Bolt on upgrages

I owned a 97 v6 had a 99 Z-28 for a week and I am now the proud papa of a 01 Z-28 with 20k. What I noticed immediatly was the 01 lacks the punch that the 99 had. The 99 had break-neck accelaration as it seemed compared to my 01. Given both vehicles were used and its a slight posibility that the 99 had gears in it, my question is what gears would give it the accleration better than a vette, and it was because on two seperate occasions a buddy of mine went to the line with me and both times I got the drop on him but when I redlined in 2nd he burned me. Vice-versa when I drove his vette. What gears and where do I begin to find out about how they work and all the inns and out to them?And also my 01 has a KN intake system that of which I have never seen before. I also have a ravin exhaust, sounds like a F1 when I go under bridges! What bolt on whould anyone suggest for under 1000$ or a 1K budget?