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Pontiac Thread? and FPR, Suspension, and Trq Converter question

992 Views 3 Replies 3 Participants Last post by  iyzak
hey guys i just bought a 94 firebird formula with a A4 from my buddy for $1000. Comes bonestock except for a ebay CAI and Full Exhaust (not sure on headers). However it has 2.73 rear gears in it now and it comes with 3.42 in box with install kit :). Car has about 100k miles on it. Coming from Ford and Jeeps still have Alice the Cherokee :)

The Bad,
Needs Battery, no biggie.
3 tires (showing wire) no biggie trading my other buddy the sub and amp in the car for tires :)
Fuel Pressure Regulator

FPR- Im coming from a lifted Jeep and the original ford 5.0 302, not sure where or how to change a FPR on these cars. Is it hard? i know the plugs wires cap rotor are abit diferent. Just wondering about this.

Gears-With the 3.42 ,seems abit lower then the fox bodies popular 3.73 or 4.10 gear change however so does the stock 2.73 to 3.05 or 3.55 difference, I know its going to be significatly quicker then the 2.73 gears in it now however would it be wise to try and sell these and bump the gears up further? I know these are like apples to oranges with the mustangs.

Torque Converter-I want to keep the car for a quick daily driver work at most 15 days a month and half of those i ride with my roommate. Its a 15min commute mainly highway. However every car ive ever dealt with were manual , so torque converters are new to me. I understand the concept however what would be a good Aftermarket stall? I heard with these cars that makes a world of difference. I do not plan on doing to much work to the car. Just what ever it takes to be around 13.5 on our local track doesn't seem to farfetched. How does the torque converter effect the driveability?

Suspension- Again Apples to Oranges but with he mustang i can throw a rock and hit a spring kit or full suspension for what ever purpose you need. 94 Firebird i was unable to find much. I don't want to go anything to expensive.

Future Wish list In Order:
Gears Installed (3.42 or Suggested)
Tuner (Suggestions? Ive read about a wire to hook up to the comp. to delete the 110mph limiter, I work on desk tops on the side so i don't see this being to terribly diffcult, May need walk thru but do i just plug the wire up and go or is there programs involved? also with gears and speedo/shift points what do i do with that?)
Headers (if not already aftermarket)
Good Set of Tires (like summit quick 8's normally go 15-16 what size tires would be suggested? Had Nitto 555's on my foxbody and loved them)
Torque Converter
Non Ebay CAI

Thanks,
Matthew
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If you change the gearing, you will need a programmer, and there are not that many choices, tunercat would be the only way I would go. Also with the tuner cat you can do the basic stuff, like change the tire size, make your fans turn on sooner, etc etc besides messing with your fuel curve, etc etc.

Second, in a4 going to 3.42 will only gain you a few 10ths, if that, in the quarter. Not as much as you think, and will cost you only a few mpg's. A properly running a4 gets 16 city 25 hwy, (maybe a little more hwy). with the new gears, figure 15 and 23.

If you liked the Nitto 555's, then go with them, I prefer the BF Goodrich KWDS a/s since I am in Chicago and drive my car in winter, otherwise, drag radials or just normal KDWS summer tires.

your going for a 13.5, stock rear end stiffing panhard, sway, all that will be fine, look at BMR, UMI that are from jegs or summit if you want to upgrade, complete kits are right around 1000, and not worth it for a 13 second car. My advice would be front strut bar and frame connectors first, then worry about replacing the stock components in the rear.

Have you given braking any thought? Good rotors and pads go a long way.

Headers, not to many avail, pacesetter longtubes with the y connector seem popular, but they are not "great" headers, but do work and seem to last somewhat a reasonable time. Keep the air pump if you have it. You will need o2 sensor extentions and it will take a little bit longer to "light off" your cat but not enough to trip the computer.

torque converter, hmmmm, have to ask someone else. You can get a better time with the right one, but then daily drive it, not to sure which one would be best.

Good luck
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Gears: 4.10s are usually for the M6 unless you are dragging the car.
3.73s work great with a A4.
The stock 10 bolt can blow just by winking at it.

Fuel Pressure Reg: Mounted on the driver side fuel rail in the back. Simple easy swap.

Torque Convert: Stock torque convert will get you the 13.5. Could step up to like a 2500.

Suspension: Lower Control Arms, Torque Arm, Pan hard bar, Lower A Arms, Upper A Arms, Lower Control Arm relocation brackets. None of this is needed really to hit mid 13s. Good parts cheap prices are Founders Suspension.

CAI: Usually K&N or Morroso.

Headers: Usually Pacesetters or Summit Racing (Summit is supposedly Pacesetters rebaged)

Tune: TunerCats is 300 and under will allow you to tune anything and everything on the car.

Tires: ET Streets Radials are better than Nittos, sticky tires will help blow the 10 bolt up. Use with caution.


Headers, CAI, Tune, exhaust will get you into the mid 13s for sure. If you can hook it.
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Headers: Usually Pacesetters or Summit Racing (Summit is supposedly Pacesetters rebaged)
funny you say that, i had a built 302 for my foxbody, and blew the motor in my bronco i was going to swap the motors over and resell the bronco (still in process) i ordered the summit headers bc the foxbodies ones were not going to fit. And summit headers were a cheap alternative to say "it has aftermarket headers" they came with the pacesetter metal identifcation tag on it, so yes if you want to save $15-20 bucks on pacesetter headers buy summit
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