Real world costs of building a 9sec. capable 109 motor (kinda long)

[Gene Van Horn]

Yea its a total waste of f. Ing money. Gotta love it

 

[nolanator]

I would guess 20k, minimum, port the heads, you'll have 3-4k in them to do it right to go fast. Spend at least 2-3k on the turbo, and 1k on the converter. Add tax, and shipping, so that adds up. 850 for machining and putting it together seems low, double that and round to 2k. Skip the powerlogger route, just get XFI. Also think about a complete new wiring harness to get good grounds and everything tip top, these cars are old.

I don't think there is any need to port the heads to dip into the upper 9s, and as far as the $850 for machining and assembly, that's what was quoted to me as the actual cost.

 

[kandc7]

$20'000 or so to run into the 9's reliable is pretty cheap I think... Considering buying a new muscle car and making it run in the 9's you will spend double what we spend. If you count the cost if a new muscle car than the cost for performance parts to make it run in the 9's is alot more besides nothing like a 30 year old turbo Buick kicking the ass of these new cars lol

 

[TTipe]

I would guess 20k, minimum, port the heads, you'll have 3-4k in them to do it right to go fast. Spend at least 2-3k on the turbo, and 1k on the converter. Add tax, and shipping, so that adds up. 850 for machining and putting it together seems low, double that and round to 2k. Skip the powerlogger route, just get XFI. Also think about a complete new wiring harness to get good grounds and everything tip top, these cars are old.

I agree. Port & flow those heads (~ 45 cfm), Hemco plenum, XFI with some time in the tune, external gate & dump to the floor .You will rock the house.

 

[2QUIK6]

I don't plan on running into the 9's, I'm shooting for mid 10s. I'll have about $10 in my motor, maybe a little less. Add trans and converter that is another $4k. On my to do list after I get the car put together, engine and trans, is driveshaft and rear end. When all is said and done, including the price of the car, I will have spend $33k to make it mid to low 10s car. I see mid 10s cars for sale around $15 to $18k.

That is pretty much exactly the build I am going through right now and similar cost. Bottom end will handle 9's but shooting for mid 10s. Will be built to last many years and passes at that time. Made it 29 years on the factory head seal running mid 11s I'm fiinding a lot of hidden expenses I didn't plan on too..timing cover/oil pump, new trans cooler set (a good one and new lines aren't cheap..new headers cause the old KBs aren't friendly to spark plug changes on the GN1 heads..etc. $3k in just heads and head work alone! All for good fun!

 

[JYLP]

I'm holding off on the TR6 based on a recommendation, but a new driveshaft is certainly on my to do list.

TR6 is a big fat waste of money. Guys are running 8's on stock ignitions. There are many benefits of going with an XFI setup, but it's not cheap. The main thing is being able to apply what you already have to the ground. A lot of guys won't say what exactly needs to be done to achieve these goals because they compete or are in the business of selling parts. Assuming you have the block, oil pan, front cover, cam, stock crank, rods, intake and fuel system, it would run you about $15k to build an engine capable of running 9's. How many times it would run 9's, I can not say. Cheap, fast, reliable. You can only pick 2 of the 3.

 

[nolanator]

TR6 is a big fat waste of money. Guys are running 8's on stock ignitions. There are many benefits of going with an XFI setup, but it's not cheap. The main thing is being able to apply what you already have to the ground. A lot of guys won't say what exactly needs to be done to achieve these goals because they compete or are in the business of selling parts. Assuming you have the block, oil pan, front cover, cam, stock crank, rods, intake and fuel system, it would run you about $15k to build an engine capable of running 9's. How many times it would run 9's, I can not say. Cheap, fast, reliable. You can only pick 2 of the 3.

I think there was some confusion. I wasn't asking what it takes to run 9s, I was showing people one approach to take.

 

[dank GN]

TR6 is a big fat waste of money. Guys are running 8's on stock ignitions. There are many benefits of going with an XFI setup, but it's not cheap. The main thing is being able to apply what you already have to the ground. A lot of guys won't say what exactly needs to be done to achieve these goals because they compete or are in the business of selling parts. Assuming you have the block, oil pan, front cover, cam, stock crank, rods, intake and fuel system, it would run you about $15k to build an engine capable of running 9's. How many times it would run 9's, I can not say. Cheap, fast, reliable. You can only pick 2 of the 3.

I would have to disagree with the first statement. I do agree it is not needed to run 9s 8s but it is prob one of the best ignition upgraded for are cars . It will help you be more consistent in runing your number though with out having to buy a xfi it does have a built in 2 step and it does provide the plugs with higher spark energy which will make your ignition system run smoother . I've yet to hit 9s but my build is still underway . I've saved a lot of cash by doing all my own work and have had very good luck on the second hand parts market but I still have a easy 25k in it including the price of the car . Just my opinion nothing more

 

[Fat Nat]

I would beg to differ on the price of machine work and assembley
If you have a block that's bored honed line honed ect maybe the cost would be close since it's basically a freshen up but to start out with a bare stock block and do caps ect. You can almost double that price

 

[JYLP]

I would have to disagree with the first statement. I do agree it is not needed to run 9s 8s but it is prob one of the best ignition upgraded for are cars . It will help you be more consistent in runing your number though with out having to buy a xfi it does have a built in 2 step and it does provide the plugs with higher spark energy which will make your ignition system run smoother . I've yet to hit 9s but my build is still underway . I've saved a lot of cash by doing all my own work and have had very good luck on the second hand parts market but I still have a easy 25k in it including the price of the car . Just my opinion nothing more

You'll benefit more from the XFI seeing as it also has a 2 step system built in, there is auto correction, traction control, the ability to monitor and log data such as alky pressure, fuel pressure, oil pressure, boost, mph, coolant temp and a whole lot of other things that can allow you to fine tune your car far beyond what you can do with a stock computer setup. There are also other types of coil setups that are much cheaper and provide an improvement over the stock ignition coil. tr6 vs stock on a car that you're only trying to run 9's with is like 3" down pipe vs the 3.5" when you're only running 10's... It's a big fat waste of money and you will see no note worthy gains. Trying to go faster, sure, but for the goals of 9's it's not necessary.

"I think there was some confusion. I wasn't asking what it takes to run 9s, I was showing people one approach to take."

In that case, you could go with a stage II setup for probably less money and just dumb it down to make it more street friendly. Or you could stick with iron heads, dump a ton of money into them and run high 8's. Do you know how fast the stock bottom end has gone? There are many different ways to run 9's, it's just a matter of time, money and what will help you sleep and wake up with a smile. For some, it's doing more with less. For others, it's hunting rabbit with an cannon (overkill) lol. Then there are the people that just want something quick, reliable and consistent. At the end of the day, it's all for good fun!

 

[Pronto]

If your lucky enough to have a correctly functioning ignition module, they will go far into the 9s. The issue is new replacements. They aren't built to the same spec. The TR6 has diagnostics that the stock style does not. The new style truck coil is also more easily found than the original coil pack. 20 years ago thsee parts were fresh and readily available, not so much now. Big fat waste of money is not how I would characterize it. I think the features are worth the expense. A nos coil and module are around 500$ if you can find them.

 

[Mr.Spool]

There are many different ways to run 9's,

this is the reality that many don't understand or respect.

 

[MCH86GN]

My apologies, I didn't read the title very well. My engine alone is around $10k. Mind you it would have been at about $8k, but I damaged my Champion Ported Irons and instead of taking a chance I got GN1s. I'm still waiting on word on my Champion Irons to see if they are worth salvaging.

 

[dank GN]

You'll benefit more from the XFI seeing as it also has a 2 step system built in, there is auto correction, traction control, the ability to monitor and log data such as alky pressure, fuel pressure, oil pressure, boost, mph, coolant temp and a whole lot of other things that can allow you to fine tune your car far beyond what you can do with a stock computer setup. There are also other types of coil setups that are much cheaper and provide an improvement over the stock ignition coil. tr6 vs stock on a car that you're only trying to run 9's with is like 3" down pipe vs the 3.5" when you're only running 10's... It's a big fat waste of money and you will see no note worthy gains. Trying to go faster, sure, but for the goals of 9's it's not necessary.

"I think there was some confusion. I wasn't asking what it takes to run 9s, I was showing people one approach to take."

In that case, you could go with a stage II setup for probably less money and just dumb it down to make it more street friendly. Or you could stick with iron heads, dump a ton of money into them and run high 8's. Do you know how fast the stock bottom end has gone? There are many different ways to run 9's, it's just a matter of time, money and what will help you sleep and wake up with a smile. For some, it's doing more with less. For others, it's hunting rabbit with an cannon (overkill) lol. Then there are the people that just want something quick, reliable and consistent. At the end of the day, it's all for good fun!

Okay I log fuel pressure and can log oil pressure and what ever I would want to log . I have the ability to fine tune my car with full acess to the VE table, Spark table , A/F table and guess what it is all with my modified stock ECM . I even run flex fuel with a ethonal sensor wired in to let my stock ECM know what the ethonal content is . It was modified to run low impedance injectors . Besides that the power logger piggy backs on it allowing me to do the above mentioned thinGs so again you do not need a xfi even though I do agree they are a nice piece . But you can't say that the stock ECM doesn't have the ability to do fine tuning .

 

[JYLP]

Okay I log fuel pressure and can log oil pressure and what ever I would want to log . I have the ability to fine tune my car with full acess to the VE table, Spark table , A/F table and guess what it is all with my modified stock ECM . I even run flex fuel with a ethonal sensor wired in to let my stock ECM know what the ethonal content is . It was modified to run low impedance injectors . Besides that the power logger piggy backs on it allowing me to do the above mentioned thinGs so again you do not need a xfi even though I do agree they are a nice piece . But you can't say that the stock ECM doesn't have the ability to do fine tuning .

I never said you couldn't and I also never said you needed to go with xfi. I think it's wonderful that you can do so much with stock stuff. However, you're talking about a computer from the 80's vs a computer from today. Like tr6 vs stock. You don't need it, but it's nice to have lol.

 

[ttypewhite]

IMO there is much more to going 9's then just slapping parts together and showing up at the track. Nothing is that easy. I was chasing the 9 sec time slip for years before it happened. Broke a ton of shit too trying. I have personally heard guys say they are going to turn it up and run 9's and haven't even come close. It's more then just having the right parts. Tuning plays a major role in making it work, and that doesn't usually happen on your first outing as lots may believe, and having a "GOOD" driver that knows how to launch and stage these cars properly and keep an eye out for everything around them during that pass (ie: boost level at launch, hitting proper shift points, etc). I know a lot of people "think" they are good drivers until they get to the track and can't get the car to sixty foot properly. Ask them a question after the pass and all the data they can give you is,"it felt really good". I fall into this same category too. There is no ego here, half the time I take my car to the track, it's driving me, not the other way around. My heart rate is sky high, and as soon as the transbrake button is released, my eyes are 20" wide and if it wasn't for data logging I'm as dumb as a bag of hammers....truth. IMO, don't set yourself up for failure by putting numbers on something that hasn't even run yet. The cart in front of the horse is a terrible thing to chase. Enjoy the process and take small steps. Eventually things will line up and skys the limit.

$12k done right should be in engine alone,
$1,500 for turbo
$1000, for intercooler
4k should be in the transmission converter and driveshaft (and there is no guarantee that it's all going to be right, converter may need a re-stall to optimize everything)
$1,500 should be in a complete exh
1k in at the very least suspension
2k in electronics
$1k tires
$200 in fuel
this isn't even factoring in any labor or other factors that would limit you from installing this. Lots of fabricated stuff usually comes into play.