4th Gen Camaro and Firebird Mod Guide
Arguably one of the most popular street cars, the fourth generation f-body makes an excellent platform for modifications. The upside to having been around since 1998 is that there are practically unlimited aftermarket parts available.
A stock f-body in and of itself is a well-rounded vehicle. For the price tag, they are hard to beat. Making around 300 horsepower to the rear wheels while still getting decent gas mileage is something you don’t come across very often. For someone who can’t bring themself to drive an econo-box, it makes a nice commuter as a manual can sometimes get 30mpg on the highway.
First Things First
The best thing to do before modifying your f-body is to consider your goals. Taking time to plan ahead will save you money in the long run. You can always resell aftermarket parts you are no longer using, but they seldom retain their value. It is better to make calculated decisions from the start.
The most popular route to take with the LS1 is a bolt-on setup and then adding a cam later on. These modifications can be done in stages – start with an air lid (many, many choices available depending on taste), long tube headers, and a catback exhaust, complimented with a dyno tune or a mail order tune. Keep in mind, as you add power you will need to alter other things on the car to support that power – whether it is transmission work, a rear end, suspension, etc. The best running cars are those that have the total package!
Also, if you have a 1998-2000 LS1, you may consider upgrading to the LS6 intake manifold. For about $300 you can usually pick up around 10hp.
Tuning
A good tune is often overlooked. We see people all the time that will blow thousands on aftermarket parts and then cheap out on the tune – which is the most important part! There is no sense in buying any modification if you are not going to make the most out of it. Having a good relationship with your tuner, whether dyno or mail order, is important. Most tuner shops, including ours, offer discounts for updates to tuning, so you only incur the full price of a tune one time. Having it tuned after each stage of modifications (i.e. having it done as a bolt on car and then later as a cammed car) helps you enjoy each step of the modification process and always make the most of your setup.
Here are PCM of NC we have performed extensive dyno tuning at both of our locations. This allows us to develop and continually build up our sample file collection, which makes a better tune for our mail order users. Most of the time we can get the tune very close – only leaving a couple of horsepower on the table. For more aggressive setups we may recommend you visit us in person to make sure the tune is safe.
If you think you may want to try tuning on your own, the two main softwares available are HPtuners and EFIlive. There is an incredible amount of information on the web to get you started, but just be sure you are getting it from a reputable source! You should take everything you read on the internet with a grain of salt.
Cam & Head Choices
There are many choices for LS1 heads and cams out there – do your research, ask questions, and pick what is right for you, not everyone else. When changing the cam you need to look at the whole picture. Will you be running stock heads? Are you upgrading? Are you concerned about driveability and gas mileage, or all out power? Will you be adding nitrous or other forced induction later on? Or, if you have something special in mind, we can also spec a custom cam for you. We ask you to fill out a cam ordersheet that tells us about your vehicle and what you plan on doing – and then we spec the cam based on that. Often people choose the biggest cam they can and because of that they give up a lot of the bottom end power they either used to have or could have had. Talk to your tuner! Shoot us a email before deciding on cams. We drive so many cars that its easy for us to tell you what will feel peppy, drive the best, or run the best at the track!
Along with a cam, you will need to upgrade your valvesprings and pushrods to better components. It is a good idea as well to replace the timing chain and other wearable items (i.e. valve stem seals) while you have everything apart anyway.
Racing
A lot of f-body owners enjoy taking their cars to the track – understandably so – it is a blast! Be warned…drag racing is extremely addictive. Even if you are not the competitive type you will eventually find yourself always trying to shave off that last tenth or hundredth…honing your driving skills…purchasing mod after mod to slim down your timeslip.
If you plan to drag race, or even if you don’t, you should be aware of the car’s shortcomings…mainly, the rear end and clutch assembly (in a manual). The rear end in a fourth gen f-body can be very fragile – repeated launchings, clutch dumps or just screwing around in general will greatly shorten its lifespan. It’s not a bad idea to start a rear-end fund for your f-body if you plan on racing – the 10 bolt won’t last forever! Generally the automatics will have more luck keeping it in one piece as they preload the drivetrain during a launch, instead of shocking it like a manual will.
Rear Ends
There are several options available for rear end replacement. Notice how we said replacement…there is not much sense in trying to make the stock one stronger. Adding a set of aftermarket gears can increase the fun factor, especially if your car came with 2.73’s, but it isn’t a long term solution if you plan on racing. Sure a girdle looks nice, or some fancy gear oil might make you feel better, but you are only putting a band-aid on it. It is better to save your money and “go big or go home” when it comes to the rear. Explore your options – the tried and true S60s, 12 bolts and 9 inches seldom let anyone down and are worth every penny!
Transmission
In a manual car, after any amount of racing or messing around you may find your clutch pedal stuck to the floor. This is a very common problem, and there are aftermarket adjustable master cylinder kits to fix this situation. This is also an affordable modification that will save you headaches in the future!
Eventually the time will come to upgrade your clutch as well. Fortunately there are many options available here too – Don’t skimp out on replacing the slave cylinder when you are changing clutches – for just a little more money it is worth the peace of mind.
If you keep up with the maintenance on an automatic, you will find that the 4L60es are fairly reliable in a fourth gen. While they won’t hold up to excessive power or drag racing, they are decent. If you find yours isn’t holding up, several companies offer rebuild/replacement services for them, such as RPM transmissions or FLT transmissions that are practically bullet proof.
Adding a torque converter is a great modification for an auto. You can drop some serious time at the dragstrip and really wake the car up. We recommend sticking with the big brands – such as Yank. They may cost more up front but are worth it in the long run. When adding a stall, you will also want to consider a transmission cooler kit and a shift kit. We offer an f-body transmission cooler kit that is pretty slick – mounting in the front air dam area and getting plenty of air flow.
Forced Induction
There are many options, for both kit and custom forced induction setups. ProCharger, STS and APS are just a few companies offering superchargers and turbo kits that are more or less bolt-on. Going with a turbo or supercharger makes an enormous power difference when done right.
A cheaper solution to satisfying your forced induction craze is using nitrous oxide. You can bolt on 100-200hp in just a few hours, either by piecing together your own setup or purchasing a kit from a nitrous dealer. There are both wet kits and dry kits available, as your tuner about which would suit you best. Don’t skimp on safety equipment with your nitrous – having it activate at the wrong time can spell disaster for your engine!
Engine Assemblies
Maybe the stock cubes aren’t cutting it for you any longer, or maybe you’re getting a bit nervous running 10lbs of boost on a stock bottom end. Either way, there are several options for getting more horsepower, safely. A 402ci or 408ci will allow for a bigger cam/better heads, and pick up more power. The sky is the limit! We’ve done everything from 346cid engines to 454cid engines! A forged bottom end is always a safe bet for those looking to add boost or a lot of nitrous. If you consider upgrading before your stock engine fails – you can even recoup some of the cost by selling your stock engine.
