As the title says, I have a bone-stock '07 Grand Prix GT and I want to drop some cash into the engine. I don't want to get too crazy, but I would like to be able to surprise someone with a GXP or any of those newer ~300hp V6 Challengers and Camaros. I've already had a surprisingly evenly matched run-in with a sort-of-hotrodded (i.e., loud and obnoxious) GXP around town, so I imagine it's not completely out of the question to skew the performance advantage slightly in my favour, no? I've already got my dad's 2009 3.5L V6 Challenger beat without even having to do anything but I'd still like to be able to give my buddy with his 2010 300hp V6 Camaro a friendly run for his money.
I'm trying to plan how to get the most out of this car in roughly $1000 increments. Right now I'm only planning for the first increment. I already have a TransGo shift kit, I just need to have it installed, so discount that from the $1000 for now (it was only like $50 anyway.) Once that's taken care of, I've decided on the Overkill ASI Series III kit with the larger MAF sensor ($195) with pulley mods in mind for down the line, as well as the Overkill PCM ($225). So far that's ~$420. I'll also be throwing a train horn in there for cheap laughs but that's beside the point right now.
Now, with ~$580 remaining, what are the next most beneficial performance upgrades to consider? Headers? Cams? Modular pulley? Intercooler? Catback? Cat delete? 3" downpipe? Performance mufflers? Performance exhaust tips? (Kidding...) Throttle body? (Are there any throttlebody upgrades for the 04+ Series III GP's? It was one of the first things I looked for but I could only find Series II upgrades...) Should I wait until I can spend a little more on something a little outside of my budget range? (I.e., that $3000 turbo kit from 3800performance? LOL!)
I've read the 3800 tech FAQ on the Overkill website, but honestly most of it goes right over my head. It looks like header and cam upgrades would be the way to go eventually, but I'm completely clueless when it comes to valvetrain stuff (I'm also under the assumption that valvetrain stuff is both labour and time intensive and therefor expensive as hell and probably out of my realistic budget reach, but I'd be glad if someone could show me otherwise), so for the time being I'm more focused on pulley and air intake/exhaust mods because I can wrap my head around how that stuff works. Any good places online to learn about valvetrain mechanics, especially as relating to the 3800 engine?
Next, what smaller things should I also be taking into account sooner than later? 180º tstat? Autolite 104s? Other?
I've been researching the forums and comparing opinions and reviews but right now it's all a little much for me, so rather than jump into this on my own and end up possibly disappointed or hoodwinked because I've never done anything quite like this before, I'm here asking for guidance. I know generally what I want done, but not exactly how to do it, or what order to do it in. Keep in mind that I'm not really well versed in the technical aspects of car mechanics... I got into an accident at 16 that made insurance prohibitively expensive for most of my adult life, so rather than spending my teenage years driving around, learning about cars, and dumping all of my money into car stuff, I got into playing and modifying electric guitars. It's this "mod factor" that I draw parallels between my guitar habit and what I know is possible with my car thanks to forums like this, I just don't really know where to go past the regular cold air intake and pulley stuff that everybody seems to start with.
Apologies if this is posted in the wrong forum or if I'm asking too broad of a question here. I'll gladly post this in a more appropriate forum if necessary. Thanks.
