Exhaust, maybe headers, and other help.
 

Hi everyone,

Long time lurker for the past few months first time poster. Let me start off by saying i have a 2005 3400 LS, sucks for modding from what i have read but was in good shape and decent price.

I currently have a FWI that i installed myself and i am looking to boost performance. I have searched this site high and low and am learning something new every day, but i need help in deciding an exhaust set up. I know that deleting the ubend will increase hp but what else? 2.5 is the size of pipe i believe i will need b/c i dont plan on boosting. Is headers a good idea or even wise? High flow Cat? delete resonator? I am looking more towards performance than sound.

Also i do not have the ability or the confidence to even try installing the parts unless it is fairly easy/bolt on. So if anyone could recommend a good exhaust shop in southern mi that would be good to.

And for the sake of keeping this all in one thread sense i am sure everyone is sick of seeing multiple threads on the same topics can someone recommend a tuned PCM or something along the lines of that. Any other performance upgrades that come to mind that are easy to install?

-Ryan

hey ryan..
welcome to the forum...

I to live in se mi. Theres a place here in lincoln park called top value that does a great job. Mandrel bends etc....

However I think its a bit for for you to come from grand blanc....

Welcome to the site, there are a lot of Michigan members here. I think any improvements to the exhaust are going to improve performance a little bit. I would look into a downpipe from zzp with a cat built on. That would also get rid of the u bend.

Thanks guys. I will have to check them out. I would much rather drive a few hours and have the job done right, than have it done twice. lol and when i looked at zzp all i see is 3800 engine, will those parts work for the 3400 or am i on the wrong site lol

ZZP used to make a 3400 downpipe but I don't know if they still offer it. Honestly, deleting the u-bend, adding a high flow cat, etc isn't really going to give you performance. If you're not going to boost your engine, the headers really won't benefit you for the price associated with them.

3400s have made power before (mainly with the Pontiac guys though). For simple setups, the FWI is good, provided it's constructed properly. Get an Overkill PCM tune (getoverkilled.ca), get a downpipe w/ high flow cat (Magnaflow makes a 3400 one I believe), get a Y pipe, install dual mufflers (Magnaflow sounds great on a 3400) and really, call it a day.

Edit: I should also mention (now this isn't a very easy install, but it'll make some power), get a larger throttle body (65mm) and ported UIM and LIM to handle the larger TB. Milzy Motorsports sells them.

Sadly, I don't know if I would go through Milzy these days. Back in the day he was really cool to work with and had a passion for the community, but it seems like during the past few years, he hasn't had the best work ethics.

A friend of mine is a bit of a 3400 nut, and he HIGHLY recommends going through WOT-Tech (Homepage for WOT-Tech - WOT-Tech). That site has some decent options for the 3400 cars.

If you plan on going turbo, don't get headers. If you plan on getting headers, don't go turbo, lol. It's a vicious cycle. And if you don't want that, sell the Monte and get an 06 or 07 Monte SS and don't worry about modifying it and just enjoy owning a low 14 second Monte.

1. Unless you have tons of money and tons of time, the 3400 isn't the engine to be modding... trust me, I'm doing it as we speak (manifolds, exhaust... etc.) It's a ton of money and not much outcome. You're better off swapping to the 3800, which I almost wish I would have done... more power for less money.

2. The 3400 has an annoying drone at low RPMs, so be careful with exhaust (Think magnaflow)

3. WOT-Tech is good, but not much more interest has been going into the 3400 engine. Ben is working more-so towards BMWs and at times he is pretty full of himself, being the leader of the 60* 'nation'.

4. Milzy isn't worth your time or effort, unless you're getting his headers (best 3400 headers available at a $1200 price tag). I have a tune from him, I get good gas mileage, when I don't touch the gas, the shift points are good for 2nd gear and 3rd, that's about it. Mike isn't a very good people person from what I've gathered and it can get worse and worse over time with him.

5. Stay away from the Grand Am forums for advice. They're all more biased than the guys over at ClubGP and they know half the information compared to the guys over at ClubGP.

6. Search around the site and take a while to learn what you'd be getting yourself into, how the 3800 is probably a better option for horsepower or if you're really looking to get into it, think about the LS4, only been done once that I've seen and is pretty dang sweet if you ask me.

60degreev6.com is a great site to search around and learn for the 3400, although a couple of the guys over there are also full of themselves when they start decent builds.

Honestly I think your best bet is to look into one of the following: (in this order)

L67 Swap (240 Supercharged Whining Horsepower)
L36 Swap with L67 topswap (higher compression than L67 swap so more power/more work)
LS4 Swap (Most Work/Most Power/Most Potential(Turbo))


And most important... Have fun and Good Luck! :thumbsup:

Thanks for all the responses. I've read the horror stories about milzy so i think will stay away. Now time to go research the engine swaps. What are your guys opinion on which swap is best? If i go turbo wont that decrease the life of the engine because the higher pressure/wear? Lots to think about. Glad this community is so helpful.

Unfortunately, anytime you modify your engine at all, it's life expectancy to go down. This is especially true when you change cams or other major valvetrain components, or when you apply some kind of forced air to your engine. So if you're worried about your engine's life, then don't modify it.

With that said, my 3800 has had an aftermarket cam for about 105k miles now, and has been supercharged for about 30k miles. Currently I'm at about 165k miles and am having no signs of problems whatsoever. I'm also one of the lucky few that am rocking an almost stock tranny (only mod being a shift kit), and my tranny is the original as well. If you get a 3800, life expectancy isn't a real issue unless the engine is well north of 200k miles. And even then, just buy another 3800. They're a dime a dozen.