horsepower
 

Ok sorry if this has been asked before, I'm sure it has but I never saw it.
Anyway, I am looking into getting an fb for my first car (I am driving around my mom's old corolla now) and one of the reasons is because it doesn't have much horsepower, so I won't get into trouble. But when I become a better driver, I will probably want more thatn 100 hp in my car, and I thought 150 would be a good number, so I was wondering how hard it would be to obtain this? I don't think I would want to port it heavily, just maybe exhaust and intake, etc.

By the way, I'm looking into getting a gsl because of better brakes and lsd and lighter weight, so it wouldn't be a 13b.

Thanks for your time, and once again I appologize if something like this has been posted earlier.

A few more questions
 

I just read that full racing beat exhaust is not street legal because of emissions in some areas, is this true? It wouldn't make sense to me, because there are plenty of cars out there with aftermarket exhaust and headers.

Also, I think I want a gsl, but is it really that much better than a gs? If I find a good deal on a gs, should I buy it, or should I wait and get a gsl?

Thanks again

Hi. Yes, the RB exhasut isn't street legal, but if we can get away with it, we install it!

You will need to find out about emissions in your area.

Hmm, get a GSL if you can. Try to find an '82 because they still had the air to oil cooler instead of that dumb water to oil cooler which never worked very well anyway.

The GSL has AC. Who knows if it was maintaned properly though.

That's my opinion. I'll step aside and lets others fill your head with stuff :)!!!

Get an 84-85 GS and swap the LSD into it. Then put the eariler oil cooler on it. All the GSL's have that the GS's don't (besides the LSD) is power windows, locks, a sunroof, and a bit different interior treatment. It just depends on what you want.

Re: A few more questions
 

the rb exhaust is not street legal in california, but that is not going to stop me from getting it. i am just going to keep my thermals around for when smog time comes..

in oregon, i donot think you will have a problem with it, but to be on the safe side, check. and if it is not street legal, then just swap your old system back in for smog..

it is all about knowing how to get around the system.:D

i plan on upgrading to a racing beat exhaust (from the headers back) even though it isn't street legal in this area (WA). the way to get around it is to put the stock exhaust system back on when emissions time comes around. i anticipating a 15-20hp gain when it's all said and done.

as for getting a GS or GSL, if you can find one, get a GSL. the cars are old enough that it really doesn't matter what trim level you get - they'll be pretty much the same price. when i got mine, the only stipulation was that it was a series 2 thru 4. i ended up with an '83 GSL because it was a good deal. the AC and the cruise control don't work, though.

cpt

Saying you wont get into trouble isnt exactly true. Granted they may not be land rockets, but for the price, the performance can't be beat for a first car... And you can get into a lot of trouble if you arent used to the cars handling, live axel and RWD can make for tricky handling ESPECIALLY IN THE RAIN!! GOD I MISS MY BABY!!!

:(

but yeah, it'll be a perfect car to own, they are decently quick, I was at the point where I laughed at Mugen (Honda), but didnt test my luck with the real cars (well I did but rarely came out on top).... And one more thing, from a roll these cars are suprisngly quick, even with ~100hp

Would a racing beat header and muffler with bonez cats be street legal?
And once again, how hard would it be to get 140-150 hp from the 12a?

around here, basically any exhaust that makes your car louder than stock is technically illegal, but it's usually not enforced. if you can pass emissions with that setup, you should be good, assuming your emission/exhaust laws are similar to mine.

A car with a racing beat header muffler and a bonez cat should pass the emissions test if everything is tuned and your not running rich, ppl pass all the time with that combo., it just matters if the specific shop will let u pass with it, find a local ma and pop shop and tell em and get to kno em and theres a 90% chance they will pass you

as for getting around 150hp you dont even need to port the engine, just need exhaust about $500 and a new carb/intake which is another 300-800 and your around 130-145 hp, than just fix up your ignition and your fuel system around $200 and your def at 150hp... not bad at all if you add it all up, 1200 for car and like less than 2k in mods and you got yourself a KILLER CAR youll enjoy!