I say you fix the gasket leak first. Which is more like a Lower Intake Manifold gasket leak than a head gasket leak. 3800'* arent known for head gasket problems. But it could happen I suppose.

If youre going to get serious about modding you should get a scanner first. You need to scan your current setup to make sure youre getting the most out of it before you consider modding even further.

Honestly some headers would work nicely and then a 3.4 or 3.3 also. Even though that is out of your price range it would give you a nice bump in power. If you're looking for more power under $500 how about an Intense FWI? Or maybe a electric water pump not the most bang for the buck but definitely in your price range. Or even pick up a good used Gen 3 M90 and port and polish it your self.


Ed

I saw the electric water pump and thought that was an option too. How difficult are those to install? Should I increase my car'* voltage to compensate? (Caspers V-Plus Volt Booster for 3800 Series II Engine) Will I need to buy a shorter belt?

The electric water pump is a waste of time and money unless you plan on going to the track alot.

You gain some hp back from the belt path, but you lose some of what you gained in increased load on the alternator. The major advantage of the EWP is to be able to run your pump in the staging lanes at the track without the engine running in order to cool your car down.

I think I saw in Summit'* catalog different size alternator pulleys (oversized and undersized). Would it be a good idea to go with EWP and an oversized alternator pulley to compensate for the increased alternator revolutions due to the shortened belt?

Overdriving the alternator will cost you more HP. What'* the point?

Just curious, how much of an increased load on the alternator would happen using an EWP ?