Modifications

1. Whatever the HP rating in the company claims, cut it in half.
2. A quality part is worth 100 cheap ones.
3. It's the sum of the parts that counts, not the HP from each part.

Headers
Mufflers
Catalytic Converters
K&N FilterChargers
Underdrive Pulleys
Air Foils
Chips (PROM)
Thermostat
Easy Formula Cowl Hood Mod
Ignition
Gears
Shift Kits
Cams
Throttle Bodies
TBI and Injector Spacers
Strut Tower Brace
Ram Air Hood
Adj. Fuel Pressure Regulator
Ported Heads
Minor Mods

This is perhaps the first thing that most anyone does to thier cars, some people go all-out with headers, some just get mufflers, some gut the cat. Here is are some key points:

So-called "Turbo" or glasspacked muffler, even though louder, often flow less than OEM (original equipment manufacturer) mufflers

"Gutting" the cat (catalytic converter) is illegal, and even though it can add horsepower, it can get you into trouble with state inspectors as well as hippies. : ) It's up to you. A great way to be both street legal and get good flow at the track or hig hway is a cable-pull cutout. There are also high-flow cats.

Large pipes are good for flow, but it can be too large. In short, you need some backpressure for proper cylinder ignition. Low is the key word, not no backpressure. If you have a stock engine, 3 1/2 inch pipes are doing more harm than good.

When putting on your new exhaust, it's important that you like the tone. You will be hearing that sound every day, so you may have to try a few mufflers before you get that sound you like. Also, tips with resonators can add tone and reduce noise.

OK, here we go.

Headers are one of the best mods for the money. They cost from $80.00 to well over $600.00, depending on many factors, including material, stainless or steel, coating, y-pipe, AIR fittings, size, and company. Headers are a replacement for the OEM exhaus t manifolds, which are restrictive and very low flow. Manifolds are small ports for exhaust. Headers add an individual pipe, or primary, to each of the 4 exhaust ports on each side. This greatly improves flow and therefor improves horsepower, torque, th rottle response, and even gas milage. And they sound awsome at WOT (wide open throttle).

H.P. = as much as 20 rear-wheel horsepower can be gained.

Cost = $80.00 to $1300, depending on options.

Options = Ceramic Coating, AIR fitting, O2 fitting, equal length, included y-pipe, diameter, pipe gauge, stainless

Mufflers are a good place to start when speeding up your car. With all the types available, 2/3 chamber, 2-out, glasspacks, race, disc, and many others, it's easy to choose the wrong one. Plain and simple, high flow and good sound are are a must. Most companies will tell you CFM ratings, but the sound is a trial-and-error kind of thing. In a John Lingenfelter (Mr. Smallblock) lab test, Borla is the highest flow, yet it is close to the most pricey. Just stay away fro m glasspacks and open pipes, these are the two worst options, due to too much and not enough backpressure.

H.P. = Dyno's by HotRod Magazine show 11 for a Borla muffler.

Cost = $20 to $300

Options = Stainless steel, 2 or 3 chambers, glasspacked, multi-outlet, lightweight

When most people talk about catalytic converters and adding performance, they plan to gut or remove them. First this is illegal, and second it can create harmful turbulence in your exhaust, which can disrupt pulse and cancel out scavenging, therefor incre asing backpressure. You can do what you want, and there are many different points of veiw on the subject. I would go for the high flow cat. It is stainless, slick looking and flows very well. And you will pass emissions every time. These are available fro m Random Tech and SLP.

H.P. = 5 - 15 HP.

Cost = $80 to $250

K&N Filterchargers are high flow cotton (instead of OEM paper) elements that flow a lot more air. This means horsepower, but not much. But it's the sum of the parts. Every little bit always helps. So don't run out and get those wheelie bars just yet. Plus they are reusable and washable and last forever. There are Filters that can flow more, but do not trap dirt as well. These are race only foam filters by LG Motorsports.

H.P. = Dyno's on HotRod show 4 hp.

Cost = $20 to $70

Options = must be exact match to suggested part number

Your rear wheels aren't the only thing using your engine's power. That's why car's HP ratings are at the flywheel, before your accessories, water pump, air conditioning, power steering, alternator, etc., rob you of HP. This is called "parasitic power los s", and the universal, although not always accurate number is 18-20hp. This means 320 at the flywheel, or engine, (car companies quote at the flywheel) is 300 or less to the ground. To help reduce this loss, you can use underdrive pulleys, although don't expect to get all 20-30hp back. They slow down your accessories, some of them, and require less power to drive them and therefor get more power to the wheels. They also make your accessories last longer. To further reduce accessory drag, you could instal l an electric water pump or AIR pump. It is important to note that slowing down your accessories also slows your alternator, which leads to dim lights and dead batteries. It's best to get a 2-peice set. 3-peice sets are for show and do not help charge or gain HP. But, getting only a crank underdrive pulley, although annoying for the power loss, is your best bet for power. A shorter belt is required, and often not included. The most popular pulleys are made by Marc h.

H.P. = LG Motorsports dyno shows 11.

Cost = $70 to $200, belt extra ($20)

Options = steel or aluminum, 1 to 3 piece sets available.

This is a mod for TPI only. It is an hourglass shaped peice of polished steel that smooths out the air in the plenum (throttle body) and therefor increase horsepower. This is one one those mods that it is important to keep in mind that the sum is more im portant than the part. It takes a lot of little things to make a car faster, and this is a little one.

H.P. = 5 horsepower at mid-high rpm

Cost = Around $50

Options = Steel or aluminum, polished or grained.

When people get there cars, they always hear about chips, such as JET, Hypertech, or FastChip. These are PROM. Basically, it's the prog rammed set of instructions that the factory puts in, or uploads, to your car. These are not always performance oriented, and therefor changing this chip would be a good idea. But ready made chips are not the way to go. First of all, they are not set up for your car and mod combination. To get a good chip, you must get it custom made, or burned according to what you want. A few companies will do this, at a price of coarse. 4th Generation cars can get "Power Programmers", made by Hypertech and do it themselves. In short, get a custom burned or nothing. And one more thing, with any chip, you must use 93 octane gas.

H.P. = For a custom, or P.P., as much as 15 to the rear wheels.

Cost = $70-$400

Options = Custom or factory, but must comply with engine/tranny specs.

This is a very cheap mod that you can do in 10 minutes. Stock thermostats are set at 195 degrees. Simply buying the thermostat for your car rated at 180 or even 160 can reduce engine temp.. Usually, 160 is best used and even requires with an aftermarke t chip. To further cool your engine, you can get a cool fan switch, made by JET, which will turn your electric fan(s) on at a lower temp. than the stock setting, or make your own by rigging a switch to the fan wire. Cl ick here to find out how.

H.P. = Slim to none, but a good idea anyway.

Cost = $4 to $25

Options = Stainless steel, large bore opening, lightwight

This can barely be called a mod because it is more like a trick. If you have a Formula, which you most likely do, you probably have the hood with the closed tear-drop cowl. I know you've thought about taking that little plate out. Do it! Water won't h urt anything in the engine, and the heat just pours out of that thing keeping your engine cooler. And if you put in some screening from a home improvement warehouse, it looks custom and very nice. I suggest painting it black with a glossy clearcoat. Al l you do is unscrew the plate with the four small screws. Hold the black plate agains a sheet of screening (metal, of course) and cut out a peice to fit. That's it. I'm working on a plan to get air from the cowl via a little duct and an aluminum air pa n. I hope it works, I'll keep you posted.

H.P. = None, but lower engine temps.

Many components make up a good ignition system. A control box, or ignition box, a coil, good wires, and good spark plugs. First things first, despite what you've heard, studies show that those fancy "SplitFire" that are like $9 a piece, actually burn too hot for most cars and do a lot of damage. Cheap Bosch or Accel plugs are fine. Now that that's out of the way... Ignition may add throttle response, but not much if any horses. You can feel a difference in throttle feel, but don't expect it to transform your car just because it is an expensive mod. But if your serious, it's a pretty good idea. It's like a lot of other mods such as suspension and cooling. They don't add power, but they help the machine run in top condition. The boxes, made by Mallory, Accel, are just delivering a better, more sure-fire spark. There are tons to choose from, and some speed shops have in-store demo's to show just how much better thier spark is. It is a must for superchargers. Wires should be heat resistant and 7.5mm-8.8mm in size. (Sto ck is 7mm) Coils amplify the spark, and are a direct replacement, and easy to install.

H.P. = A couple maybe, the real gain is throttle response.

Cost = $100 to $500, coil may or may not be extra.

Options = Rev limiter, retard adjust, volt control

This is a modification that would be more leaning towards the race side of your car because it kills gas milage and makes your car nearly redline on the highway. It does however help acceleration and 1/4 mile times by leaps and bounds, and it is a very p opular mod today. One advantage is PosiTraction. Your car, more than likely, spins one tire. Posi units spin whichever tire is on the ground, for better starts and more traction. For a serious racer, this would be a second or third mod that is a must.

H.P. = None, gain is in acceleration and 1/4 mile times.

Cost = $200 to $400, but many other items and costly install are required.

To firm up your shifts anywhere from mild to neck-breaking, a shift kit is a cheap alternative to a new tranny. They stiffen the shifts and can even adjust timing. A kickdown valve is also a good idea for TH-700R4. This simply allows you to shift into overdrive at WOT, something your owner's manual says you can't do now.

H.P. = None, firmer shifts.

Cost = $20 to $50 for shift improver, $200 to $300 for complete transpak

Options = available from firmer to neck-breaker shifts

This is about a complicated topic as you can get as far as cheap mods. Click here, I'm not even gonna try.

In a EFI engine, there is an easy, although expensive, way to get a lot more air into the engine, and air means horsepower. This is done in a lot of ways, such as runners, intake manifolds, cold air induction, (I'll get into those later), and another is a larger trottle body. This, in a nutshell, is where the air is drawn into the engine according to the throttle. By increasing it's size, you draw in more air easily. The 52mm flows 780 cfm, which is great for stock to mildly modified engines. The 58 is for modified (intake manifold, ported heads, cam, headers, etc.) because they flow a massive 1050 cfm. More flow can also be gained by boring, or widening, the existing T.B., but it's just easier and more effective to get a new one. Some come with air f oils already attached.

H.P. = As much as 15 can be gained with the 52mm.

Cost = $400 to $600

Options = available with ot without airfoil, TB plate, linkage

To add air flow, intake volume, increase fuel economy, and throttle response, us TBI guys can a Throttle Body Spacer and also a injector spacer. You can do just one, but both together is best. These both work by adding more volume to your TB by putting a 1/2 inch plate between your intake manifold and the TB itself. The injector spacers lift the injectors inside the TB to increase airflow. These together work even better than the air foil in a TPI intake. You get, as I said, throttle response, more po wer, and a lot better fuel economy. Up to 11%, to be exact. Plus it is a cheap and pretty easy mod. I only know of 2 places that sell them, they are listed below.

H.P. = Around 7 hp

Cost = $20-$70

Options = Spacer thickness

Also known as the engine bay brace, this piece of steel links together you struts across the engine as well as linking them to 1 or 2 other engine areas, such as the firewall. This adds amazing suspension improvement in cornering and in handling. This is a must if you are a hard driver or are in motorcross. Plus it's a really cool place to mount your ignition box. TPI braces are made by a lot of places. TBI braces are hard to find, but are available from Edelbrock.

H.P. = None, improved handling.

Cost = $100 to $300

Options = 2, 3, 4 point design, thickness, one or multi-piece design

For years, third generation owners have looked everywhere for a ram air hood that looked cool and gave their engines the fresh air it needed. Until recently, the best we could get was the Corvette twin turbo hood from JC Whitney. The 94-97 ram air hood wa s the best example of function and awesome looks. Well know, thanks to ASCD, for a high but fair price, you can get a fiberglass hood in the factory style of the 1997 WS6, and it looks great. It's made out o f fiberglass and weighs about 37 lbs. That is one advantage, you lose some weight by getting rid of that old steel hood. But noww for the good part. It functional at no extra charge. It is a bit defferent than the '97 setup, instead it channels the air t o your stock snorkel location. The hood comes ready to sand and paint. It will work with stock lifters, and will need insulation. I have heard there are minor problem with ripples, but nothing that will show after painting. They look great and will mak e you the envy of anyone who sees your car.

H.P. = Slim to none, but looks good.

Cost = $449, $557 with screens, plus paint

Just so you know, the complete name is adjustable fuel pressure regulator. And the name says it all. By adjusting the fuel pressure, you can greatly increase your horsepower. But there is such a slim margin of error that just being off by a fraction of a psi can throw off your engine. It takes a lot of trial and error to find the proper setting. Some people set it higher, some even lower, but most people say it gives a lot of horses. I read an article in High Performance Pontiac that showed a 1 hor sepower gain by putting one on the LT-1, and these guys know what they are doing. Then again, WS6.com's owner claims it he got the most gains out of the FPR than any other mod. Just goes to show it is a hit-or-miss modification. Not quite a "bolt on and f eel the power" mod. Like I said, you have to play with it.

H.P. = Adjustable, gains from 5hp - 20hp.

Cost = $60 - $200

The more air and fuel you can get into your engine at one time, the more horsepower you can produce. Building on this principle, by boring out you cylinder heads to a larger size, or "porting the heads", you can greatly improve horsepower. And I don't mea n K&N horses, I mean true horsepower. Often porting the stock heads yields the most power, and can be done in a well equipped shop, or by your local machine or speed shop. Also, you can buy aftermarket heads, but the are very expensive. Porting will be co stly as well, but not as much so as buying quality cylinder heads. I suggest you let a pro port them for you, simply because it is a very costly part to make an error on. This is a true horsepower modification that racers have known about for years, and i t really will give you a very competitive edge.

H.P. = 30+ rear-wheel HP

Cost = $800 - $2000 (New Heads)

Halogen 3X headlights - These are pretty inexpensive, and you get the whole assembly, not just the bulb. You will not believe how much better you can see at night. As in the name, they are 3 times brighter, but shine down, so you won't blind traffi c. Plus they are whiter than those yellow things you have in your car now. These are great, and I swear by them. You won't regret this purchase at all.

"Gut" the THERMAC - I did this one on my own, but I'm sure people have been doing it for years. *note* The THERMAC is not emissions related, so it is not illegal to modify it.
The THERMAC is just like a carb pre-heat. It lets in only exhaust manifold heat, not fresh air for the first few miles of driving. And if cold-air adds 15 hp, imagine how much you lose feeding in pure hot air. The pre-heat is meant to help carbs start in cold weather. Yet 9 out od 10 Formulas are fuel injected, but the pre-heat remains. How do you get rid of it?

Easy way: Disconnect the vacuum line leading to the small disc on your intake snorkel.

Better Way:

1. Take pliers and remove the nail-like pin going in the side of the unit.
2. Take the snorkel elbow off the metal part that comes off the air cleaner assembly.
3. Reach inside and take out the curved metal plate.
4. Take the hose off the exhaust manifold and somehow seal it up, or leave it open and bent up.
5. Reconnect the snorkel and you should be good to go. You can play with it a little, you may need to fabricate a few little things to make it better.

Homemade Ram Air - I have invented a makeshift ram air, you can read the article about it here.