What is the best thing to do to make a 96 Buick Park Avenue more powerful, has the unsupercharged 3800, which is a GREAT engine, but not powerful enough, it could only squeal tires for about a second, with one tire in the leaves.
Anything to improve mileage also?

3.4 moduler pulley
headers and exaust
CAI (or whatever intake you preffer)
and i would say a good tune most importantly
that will def. get those tires squealing and still give you decent millage
also should be good for a solid mid to high 14'* quarter mile if that tune is done right

"Narrator: I am Jack'* complete lack of surprise. "

As with all engines make it breath better so to speak. cram more air and fuel in and let it get out easier in laymens terms.

what i suggest:
intense fwai 200
custom fabbed headers(i don't think anyone makes em for your ride i could be wrong check intense) 800
smaller pulley 50(puller included)
pay for a tune(300+)

thats like lvl one. obviously you could go different ways about it but headers intake and tune are the big 3.

you'll gain probably 30-40hp at the wheels for around 1500. assuming you can install if yourself.


anything more and your talking dropping a boat load of cash and the more power you make the trannies shat themselves all over the place. also the only good diffs were made by quaife who doesn't sell them anymore. so you're stuck using a clutch based diff which is sadly all you can use.

go google intense 3800. they are basically #1 in engine mods. there website should be all the help you need. or give them a call they are VERY friendly on the phone. so call em up. tell em what you want. and they will tell you what to buy.

INTENSE-Racing.com: 3800 - Performance Packages

simple. easy. fun.



oh and your ability to squeal a tire says nothing about the power of a car'* engine fwiw.

edit as 1999L36 said. with 1500-2k invested and a GOOD tune you can hit high 14s. you probably run high 15s now and dropping a second for 2k is a pretty good deal. unfortunately the car is rather heavy. a large investment needs to be made to make it 'fast'

if you have the tuning right you can go 14'* my friend can hit 13.8 in his 2004 monte with the same setup unless your telling me that park ave weighs 1200lbs more than a monte then its def. possible to hit 14'*

side note im not trying to argue or anything just letting people know this is possible but you need a really good tune we tuned this car for months but still nothing wrong with a low 15 second park ave if the tune is not that great

Some of those are a bit expensive, but the tune up may be the only thing he'll pay for, the car doesn't even have a roof, just the fiberglass to show there used to be a cloth roof
he is the cheapest person I know-

LOL!.....In that case tell him to pour a quart of Petroleum Ether down the gas tank and cram in a package of moth balls. It'll wake it up for a little while.

if not much money will be spent just drop a pulley size do a gutted air box (just search the forum on how to gut it plenty of guys have showed some nice stuff on here) then try to get some kind of exaust someone might have a used one somewere and still the tune is what will put this all together and make it go good should only cost like $100 for pulley and intake probley find some kind of exaust for $300 and i would post on the forum and see if anyone with a hp tuner will be willing to tune it

or go with venom'* advise sounds like a good time too me lol

Didn't he say in the first message it'* not supercharged? No pulley to change. This limits what can be done a bit. 14s is possible but harder without a M90.

First to help mileage, new plugs and O2 sensor.

To help power, clean oil, clean air filter,(gut iar box and install a K&N) Rockers or cam(big price here) Headers(expensive) PEMs best price, powerlog on front, good price. New CAT helps flow. Once you have the engine exhaling properly you can do more with intake, port & polish intake.

And as stated, a good tune.