First thing is your buddy ain't flowing 278hp with stock e7 heads, if he has GT40 heads he has them hogged out in my opinion, I know guys with Twisted wedge aluminum heads a cam and and intake who dynoed at 270rwhp. I find it hard to beleive he ran a 12.8 at 107 with 3:27 gears and a 2.0 60' time. I might be wrong, but my experience is calling bs here.
Secondly the sensor your talking about is the Mass Air Flow Sensor, not the maf body, and it can get dirty and affect how your car runs. CAI stands for cold air intake and is usually used in reference to the many aftermarket models such as the BBK, Mac and Moroso units among others.
Thirdly they are not Pan Hardening bars they are a panhard bar or a torque arm and are most commonly used on road racers more than drag cars. It is also a Tubular K member, not a K frame.
As far as advice, the roll bar is not a bad idea as the chassis is already very stiff on a drop top anyway, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to do both. Suspension is very important in drag racing, the more dedicated the drag suspension the better the 60' times and for every tenth you pick up in the 60' is good for at least a tenth, sometimes more in the et. A torque converter, and sticky tires will help more than anything else right now. good luck
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