Im Trying To Make More Power. Any Suggestions?

[Steven Pech]

So i want to make her faster. i have shorty headers, x pipe exhaust, super 10 flowmasters, aluminum drive shaft. shes lowered and has a cold air intake. i was thinking about a cam, my buddies are saying super charge or turbo her? and i got other people telling me i should swap out the internals with forged steel and then slap a super charger on there. Im kind of leaning towards the route with the cam. im not sure what i would have to change out? valves, valve spring and rocker arms?
oh and could i put a cam in it and a turbo or supercharger as well? Id appreciate it if you guys gave me some feedback and suggestions or tips. thanks guys.

 

[cleanLX]

this can go 1000 ways.
What is your budget and what are your performance goals?
A cam that will wake up an otherwise stock motor (will definately require valve spring upgrade) is not going to be optimal setup with a turbo/blower on down the road.

 

[madspeed]

I think you need to spend some time reading the forums. There's many proven combos out there, alot of which comes down to how much you can spend. You will be sadly disappointed if you think you can slap in a cam into an otherwise stock motorand feel much difference. Figure out a realistic budget and what your intentions are for the car, and we'll get you pointed in the right direction

 

[Jason 302]

and i got other people telling me i should swap out the internals with forged steel and then slap a super charger on there.

As mentioned by cleanLX, there's a lot of different routes you can go.

I can tell you what not to do though....

DO NOT put a forged rotating assembly in a stock 5.0 roller block. That's like parking a brand new Ferrari in a rickety old shack that's about to fall down. Waste of $$$$$. Stock crank and rods are stronger than the block.

 

[Boosted92LX]

I agree. Set a goal. It's also important to know if you want to upgrade later to increase power again. That way you don't buy parts twice. With forced induction, you can just about push a stock motor to it's limit as far as what the block can handle, but you'll never make anymore without upgrading the block. I'm turbocharged, and currently at the limit of my block. Saving nickles and dimes to build a bottom half to turn it up.

 

[A5literMan]

What they said.

To clarify, what's your budget? Intended use of car i.e. Street,street/strip,complete drag car,etc? And what else has been done to the he car as far as trans,rearend,suspensions,brakes,and chassis?

 

[mikestang63]

I will only add two things to the great wisdom given already

1. it normally costs twice as much and takes twice as long as you think it will
2. there is a direct inverse correlation to the reliablity and ability to DD the car and the amount of engine modications made.

Use the search function and ask questions. Pretty much anything you can imagine doing to your car has already been done by us. One final thought- if you are using this as a daily driver keep the mods to a minimum until you can afford a new DD. Trust me on this one.

Welcome and don' forget to leave a quarter on the end table.

 

[Boosted92LX]

One final thought- if you are using this as a daily driver keep the mods to a minimum until you can afford a new DD. Trust me on this one.

Best advice yet.

 

[cobra10494]

Best bang for the buck is to supercharge it with a nice self contained unit like one from Vortech or Paxton..That is my plan for this spring.I bolted just about everything motor wise,exhaust,suspension wise,stiffened up the chassis and did a Max motorsport front brake kit.Once again WOULD ONE want an all around performer that is very fun to drive on the street and have fun at the track if you choose? I've had many Foxes through the years and have been fixing there inherent weaknesses...Basically improving the car as a WHOLE.Im happy the way my Vert now handles/drives/feels and sounds.The supercharger is icing on the cake.I have 9k in improvements,paint and new top into my car not including the orig purchasing price as we speak.So that's what you need to decide..do I dump money to get it where I want it to be or get into another ride.Only you can decide.

 

[Jersey Joe]

It seems there are many who went budget route with explorer intakes, GT 40 heads and alphabet cams. Depends on your budget, turbo and superchargers can net huge Hp gains but will cost a bit more. I went Trick Flow top end kit with the supporting mods, I'm a bit old school ( not to mention actually getting pretty old) and need the thump of a cam but don't necessarily need hair on fire speed. If at some point I feel the need to set hair on fire I could add a supercharger down the road.