Ok, first let me state that this is something that wont be happening for a long time, but im trying to get some knowledge and experience from people who have done similar setups.
The plan is(in the future) to pick up a '96 Impala SS with an Lt1. I have large plans for it, starting with a cam, headers, full exhaust, forged pistons, roller rockers and all that shit.
Now. I know Turbo Ls1 SS has a nasty Turbo set up producing rediculus power and Firehawk853 has a nasty Procharger set up also producing rediculus power.
Granted both of those are Ls1’s but the 2 motors are close in design.(close enough)
I intend this car to mostly be a street killer. Now i know Chuck has a lot of issues with traction even with 350s in the rear. and that Turbo ls1 ss has a little less due to turbo lag, at least that is my understanding.
Now i know i can go either route for probably the same amount of money, but i dont want to be spinning my tires all through 1st and 2nd before i get any grip. Street killers arent able to burn out to warm up the tires.
So with as little bullshit as possible, id like some pointers and some advice from people with experience. I know the Big Impalas arent your typical racing machine, but i like them and its different, and i like being unique.
All that aside, Please endow me with your knowledge.
turbo ls1’s lag was on his old setup, an sts rear mount turbo
his current setup uses a front mount turbo, which i beleive is a pt76gtq … which will provide full boost by like 3000 and not run out of breath at redline
If your going to be putting all this money into the car, as well you don’t want to spin your tires. I highly suggest getting a rear-end and some good tires. If your going to be a “Street Killer” around here buddy, you better be able to race from a dig. no one cares how much power you make, it’s all about : A- can you hook it, B- do you have enough power to beat your Opponents.
I see a few problems with your plan. First off, Impala SS’s are VERY heavy cars. Around 4000lbs. You’ll be running a full second off the pace from the get-go compared to and f-body. Second, you want to do all the bolt-ons first with internals, and then put the boost to it. What will happen is this…with a turbo you’ll have to buy new headers (again) and replace pistons (again). Basically you’ll build it for the bolt-ons and then have to re-build it for the boost. You should only buy parts once for your car. Think long term whenever possible UNLESS your budget is of no concern. Make sure the first bolt-ons that you get, are compatible with your long term boosted plan. If you are going turbo, I wouldn’t even bother buying headers for the car, what would be the point?
if anything, traction is alot WORSE in a turbo car. not to take anything away from a procharger car, cuz they make sick power. but instant tq/power is harder to control than linear tq/power. not to mention, turbo tq is usually about 100ft/lb more than SC at the same power level.
both will/can be very fast. both have their pros/cons. i am not biased either, cuz i was literally 10 minutes away from ordering a F1R procharger kit due to wait time on m particular setup. prochargers are very nice, powerful, clean, and complete setups
the whole “lag for traction” saying is a crock a shit. no matter what rpm the power comes on, it comes on, and hard. ftr i got a pt76gts
Alright, I will ask more questions when its closer to that time. Right now im just trying to get an idea on which route would be best(in my opinion). HRK Joelster and Turbo thanks for your words of wisdom.
95zzz28 I planned on putting a turbo 400 or t56 in it with a big fat rear end. And it will have tires at the biggest size possible without being tubbed.
I know that the impalas are about 4300 pounds which is a disadvantage to f-bodys and mustangs, but with enough power, i can compensate for that. It will always be a disadvantage, but who said being unique is easy.
Handling the power has alot to do with how its driven, with my procharged car i’ve found that i can feather the throttle much easier than the turbo car because the power is more linear with respect to RPM. The turbo car’s power comes on exponetially. Either set up is requires quite a bit a work and $$. The turbo is a much smoother power adder than the procharger. The procharger is like un-refined raw power, while the turbo car come puts you in the seat before you know what’s happening.
ummm not really. My car weighs in at under 3500 with me in it. Thats a 800lbs. difference. You would have to make a lot more power just to equal my car. Then if you are talking about racing from a dig, you would need a shit ton of torque to get it moving in the first place. Then of course traction becomes a big issue. Plus the fact it puts more stress on the drivetrain to move a heavy ass car.
I like the fact your trying to do something different than what MOST people do. just wanted to stress some points in order to get a “street killer”. maybe not in nyspeed, but in the area in general. the majority of us domestic guys will go from a dig. keyword- MAJORITY
Oh i know, that its gonna be hard to get this bitch moving. I dont know what the max width of tires i can go, but if i need a chopped rear end so be it. This project is planned for $25 k including the cost of the car which i think is moderate.
I was orginally planning to build the car to handle around 1000hp 1000t/q so that i can run 7ish to 8ish and not worry about shit breaking TOO often. I know those numbers sound obcene. Regardless of what numbers i wanted. If i wanted 500 id build for 7. Its taking into account the extra strength needed so that shit doesnt break every 2 weeks. I dont want to drive a DSM.
Chuck last i heard you were running 18 psi, and had about 690 to the wheels, and turbo i forget your psi but your at 721.
Also, Now i know i can get a turbo 400 built to take that power and obviously replace the driveshaft and rear end and axles. What Gears do you guys run in the rear end. Stock on impalas are 4.70s i beileve. Which i think would give good top end yes? So maybe it would be easier to hook up with that.
Im really new to this, and im just trying to understand everything that people are telling me. Ideally id like to be where Turbo and Chuck are, time wise, not power wise becuase id probably need more :). Chuck if you still work at JNJ i have your card and ill call you, id like to come in, price some stuff out and talk so that i can understand all this. Thanks again guys for your input.
2.xx rear gears give good milage and lots of top speed
4.xx gears get you out of the hole like whoa, but kill your fuel economy and limit your top speed
i doubt you have 4.70’s … thats alot of rear gear, double check on that
i’ve owned a caprice, and its about the heaviest car i’ve driven. People can say that they can make more HP to go faster, but everyone learns a tough lesson, traction is usually harder to gain than HP. The SS chassis just wasn’t designed as a drag car, and while its basic design is similar to most gm rear ends, its lacking the strength for the hp it would need to really go fast. There isn’t much room in the rear for big tires either, and the engine to rear end distance isn’t the best, making it harder to put weight on the rear end. They come with 4l60e’s which are decent transmissions, but aren’t cheap to make strong. So basically if you want to go fast you will need:
rear end
trailing arms
drive shaft
new trans
internal enigne mods
turbo kit
boost controller
ignition system mods
thats enough to cost you around 15k, and it will never be a street killer, all because of those tiny little rear tires. a NA mustang will hand it to that thing, turbo or not.
I had a 95 Caprice 9c1 (cop car) with teh LT1, they are fun cars to drive for sure, but 2 big problems with makng them fast, as others have stated, weight and traction. Top end it was a beast, but forget about getting out of the hole. I think i had 2.3 60’s at Lancaster the 1 time i took it there. Ran a 10.02, dont’ remember the mph, so it’s a high 15 second car with absolutly nothign done to it, not what i would call fast. Figure about 220 horse to the wheels, to get into the 7’s with that slug your going to need to add anothe 900 or so horse. can it be done, sure, can it be done or a reasonable amount of money, I doubt it.
if you’re talking about the future… why not just make it a hover car? By the time you have enough money to get this thing movin… it will probably be cheaper/
