Hey man, if you can get me a Walbro for 65bucks....I'll take two!
There's lots of ways to get 12's out of it. Everything from lightening the car to switching to an IC'd setup. All have their advantages and disadvanatages. I'm glad Mike touched on the thermostat issue. You gotta run one man. No if's, and's, or but's about it. The car will still run hot, but it's not gonna run dangerously hot. Keeping things cool under the hood is also a must if you run an open air element. You really should look into running air under the hood via scoops that can be bought(or you can make your own) for the later model airdams. You can fit em to the factory one the same way. A better radiator will help a little too. Tuning, tuning, and more tuning. You may want to also consider an 86/87 ECM and MAF sensor, or better yet, instead of the 86/87 MAF sensor, go with the LT1 or LS1 and a translator or translator plus. Next, you'll need to upgrade the ignition if it's not already done. More fuel requires more spark and they're cheaper to replace anyway. Definitely gotta have enough fuel. 30's will be enough, but I'd go with some 36lb bluetops(bosch 868's). As for the regulator, an adjustable one is needed. You can "old school" it with a 237(provides about 60psi with vac line off), but it's best to get at least a billet top one. I think they're adjustable to around 40psi. Gotta get the gauges in there. Keeping an eye on your vital signs is a must. Eng. temp, oil pressure, and boost should come first. A knock gauge can be added along with an air-fuel gauge if you don't have a scan tool. And you'll need a fuel pressure gauge for adjustments of the regulator. The stock headers will do for 12's. Crossover and DP need to go. ATR's are good and I don't think there's anything else out there anyway. Traction, traction, traction. Some DOT slicks will be of great benefit. You need to box in the lower control arms or add billet lowers. Pinion snubber and new axle snubbers(if needed) will work against the axle twist and help calm things down back there. Drag shocks work, plain and simple, but they aren't necessary in my opinion(and a lot of other people's too...). You do need to get a rear seat brace if there's not one in it. Front frame braces will just add weight. Don't worry about them unless it's a T-Top car. If it is, you can add them and will notice a difference(I did). Don't pay for em. Go to a salvage yard and get them. I've had good luck finding em on V8 Cutlass's... As for the turbo, you really should consider an upgrade. It'll cost more than any of the other stuff, but it's well worth it. the earlier turbos(330's) have smaller shafts and don't hold up too well in my opinion. I'm leaving mine on, but then again, I'm not trying to run 12's with my Hotairs. The 33 John Craig has out is a nice one to get. I think you can use 86/87 ones and tehy will help a bit too, but I'm not 100% sure on that. An open air element like a K&N filter will help out some, but if it's not getting cool air to it, there's not much point HP wise. Throttle response will go up regardless, but if you're not making any more power(or even making less) what's the point? Cool air equals more power folks. The cooler the air, the denser the air. The denser the air, the more room you have for fuel, and the more air and fuel you get in there, the more power you can make. You should be able to manage some nice, solid mid-low 13's with the mods I listed...along with at least an adj. wastegate actuator rod, good gas, and traction. Run as much boost as you can without knock. To do this, you really need the ECM upgrade and a scantool. At least a knock gauge and air/fuel meter. If you run race gas, get a heated O2 sensor. You will burn out the stock ones and even the platinum ones will not last very long. I'm sure there's lots of other things people will touch on such as lighter weight parts, convertors, rear drum brake mods, airbags, etc. But I really don't feel they're necessary for 12's. Low 12's....maybe some of it. 2800convertors are nice
