Guest Posted March 26, 2002 Share Posted March 26, 2002 I got a '87 electa i wanna fix up , anyone got any ideas of things i can do to make more HP with out it costing me alot of money... thanks...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 28, 2002 Share Posted March 28, 2002 what motor is in it? I got some ideas for you... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 29, 2002 Share Posted March 29, 2002 its a 3,8 v6(231) thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 4, 2002 Share Posted April 4, 2002 First thing you have to do is let the ol dog breath a little better, so remove your air intake assembly (box and tube) and with some vent from home depot/whereever (flexible kind) you could create a makeshift cold air intake... tac on a cone air filter at the end. (I think someone on here found a honda aftermarket intake to fit and work, but dont keep me to that)...<P>I have also seen people buy flowmaster 2 chamber muffler and have pipes bent to eliminate the cat (but I would just hollow it out). And I am pretty sure there is also a resonator--eliminate it. The lil 6 sounds decent with a free flowing exhaust.<P>Try those out, and you ought to see a difference... you just have to realize that you arent going to make a race car out of your electra.<P>Best of luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 7, 2002 Share Posted April 7, 2002 Hey, thanks so much i got alot more ideas now ,ya im not going to try to make it a race car ,i just want more then 160hp,and thats all its got now, i just turned 16 and i got the car for $900, and it had a brand new paint job and its in vary nice cond,i took it to a car lot to see how much they thought it was worth and they said about $2,300, so im just trying to do a few little things to it ,with out putting more money in it then its worth, well thanks vary much .......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NTX5467 Posted April 14, 2002 Share Posted April 14, 2002 "Killing" the cat might not allow the vehicle to pass an emissions test, so instead of taking it off, you can get aftermarket converters that flow much better than the stock one for not much money and sitll have better performance and pass the emissions test.<P>The extra power that came with the post '87 3.8L V-6 was due to different heads and better targeting of the fuel injectors. Minor things, but they managed to get another 40-45 horsepower from what you've got now, still pass emissions and fuel economy standards, and without supercharging.<P>Post cat exhaust work would be a good move too. Many people "think" they have to have a Flowmaster, but the Walker DynoMax and some others do the same thing. One friend put a Flowmaster on his SSEi Bonneville and hated it for the noise it made (made the car not enjoyable to cruise in) compared to stock, with not much extra power. He put it back more stock and got rid of the noise.<P>There's not going to be any one magic bullet here. If the cold air intake on a LS1 Camaro is worth 15 horsepower, factor that down for your engine size. You don't have a turbo that's air temperature sensative so don't expect massive extra power, yet by unsilencing the air intake, you'll hear more noise than you get power by that mod--but it's a start.<P>Check with <A HREF="http://www.superchips.com" TARGET=_blank>www.superchips.com</A> for a upgrade chip for another 15 horsepower or so. In any event, you'll not get close to the 200 horsepower of the later motors unless you swap in one of those later motors and the computer to make it work.<P>With all of your extra power, you need to put some stiffer struts in the suspension to better handle it. The stock ones are toooo soft for any type of performance issues.<P>You might check out the <A HREF="http://www.gmforums.com" TARGET=_blank>www.gmforums.com</A> site and some of the Grand Prix sites as most of the 3.8L performance goodies available are for the Grand Prix, but will fit other 3.8L applications too in many cases. Plus GMHighTechPerformance magazine.<P>You've got a potential nice car, or it was in its previous life. Enjoy it for what it is and don't butcher it in the progress.<P>Just some thoughts . . .<BR>NTX5467 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 15, 2002 Share Posted April 15, 2002 hey thanks for the input,i went to superchips.com im thinking bout getting one,i was also wondering how the 2002 has a 3.8 but has 250hp? i like the car but im used to camaros and firebirds,iv had a few of both in my family, they are easy to get parts for this car is not so easy to get parts for but i still like it just as much cuz im not trying to make a super car out of it,just a nice crusier with some power,i raced my brothers 1987 honda lxi and i beat him by a long shot, so now im just trying to get a lil more power, so thanks for all the ideas they have helped alot if ya got more i would love to hear them thanks!!... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 16, 2002 Share Posted April 16, 2002 The 2002 your are thinking of is supercharged, the N/A engine is 205hp. Just a suggestion but you might try Fastchips also. I have one and I believe they are a little cheaper. If your car has tubular s/s exhaust manifolds, you can help the flow by removing the rear manifold and open up the hole inside the stub that the exhaust system connects to. The hole cut into the "log" part of the manifold is quite a bit smaller than the actual outlet. Cost nothing but a little time and effort. Good time to change the O2 sensor too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 19, 2002 Share Posted April 19, 2002 i thought bout doing a computer chip,but i cant find one for my car, iv also thought bout trying to find a turbo off a regal but i dont know yet, but thanks agin to every one who has helped me out and keep em coming if ya got more, my goal is not to build a NHRA super car, cuz if i was i wouldnt use such a big car.i just wanna be able to beat hondas cuz every time i race one they jump me off the line yet once i hit 3,300 rpm's i fly past em so im looking for a lil more kick, thanks agin ......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 19, 2002 Share Posted April 19, 2002 Did you contact Fastchips? I have had good dealings with them before. It is true they do not list the Electra but they do list the 3.8 Olds 98, which I would think would be similar, but I do not know for sure. The only other suggestion would be to lose as much weight in the car as possible. You are at a large weight disadvantage if you are racing lightweight rice cars and getting that weight moving is the tough part, as you have found. Of course driving without a spare tire, jack, rear seat and anything else you can remove, would take away from the usefulness of the nice car you have. A turbo would be nice if you can figure out the plumbing, it wouldn't be a direct bolt on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 21, 2002 Share Posted April 21, 2002 ya i would love turbo i went to turbo city.com they got one for my electra but it $2,000 and thats more then i paid for the whole car, but ima do a computer chip ,and the in take, how much do you think it would do if i had duel exaust put on? cuz i took a welding class for a while and i got a mig wire feed, i mean if i do some work to it it would be a fast car cuz i can get it 0-60 in 7 sec so after some mod's i hope i car beat rice burners it just make me mad cuz they jump me on the line,and its like this car could beat them easy if i putt a lil $ and work in it, thank you agin........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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