1998 Black SHO Checking in!

[MDV8SHO]

Hi! Figured I would check in with my black 98 SHO. Bought it last summer from my friend's dad with around 214k on the clock for $615. He maintained it meticulously, provide some thick binders with the Chilton manuals and diagrams and pictures of him trying to diagnose the IRMC as well as other things. So far I did some work to get it state inspected; had to do the power steering pump, replaced the front dead SARCs with some ebay quick struts, and replaced a front coil pack that was diagnosed as bad engine mounts (amazon bluetooth OBD2 was a great buy!). I tried to replace the engine mount but it was damn impossible to replace, no amount of engine jacking made clearance to change it. Anyway I've done a few minor things to it since. Did the V8SHO.com K&N intake mod simply for more intake noise, I know it won't give me anymore power. Just wired up the secondaries as well as the IRMC was gutted and dead, seems to have given me better pick up and noise. I'm looking to put on an exhaust once I have some more funds this summer (drained my bank account at college) and am looking for some guidance on the best way to add some more noise without to much obnoxiousness. The only problem currently is a minorly leaking front valve cover gasket, just enough to give the hood an oil sheen but only puts out a little smoke occasionally when it is parked (no change on the dipstick). Plan on changing it out this summer. Just wondering about any other things I should do, I don't know if it is welded or not but it seems like it is past its "failure lifecycle" at this point. I know that this section is fairly dead but any input or cheap mod ideas would be greatly appreciated! It is in great shape, just a few seat rips but everything works great. Thanks!

 

[SHOdded]

Welcome to SHOforum, MDV8SHO, glad to have ya here!

 

[stephen newberg]

Yes, welcome. You do need to pull the valve covers right away, though to check if the cam sprockets have been welded, though, as there is no real time at which slippage happens on those that have not been welded. It just does eventually, with engine fatal results.

Though there is very little that can be done to realistically improve the engine to any great degree, there is a lot of room to help the suspension for better handling. Depending on how loose you like the rear end to be, you can alter the rear sway bar, in particular, though some have also changed the front. Additionally, the front box is way too flexible stock, so you can add firmer or even solid front subframe bushings and a strut tower bar is also very useful. Some alter the springs to change their rates. From your post I am not sure which new struts you put in, but in general firmer is always better from a handling standpoint. The car can actually be made to take back road curves very quickly and confidently with a bit of work.

pax, smn

 

[98SF19]

What a blessed occasion it is to hear about a new Gen 3 owner member on the forum. Though the price you paid for yours won't help these cars to appreciate in value, it sounds as if you're already a passionate Gen 3 owner. As for upgrades, +1 on checking for welded cam sprockets. Did your friend's dad have any tranny work done? I'd be really surprised if he hadn't. The trans-go shift kit is a must. Also, a Gen 2 tranny oil cooler is a good idea, especially if you're in the south. These can be found used in various sections of this forum. There have been many posts recently on a pcv catch can upgrade, as well as an electric water pump, which I haven't heard of anybody actually using (I think Nuke posted a link to one a couple of months ago). Along the same train of thought, the underdrive pulley was a good one back in the day but there haven't been any Gen 3 ones in the retail market for many years. Shosource sells SHO parts for various gen models - mostly gen 1 & 2 - and anymore, it's rare to fine a viable upgrade on amazon or ebay, as opposed to simple replacement parts. There are exhaust upgrades and even carbon fiber hoods, but these will run you some $$$.