Alright I have a few questions, some for your opinion and some I'm looking for answers. 1. What difference does an ignition upgrade make? I hear people talking about their upgraded ignitions by Mallory or MSD and I have never been sure what good it does. Is it worth getting for my currently stock lark? 2. Is there some sort of thread sealer for things like thermometers which you screw into the top of the manifold so water doesn't get everywhere? 3. My turn signals aren't working, yet my brake lights are- is this a symptom for a bad ground wire? And I just replaced the blinker, all bulbs are good, and nothing is corroded. 4. In your opinion what is the best starting upgrade for a stock Lark? A posi, cam shaft, 4 speed, turbo, heads, headers, racing style wheels, or what? I'm just looking for opinions and ideas. Thanks for all the help. :TU:
I'll go first: It depends on the performance level of your car. In a stock car, there is NO reason to convert away from stock points, if you are reasonably handy under the hood. The maintenance is very minimal, and points are the MOST reliable ignition components. If you have a modified, higher output car, however, the hotter spark and increased plug gaps from an electronic ignition system are part of maximizing your performance. An aftermarket water temperature gauge manifold connection can be sealed with teflon tape. Probably a bad connection under the dash at the turn signal switch, or perhaps a bad switch. Those switches are, surprisingly, still available at the dealer. They may have to run a search for it, but it should be available. The best cheapest thing you can do is give it a thorough tune up, and then power time it. Spend some time and read through this post and the replies: http://www.v8buick.com/showthread.php?t=63475 Good luck!
Thanks Frank. So sticking with my stock ignition would be good since it's just a cruiser? And I need to replace my spark plug wires, would a mallory set be too much? And I know the tips on the stock wires are straight but would 90* tips be fine? I've been using a thermometer that leaks water since july and I couldn't find any sealer- yet I had 5 rolls of teflon tape in the tool box and when I was cleaning out the garage last saturday I thought when will I ever need this!
The best starting upgrade should be 2 1/2" exhaust and headers. If you don't, you won't see any benefit from anything you do to get more air/fuel into the engine (like heads,turbo,camshaft).
Will the turbo kit from Justa350 still work with headers? I thought it only worked with the stock manifold. And I already have the duel, i'd just need the headers.
You are correct, his kit only works with stock manifolds. I am not going to say headers won't improve power but it won't come close to what a turbo will give you.
Unless you are doing a rear mount system, turbo should definitely not be in that list. If you are going to go the underhood turbo route, you will be getting rid of the headers, and 2 1/2" duals aren't necessarily the post-turbo mainstay. The single kit uses stock manifolds, the twin kits come with turbo manifolds.
So having a turbo=no headers... And the turbo obviously makes more of a difference than headers. So it would be worth it to just not get headers and save the money for the turbo? How much of a power difference does a turbo make, and how much of a power difference do headers make anyway? Just curious...
You could expect 25-50 hp with headers. If you start off with 250hp and turbo it to 8psi with an inter cooler you are looking at 400-450hp.
Even more than that, is that the turbo system can support BIG power if you decide to build a stout shortblock later. My twin kits will make 700 plus HP if the engine will take it, and still be streetable. Trying to street cruise 700hp naturally aspirated is not as easy.
Sorry to hijack, but James do you make dual REAR turbos for the Riv? I may hit the lotto one day!!1:TU:
if youre really thinking about going with turbos down the line and want to atleast give youre current setup more power...go with a 3inch exhaust..that why when yo u do add turbos you wont have to upgrade youre exhaust system to a bigger diameter. or if you already have dual exhaust get a ta212 cam and retune youre distributor
I have also been wondering about hood pins. For my hood they'll be just for looks. But are there certain kinds you guys recommend like size/brand/style/etc, or are there any tips for hood pins and the installation? Basically- are they worth it?
