Alright that makes sense, and by headers do we mean exhaust headers or cylinder heads? I am assuming the later but wanna make sure. I am aiming for more torque though, my goal is increase in HP, but more so increase in torque, so anything that will take too much HP away is not worth it to me, but if I can increase torque with either increasing HP too or leaving HP nearly the same that would be ideal.

Alright I get that now, thanks for explaining! So with that said, when you say infinite loop is the issue the fuel pump, or do you mean you just need to have the DME deliver more fuel? Also, does more air mean generally more torque, more HP, or both?

 

We're talking exhaust headers. Many cars have what you would consider more an exhaust manifold. But in this case, Porsche used a system just like headers. From what I've read, it's a really good design, and unless they fail (as they seem prone to do) there isn't a lot of reason to replace them.

As was said, the stock setup is Torque tuned, and that's good for the everyday driver. Racers and serious autobahn drivers might see benefit with a HP tuned exhaust but there isn't much reason to replace the stock system unless you have a specific need.

The stock headers are a 2 piece design, most aftermarket systems are a one piece design.

The heads are a whole different story, and are likely ok unless you really get crazy.

 

By infinite loop I was referring to the quest for more power -- that never ends, does it?

1) First you make your engine breath better, i.e. get more air in which means more power.
2) Then you increase fuel pressure, get bigger injectors, bigger fuel pump to deliver sufficient fuel for your increased amount of air flow.
3) But now you could use more air so you go back to 1, hence the infinite loop.

Never mind...

 

I got it, if that helps.... LOL

 

Cheers mate, it helps.

 

Alright thanks for that, I figured it was the exhaust headers. Also a question for you, I'm not sure if you know the answer, but if I were to do a late DME/AFM conversion, what all is involved. I know the DME is plug and play other than the altitude sensor which is no concern for me (I live at like 150 feet above sea level), but is the late AFM also plug and play? Are there any custom holes I need to drill or brackets I need to get? Or can I just get my hands on any late DME and late AFM, mount it all up and be good to go? Thinking I can afford to do that now and just do the MAF and chip later down the road.

 

Alright thanks lol, I was being an idiot then haha. Yeah it'll never end for sure, but hey it's always fun to start that stuff.

 

The inlet/outlet of my catalytic converter are 2".
I basically jammed the cat pipe into the stock pipe section and welded it together.

So it's more an abrupt transition.

 

Oh alright I see. Did you get a new CAT then or just replace the piping on the CAT? I'm interested in doing this mod. Do I loose out on much horsepower? I am assuming this helps torque not HP correct?

 

The 2" piping came as part of the new cat I put on.
No loss in power, this was the pipe I made 160hp/165 tq with.

 

Oh alright I see. Well good to hear there isn't a power loss. So then I guess my question is what would you recommend I do? Just a reducer, or replace the whole pipe? And where would I want to locate the reducer? Again I'm a total noob so sorry if they're simple questions with obvious answers. I appreciate your help though.

 

Here's my advice from owning and DD'ing an '83 for the last 6 years: Get what you already have in great shape. Brakes, suspension, tires, belts, mechanicals. Really get to know YOUR car. They're each a bit different. As you go you can make changes and feel the difference. A great resource is Clark’s Garage. There are procedure write-ups that will be a tremendous help.

Things to do:
• Clean all your grounds
• Make sure the j-boot is in good shape with no splits or rips
• Make sure all sensors are functioning properly (like the DME temp sensor you just changed. Also the O2 sensor.)
• Make sure your cooling system is operating properly (including the proper radiator cap)
• Make sure your fuel system is in top shape (lines, regulator, dampener, filter, pump)
• Get your injectors cleaned and rebuilt.
• Replace your vacuum lines with silicone. Replace the brittle plastic t's. Make sure everything is properly run.
• Rebuild your throttle body.
• Put on a throttle response cam when you rebuild the throttle body.
• Be careful "upgrading" your air intake. Putting in a K&N will do nothing. Just putting a cone on the end will do nothing. The air really needs to come from the wheel well or front of the car.
• Change your AOS seals
• Change your rod bearings if you have no car history.
• Get your brakes up to snuff. There's no point in going faster and handling better if you can't adequately stop.
• Rebuild your control arms and change the sway bar bushings if you don’t know the car’s history.
• Put in the 4* cam key the next time you change your belts. It will advance the timing a bit and move the power band
• The Rogue Tuning NA Tune is easily my best upgrade. I also chose to upgrade my ignition at the same time. Josh took care of the necessary DME changes.
• Get the head rebuilt. Have them do a multi-angle valve grind to seat the valve better. Some advise not to get the head shaved. They think it's not worth the expense. I did mine. I think there's not 1 thing that makes more power. It's cumulative. I wish I had sprung for getting it ported. I was told at the time it wasn't worth it. If you can, source a complete head and have it rebuilt. When you get it back from the machine shop, you can swap it onto the motor.
• Address the exhaust system only as needed unless a smoking deal comes along.
• Down the road you can swap in a hotter cam.
• Also at some point, you can put on light weight timing and balance shaft sprockets/components.
• Additionally, think about this—what tire and wheel combo do you have? Fuchs are light. Cookie cutters are a decent weight. Phone dials weigh a few lbs. more. What tires do you have? Are you still running 15's? This is unsprung weight. 1lb here equals 10lbs of sprung weight. Also, people like wide tires. While they look cool, they also add rolling resistance. Without forced induction, you're sacrificing power. There are also light weight aftermarket wheel options.

I’ve done much of these things to my ’83 (still want to do light weight TB & BS components and a hotter cam) plus other things here and there. It will change the way your car drives and handles. Nothing I listed takes your car out of commission very long except the head. Less time if you can swap one on.

 

Thanks for all the help and simple list, I really appreciate that! Most of those things are things I will do, sounds like a good plan overall to get more power and better handling which is my goal. Also, where does a 4 degree CAM key move the power band, lower in the RPM's or higher? Great list though, I will definitely consider most of that. After making sure everything is in good shape, I think I will attempt to do some performance stuff this year.