Now that the buzz surrounding the simple pushrod design, the big-lift cam, the truly high-performance ignition and the race-ready heads has died down, the 1998-present LS1-powered F-bodies are adding to their solid reputations as affordable used hot rods. 1998-and-up F-cars can be had with high miles for as little as $10,000 at the popular auto trader Web sites, finally allowing the budget-minded to own a world-class powerplant. Of course, the fun really starts once that alloy screamer is in the driveway. The LT1's successor had no trouble putting tons of power to the ground in factory form, but the Gen III engine has such a hunger for airflow that it soon became known for making big power with even the cheapest mods. The people buying these suckers used aren't exactly Rockefellers, so it stands to reason they will be as creative as possible in squeezing the most power out of them with the least amount of money. But how cheap can you be while still picking up usable power? Can the thermoplastic-fantastic LS1 respond favorably to a no-bucks mod-fest?
Ex-staffer and reigning wordmeister Jay Heath, who recently purchased a 40,000-mile '99 Trans Am, was brainwashed into wondering the same thing, and we've talked him into a before-and-after dyno thrash/track bash starring his box-stock baby. Only five simple modifications would be performed: cutting the airbox, porting the throttle body, cutting the EGR tube, bypassing the throttle body coolant line, and de-screening the MAF. All of these changes could be done at home with basic tools and a grinder-the question was, would they add power without adversely affecting drivability?
 Before any mods were done...  Before any mods were done to the 3.23-geared, auto-equipped T/A, we spent April 1 at Englishtown's Raceway Park for baseline drag testing. Loaded with such goodies as leather and T-tops and weighing in at 3,486 pounds, the Pontiac was hardly a lightweight. But a best ET of 13.36 at 102.86 miles an hour was no April Fool's joke. |  Next stop: Toms River, N.J.,...  Next stop: Toms River, N.J., and SLP for a session on its high-tech SuperFlow SF-840 chassis dyno. With the wideband O2 installed and AutoTap running, the LS1 funneled 292.2 horses and 299.0 lb-ft of torque to the rear wheels. No knock retard was seen on the baseline runs, and the air/fuel ratio was a safe 11.8 to 1. |  First up is the airlid mod....  First up is the airlid mod. From the factory, the voracious LS1 is forced to breathe through a tiny slit in the airbox ducting. To get more airflow on the cheap, loosen the factory airlid base by unscrewing the four 10mm bolts. Unsnap the airlid and remove it with the MAF still attached. We have two culprits here: the radiator support and the air dam. Remove both from the car. |