I am currently looking around for a 96-97 bonnie ssei, but was wondering how I can obtain at least 300 hp ( without da juice ). I don't really want to spend an arm and a leg since I would have to finance the car already. I know when I get it, I will be changing to a high flow cat back magnaflow exhaust; CAI; and changing the supercharged pulley to a smaller one ( from a 93 supercharged bonnies pulley ? ). I would like to do more than just blows doors off rice burners.. however.. I also have friends with Turbo Volvo, his done a few mods and got it up to around 270hp and the car only ways 3100 pounds.. so I"m assuming with 300hp in a 3500 pound car, I would be just as good if not a bit better than his. Any input would be greatly apreciated.

Changing the SC pulley to a smaller size will probably give you the most bang for the buck, but you might have problems with knock retard if you go too small. Putting in rockers and modifying the exhaust would help alleviate some knock. Running 100-octane fuel would help too

Things you can do (and the guesstimated cost) include:

- Pulley ~$70
- CAI ~$80
- Rockers ~$400
- Tranny cooler (not really a go-fast mod, but a good idea to have) ~$50?
- Downpipe & high-flow cat ~$300
- PCM (not available yet?)
- 100 Octane unleaded ~$4.20/gal

Anything I missed?

I agree with what Teubok said but a few things. Pushing 300hp out of the L67 is hard because the roots is very ineffecient for anything other than stock boost/application. But some other details you overlooked, a SSEi weighs in starting at 3600lbs because of all the options loaded in the car. Secondly, you are looking for more torque. Remember the L67 makes 240hp/280TQ... very important difference. torque is what moves you car. So focus on the torque numbers which is the key. And since the blower is a roots, the torque starts building up already at very low rpm'* approx 2500... And also a cam would be better than rockers but rockers are easier but cam is going to provide more power everywhere compared to rockers which will make more power up top past 4000 rpm. But its up to you.

Two more things:

If you want to go all-out, you can get an intercooler for the SC. You could make Son of Blowzilla! (see www.clubgp.com )

Replacing the thermostat is a popular mod. It'* cheap, too. Replacing the 'stat allows the engine to run cooler, resulting in a bit more power. Speaking of which: if you take the plastic shroud off of the engine, engine temperature will drop slightly. This might be the only free mod for the Bonnie

Quick question.. if the SC pulley is changed to a smaller one, wouldn't that affect the timing and cause knocking within the engine?? Or are those all controlled via computer.. It may sound dumb to you all... but I'm relatively new to SC'*.

Nope, the SC pulley doesn't directly affect the timing.

When you replace the stock pulley with a pulley of smaller diameter, the SC will spin faster thus producing higher pressure. Higher pressure means higher air density, which means more available oxygen. Things burn easier as the amount of available oxygen rises. Under such conditions, low octane fule might explode instead of evenly burning. This 'detonation' is a bad thing, so knock sensors listen for the sound of the explosions. If they hear such noises, they retard the timing, reducing the power that the engine can produce. It'* all computer controlled. If you have access to a Tech 2 or an AutoTap, you can observe how much timing advance and/or retard the computer is commanding to the engine.

Well, in 1998 the L36 switched over to a 180 degree thermostat, but the years before that was a 195 degree thermostat. And you can change the pulley and such, just remember that the Eaton superchargers get really really ineffecient at around 10lbs or so of boost and create alot of heat so you have to be careful. That is why Blowzilla moved on to a whipple supercharger and an intercooler and the Grand Prix GTP running a Centrifugal is running a 12.4 because of the lack of heat and a big fat intercooler sitting on top of the engine where the Eaton blower used to sit. So it'* give and take and everything has its pros and cons.

And removing the plastic engine cover does let the engine cool down more, I noticed an easy 10 degree difference on my coolant temperature gauge and it sits at 180 degrees most of the day and rarely ever tops 200.

Here are a couple of retailers that you can look at for performance upgrades. Pretty much anything that is for the GTP will work with your SSEi, except for obvious exhaust and body parts.

www.grandprixstore.com
http://store.clubgp.com
www.3800performance.com
www.zzpeformance.com
www.thrasher-ep.com

Those are the larger ones off the top of my head. The owner of 3800performance.com has a 2k bonneville with over 400hp at the crank.


Lee

Figured I'd drop a post in here, even though I don't have a bonnie... Hope nobody minds!

I would defenatly suggest what is up there, along with a 160 or 180 T-stat. I'm making 252 hp at the wheels with that setup (3.25" pulley) on 92 Octane, with a stock exhaust.

On the PCM side, drop an e-mail to Rob@3800performance.com, and ask about a Bonnie PCM. I know that Dave Buckshaw at Digital Horsepower has a 96 Bonnie, and he has a Custom PCM done up for it.

-Rob

RIVVVVYYYYY!!!

gimme my server back ho!