GTcarz - Automotive forums for cars & trucks. - Making your 3800's engine bay stand out...

Line up your 3800 F-car beside an LT1/LS1 F-Body, and pop the hoods on all of them. What do you notice?

Well aside from a distinct lack of space for anything more than a Hershey bar in the LT1 engine bay, you notice the nice LT1 intake plenum. You also notice that in comparison, your L36 looks like it's not even there, being tucked under the cowl and not really doing a whole lot to draw attention to itself. Some of us are fine with this. Others prefer to stand out.

I prefer to stand out. I'm sure you would rather stand out too, than just blend in. So here are a couple things I've done, that you can do to make your L36's engine bay stand out. (Of course, when my turbo is in, all these things will cower in its presence, but for now, let's focus on the basics.)

Step one: Intake Manifold

One thing that's always disappointed me about the 3800 RWD intake was that it didn't look all that impressive. At least the LT1s look kinda neat. Our L36s just don't make the cut.

So unbolt your upper intake plenum (have a GM F-Body repair manual handy, this isn't exactly a 15 minute job), and get'r sandblasted, primed, and paint 'r up. Make sure all your sensors are removed, and make sure any important holes are taped up before primer/paint is applied.

I've done mine in aluminum, with black and Chevy orange accents:
http://members.shaw.ca/j.parkes/engine/intake1.jpg
http://members.shaw.ca/j.parkes/engi...kebranding.jpg

Step two: Valve Covers

Eh, they look okay, I guess. But normally, over the years, these little bastards get goo'd up, whether it's a boo-boo from spilling 10W30 on them, or just from heat and discoloration, our valve covers could stand to be spruced up a bit.

I sandblasted mine, then did them in high-temp aluminum, gloss black, and of course... Chevy orange. (Can you see a color scheme here?)
http://members.shaw.ca/j.parkes/engi...valvecover.jpg
http://members.shaw.ca/j.parkes/engi...valvecover.jpg

Step three: Ignition System

Our engines are equipped with a waste-spark ignition system. What this means is that our coils have two towers, one for each cylinder. For example, cylinder 3 and 6 share a coil. When cylinder 3 is fired, so it cylinder 6, but because cylinder 6 isn't ready to go yet, nothing happens.

From the factory, they are these bland, black coils, which are nice enough to have the cylinders labelled on them for spark plug wire location. They are also ooooogly.

Happily, however, you can go to MSD and pick up a set of their OE-designed MSD Blaster coils for GM applications. These coils are a beautiful red color with the white MSD logo on them. They also locate the spark wires on the same side as each other. Make sure you remember, nay, WRITE DOWN where your wires go. You do not want to mix them up.

Installing the coils requires little more than a socket set and rachet, and while it probably won't give you anything in the way of a power increase, MSD has always been a big name in ignition systems and reliability, and they look **** good too. (I also recommend getting a set of Taylor's 8mm Spiro-Pro ignition wires while you're at it, and get 'em in red, you'll be glad you did.)

http://members.shaw.ca/j.parkes/engi...kwmsdcoils.jpg

Step four: Strut tower brace

For some, this is the first modification one performs on their vehicle. Even before intakes and all that stuff. There are three reasons for this:
1. Strut tower braces tie the front shock towers together and as a result, provide better handling and cornering.
2. Import drivers believe this modification adds 30 extra wheel horsepower. I believe they're retarded.
3. Strut tower braces look **** good, even if you're not going to be taking advantage of the additional front end support they provide.

I myself don't have one (yet), but if you're looking to pick one up, you can probably pick one up from ThunderRacing or T-Byrne, in your choice of color, or even a chrome finish. Even if you don't do any competitive driving that requires lots of fast, sharp turning, this is a modification that looks as good as it performs.

Step five: Cold air intake

Most of the time, intake manufacturers advertise gains of 20 horsepower. Please keep in mind that they are full of s***, and that testing is done under ideal conditions, with all the extra modifications that benefit from a cold air intake in the first place, like head work, exhaust, headers, intake manifold, etc etc. At best, a cold air intake provides a bit of a seat of the pants increase in performance, slightly better economy (when you're not enjoying that 'seat of the pants' improvement, and a nice loud 'whoosh' sound when the engine is running.

Cold air intakes also look good, too, and are an essential part of an attractive looking engine bay. Especially when GM fitted our L36s with those god-awful intake 'boxes'. I'm not sure what the hell they were thinking either. If you're having trouble finding one for the 3800 RWD, ThunderRacing and T-Byrne carry them. SLP makes one, and another is by Holley, which uses their high flow 'Powershot' filters, which can be serviced using regular K&N cleaner and filter oil.

When doing something like this, try to have a color scheme in mind and be consistant. Having blue spark wires, blue coils, a black intake manifold, orange valve covers, and chrome strut tower brace is just tacky, and you're asking to be slapped.