Hey Guys,

I just bought a 1994 Bonneville SSEi. My 84 V8 S10 Blazer was rear ended so I had to start anew. The deal on this car was really good, so now I have four doors and FWD.

MY question is regarding the lack of performance part availability for these things. You'd think that in an industry that has intakes for saturns, there would be something for these cars. My limited research has come up with the following available mods

Intake (only two makers if Im correct)
Chip
Pulley (one maker for the pre '96 blown cars)
Exhaust (custom)
Basics (lower stat, wires etc.)

The rest seems to be all custom made parts. Cam, roller rockers etc.

Anybody else have any ideas? Again I've done about a days research so forgive my ignorance! Is a blower swap possible? I've read about Wills Water injection. Anybody have success with nitrous? What kit? All custom?

OHH and what does this thing run in the quarter? I know its alot slower than my truck but how much so? My track is closed for the season but I will run the car come spring. Just wanted to know what the 225hp in a 2691lb car will do stock? Anyone?

Again nice to be on board and from what I can see, you guys are definately focused in the right direction!

Dave

First of all, welcome to the forum.

Now gettin' down to business.....
Your first mod should be the 180° Thermostat, and ANOTHER Tranny cooler. Before anything else, bar none. These things run hot, and before 'boosting' anything else, cool it down. Save your engine and tranny.

Intakes - theres only one intake known to me SPECIFICALLY made for the Bonneville and designed by a Bonneville owner. www.angryducktofuracing.com Click on products, engines, intakes, then CAI and ADTR. Hector is the owner, and he'* one of our moderators. Mine will be here next week, and will be the first install in a Series I motor like yours. Stay in touch for results.

There are chips available, and a bit of controversy about them all. We have 2 users running superchips, and one running Jet. My Jet will be here today, hopefully, and will be installed this weekend.

Gotcha on the pulley. The 96 is the first year of the Supercharged Series II motor, which is well supported in the pulley department because of the popularity of the Grand Prix. However, there IS a pulley available for ours. www.scperformance.com
BTW, we have the M62 Eaton blower, and the Series II has the Eaton M90.

Exhaust, you nailed.....sort of. ADTR is working on an exhaust setup, and is looking for a Bonneville in So. California to test it on before making it available. Other than that one, you ARE looking custom like the rest of us. I'd wait and see what Hector comes up with.

The basics? Stay away from Anything Bosch. NGK is great, some guys swear by the Iridiums. Stock AC Delco would also be a good choice. Custom wire sets can be had, too.

Wanna get gnarly? Check out www.domesticperformance.com for some serious stuff, including transaxles and motors. Also check the links section on the header bar. Engine internals for our cars are a direct swap with the GP community. Same drivetrain. Rockers, lifters, cams, all that stuff, and readily available.

Blower swap is out of my league. With the potential already in the Series I with the M62, I'm not sure I'd attempt it, but you may have a bigger budget than me Water injection? A pet project, but it did get me an additional 2 pounds of boost. There are commercial units available, but if you've read my info on it, I'm taking advantage of the air compressor already in our cars for a pressure source. It'* not something you will probably run every day, just when you're out hunting

NOS? Ask Drifter He loves to talk about it, and has done some diggin along those lines. I think he'* still considering a system in the spring.

You'll find alot of help here. I did. Everybody here has their own area of expertise. This is where I learned everything I just shared with you. A lot more info can be found up in the Techinfo link on the header bar, also. Work in progress.

Stock performance times for the 1994 SSEi should be about mid 7'* for the 0-60, and high 15'* for the 1/4.......but a LOT of potential. Probably alot more than you expected. One of our members is spanking GP'* with a 2000 SSEi at 12.192 1/4.

Good luck, and keep us posted on your progress!

If you have the money skip the bull. Either swap in a series 2 sc engine and transaxle or rebuild your current unit with the zz performance non-sc - supercharger kit for the series 2 in mind. Take a look you wouldn’t actually need there kit just the same system. I am sure with a rebuilt series1 you could get 400hp. you will need a ASG 4T60-E transaxle to make it work but it can be done. You could send your car to ASG through a purchase on my website and they will install a 5.0L caddy 4.9l with 300hp. they also can set you up with a turbo to gain that extra 50-100hp. its not cheap but custom is the way for the neglected Bonneville. Either way the end reliable panicle for the Bonneville is the 400-450hp range. If you want more I am waiting for the first person with the money for me to set them up with a 4.6L caddy engine I can drop one right in they can reach 700-800hp. The 4t80-e can take up to around 6-700 max but I am sure with the right amount of cash it could go higher. Have fun.

Ty
Domestic Performance

Welcome to the forum ixlr8,
One thing I noticed in your message that was neglected by Will and Ty is the fact that our engines come with roller rockers and billet cams already. This engine is a carry forward of the Buick 3.8 and was engineered with racing technology. It is also balanced from the factory. Read the following about our engines, It will put your mind at ease about your little V6. When Ty and Will say these engines have potential, they aren't kidding.

www.thrashercharged.com/L67_htm/engine_tear.shtm

Just a little plug for thrasher.. They are the innovators of the 3.8l movement and they are the company I will get my heads done at. Actually that custom option is not up yet. Ask them and they will do your heads even if they don’t advertise the option. I say do it once and do it right.

Ty

Thanks SO much guys!

WOW so much help so fast! Well for the moment I'll be sticking to the B.P.U. and after the engine gets tired the rebuild sounds good! Havin six cylinders and positive manifold pressure is very different than what I'm used to. Small Block Chevey guy through and through, so this should be a great learning opportunity!

Actually being that our altitude is 3500ft in Calgary I am hoping that the forced induction will help eliminate some of the loss due to the low oxygen level! Naturally Aspirated engines have a hard time making power up here!

Thanks again for all the help and responses!


Dave