What would it take for a Mark to beat a 97 Camaro Z28SS

beat a camaro

I have a 97 LSC normally aspirated with 3.73 gears in a open differential, slight stall converter, Isky cams, mild port work, stock intake and MAS with custom cool air inlet, oh the throttle body and MAS have been ported and polished, under drive pulley's and a custom tune. My best time 13.2 with really bad traction;)
 
I have a 97 LSC normally aspirated with 3.73 gears in a open differential, slight stall converter, Isky cams, mild port work, stock intake and MAS with custom cool air inlet, oh the throttle body and MAS have been ported and polished, under drive pulley's and a custom tune. My best time 13.2 with really bad traction;)

nice time how much did the cams and port work cost
 
Yeah I didn't think it would get me there but I was wondering how close/ what times would be looking like. 4.10's seem like a little much i wanna keep the rpm's a little lower than that i think.
 
Cams

The total invested in the cams springs ect. was around $1700.00. All the port work I did myself. Now for a little info on cams, if I had to do it again I WOULD NOT! the gains are not worth the cost and work for another 1K I could have gone with a blower and for 1-5th the cost a 150 Shot of nitrous and got more.
The only good thing is its normally aspirated and no NOS and runs mid 13,s, 13.2 was my best pass and I got semi good traction, as seen by much better 60 foot times.
4.10's alone will get you in the 14's, they help overcome the boats weight factor, but you will see little difference in trap speed you e/t will be less.
to get where you want to be you need more HP to, under drive pulley's better exhaust, large MAS custom tune ect.
 
4.10's

Oh by the way don't worry about using 4.10's, the torque multiplication factor will actually help your in town millage, and remember you have a 20% overdrive factor at a 1:1 ratio trans and 4.10's your right around 3K on the tach at 55 mph so in OD you will turn around 2.4K, not a problem for a 4.6L DOHC they are well built engines.
 
Yeah I didn't think the engine would have a problem I just didnt want so much engine noise especially when im on the highway... could make long trips a little annoying.
 
Ok so this is the math I'm coming up with, if with 4.10 gears at 100 mph and the engine is at 3500 rpm, with 3.73's that should put the rpm's at 3184 with 4.30's that would put the engine at 3670.


So I'm kind of leaning towards the 3.73's because I do have a few highway trips planned, going to ohio and savannah, maybe florida too. Will the 3.73's make that much of a difference, how much will I notice it?
 
I can't make up my mind either! If you are confused you could do what im planning:

Pick up another mark VIII carrier cheap and get 4.30s and a decent LSD or locker fitted. Im told that swapping pumpkins is quick and easy - you could have a highway pumpkin and a city / race pumpkin!

Only minor complication i see is having to switch speedo gears (but thats easy enough) and tunes for the set ups you run - a switch chip maybe take care of that?

Ever consider that? Have the cake and eat it! :)
 
Hmm so you can set it up to where you can switch gears on the fly? How hard is this to set up? Also where is a good place to get gears?
 
Hmm so you can set it up to where you can switch gears on the fly?

Do you mean switch the pumpkins? Im told it can be done in 30 mins. (didn't know this myself until last week)

Look on craigslist and ebay for used pumpkins - i have seen them sell for 100 - 150.

With regard to tuning, there are 'switch chips' available that allow you to choose between tunes on fly. Best to speak to a tuner about that stuff.

8.8'' gears in all the usual ratios, speedo gears and rebuild kits are available all over the net. Max at Five Star Ford may be able to help.

You would be best to find yourself a local shop for the gear install into pumpkin - costs around 300 or so.

One other thing you are gonna need sooner or later is an upgraded drive shaft. (Dynotech make a 4'' and so does Denny's)

These are just some suggestions i've been researching - wait and see what others say, but i think the 2nd pumpkin idea may be good for you if you want a chance at beating them F bodies, whilst still having a good cruiser for long trips.
 
Ideally, you would want to change it on your 94. You could look for a cheap 93 one piece drive shaft - they are considered superior to the later 2 piece type. (which your car has)

Do the gears, by all means and if vibes become a problem, replace the shaft.
 
Anyone know how the handling of a Z28 compares to a Mark VIII with suspension in decent condition?
 
SO I think i decided to go with the 3.73's can someone show me a compatible set ? I remember it hearing it needs something that measures 8.8 ?
 
Yes. Standard 8.8 gears will work. If your going for a trac lok as well(highly recommended) make sure you get one compatible for IRS if not it is a major chore to get the axes out if you ever need to get into it again. I got my 4.10s, trac lok and install goodies from Max.
 

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