different place), and retune? What kinds of suspension mods would you suggest? I was already thinking about thicker roll bars and a strut tower brace to reduce body roll and flex, but I don't know much about the kind of mods needed for quicker drag times...
- Xanthos

CAI
Exhaust
suspension
Cam
Rockers
suspension
slicks (they can sit in your closet when not using them)
nitrous
tune
suspension
did i mention suspension?
:A-arms, wheels/tires, stb, subframe connectors

[Xanthos]

I am making this my daily driver, after all, and I'm not looking for a car that can do a 13 second pass at the track but can only pull 14 on the street - I want it to make a 13 second pass at the track in the same setup that I use when I drive to work in the evening...

Ok, with that said, how about...

short ram intake
custom header-back exhaust
--->magnaflow high flow cats
--->flowmaster delta flow 40 series mufflers
--->resonator delete
throttle body coolant line bypass
tune
strut tower brace
thicker anti-roll bars, front and rear
stiffer rear springs
control arms (upper/lower)
subframe connectors
20 x 8.5 inch rims on all four corners, w/ Nitto Invo 245/45/20 tires
3.45 rear

Would this be good enough for that 13 second pass? Like I said, I've only ever tuned a carbed 305 camaro, and I didn't really do all that much to it. I am very minimally technically minded when it comes to cars...
-Xanthos

P.S - What about an ignition system upgrade? I know when I replaced the distributer and coil on the camaro it gave me a pretty decent power boost, at least in SOTP terms, but then again that was an old eighties ignition system - I could have just been resuming "stock" power levels.

[SuperSS27]

Originally Posted by CamaroSpike23

CAI
Exhaust
suspension
Cam
Rockers
suspension
slicks (they can sit in your closet when not using them)
nitrous
tune
suspension
did i mention suspension?
:A-arms, wheels/tires, stb, subframe connectors

A DOHC doesn't have rockers and it has 4 cams.....FYI

[SuperSS27]

Originally Posted by XanthosV6

short ram intake
custom header-back exhaust
--->magnaflow high flow cats
--->flowmaster delta flow 40 series mufflers
--->resonator delete
throttle body coolant line bypass
tune
strut tower brace
thicker anti-roll bars, front and rear
stiffer rear springs
control arms (upper/lower)
subframe connectors
20 x 8.5 inch rims on all four corners, w/ Nitto Inzo 245/45/20 tires
3.45 rear

P.S - What about an ignition system upgrade? I know when I replaced the distributer and coil on the camaro it gave me a pretty decent power boost, at least in SOTP terms, but then again that was an old eighties ignition system - I could have just been resuming "stock" power levels.

Thicker roll bars will only add weight and slow you down. They are better for carving corners, but not good for drag racing. Also, 20x8.5" wheels will also add weight and will make your sidewall thinner giving you less traction. You are better off staying with 18" wheels or smaller if you are looking for speed. It will also help your braking distances too. Just get a better tire for the stock wheels, or get a nice looking set of 18" wheels.

The Ignition system is more than enough for what you are looking to do. There isn't much to upgrade other than the wires which are sufficient enough for what you want to do.

[Mr. Wyndham]

Originally Posted by SuperSS27

A DOHC doesn't have rockers and it has 4 cams.....FYI

Technically it does...just not, pushrod-type rockers. I'm sure there's a specific name for what I'm thinking of, but it's just not coming to me atm...

[MerF]

Some good and some bad info in here. DGthe3 hit most of the good facts in his post. One of other thing I'm compelled to add is throw out the idea of twin turbos. Completely useless for the application you are talking about. A single T4 turbo housing (you can customize it from there) will spin up plenty quick and provide more than enough air for a <1 bar application in an LLT.

Also while there were some thoughtful posts about the high CR in the LLT, the fact of the matter is we have no idea about this engine. Chevy has built some gems...I bring to the table the 4.3L of the Sy/Ty in the 90's. >15 PSI in STOCK FORM, same exact engine in any other S-10 or Blazer of the same generation and it handled boost like a champ and there's still lots of those trucks on the road today. Don't underestimate the power of a good factory engine.

[Xanthos]

Wait... maybe I'm just slow, but how would you handle a single turbo on a dual exhaust setup? Where would you put the thing? Just along one of the exhaust pipes, or at the X pipe, or what?
- Xanthos

[BowtieGuy]

You can stay pretty basic with your goal. Full exhaust, intake, mounts, tires, and a decent tune will probably get you to your destination of 13 flat. You don't need to go turbo, and certainly not twin turbo for something like that. But who knows how hard tuning is going to be on this thing.

[Shadowsong]

I'm shooting for 10's with my TT setup

I'm hoping low 10's, but I really DON'T want to break into the 9's, cuz then I'll need to put in a roll cage and all of that.

[Xanthos]

Well, obviously I'd be happy with lower than 13 seconds, but I'd also be happy with 13 seconds. Make sense?
And I'm still trying to figure out how a single turbo would work on a dual exhaust...
- Xanthos

[Shadowsong]

Originally Posted by XanthosV6

Well, obviously I'd be happy with lower than 13 seconds, but I'd also be happy with 13 seconds. Make sense?
And I'm still trying to figure out how a single turbo would work on a dual exhaust...
- Xanthos

Its possible, you'd probly just have go with something other than STS.

[Xanthos]

Maybe if I delete the x pipe, and then run the downpipe into the turbo, and then a y pipe after...
- Xanthos

[BowtieGuy]

Originally Posted by XanthosV6

Maybe if I delete the x pipe, and then run the downpipe into the turbo, and then a y pipe after...
- Xanthos

Or you could use a setup that's not externally mounted at all?