I'm stuck with what to do for S-trim install

[Joe 5.0]

Well I have been calling around for prices to have my parts installed. Most shops want ~$900 for the blower and $500 for the headers. A dynotune is $150/hr (usually ~ 2-2.5hrs) and a chip is about $350. Does this sound normal?

The best price I have found so far is $1100 for the blower & LT's installed, but they dont have a dyno so i'd have to trailer it somewhere to get it tuned. I think its worth the $1100 because i have literally a small box of hand tools, and nothing else. I'd need to spend $500 on a compressor and assorted tools to do even coming close to being able to do job right, and the most complicated install I've done is lowering springs.

Is it possible to get a good tune by using a self-tuner off the bat? I dont want to hurt anything, but $600 for a tune kinda hurts and it will cause me to wait even longer to get the stuff installed.

Any suggestions?

 

[S351R"Animal"]

Too bad you are in MI. If it were me I would buy the tools and do it your self. It isn't that hard to do. The biggest issue would be the oil pan (just my opinion). The prices you listed for the tune or a chip is pretty normal. Set a weekend aside and do the install your self.

 

[Joe 5.0]

Thats kind of the thing also. I work 70hrs/week midnight, 8pm-630am. I barely have any weekend, and if i dont spend it with the gf i dont see her at all.

I have it way up on jackstands right now and i tried to do the lt install. I sprayed all the bolts with a ton of pb blaster, but even with a big arse pipe on my wrench the bolts holding the exhaust manifold to the crossover didnt budge, and i'm sure the manifold bolts are no better.

 

[sage2k]

500$ to install LT's WTF!!

 

[HGFireHazard]

I paid my mechanic to do my MAC LTs $100 flat to do it. He said they were a pain in the butt, but that's what he charged me. I just did the Vortech install myself, and the most engine intensive thing I had done prior were plugs, wires, oil, just basic maintenance stuff. I paid $425 for my PCM burn, 2.5 hours on the dyno at $150 an hour. I bought a $200 mechanics tool kit from Sears and spent somewhere around another $100 on the misc. special tools the install requires. Unless you are willing to ditch some of the time with the girl you probably don't have a choice but to have it installed for you, or lose some serious sleep. As for tuning this yourself, I've been told that starting your tuning on a S/C car is a bit rougher than learning on NA, it may also take a good amount of time to get running well. IMHO, if you want the g/f to be happy and don't have the time pay, if you want to save the extra $ and can make the time do it yourself. You really don't need an air compressor and air tools, I didn't use anything out of the ordinary except a dremel with a cutting disc.

 

[Joe 5.0]

HG I have followed your progress, and its part of the reason i am still contemplating doing it myself. No way I can find anyone to do the LT's for less than $300. I'm tellin you, no way i'm getting those bolts out without an air powered impact wrench.

The thing is that I'm getting a good deal on the LT's since i'm having the blower done at the same time. I might even have the same shop do the clutch while its in there.

And are you saying it was $800 for the chip & dyno tune?

 

[94GTLaserRC]

Joe...I here you on the "do it yourself" I "feared" it, so I went to a shop...Joe did too, but then realized how "simple" it was, especially if you assemble the whole thing OUTSIDE the car, then bolt it in.

If TIME is the issue, work a couple hours of overtime and pay to have it done, so long as you have faith in the shop. I would however try to get them to come down on the header price, especially if the same shop is doing it...Keep us posted. CONGRATS on 1,000 posts!!

RC

 

[Green 94 5.0]

HG I have followed your progress, and its part of the reason i am still contemplating doing it myself. No way I can find anyone to do the LT's for less than $300. I'm tellin you, no way i'm getting those bolts out without an air powered impact wrench.

let me tell you, if you cant get the bolts loose with a breaker bar, the impact wrench wont do it either. i ended up shearing off most of those bolts because of rust but that is fine because you arent reusing any of them. everything was rusted but the header to head bolts. those came loose with a little effort. as far as tools go, a set of hand tools is plenty. i did my entire auto to manual swap with a basic set of hand tools. even $1100 is way too much for that. it should include the dyno tune and clutch install too if they are even dreaming of charging you that much.

it sucks you live so far away. we could easily knock that all out in a day if we started early. i feel you on the work schedule too. i work 60-80 hours a week and most days its from 11am-1am. i barely have much time to sleep much less work on the car. tell you what.....buy me my plane ticket and a case of heineken and im there.....

that would still be much less than $1100

 

[94-302-vert]

Go for it man...

buy a cutoff wheel or an angle grinder and cut those bolts out of there... for the cost of the install you could also put some serious $$ into the car...

Also for the cost of the install take a few days out of work to do it... then you also get to say you did it yourself....

 

[94GTLaserRC]

.....that would still be much less than $1100

How's the engine install coming? I need to drive by and take a look.!!

RC

 

[Green 94 5.0]

How's the engine install coming? I need to drive by and take a look.!!

RC

motor and tranny are out. im in the process of prepping the engine bay for paint.

 

[BlueOvalStangGT]

People get paid to install those things?!??! Come on now, quit being a wimp and pick up a screw driver and start installing that ****. Its really not that hard, and when it gets tricky....stangnet willl help. Dont you have friends that have tools? I think its about time to start putting together a tool collection.

 

[BlueOvalStangGT]

Actually for that price, you could buy me a roundtrip plane ticket and I will come up and do it for you.

 

[BlownFiveLiter]

I've done multiple transmission swaps, plus an engine and trans swap with a 315 piece Craftsman hand tool set + a few misc. tools added in (1/2" breaker bar, 10" extensions, u-joints for sockets, jackstands, torque wrench, etc). In total, I'd say I have less than $400 in tools, so it's definitely do-able yourself with just hand tools. The only problem I see is how you said you work 70 hour weeks, so having it installed might be better as far as time goes. Now that the weather is getting nice, maybe it's time for a nice vacation to install and enjoy it for a few days or so? I think that's my plan for my engine swap coming up in the next month or so.

 

[Joe 5.0]

Alright alright you guys talked me into it. What tools other than a cutting wheel is suggested? I have the vortech manual, so i'll get the right size tap and other random stuff it calls for.

And to install it out of the car, you'd have to pull the engine, right?

As far as trans portataion to the dyno, i'll still have to trailer it right? Theres no way I can leave the stock maf/injectors in for even a couple miles to get it there, then throw on the lmaf & 42's once there, is there? I would try to stay as close to 2k rpm as possible and no throttle play at all. I just dont wanna lean it out, or foul the plugs trying to drive it untuned.

 

[The Green GT]

I say go for it, get the tools you need, and then you will have them later down the road for anything else that will arise.

 

[Green 94 5.0]

Actually for that price, you could buy me a roundtrip plane ticket and I will come up and do it for you.

we can make it a group project.

 

[SWYZ721]

If you need some help, I'm in the Ann Arbor area, I know mcgrawj or whatev is in the area too. The more people you have on the job the better, I bout lost it when I was replacing a blown header gasket, only because I was doing it myself and there are certain times when another set of hands helps when mounting certain things.

I think when I do my H/C/I or vortech, I'll look to recruit some people for help, if I can make enough money before school starts again.

 

[mricci]

By installing it out of the car i think they meant bolting the blower and brackets and stuff up, then put all that on the motor at one time. Putting it together on a bench is easier than inside the engine bay.

 

[94-302-vert]

As for the tune, my bud did this kit on his H/C/I car and hasn't gotten it tuned yet... (I know, don't tell me...)...