Hey everyone,
I was looking to replace my stock distributor, assuming the one I have now is bad, with a performance one. Is there anything I would have to change on the car i.e. spark plugs and wires?

Thanks again

akohnz

 

It is always a good idea to change plugs and wires, especially if they have not been changed in a long time. Being that this is a very tedious job, get the best wires and plugs you can afford. The factory issue platinum plugs are good for about 80K miles, the book says 100K, so you can't go wrong with them, as long as the engine is basically stock. They are, however, costlier than most other brands. The factory wires are pretty good also, but there are after market ones with better insulation and better heat resistance.

 

Thanks for your help!
Im looking to try and add some performance parts to the car and continue racing. Im looking at putting some ceramic coated PaceSetter headers on and an intercooler, but I dont want all those performace parts to conflict with the stock parts of the engine. How do you know what to change under the hood to accomodate for a performance part so that everything runs smoothly?

 

If you are adding headers, it will be a good idea to reroute the plug wires over the valve cover to avoid burned wires. You mentioned an intercooler, is car supercharged??. Otherwise the easiest thing would be to add a cold air intake, if normally aspirated.

 

No the car isnt supercharged. Im just looking to improve the performance and increase horsepower. Do you have ideas?

akohnz

 

A cold air intake kit, which feeds the engine cool air from outside of the engine compartment, gives a 15-20 HP boost for about $150-$200. An intercooler on a normally aspirated engine accomplishes little, because it cannot cool the air below ambient temperature. If anything, the extra plumbing will cause a power loss.

 

Just in a general, when replacing a stock part with a performance part do you have change anything with the cars computer to handle the difference? Also would some sort of induction hood make a difference in getting cooler ait into the engine or would that be a waste of my time? Thanks again.

akohnz

 

The Only Performance Parts You Can Buy Are Ones That Are Compatible With The ECU. Unless You Go Carb, Distributor With Magnetic Pickup Or Spark Control Box And Rewire The Tranny Then You Can Do Away With The ECU. As Far As Cold Air Induction ... You Can Get A Chip To Tell The ECU That It's Getting Colder Air. The Temperature Of The Air Has Nothing To Do With Performance. Temperature Of The Air Has Only To Do With Exhaust Emissions And The ECU. You Don't Need Colder Air You Need MORE Air To Improve Performance. The Better Your Motor Breathes The More Horsepower it Will Produce. Sick

 

the only performance parts you can buy for an LT1 are for an LT1, and for his car a 94 there is no chip they must be programed, if your talking about an IAT chip those are for ricer kids and they dont do anything for performance they are just a gimmick to sell on e-bay. and as for not needing cold air, cold air reduces unwanted detonation, and increases combustability, and also prolongs engine life.

you can use a multiple spark contoll box on ecu cars also, i noticed a big gain in power and in gas mileage.


Prior to the Opti-Spark most conventional ignition systems referenced the delivery of the spark through a time-based method. These systems functioned on a prescribed time-delay period after passing a reference point that was usually an interrupt signal from a magnetic reluctance sensor, more commonly known as a pick-up coil. In contrast, the Opti-Spark uses multiple optical sensors working in conjunction with a two-track slotted disk to have the ability to identify in one-degree increments the position of the crankshaft

By comparison, a magnetic reluctance sensor (unless equipped with an ancillary signature pulse) has no knowledge of which cylinder is firing. But more importantly, it has 45 degrees of distributor rotation that is not recognized and is unaccountable.

if you put a supercharger, or new heads/cam or even just a cam you will have to have your PCM reprogrammed, not so much with headers and cold air intake.

and by the way a stock LT1 intake is capable of over 1000 cfm with little modification, that would be one of the first things to achieve, as well as headers and gears, that is a good place to start.

 

Wow, now I really dont know what is the better route to take, carb or injected. I dont really know too much or reprograming the cars computer and I have a feeling to go carb I might as well just rip the old engine out and put a new one in. My project is going to be a pain in the tailpipe. Thanks for everyone's input and help

akohnz