Blacdout96
01-26-2007, 01:40 PM
Knowing now adays that our parts for our 4th gen cars are plentiful (as well as third gen), I felt like it was time to let some people out there who are strapped for cash, that can buy a few upgreades for there 4th gen car ,without selling your first born. The main area that im talking about is in the 150-200 dollar range. Over the past couple months, bit by bit, i have been buying parts for my vehicle to not only allowi t to look better, but to perfrom better as well. the two parts in particular that i want to discuss that were 150 when purchased ( notice i said puchased not overall) are the LT1 brakes fr the rear (for people with drum) and the aluminum driveshafts from LS1 ( for just about everyone else who doesnt have an LS1 or SS, so mainly v6 guys and the LT1 guys)
Just about all my parts have come off of Ebay. Make sure the seller has a good history, and many sales, otherwise you will get ripped off. I havent been yet, but you never know. Ok so first the rear disc. Ive wanted this for quit a while, especially after I put my rims on and saw nothing but a big, rusty, dish that was the sore thumb on my car. On Ebay you can pick the Kit up for 150. The shipping was about 40 bucks, but it came withe everything but the pads, tho i recommend getting new rotors, i mean y the hell not. This install took 3 1/2 hours, and came out great. In the end tho, due to paint and other things I bought, it came out to about 270 bucks. So was it worth it? in the end, some will say you could of boght a posi rear with them already on for that, and is true, but who knows what condition the posi unit is in, but at the same time, would save alot of time and hassel, having your rear shipped out ( if you dont know how to install a posi diff, or any diff at that correctly) and the such. personally, I like it cause i dont have a 10 second car, i just wanted something to make it more stylish, and more economical,especially with the rims weighting in at 21 lbs. each in the rear, they make my rear feel like my tires are made out of lead, which makes it hard to stop with the drum setup, but with the disc, it feel as tho i have my salad tossers on there again.
The next item is the aluminum Driveshaft. This personally is the best upgrade you can make for your car for those with a 93-97 (4.1 gen) V6. Our driveshafts are a two piece design, made to smooth out the harmonic vibrations when driving. In the end, the V6 are for cruising, not racing, thus y we got the dog bowl of parts in our cars unless you got the Y87 package. This not only is good for the V6 guys, but the 4.1 gen LT1's as well ( less the SS versions) though yous are a one-piece design, you have a steel shaft. now weight wise, the 2 piece is 25 lbs., the one piece steel is 24lbs. and the aluminum is about 10 lbs!!!! thats about a 15 weight reduction, not only overall weight wise, but in rotating mass as well. And not only is it lighter, but is stronger then the two piece, and just about as strong as the steel. So what did I pay for it? On Ebay, from a place called Pick-A-Part salvage yard in Cleveland, it cost me 125, plus 25 shipping, and had it here in three days. I bought U joints, but after having it inspected by a couple shop guys they gave me the green light to use them sayign their fine, plus that stupid plastic crap is in there and I dont feel like melting it out and crap. install time was about 4 hours due to one bastard bolt for the center bearing for the two piece. Was it worht it. yes, its not gona make a Gigantic difference 1/4 wise, but then again, the weather is too crappy to try, I havent gotten on it yet, but I do feel it want to move bettern now that Ive shaved some weight off, as well as stoppin, cause theres les rotating mass allowing the wheels to turn when the brakes are applied.
So are these upgrade worth it, its according to the owner. Do i recommend just replacing the whole rear in the car? to some yes, if you know what condition it is in go ahead, but for some who just want a littler better stopping power, go wiht the brakes. But as for the Driveshaft, I recommend it to anyone who has a 2 piece or steel shaft. Liek I said I havent gotten on it, but I can feel it already. In the next edition, I will want to talk about the LS1 brake upgrade off eBay which is 200, as well as the strut tower brace for about 70, and the SS replica wing, which that there is a touchy subject due to price wise compared to quality wise, but mine was about 170. But until I getthe LS1 kit, Im not gonna make another thread on cheap upgrade sto put a smile on your face. Thank your for reading , and stay tuned for part 2.
Just about all my parts have come off of Ebay. Make sure the seller has a good history, and many sales, otherwise you will get ripped off. I havent been yet, but you never know. Ok so first the rear disc. Ive wanted this for quit a while, especially after I put my rims on and saw nothing but a big, rusty, dish that was the sore thumb on my car. On Ebay you can pick the Kit up for 150. The shipping was about 40 bucks, but it came withe everything but the pads, tho i recommend getting new rotors, i mean y the hell not. This install took 3 1/2 hours, and came out great. In the end tho, due to paint and other things I bought, it came out to about 270 bucks. So was it worth it? in the end, some will say you could of boght a posi rear with them already on for that, and is true, but who knows what condition the posi unit is in, but at the same time, would save alot of time and hassel, having your rear shipped out ( if you dont know how to install a posi diff, or any diff at that correctly) and the such. personally, I like it cause i dont have a 10 second car, i just wanted something to make it more stylish, and more economical,especially with the rims weighting in at 21 lbs. each in the rear, they make my rear feel like my tires are made out of lead, which makes it hard to stop with the drum setup, but with the disc, it feel as tho i have my salad tossers on there again.
The next item is the aluminum Driveshaft. This personally is the best upgrade you can make for your car for those with a 93-97 (4.1 gen) V6. Our driveshafts are a two piece design, made to smooth out the harmonic vibrations when driving. In the end, the V6 are for cruising, not racing, thus y we got the dog bowl of parts in our cars unless you got the Y87 package. This not only is good for the V6 guys, but the 4.1 gen LT1's as well ( less the SS versions) though yous are a one-piece design, you have a steel shaft. now weight wise, the 2 piece is 25 lbs., the one piece steel is 24lbs. and the aluminum is about 10 lbs!!!! thats about a 15 weight reduction, not only overall weight wise, but in rotating mass as well. And not only is it lighter, but is stronger then the two piece, and just about as strong as the steel. So what did I pay for it? On Ebay, from a place called Pick-A-Part salvage yard in Cleveland, it cost me 125, plus 25 shipping, and had it here in three days. I bought U joints, but after having it inspected by a couple shop guys they gave me the green light to use them sayign their fine, plus that stupid plastic crap is in there and I dont feel like melting it out and crap. install time was about 4 hours due to one bastard bolt for the center bearing for the two piece. Was it worht it. yes, its not gona make a Gigantic difference 1/4 wise, but then again, the weather is too crappy to try, I havent gotten on it yet, but I do feel it want to move bettern now that Ive shaved some weight off, as well as stoppin, cause theres les rotating mass allowing the wheels to turn when the brakes are applied.
So are these upgrade worth it, its according to the owner. Do i recommend just replacing the whole rear in the car? to some yes, if you know what condition it is in go ahead, but for some who just want a littler better stopping power, go wiht the brakes. But as for the Driveshaft, I recommend it to anyone who has a 2 piece or steel shaft. Liek I said I havent gotten on it, but I can feel it already. In the next edition, I will want to talk about the LS1 brake upgrade off eBay which is 200, as well as the strut tower brace for about 70, and the SS replica wing, which that there is a touchy subject due to price wise compared to quality wise, but mine was about 170. But until I getthe LS1 kit, Im not gonna make another thread on cheap upgrade sto put a smile on your face. Thank your for reading , and stay tuned for part 2.