'93 Formula "Sleeper"

[93formulalt1]

Well, a friend of mine (who owns a VERY nice modified '08 Subaru WRX) stopped by yesterday, and I started the car for him. . . His exact words were "It's too loud." That's with the Blowmaster on it. I already know I'm going to have the SLP installed later this week, but the fact that a guy who daily drives a 325hp Subaru with full exhaust is going to call my Flowmaster-equipped LT1 "Too loud."

You should have seen the look on his face when I opened the cutout. . . lol


Another update: Took a look under the car to check for damage from critters or rust issues, noticed that something chewed clear through the O2 sensor wires right at the sensors, so I need a pair of O2's now. . . Luckily they are only $25 each at Advance (before I get the "homeboy hookup" from a friend who works there), so I'll get those swapped out this week as well.

Looking under the hood, it would appear as though some of the older vacuum lines/fittings are starting to dry-rot pretty badly, so I'll be replacing those tonight. I'm going to try to get the valve springs ordered this week, so I can at least get started on pulling things together to rebuild the heads after they are ported, and get them installed ASAP.

[93formulalt1]

Alright, I've hit a brick wall. . . Can't find replacement hatch struts anywhere. Checked the local parts stores, no part number listed. Checked the dealership, discontinued part, then used GM part number to see if there was a cross-reference number at the parts stores, nada. Anyone know where I can find a set? My hatch won't stay up at all.

[birdie2000]

What about fronts? Same? If that's the case, I'll be ordering some rims in the next couple days. I've actually been thinking about going with a set of 96-00 WS6 wheels (17" silver painted wheels), because they would look stock, but be the size I want. . . I just can't find them anywhere.

http://flint.craigslist.org/pts/3139931810.html

These would be perfect for you. Either strip the clear and polish, or sandblast/sand and paint and you'll be home free. That is a very good price.

[birdie2000]

Alright, I've hit a brick wall. . . Can't find replacement hatch struts anywhere. Checked the local parts stores, no part number listed. Checked the dealership, discontinued part, then used GM part number to see if there was a cross-reference number at the parts stores, nada. Anyone know where I can find a set? My hatch won't stay up at all.

Rock Auto has tons of options.

[Boost Addict]

Alright, I've hit a brick wall. . . Can't find replacement hatch struts anywhere. Checked the local parts stores, no part number listed. Checked the dealership, discontinued part, then used GM part number to see if there was a cross-reference number at the parts stores, nada. Anyone know where I can find a set? My hatch won't stay up at all.

eBay....got mine off there

[93formulalt1]

Turns out the guy at Advance Auto was just a complete moron, and didn't bother looking up the right vehicle. I showed up to check in person with Ben, who I had spoken to briefly after the idiot couldn't figure it out, and he already found the part number and got them ordered for me. New hatch struts will be here tomorrow morning!

[93formulalt1]

Hatch struts came in today, haven't gotten around to installing them yet (have to pull interior sail panels, not looking forward to that on a day like today).

Installed the O2's and did a VERY nice job wiring the extensions and doing the heat-shrink tubing. . . I impressed myself, actually.

Next project is to track down and fix the annoying exhaust leak on the passenger side (I think it's where the collector and y-pipe connect). The car has been missing a little bit at idle, which I am inclined to believe is from bad gas.

Other projects in the works for this week: Replace alternator (bearing starting to go bad-Under warranty still), replace A/C Compressor (original went bad the summer before I parked it, got a used one from a member here), replace hatch lift supports, inflate/inspect and reinstall stock rims/tires ('vette rims are installed now, stockers have better tires on them), and re-attach the rear view mirror.

I may start tearing the suspension apart, but I'm hoping to have a day off that's not nearly 100* outside, since I'm restricted to working in the driveway. I'm supposed to be off Saturday. Today's forecast is for 103*, Saturday is supposed to hit a high of 87*.

Once I fix all the little issues, I'm going to be stuck for a while. Money's tight right now (paychecks not getting sent on time, boss dragging feet to reimburse business expenses, etc.), and I'm not going to tear into the suspension until I have everything I need to do it right, and the money to have it properly aligned afterward.


Once I get to a point where I feel comfortable driving it farther than a few blocks, I'll get it cleaned up and post some pics. . . It still looks horrible, but at least it will be ugly and clean. haha

[93formulalt1]

Well, I've been driving the car for 2 days now, no major issues, no breakdowns, and it's been a blast. I think I should have done this long ago, because honestly, if the spark plug threads were as compromised as I originally thought, I would have blown one out of the head by now.

I have come to the realization, however, that I need to get more power to the wheels in this beast. I'm not happy with the near-stock performance the car has currently. The top end needs refreshed, the engine accessories need replaced, and the car is definitely in need of some much overdue TLC.

Ive been looking for an excuse, and I have one. I will be doing a few performance upgrades. Current thoughts are ported heads and intake, cam (Dan wants me to run a GM847, so I'm seriously considering it), exhaust (will be having the SLP 2OTL installed, and removing all clamps in favor of a fully welded exhaust setup to eliminate a pesky exhaust leak I can't seem to beat), and wheels/tires. I'm pretty set on going with a set of painted 17" WS6 wheels in silver, to maintain stock appearance while gaining the performance benefits of a larger wheel. I will also be picking up a torque converter and trans cooler in the future, probably going with a Yank 3600 SS. I think this would be a fun, streetable car, with plenty of power and the look I'm going for.

I removed the formula decal from the rear bumper today, which left an interesting mark. The paint around the decal had faded, but under the decal, it was still as bright as it was when it left the line in 1993. This makes for a nice, unique shadow effect, which is barely noticeable. I may retain this after the paint is done through the use of some creative paint work.

A far as trusting the car, I believe it is still too early to tell. I'll put some miles on the car driving around town, and if it holds up, I'll drive it to the MIFC event August 5th. If it doesn't, I'll be selling a gun or two to cover the costs of having the heads ported, purchasing the cam, pushrods, valve springs, and port work, and saving up for the converter and trans cooler. I'm only going to replace the heads once, I dont like the idea of paying $170 for gaskets twice rather than doing the job once and being done with it.

I don't want the fastest car around, but I don't want it to be a slouch either. I have the bug, and now I need to feed my addiction through judicious application of performance parts and nitrous oxide. I'm sure some of you can understand that. Lol

[TylerT/AZ28]

i say port your own heads and intake, bump up the cam, diff exhaust. trans cooler you could pull of damn near anything id think. i got one for my friends 95 off of a 1 ton 96 chevy dually. thing works wonders and since we found it in the junkyard we saved a bundle as well. i dont know how much atune helps for an lt1 but you may think of looking into that as well. mayube someone on here could even help you out so you can do it yourself.

[93formulalt1]

i say port your own heads and intake, bump up the cam, diff exhaust. trans cooler you could pull of damn near anything id think. i got one for my friends 95 off of a 1 ton 96 chevy dually. thing works wonders and since we found it in the junkyard we saved a bundle as well. i dont know how much atune helps for an lt1 but you may think of looking into that as well. mayube someone on here could even help you out so you can do it yourself.

'93's use PROM chips, and it's very hard to find anyone who has the equipment to burn new chips, so I'm pretty much limited to a mail-order tune. The car was tuned by PCM4Less a couple years ago with great results, so I'm not opposed to going mail-order again, but I want to go with a mild cam to prevent issues with tuning. As far as a trans cooler goes, I'm not too concerned about using junkyard parts, so I will give that a shot. I may even have one laying around the garage from a previous project. I'm not confident in my head-porting abilities, not to mention I really don't have the time to do it myself, so I'm pretty sure I'll be going to a shop to have that done. That's alright, I have a local guy that is going to give me a pretty good deal on port work, so I'll have less into porting and rebuilding the heads than most people have into just port work.

Torque converter and cam will be bought new (unless i find a really good deal on used parts), and I will have the cam picked out and ordered before I purchase the TC, I just want to make sure they match nicely so I can utilize all of the power the cam provides. I'll likely be giving Lloyd Elliot a call to help me pick a cam, although I do like the GM847 right now. . .

[DETROITMUSCLE]

The car was tuned by PCM4Less a couple years ago with great results, so I'm not opposed to going mail-order again, but I want to go with a mild cam to prevent issues with tuning.

I'll likely be giving Lloyd Elliot a call to help me pick a cam, although I do like the GM847 right now. . .

I'm no LT1 guru but I recall that cam being not so "mild" could be wrong though.

[TylerT/AZ28]

would switching pcms be a worthwhile mod?

[93formulalt1]

would switching pcms be a worthwhile mod?

That would require swapping the engine harness, which I'm not too keen on doing. . . I hate electrical, and I know I would screw something up. The '93 PCM is fine, it's a speed density tune as opposed to a MAF tune, so I wouldn't have to buy the MAF and downstream O2's (94+ had heated O2's, if I remember correctly), and honestly, swapping the PROM chip is about a 5 minute job. I can still datalog through the OBDI port, but I can't reprogram the ECM.

I've heard Livernois can tune '93s, can anyone confirm? I would spend the money on a dyno tune if it were a viable option. . .

[93formulalt1]

I'm no LT1 guru but I recall that cam being not so "mild" could be wrong though.

By "mild," I mean streetable. I don't want a big cam that the car can barely idle with, I just want something with a bit of lope that has good mid-range power. I am open to suggestions, however. . . I don't want an LT4 "Hotcam", though, I'm looking for something a little more serious than that.

[birdie2000]

I've never had a GM847, but everything I've ever heard about it leads me to believe it's a big cam for a street-driven 355 having mostly top-end power, like from 4000rpm+. My dad has a hydraulic roller cam in a 350 SBC that's similar in size to the 847 in his older corvette and even with a 3600 stall that thing is a dog until about 4,500rpm. For what you're looking for I'd give serious consideration to an AI cam like Joel's if you want midrange power. It has a good lope to it from the videos he's posted.