It makes the hot-rodding world go 'round. The aftermarket develops parts; we purchase these creations and bolt them on to our rides. When things go right, our Chevys churn out more power, move faster, turn harder, brake shorter, and in general perform better than they ever did when new. As we began this bolt-on examination, we decided to do two things. One was to pick bolt-on mods that, while maybe not the cheapest, are cost-effective. In other words, we endeavored to pick items that deliver a return for your time and money. And our second course was to ask the various manufacturers for documentation. Back up the claims. Show us. Hard numbers were preferable, but we went with anecdotal evidence where need be. Here are our findings. We hope you find them helpful, and happy bolting!
Brakes
It's certainly great to build a slick, fast piece of Chevy muscle, but isn't it equally great when the ride you've spent so much time on stops on a dime, too? It's a performance issue, and even more so a matter of safety. Many of our favorite musclecars came with woefully inadequate drum brake systems, so upgrading to modern components just makes sense. Master Power Brakes carries a number of complete power front disc kits for Chevelles, Camaros, and Novas (for about $850). There's also the 11-inch rear drum upgrade, which we installed and tested in July '04 ("Drumming Away"). This $400 drum setup cut 26 feet off our stopping distances. Then there's Stainless Steel Brakes' Quick Change kit, which changes stock front brakes to a twin-piston caliper and slotted rotor. In testing this quick and easy mod on a small-block-powered '67 Nova SS wearing 15-inch wheels and tires, SSBC reportedly cut the Deuce's 60-0 stopping distance from 160 feet to 110 feet. Plan on spending around four bills for this one
MAF
Bolting in a new mass airflow sensor is a quick and easy way to increase horsepower in a fuel-injected car. An aftermarket MAF interfaces with a car's ECM as the stock piece would, but moves much more air-60 percent more, according to Granatelli Motorsports. Then again, airflow is only part of the story. The sensing element in a MAF provides a signal to the ECM that influences fuel and ignition control. In an aftermarket piece, this sensor is calibrated to maximize performance. So what does that do for you? According to GMS, throttle response and mileage are improved. Oh, and power gains come in at 21 hp over stock on an LS1-powered Camaro, and even a bit more on LT1 versions. Plan on spending about $300.