car tag

so, after having a few months to play with my new toy (good old sn95 5.0L) i've vastly improved my knowledge upon N/A motors, and how to make them a little quicker.
Right now my GT should run around a high 12 low 13 with an 87 oct 'tune' and i plan to go the wa of afr 165 heads, i should be pullin wheelies.
but BEFORE i do that, i would reallllllly like it if the grocery getter could keep pace.
question is, without a lower pulley (which i know would be easier) what are my best options to build it quicker, N/A
what is a time tested reliable, lets say, valvetrain/cam, headers/heads
i would forge the bottom end regardless of what i plan on doing.
the motor is actually a 2000gtp's and the tranny was rebuilt, but i dont know if they updated any ecu/pcm.
sorry for the loaded question, i just dont want to lose my interest in the two ton car that still outruns my buddies 88 300zx.
its always fun to go from one RWD fast car to a equally as fast FWD car (with subs )

If I'm not mistaken, the bottom end is already forged....at least the S/C motor is. The one main difference between the N/A and the S/C motor is the compression ratio. The N/A motor has a higher compression. There are quite a few Intake and Head mods you can do to the N/A to make it move pretty good.

The below link is for an UIM that claims 30 bolt-on hp.
http://www.zzperformance.com/grand_prix/products1.php?id=214&catid=113

A good intake/exhaust setup, along with a good tune could net you an extra 30-50hp easy.

I've heard the stock bottom is sturdy to 1000 HP.

my only concern is that my original motor threw a rod through the block, so i guess for my peace of mind i would spend more cash.

that intake looks nice, now if only i could find such a bang for the buck for the L67

Now I'm confused. I thought you were asking about making the N/A motor faster? Now you mention the L67.......

sorry for the confusion, i have an L67, but i want to beef it up without messing with the pulleys/super....yet.
i suppose it can be considered building the motor to withstand better boost, but in reality, i just like teching on my motors, and boost is an overly effective way to gain horsepower (which is good, but i want a through and through moderatly nice motor.)
again, it's all a quest to make sure that my cars stay on...a kind of same level. you know?

i have a 94 cavalier as well, and its just a plain dog, so it's not like i need a llttle commuter car.

Thanks for the clarification. That being said........

Upping the boost in your engine, if done the right way, increases the hp and torque dramatically. The bottom end of these engines is solid as a rock. Almost all of the fast 3800's I know of have totally stock bottom ends. A good CAI, a 3" DP, AL104 plugs, 3.4" pulley (the "conservatives" are going to tell you 3.5" or 3.6"), 180* T-stat, and a good tune is more than enough to get that "grocery getter" flyin.

Adding boost to the stock bottom end isn't going to hurt a thing, unless you try adding too much (without the supporting mods). There is no need to change anything in the lower end unless your planning on making 800hp. Besides, you're going to spend a lot of $$$ changing anything in the internals to make horsepower. This engine, when done right, loves boost. Don't be afraid to change the pulley.....The parts I mentioned above are nothing but a starting point to build boost, and cost less than $500

Stealth96 wrote:

my only concern is that my original motor threw a rod through the block, so i guess for my peace of mind i would spend more cash.

that intake looks nice, now if only i could find such a bang for the buck for the L67

That's rare, I know many many 3800s with stock high milage lower ends pushing 12 second GTPs with frequent racing. Rarely do they have lower end problems even at those levels.

thats good, i've always heard these motors were extremely reliable and strong, but like i said, after $2400 and loads of frustration, you can imagine my...insecuritys
money isnt an issue, uncle same treats his soldiers well now a days

Stealth96 wrote:

the motor is actually a 2000gtp's and the tranny was rebuilt, but i dont know if they updated any ecu/pcm.

The PCM would have to have been changed and more than likely someone capable of doing that job probably had software for the PCM to enhance a few things.