Ill start with the basics. This 1998 Sunfire GT will always be a daily driver so I want her kept that way. I would also like to upgrade the speed of the engine, so it can redline at 8000RPM or so. Dont really know where to get parts for something like that, nor do I know the limiting factors in trying to upgrade this. I am assuming different valve springs to avoid floating. But can the bottom end handle it?

I am thinking of turbocharging, but not sure if I should supercharge her for the more consistent torque curve.

I think what I am looking for most is advice, and places where I can find parts.

Currently its bone stock, and I have a spare quad 4 out of a 1996 Z24 with a rod knock that I am going to rebuild.

Thanks for viewing, and take care

Justin

Well if it's your dd I would start with regular maintence items since it's a 98. Like tie rod ends, ball joints, poly controlarm bushings. Replace rubber brak lines with braided ones, and work on the suspension first so your daily commute will be more enjoyable. Once you're a little more familiar with the motor then tackle the rebuild on the side but you haveto remember

1. How your going to tune it and 2. What's a realisitic rpm band this thing will se on a regular basis. No need to move the powerband up high where you'll rarely enjoy it on a daily basis.

JUCNBST wrote:Well if it's your dd I would start with regular maintence items since it's a 98. Like tie rod ends, ball joints, poly controlarm bushings. Replace rubber brak lines with braided ones, and work on the suspension first so your daily commute will be more enjoyable. Once you're a little more familiar with the motor then tackle the rebuild on the side but you haveto remember

I was pretty much going to say the same thing. A nice tune up would be prudent. Plugs, fuel filter, air cleaner, maybe a short ram intake or something from ebay. Then look into suspension upgrades like mentioned. Suspension mods definitely give you the most smile per dollar; poly bushings, tie rod ends, upgraded or added sway bars, gm convertible strut bar, and if you're looking to spend more money coilovers or even a nice set of d-specs or other drop in struts. You'll be happy trust me. If you're really set on motor but don't want to get too into it, a good header and complementing exhaust can really add some fun too.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edited Monday, October 08, 2012 8:37 AM


"In Oldskool we trust"

8k RPM is a bit excessive... with .430 .222 cams and the .430 .230 cams, 7500 is about the limit...

The problem is i dont think you know what you want. You want a purely dd, but you want to increase the RPM limits...why? What will that do for your dd driving experience? Its not a Honda.
If you're going for making the best out of your dd, I agree with the others about suspension, wheels, tuning, and simply making each component of your car the most efficient you can from its factory setup. (better handling, better flowing intake/exhaust, etc).
I wouldnt worry about boost at all at first...build the car to support boost long before youre ready to boost it, dont boost to make it fast without doing any supporting mods. You'll appreciate each mod more if you take your time and go from the chasis up.

Mine is an 04 dd and its supercharged. But keep in mind dd's are not nearly as practical and reliable as an unmolested n/a motor. I learned quickly that the costs only go up and the reliability goes WAY down compared to just sticking to a well maintained, purely bolt on and tuned setup. I bought a truck purely due to the fact that my dd cavalier car is no longer completely reliable, even though its running good (for now). If you really want to know where to start I would go through all the FAQ's in the boost sections, suspension sections, and read some of the builds for similar models to get a good idea of what your upgrades are limited to and how much cost/work it is.

If you truely do plan on boosting at some point, I would invest in a 2nd vehicle lol.

My favorite first mods are the obvious: intake, exhaust, lowering, wheels.
From there, you'll learn your car and tweak it as you go.


04 Cav. 2dr. 5spd. My DD. 'Nuff said.

As far as a DD goes suspension. It was my first mod and I by far enjoy that mod more then any other (until my supercharger goes on I'm sure). Our cars are not meant to handle in any way and a nicely tuned suspension will go a long way in making it more fun to drive. Replace the old worn out stuff, poly bushings coilovers/strut spring combo and sway bars.

As far as power, It's a 98 a good tune up will go a long way to making it happy then make it breath better with a ebay intake and a well planed out exhaust. The biggest thing of all is learn the platform and your car in general work on it's weaknesses and go from there.

Any recommendations on what suspension to run?

if your looking to save some green try getting in on this deal another member found on spec struts and springs. If you end up getting them I'd highly recommend the TurboTechRacing.com k brace in the suspension sub list and addco front and rear bars with strut tower braces. If you want to take if a little further look into aluminum lower control arms found on 99 grand am gt's and install some prothane bushings as well. that would just about finish off your suspension.

Other strut options would be BC coilovers with camber plates, Tein basic's or SS coilovers with camber plates, tokico hp struts, Koni yellow struts, kyb agx struts are all popular.


I've run Koni yellow struts with Tein S-tech springs ( my personal favorite) , Koni sport springs, Road magnet springs, and Ground control coilovers and next time I'm not going with Koni's because I'm tired of replacing rear strut mounts yearly due to needing to bore them out for the bigger Koni strut shaft. I'm going to pick up some BC coilovers from Kronos performance. Koni yellow struts require you to mod your stock strut housings and for someone looking for a simple bolt on strut I'd advise D specs or AGX struts with a mild drop of 1.5 in max on the AGX's as any lower voids the warrante. The Tein S techs are 1.7 front and 1.5 rear and are awesome for anyone how dd's with little plans for auto-x.

I could go on and on but how a suspension rides if very subjective and honestly some people will completely disagree with me I bet. If I were you I'd research alot and see if any members in your area would be willing to let you go for a ride along to see how their car handles if your on the fence.


What type of driving do you do? Any plans on trying auto-x or any type of racing?





Edited 1 time(s). Last edited Tuesday, October 16, 2012 7:18 AM