Hello everyone
this is my first post on the forum, so here is my story. About a year and a half ago August 15 I believe as an award for finally getting my license (and driving legally haha) my uncle bought me what would become my best friend. My beautiful black 94 Camaro. It was in excellent condition. Under 64k miles no dents or noticeable scratches, I was in love.

Since I got it, I've driven it all over, sleep in it wash it every day I can, I just got rims for it trying to take care of it best I can.

So so what I want to know is, I understand there isn't much you can do with the 3.4, ams I don't need a race car. But I want to know what I can do to make my baby the best that it can be. I plan on putting some money into it this year so I want to know what i should do exactly as far as things like
CAI
tuning
performance chips
exhausts
govner taken out
And where I should take it to get such work done.

Also any things i can add to the exterior to make it look cooler like grills ect.

 

start with suspension, quality of shocks in the 4th gen dictates ride and handling. bilsteines are the best for your buck. koni sport are at the other end although they have come out with a street shock that is less than the bilsteins. subframe connectors and shock tower brace. these should bring a smile to your face. if your control arm bushings are not happy changing them will also add the improvements. 3.4 as you say is not the best to try and increase performance. first off replacing the engine is cost prohibitive, cost more than car is worth. so pushing it is probly not a good idea. cai and exhaust to your tastes and enjoy.

 

I agree with craby. I will say that the biggest change I noticed was with my springs and Koni STR.T shocks. I went with BMR linear rate springs, and they are notably stiffer. You're not going to be slipping discs in the vertebrate of your spine when you go over bumps, but you definitely notice that it's the same spring rate all the way through the shock travel after you finish the install.

Also, with new springs it took my car about 5 days before it settled to 'advertised' drop height, being 1.25" lower. At first, only the rear took to the proper ride height, the front end was kind of hiked up. However, it has since dropped the front end down to match.

When I was doing that, I took the opportunity to replace control arms, panhard bar, etc. as well as clean up and take care of any rust. I also replaced my disintegrated factory rubber bump stops for the rear axle with some new polyurethane ones. After having had no bump stops, and I guess over-extending shock travel a bit, I REALLY notice the bumps stops if I hit a speed hump/bump too quickly now.
It's definitely a 'WAKE UP' moment, lol. Feels like the car slammed into pot-hole, but it's a soft bottom-out thanks to the polyurethane. With lowered, I would say that it should be heavily considered to make sure those bump stops are in good shape.

With yours being a V6, I wouldn't bother with the control arms and panhard bar though. Your car wouldn't benefit as much from it, I don't think. The subframe connectors, assuming you have T-Tops, will make a huge difference though.
For me, just backing out of my steep driveway I used to have some creaking and groaning when the rear tires left the curb and hit the street as the car flexed and contorted to the strain of the angle. T-Tops would make all kinds of protest, and I could actually see a notable gap difference on the driver's and passenger's side, usually leaking morning condensation in through the gapped passenger side.
After weld-in connectors, not any more. Not to mention, I generally have less 'camaro rattles' over rougher roads and on the highway.

I didn't notice, and still don't think I notice, any real difference with the front shock tower brace. It looks cool under the bonnet when you have the hood up, but I can't perceive a difference.

Another big change is tires. Good tires can make a car drive like a dream.

 

most things you add to the car ,will cost alot more then they are worth,just drive it until your ready to move to a 3800,or z28 car one day that can make it worth it ,,,as far as looks you can put an ss hood on the car ,but that an koni shocks could cost up to $2500.00 to do . the rims are the best upgrade for your car my 2 cents ,i have 99 3.8l an just have a cat back dual exhaust ,rest is stock ,now my z28 those are cars you can do alot to change them ,,for the money just wait till your ready to move up,

 

set of koni street shocks are 320 bucks for all four at strano performance.

 

CAI-@@@ Cool ebay CAI is fine for a 3.4 $25 and 20 minutes in your driveway
tuning @@@ Not worth tuning a stock engine, Tuning is for engines that have been modified
performance chips @@@@ no such thing for a 1994 car. Only gimmicks that make your car faster by removing weight from you wallet.
exhausts @@@@ I am not sure the factory exhaust in a 3.4 is restrictive. You may want to do it to make it sound better. Check youtube for different systems sounds
govner taken out @@@@ governors are on law mowers, You have a slight rev limiter that back off the timing at high RPMs to keep you from blowing your engine apart and a top speed limiter based on the tires that came on your car new. I think the V6 is set to 120 ish, with it turned off you might hit 130 even.

The 3.4 does not respond well to bolt on power. Even the guys that have put serious money into these motors and custom tunes end up falling short of a stock 3800 V6. You would best to spend your money making sure everything is in tip top shape. How old are the plugs and wires? How do the hoses look? feel around the back of hoses for cracks. How old are the O2 sensors? Fuel filter? With this type of engine your best bet is to make 100% sure your not losing power to aged components.


And where I should take it to get such work done.@@@@ most mechanic will install a exhaust or an simple CAI and maybe even headers, After that you will need to find a hot rod shop. Just hit up a few local car shows or cruises. A lot of guys do their own work but they may also know where to take if they get in over their heads.

 

yup makes more sence to keep the 23 year old car runing good ,plugs wires if it has not had them too,an from the outiside nothing make the car look better then say some zr1 rims