Just Picked Up A 96gt

[rustang68]

Just picked up this little gem. 96 with 80k on it. 5 speed, it's been well taken care of. Not a powerhouse but I'm having a blast driving it. I think this thing's been lowered. How can I tell? (I need to replace ball joints, possibly struts up front and don't want to get stock height if this thing has been lowered...I like the stance). Also what are some good engine mods to start with? I think low 14's would be a good goal.

 

[Cobra42898]

Don't know what your experience level is, but I'd start with a pi intake and a throttle body, maybe a set of underdrive pullies. That NPI intake is done breathing at 4000 rpms. The intake and cams are 90% of the power increase of a head swap, without the compression increase in case you decide to supercharge later.

 

[rustang68]

Don't know what your experience level is, but I'd start with a pi intake and a throttle body, maybe a set of underdrive pullies. That NPI intake is done breathing at 4000 rpms. The intake and cams are 90% of the power increase of a head swap, without the compression increase in case you decide to supercharge later.

I can feel it start to run out of steam about 4000-4500.

What is a good cam choice without having to get into the piston valve reliefs? Is it worth having these heads ported or would I be better off going to a PI head or aftermarket head? Is the PI intake a straight bolt on?

thanks for the info

 

[squeak93]

My car has tfs1 cams. They pull down low very nicely.

 

[Cobra42898]

I can feel it start to run out of steam about 4000-4500.

What is a good cam choice without having to get into the piston valve reliefs? Is it worth having these heads ported or would I be better off going to a PI head or aftermarket head? Is the PI intake a straight bolt on?

thanks for the info

Comp 270s are usually a cam that both have known ptv issues, but IMO they're too big for a street car anyway. I'm a fan of mhs cams, but everyone has their favorite. Head porting really shouldn't be necessary to reach low 14s. I did the pi intake manifold swap by matching the pi shape to the npi gaskets. I put a screw into each port for the epoxy to grab a hold to, and sanded it to match. This was in like 2003/2004, since then many people just put a dab of rtv on the corner of the coolant port and let the mismatch go with no problems. IMO, pi heads have a more favorable exhaust flow for supercharging, npi for n/a, but neither is terrible. Both heads can be ported but most people seem to favor the pi heads. It's 2016 and we're still fighting the 1999 mindset that NPI heads are boat anchors. Get a good suspension setup, and getting the power to the ground won't be an issue. Then you'll have a solid base to add power to later.