Spring time, i need help

ok so now that spring is finally here, i want to finally start building my car. I gutted my airbox last year, and my car runs pretty hard for being basically stock. I just want to be running a few more hp than last year.

To-do-list
-Autolite Plugs
-colder thermostat ( i want to have a 160*, but i dont want starting issues)
-My boost bypass valve also broke last year so i got one from a regal that actually has bigger inlet and outlet for more air to pass through it, i dont know if this will yield any gains, but its going on the car regardless.
-more to come.........

What would you guys suggest?

Toss out the gutted box and go straight to the FWI. Then throw on a 3" DP, and if youre knock free try out some pulleys.

i agree do a fwi and maybe a 3.6 mps for now.

do you think that it would be okay to put in a 160* stat? I dont want starting issues but i want a 160*, but if i have to i guess i will use a 180*.

From what Ive read the 160 is nothing but trouble unless youre very heavily modded.

ok then i will just the safe route with a 180*, i was also looking into possibly porting my gen3 blower. My dad does fabrication and metal work for a living, and could probably port it himself. I was just wondering if could tell me the best way to do this. Thanks

wait, how does the thermostat give you trouble with starting. When you start up the engine for the first time on a 70 degree morning, the engine coolant is 70 degrees...

If you run the engine @ 160* you will be causing excessive internal engine wear. That, over time will cause start problem!!!
I would only run that cold a thermostat for track days.
Otherwise the coldest you want to go is 180*, and that temp is recommended if you increase boost to help reduce the possibility of detonation.

ok, makes sense.
never heard of excessive engine wear with the engine running 30-40 degrees less than normal.

From another post, but usefull info just the same;

You guys running cold are flirting with disaster, imo. From Cobra Valley Balanced T-stat page:



Text info:

"The all too commonly used 160 degree thermostat is way too low to be considered for performance or engine longevity. As the chart illustrates, engine wear increased by double at 160, than at 185 degrees. So then, why do the 160's exist in the first place? The 160's were commonly used in older, open loop cooling systems where only 6 pound radiator caps were used, and low 212 degree boiling points were experienced.

In contrast, modern cooling systems can see upwards of 260 degrees in coolant temperature with radiator pressures exceeding 45 pounds. Many early hot rodders found the 160's to be better performing than the 190's, however, the in between "180" appears to satisfy both ends of the spectrum. The correct water temperature is required for the cylinders to achieve a minimum specific temperature in order to allow a fully homogenized Air/Fuel mixture to combust efficiently. Guess what the minimum number is… right! 180 degrees.

Even so, you might see some still recommending the lower 160's, for no other reason than to possibly get that last drop of horsepower out, at the high price of dramatically reducing the life of the engine and it's internal components."

I'm not aware of anyone on our board actually running a 160, for daily use, as we usually are able to show them the light and convince them to go 180. A 180 is a good compromise between factory t-stat intended to maximize fuel efficiency, and a 160 t-stat intended to keep things cool for the track. Along with that 180 you would ideally also want to reprogram your fan turn on/off settings to help keep things cool in stop-n-go traffic.

has anyone ported there blower themselves? I think the outlet has to be widened to like 78mm i think? but what about inlet? What all has to be done to port a blower, because im just going to have my dad do it. And does a ported blower really help to reduce KR?