So i just purchased my 96 Bonneville for $1500 out the door, i also had to put alittle cash into it because the Upper Plenum went bad. Now it'* time for some performance upgrades...... So a 3800 */n what would be the best route to go to that wont break the bank but will still giving me power and performance out of the deal..

I want a exhaust system , but havn't been able to find out specificly for the bonneville, now i also have a DP that i purchased for my 00chevrolet impala, and i was wondering if it would work with the bonneville it'* a 3" dp and i was going to go 2.5" all the way back with taht dp but idk if that would be good for the engine or jus sorta over kill?

Now i was also thinking about doing some internal work with our engines maybe some rockers? and a cam.. but i dont know what combination of internal work would give me the best output in performance .. Because thats what im trying to geto ut of it , is the "Biggest BANG for your buck"

Also i would like to know if anyone has a write up for a home build CAI, or wouldi be better off just purchasing a CAI ?

Now i also want to purchase a Hp power tuner, but i noticed that they done suppoer the 96 model yr, would it be possible to swap in a newer pcm so that i could purchase the tuner at some point down the road? if so how hard is the process exactly.. or is it just plug&play

But with all this said and hopefully with alittle help with everyone here i can get my car running alittle stronger and have alittle more power , along with maybe an improvment in mpg? I would liek to keep it all around $1k for the time being not just out right but over a period of time with mods and such, i would like to put the car together over time so what would be a good order also...

Chi_Town

If you fall into an emission area of Chi then you won't be able to swap the pcm w/o issues when they plug into the OBD2 port and try to verify the vin in the pcm.

Otherwise a 97 pcm would flop right into your car and would work well while allowing you to get HPT for tuning. DHP is another tuner (no longer made, but plenty available for sale on forums) that does support 96 Bonnevilles. Little tougher to use IMO but a good alternative to swapping the pcm where you wouldn't be able to change the VIN.

Some best bang mods. ZZP'* HV3 intake insert, their GT1 cam gives a heck of a bang, Power log is probably the most economical exhaust solution. BTW that downpipe won't fit because your rear manifold has a donut gasket instead of the flat 97+ gasket. I'm unsure about fitment otherwise. You could port and polish you LIM (I know..a little late) etc etc. There are options for the NA'* beyond adding racing stripes when it comes to power.

Depending on your gear ratio, you could also swap the differential for a lower ratio to give you more get up off the line.

well from what i was told by a good friend of mine i have the Sle package which apparently could include the improved gearing? The car has leather,sunroof,along with power antenna and he had me check the truck for my options list and i have a code "4hu" which i guess means "SLE" package? correct me if im wrong...

Now as for mods , if i were to just keep the pcm thats in the car, would i still be able to get the full use out of a tuner that i would with the 97 pcm in the car? Also i thought Dhp only offered PCM tunning *send and return* not an actual tuner? Now as for the other mods, is there any exhaust kits made for our cars? Or is it just custom setups being the best over all result?

With all of that any other mods that would be an idea...

If you buy a DHP tuner, you are buying a cable that allows you to download a program (DHP software) and use a laptop to tune the pcm yourself.

There are basic tunes called the DHP 1.0 and 1.5 that some places do sell to you and they would load that only your pcm for you. These are not considered good because they are not tailored to your car.

The parameters available do vary as the years changed. For example I recently tried to skew the front cylinder bank injectors for a friend on her 96 and it'* not an available parameter. It is starting in 97. Yet on my 97 some transmission PWM settings for the TCC aren't available, they are in 98. As GM went along they added more and more to the programming.

If you tuned your 96, you'd have enough parameters to do what you need.

But in order to tune my 96 i would have to get a 1997 pcm correct? Now for the price what would be more worth while in the long run? a DHP or the HP tuner ? The plan is a friend and I, are planning on going into the tuner and paying 50/50 for it since we both have Bonne'* and he'* planning on purchasing my 00 Impala that i want to get rid of...

So i was looking around zzp and i can't seem to find a cam/rocker combo for our cars that would be good for the price also would be good for future plans which would be a turbo... I called zzp awhile back and they told me of a cam that would work good now N/A and also FI but i can't seem to find an actual "KIT" or combo with the 2... ideas?

Cus i figure with that and the HV3 along with exhaust work the car woujld have a bit more power and would serve me well atleast untill i do FI in the spring or possibly early summer...


Chi_Town

Also after looking around i can't seem to find any real sites that have any specific parts for our cars... Now is there any sites out there like that ? Because i've looked at (zzp,wbody,pfyc,3800) and idk of anymore then what i've listed... Please if there is any let me know =)

Chi_Town

Would this Pcm work?

1998 pontiac bonneville engine computer:eBay Motors (item 320405059005 end time Aug-01-09 18:28:00 PDT)