To reduce accessory drag loss, a March Performance underdrive pulley set (PN 4485) would be bolted up to the motor. The clear powdercoated crank pulley is made of high quality 6061-T6 billet aluminum, which ensures that it will look as well as it performs for years to come. Meanwhile, the downsized black steel alternator pulley will ensure proper electrical charging, even at idle. Both pulleys and the hardware will run about $107 at most retailers, and the shorter belt will cost another $28. Not bad when you consider this six-rib pulley set is advertised as being capable of 11hp gains. When combined with the other mods, the Firebird could easily overshoot my initial estimations.
To make the most of our free flowing exhaust and rockers, not to mention the other bolt-ons, the '94 OBD-I PCM was sent out to FastChip where tuner Ed Wright could tickle the keys on his computer and make our sloppy 11.64 air fuel ratio a thing of the past for $350. In addition to being a former NHRA racer and master of the screws, Ed has also proven EFI prowess with his own LT1 Firebird, which has gone 10.28 at 131 mph with a naturally aspirated 383. That being said, I felt well at ease with Ed's skilled hands adjusting the timing and fuel on the aging 'Bird, but less confident in the car itself.
At the last trip down Englishtown's 1320, an off-idle stumble was noticed at launch that was initially attributed to a set of carbon-crusted plugs. So the initial plan was to do a basic tune-up including plugs and wires before bolting up a higher amp ignition coil. But knowing that the '94 was equipped with the earlier non-vented Optispark also had me wondering if this could be an early symptom of a failing distributor. So I decided to take no chances and before we could finish putting the car back together and begin testing, the Opti would have to be replaced. For those of you familiar with this dreaded contraption, this was to be quite an endeavor to say the least. Lucky for me, enough time has passed where there are now several options for LT1 owners looking to rid themselves of the Optispark blues. Unfortunately, our ignition adventures would have to be saved for another day as will final dyno and track testing. Stay tuned; next time the boys at Ron's Custom Auto will complete (what should be) our final bolt-on install before we move on to bigger and better things.
 A 16mm socket is needed to...  A 16mm socket is needed to disconnect the Y-pipe from the MagnaFlow cat-back. |  The Y-pipe is liberated once...  The Y-pipe is liberated once the two 16mm bolts on the exhaust hanger are removed. |  Since we will be changing...  Since we will be changing the spark plugs and wires, Junior used a 10mm socket to pull this bracket and the plug wires out of the way. |