'77 Trans Am- What mods?

[GoAndPed123]

Hey, im new, and im looking to buy a '77 Trans Am really soon

idk what exhaust or existing enigne mods r on it, but i want to knwo if any of you wiht '76-'79 have any suggestions for a first few mods.

THe engine is a 350 ci 5.7 l v8, im thinking ill start with tuning up the engine a bit (oil, hoses, filters, rebuild carb, etc), and then move on to a few mods.

Im thinking about exhaust, and soem valvetrain mods to start, maybe like roller rockers with a 1.7:1 or possibly 1.8:1 ratio. Do any of you know what brand will work nice or what ratio will work wiht my car? im pretty new to modding cars, know only a bit of what ive read online and in magazines and such. I dont even know what the ratios mean, i just know the 1.8:1 ratio will increase HP/torque even more then the 1.7:1, and both increase performance by increasing lift and duration of the valve opening, and speeds up the rate of the valve lift.
I also am thinking about beehive springs and cams eventually, if i can get the money. WHat type of cam improves performance? i mean liek the actual traits of the cam, not nessicarily brands and stores.

So guys, what do you think abotu modifying my valvetrain to increase performance on my '77 trans am, and what else do you suggest, in place of or on top of the mods ive suggested?

heh

[GoAndPed123]

oh im also wondering if anyone has some suggestions on what else to do when i get my car to get the engine and drivetrain running nicely again, without major work. i know hte engine runs good and the car is in decent condition, but i mean what do you suggest to get the whoel thing runnign smoothly again, because years put a lot of wear and tear, corrosion, gunk, and such throughout an engine

im thinking about some fuel and tranny additives to help restore some stuff to reduce the chance that i have to tear through the whole engine and replace a lot fo worn out crap, i want to get as much out of all the parts as possible

so im also wondering what parts you think may have gone bad or may go bad soon after i get it so i can have an idea where to start to get the whoel car runnign really good and fast.

[GoAndPed123]

Ttt

[tacoma man.]

i like to do exhaust when i first get a car, get some headers 3 inch or 3 1/2, dual pipes, but the mods you listed sounds damn good! good luck

[GoAndPed123]

Originally Posted by tacoma man.

i like to do exhaust when i first get a car, get some headers 3 inch or 3 1/2, dual pipes, but the mods you listed sounds damn good! good luck

thanks for the reply, BTW i bought the car today! i won the auction on ebay, and will pick it up next weekend.

i only have to pay $1700 for it (splitting the cost wiht my dad) now, so in a year ill have enough money to heavily mod it

[tacoma man.]

sounds good to me.

[GoAndPed123]

Originally Posted by tacoma man.

sounds good to me.

yea i was so suprised when i won the auction,im so happy

it really rocks, especially since im only paying half, and can mod and rebuild it nicely

cant wait till i pick it up next weekend!

[Tim81ta]

Here's a couple of notes, since your new to moding.

1. Always start at the exhaust and work your way back, the last place you should start is the induction, you'll spend alot and not get what you want.

2. As far as the exhaust size, there are formuals you can use to figure what size will work best with your engine, I highly suggest you take this into consideration, or you might end up damaging your motor. I have the formual if you need it.

3. As far as the rest of the car, start with new body mounts and bushings all around, check your wheather striping and all of the body seems.

4. You started talking about rocker ratio's, here's your anwer, take your "net" lift of your cam, then times it by the ratio, you have your "net" lift at your valve. You have to becarful when messing with this, too much lift and you could smack your valvs right into your pistons. Also, increasing your "lift" (valve) does not always increase horse power.

If you'd like some more input, your free to post, or e-mail me. Hope this helps you out.