PI head swap / suspension

[veeru83]

hi,

i have a whole bunch of questions that i hope you guys can help me out with.

1.) I currently have a 96 GT which is slightly modded, see sig below. just went and got it dynoed recently, ran 199.83 rwhp. I was actually hoping for somewhere in the range of 215 - 220 rwhp. Anything wrong with the numbers that I am receiving?

2.) thinking about doing a PI head swap. What are the exact parts needed? I have looked up several sites but not many offer it is as a kit. I know of the following that needs to be purchased:
a) 1 PI intake manifold
b) 2 PI heads
c.) head and exhaust gaskets
d.) new valve covers? some have said that the one old can be reused, others have said that i must buy new ones
e) any other small items like cross bracket, or T housing or anything like that?

3.) also thinking about lowering the car with eibach sportline springs. will a 17" rim along with MM full length subframes and possible longtube (in the future) affect the ground clear and/or tire rub when lowered? the stated drop is 2" but reading reviews I have noticed that it is more along the lines of 1.5"? Would the prokit eibach be better?

4.) along with the new springs, i know that C&C plates must be purchased. But since I'm on a budget, can those be put back a little or must be along with the springs?

5.) how do i see what kind of shocks do i need? i mean, how many pounds? though i do street driving, i don't mind the extra harshness plus, I also do a lot of street racing with camaros and firebirds, so i want something that performs well.

thanks for all the help.

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1996 GT 5 spd
Performance: MAC fender mounted CAI, Taylor 10.4 mm wires, Steeda underdrive, MM full length sub frame, Flowmaster American Thunder muffler, FRPP 4.10 gears, Steeda Timing Adjuster (set to 13 deg), NGK iridium plugs

Looks: 17" Enkei rims, painted calipers, APC white faced gauges, painted vents and bezels, black turn lenses, black head lenses, 25% tint

 

[squares98]

1. your hp is on par
2.how many miles does your engine have because if you arent doing the work yourself it can be more affordable just to replace the engine.
3. Sportlines should be fine with longtubes provided you keep your
spacers in.
4. Get them at the same time if you can afford it, as well as shock adn struts wihich you will also need(as well as a bumpsteer kit too, with the pro kit you will only need shocks, and struts)
5.Tokicos are up to the job and can be found in any price depending on your budget Why are you racing camaros and firebirds?

 

[RysRed96GT]

the parts for the headswap depend on what parts being used. if you're using 99/00 heads, you'll need the matching 99/00 windsor cam covers (btw, these cams are press-on, not bolt on, makes changing cams down the road slightly more difficult).

you have the parts mostly right. you'll need a 99+ coolant transfer tube (the one that runs back through the block). depending on the type of water pump nipple your car has, you can either reuse the nipple or modify the coolant tube to fit (you'll see what i mean). if the nipple is a solid piece of metal, dont bother trying to hammer it out (i heard it can be done but mine started to bend when i tried). best bet for this would be to get a piece of rubber L-shaped tubing and 2 hose clamps. saw off the end of the coolant tube right before the bend and use the rubber L in place of it, then clamp the end of that L onto the nipple. works fine for me.

as for the other sensor (our cars have 2, the 99+'s have 1), you can either tap onto the crossover (if you have a mid-01+ manifold theres a spot near the housing you can use), of if you can only get a 99/00 style, you can tap directly onto the t-stat housing using a 3/8" NPT tap (pipe tap). even though this puts the sensor above the t-stat as apposed to inline, i havent had any problems with mine. though, some kits now for the headswaps already have this 2nd hole drilled out in a metal manifold crossover for ya.

as for the timing cover, you can reuse that. if you use 99/00 heads, you'll need around 8 10mm bolts (u can pick them up at a dealer for next to nothing, they're just standard bolts). also, you'll need about 4 of the 10mm studs (the 8mm studs bolt the cover onto the block). i dont recall the exact count of bolts, but get at least 4 studs and at least 4 standard bolts. the cover will accept the larger bolts to bolt into the front of the heads. make sure u get new gaskets though. 01+ heads use the same 8mm bolts as your current npi heads have.

if you use the 99/00 heads, you'll need the windsor style dip stick tube. 01+ heads use the romeo-style tube (same as ur current one).

i believe thats pretty much it for being general. remember, you can use 99/00 heads with an 01+ manifold and vice versa. if you want more detailed info, feel free to IM me (drumlix18 on aim) or PM me.

 

[veeru83]

thanks

thanks for the response. i was just done looking up the pricing on some of these things and I was hoping to get away with $ 1000 complete head swap installed with labor included? possible?

i have also heard from some people that the Eibach sportlines may cause me to lose some traction and have a slower 60' time. any truth in that?

currently my engine has about 106,000 miles on it. This is slightly off because I haven't got the SpeedCal thing done after my gear swap.

anymore information would be great, thx

 

[RysRed96GT]

thanks for the response. i was just done looking up the pricing on some of these things and I was hoping to get away with $ 1000 complete head swap installed with labor included? possible?

i have also heard from some people that the Eibach sportlines may cause me to lose some traction and have a slower 60' time. any truth in that?

currently my engine has about 106,000 miles on it. This is slightly off because I haven't got the SpeedCal thing done after my gear swap.

anymore information would be great, thx

you can find a complete used headswap kit for less than that (i picked mine up for less than 500, plus gaskets). if you have at least some mechanical skills, you can do it urself, just allocate yourself 2-4 days to work on it, thats what i did.

as for the mileage, mine had 112K on it when i put the heads on. i have 128K now and still no problems. if your motor is well taken care of, it'll last you a long time.

 

[green_fow_six]

.

as for the other sensor (our cars have 2, the 99+'s have 1), you can either tap onto the crossover (if you have a mid-01+ manifold theres a spot near the housing you can use), of if you can only get a 99/00 style, you can tap directly onto the t-stat housing using a 3/8" NPT tap (pipe tap). even though this puts the sensor above the t-stat as apposed to inline, i havent had any problems with mine. though, some kits now for the headswaps already have this 2nd hole drilled out in a metal manifold crossover for ya.

.

RysRed, I used your tip a while back in tapping it on the T-stat housing for my PI engine swap since I didn't get one with an aluminum crossover. I haven't had any problems with it whatsoever also. Thanks for the tip.