Multiple Questions (what to do this year)

[Dusstbuster]

Alright well instead of starting multiple threads ill try to get these questions all answered in one thread. I was originally planning on spending my tax return $ on LT headers and an O/R midpipe because i have an exhaust leak on my left rear cat and figured it'd be a good excuse to replace it. After reading and thinking it over though im torn between completing the exhaust, going the gear route (gears + tuner), or cams and PI intake manifold. With that said, im hoping you guys could also help me guestimate the labor these would cost if i didn't tackle them myself, especially the gears. So heres the main questions

1) What is available aftermarket-cam wise for NPI heads? Are PI cams really my only option without a PI headswap or not?

2) Which should i do first, the exhaust route, gears + tuner, or cams + intake manifold?

3) Random...If i bought a used supercharger kit from a 99+ GT would that even fit in my 96 GT or would i have to do some modifying of stuff to get it to work? Would it even be worth it if the kit used cost 2000?

Also lastly....the guy that did my suspension stuff (struts, springs, sway bars) charged 160 for the install. Could you guys possibly ballpark what you think the above installs would cost if i went to him again and he charged the same rate?

If I remember correctly he said that was about 3.5-4 hours of work charged so that comes out to 44-55$ per hour for labor.

 

[sgarlic]

Well, the gears installation cost should be between 150-250 bucks at a reputable installer.. according to what most people say. Personally, in my area (Tucson) it costs 500-700. The FRPP gears themself cost $169.. at least that's the cheapest I've seen them for.

I personally would go for the PI head/cam swap first, then do gears, then do exhaust last.. reason being you'll gain the most SOTP feeling from the first 2 things.. the exhaust mainly for sound. Don't expect huge gains from it.. LT's would be good, except it's supposedly a ton of work to get them on, and they don't give you huge gains either.. I would imagine even less on a non-pi car.

I don't know of any cams offhand for the non-pi cars either. VT and comp cams seem to be the 2 main ones people use, however most VT dealers right now are out of stock on almost all their products.

About the supercharger, I also would hold off on that until you do the PI swap.. I'm not sure if a 99+ kit would fit, but I doubt it.. it's late, but IIRC, 99+ have returnless style fuel system, whereas the 96-98 have return style.. I'm sure this somehow affects the way the kits work, although I have no reasoning for why that would be. crapola

I would also be quite wary of buying a used supercharger.. 1) the chip you get with it (if the person even gives you it,) will be burnt for someone elses vehicle, meaning you'd have to have the chip recalibrated for yours before you could even fire it up, and 2, you have no clue how it was treated most likely, meaning it could have been treated HORRIBLY, have little life left in it, etc.

Just my .02, take it for what it's worth (if anything.)