Need everyone's help on my 1988 camaro project.

[MusclecarChhris]

Well, after the carshow I mentioned in my other thread, the one that made me feel depressed seeing all those kids my age with tuners like the ones you see in NfS or F&F, I thought some ideas over last night, and here are the ideas I got.

1. A personal favorite of mine, why not change that V6 in my camaro into a tuner engine? It may seem kinda retarded at first, but think about it, a multiport fuel injected HO V6 is the perfect candidate for a tuner engine. I could install an exhaust that made it look and sound like a big V8 musclecar, while is is really a "sleeper", in a different way. I could rebuild the engine, buy a turbo for it, bore the cylinders, and get a High-performance computer system. And, with all that power, the thing is still somewhat fuel efficient.

2. The 350 engine swap idea. This is a pretty cool idea too. Pretty much all I would have to do would be to find a non-fuel injected 350 and rebuild it, bore it, and drop it into the Camaro.

3. Another personal favourite,the bigblock. This would be a bit more difficult though... my dad has what's left of an old Trans-am bigblock 400 in his shed, needs to be heavily rebuilt, and I would have to change the motor mounts, bend metal, install heavy duty struts, and rip computerized parts out to get it to work. The result: a dual-carbuerator modified bigblock 400 pushing a good bit over 350 horsepower. The major drawbacks: the difficulty of swapping a bigblock into an 80's unibody, and fuel efficiency.




BTW, me and my dad (he's a graphic artist) decided to make our own performance package for the car, like the "IROC" package, "Z28" or "RS" package. It's called the "ZL-1" package, in honor of the 69 drag cars sold to the public in 1969, and the single big block car made in 1993. It involves custom striping right above the rocker mouldings with "ZL-1" merged into the middle, like the '85 iroc-z, a zl-1 badge for the spot on the bumper in the back, "ZL-1" on the doors, and carbon-fibre vinyl racing stripes just like the ones on the 2002 camaro special editions.

So, what do you think would be the best path for the engine?

 

[Jay]

So, what do you think would be the best path for the engine?

LS series Chevrolet small block engines are becoming more and more cheap these days, simple design, reliable, lots of power right out of the box, quite efficient (compared to older iron carby V8's), fairly easy to install and lots of potential. Buy one with the 6 speed T56 still bolted to it, fit it all in and you have a fast fun car.

Sure they cost more than a older iron 350, but rebuilding, tuning, turbocharging (the V6) all adds up in price, almost always well over expected.

If you want to stick with a older 1st generation 350, you can get brand new 350 crate motors quite cheap with around 290-300hp out of the box.

 

[MusclecarChhris]

There is a website that sells a 350 for $2,599 + tax with over 300 horses. But you have to buy the carbeurator of fuel injection for it.

 

[Keichi Tsuchiya]

Well, after the carshow I mentioned in my other thread, the one that made me feel depressed seeing all those kids my age with tuners like the ones you see in NfS or F&F, I thought some ideas over last night, and here are the ideas I got.

1. A personal favorite of mine, why not change that V6 in my camaro into a tuner engine? It may seem kinda retarded at first, but think about it, a multiport fuel injected HO V6 is the perfect candidate for a tuner engine. I could install an exhaust that made it look and sound like a big V8 musclecar, while is is really a "sleeper", in a different way. I could rebuild the engine, buy a turbo for it, bore the cylinders, and get a High-performance computer system. And, with all that power, the thing is still somewhat fuel efficient.

2. The 350 engine swap idea. This is a pretty cool idea too. Pretty much all I
would have to do would be to find a non-fuel injected 350 and rebuild it, bore it, and drop it into the Camaro.

3. Another personal favourite,the bigblock. This would be a bit more difficult though... my dad has what's left of an old Trans-am bigblock 400 in his shed, needs to be heavily rebuilt, and I would have to change the motor mounts, bend metal, install heavy duty struts, and rip computerized parts out to get it to work. The result: a dual-carbuerator modified bigblock 400 pushing a good bit over 350 horsepower. The major drawbacks: the difficulty of swapping a bigblock into an 80's unibody, and fuel efficiency.




BTW, me and my dad (he's a graphic artist) decided to make our own performance package for the car, like the "IROC" package, "Z28" or "RS" package. It's called the "ZL-1" package, in honor of the 69 drag cars sold to the public in 1969, and the single big block car made in 1993. It involves custom striping right above the rocker mouldings with "ZL-1" merged into the middle, like the '85 iroc-z, a zl-1 badge for the spot on the bumper in the back, "ZL-1" on the doors, and carbon-fibre vinyl racing stripes just like the ones on the 2002 camaro special editions.

So, what do you think would be the best path for the engine?

Your car is NOT a tuner. It would be horrible if you take it and try to force it to be something that it is not. If you really want to do something with it go towards the muscle car approach, where it is supposed to be. If you are really hell bent on a tuner, sell the Camaro and get yourself a better platform for modding. Maybe a '95 Civic hatch, or something in that price range.

 

[Wolfe]

There are Mustang and Camaro owners out there who build their V6 models up to be faster than the V8 ones. If you wanted to go down that route, I'm sure you could find a forum somewhere on the internet with others who have done it that could give you tips. That would be the more unique thing to do anyway, and you can imagine the look on your classmates' faces when the "big bad V8" that just smoked them turns out to be "just" a V6.

On the other hand, swapping one of GM's V8s into there would be as easy as pie. Hell, these days, swapping a GM V8 into anything is easy as pie, because there are already at least 500 people who have done it, even on the most obscure models.

Your car is NOT a tuner. It would be horrible if you take it and try to force it to be something that it is not. If you really want to do something with it go towards the muscle car approach, where it is supposed to be. If you are really hell bent on a tuner, sell the Camaro and get yourself a better platform for modding. Maybe a '95 Civic hatch, or something in that price range.

I don't think you're thinking of the word "tuner" in the same sense that he is, unless you honestly think a '95 Civic hatch has more potential than his Camaro.

 

[JCE]

First of all since I am probably the only one here who owns a 3rd gen F-body maybe I can help you without all of the biased bull**** you will get from people hating on your AMERICAN car.

Here is a resource for you: http://www.thirdgen.org/techboard/

1. A personal favorite of mine, why not change that V6 in my camaro into a tuner engine? It may seem kinda retarded at first, but think about it, a multiport fuel injected HO V6 is the perfect candidate for a tuner engine. I could install an exhaust that made it look and sound like a big V8 musclecar, while is is really a "sleeper", in a different way. I could rebuild the engine, buy a turbo for it, bore the cylinders, and get a High-performance computer system. And, with all that power, the thing is still somewhat fuel efficient.

If your wanting a Japanese engine in your Camaro you better have alot of time and money. Fabricating mounts will be expensive--and is something you can't do yourself unless you have alot of experience. And even then you are limited to drivetrains from RWD Japanese cars--which there aren't many realistically to choose from. Your BEST canidate is using a Nissan RB series engine+tranny. A sheer abundance of power, lots of aftermarket, and the engine/tranny can be fairly easily obtained.

But, honestly you need to think more American. If you want something unique you can put the following V6 engines in your 3rd gen (I'm including the stock engines as well):

• Buick GNX 3.8L Turbo
• GM 2.8L (stock 3rd gen)
• GM 3.1L (stock 3rd gen)
• GM 3.4L (stock early 4th gen)
• GM 3.8L Series II (stock late 4th gen+Grand Prix)
• GM 4.3L (Cyclone/Typhoon)

I'm actually going to use the 3.8L from the late model 4th gen and drop a couple of turbos on it myself. That or I'm using an LT1.

2. The 350 engine swap idea. This is a pretty cool idea too. Pretty much all I would have to do would be to find a non-fuel injected 350 and rebuild it, bore it, and drop it into the Camaro.

Swapping a 350 is in my opinion boring and everyone and their sister has done it. But if you DO decide to do it go carburated. Junk yards and craigslist are your best resources for getting cheap used engines for rebuilds. But might I suggest using an LT1. They came in the following cars:

• 1992-1996 Chevrolet Corvette C4
• 1993-1997 Chevrolet Camaro Z28
• 1993-1997 Pontiac Firebird Formula and Trans Am
• 1994-1996 Buick Roadmaster
• 1994-1996 Cadillac Fleetwood
• 1994-1996 Chevrolet Caprice
• 1994-1996 Chevrolet Caprice Police Package
• 1994-1996 Chevrolet Impala SS

Absolutely AVOID getting LT1's from the Caprice 9C1 Police units and ones from early F-bodies (Camaro/Firebird/TransAm). Your BEST source for an LT1 is the regular Caprice, Buick Roadmaster, and Cadillac Fleetwood. As those were mostly elderly owned and driven and should be low miles and good strong running engines.

3. Another personal favourite,the bigblock. This would be a bit more difficult though... my dad has what's left of an old Trans-am bigblock 400 in his shed, needs to be heavily rebuilt, and I would have to change the motor mounts, bend metal, install heavy duty struts, and rip computerized parts out to get it to work. The result: a dual-carbuerator modified bigblock 400 pushing a good bit over 350 horsepower. The major drawbacks: the difficulty of swapping a bigblock into an 80's unibody, and fuel efficiency.

Again, boring. While not quite as overkill as the regular 350, still it has been done to death. If you DO decide to go this route use that 400 from the Trans Am and build it from the block up. Should be a strong motor.

And do keep in mind that it is NOT difficult to get a big block into an F-body, it has been done 1000 times over.

So, what do you think would be the best path for the engine?

If you want smaller engine fuel efficiancy do the V6 swap. If you want more power do the 350 dual-carb swap. If you want to be different and you have a large bank account ($15k+) do the Nissan RB26DETT swap. If you want something slightly different do the LT1 swap. If you want some very good power and modern everything do the LSx swap. And finally if you just want to go fast the cheapest way possible do a regular TPI 350 swap.

Your car is NOT a tuner. It would be horrible if you take it and try to force it to be something that it is not. If you really want to do something with it go towards the muscle car approach, where it is supposed to be. If you are really hell bent on a tuner, sell the Camaro and get yourself a better platform for modding. Maybe a '95 Civic hatch, or something in that price range.

What's to say anything isn't a tuner. Last time I checked the word "tune" can be applied to anything. If you are saying that he has to have some Japanese rice burner like the Civic to be a tuner then that's ok--he can just call his Camaro V6 "modified" then instead of "tuner". But know this, you can put any engine in any car just about with the right amount of money, tools, time, and experience. If he has those things I say drop the Nissan RB or VQ35 in his Camaro then.

There are Mustang and Camaro owners out there who build their V6 models up to be faster than the V8 ones. If you wanted to go down that route, I'm sure you could find a forum somewhere on the internet with others who have done it that could give you tips. That would be the more unique thing to do anyway, and you can imagine the look on your classmates' faces when the "big bad V8" that just smoked them turns out to be "just" a V6.

Exactly why I'm thinking of going the 3800 Series II w/twin-turbo swap in my '90 Camaro. 👍

On the other hand, swapping one of GM's V8s into there would be as easy as pie. Hell, these days, swapping a GM V8 into anything is easy as pie, because there are already at least 500 people who have done it, even on the most obscure models.

Agreed. If they can stuff an LS1 into a Fiero then you can stuff a RWD Japanese engine into a Camaro--though I don't know why you would unless you want to be drastically different.

I don't think you're thinking of the word "tuner" in the same sense that he is, unless you honestly think a '95 Civic hatch has more potential than his Camaro.

+1 Great reponse here. This is 100% correct. The SB Chevy 350 has 1,000,000% more potential than any Honda engine.

 

[breakpoint]

I would say just stick with a SBC. One of the best combo's i have ever had was a 350 stroked to 383. Great torque and well of course the great hp expected from a small block. The 383 i had was running at 455hp on the dyno (at the rear wheels). Using a V6 out of a GN would be great also but that would be rather expensive and hard to find also. If you are trying to keep it at a lower cost and keep the project a pretty straight foward type project then i would suggest getting a LS-1 with the T56 tranny with it from a yard. Around here they can both be picked up for around 2,800 bucks. You won't have the faster car around but you will have a great running engine and a good drivetrain to match. If you try the BB from the trans am you will have issues with the yoke mating to your drive shaft so you will either have to get a new one welded on or you will have to get an adapter to mount to the bellhousing to except the bolt pattern ( been there). But good thing about the LS-1 is that there is all kinds of aftermarket support such as superchargers and turbo kits and such. So if you when the funds came available you could strap a kit on and grab another 100 hp. And then there is always the NO2 wet kit....

 

[YSSMAN]

My thoughts in basic form:

- Keep it cheap
- Keep it reasonable
- Keep it easy

Where does this lead us? Its pretty simple really. The third-gen Camaro was a chassis that generally saw a lot of changes during its lifespan, so for the most part, the sky is the limit with what you can do. The car has been around long enough where pretty much anyone with money has done something to it, and quite frankly, any changes are going to be pretty easy to do.

The easiest way to build up a pretty fast car on a budget is to go and use the standard, value-priced, high-performance parts available through any GM dealer, or your standard JEGS/Summit catalog. My thoughts:

1) GM High Performance 350ci crate engine, 330 BHP, ready-to-run: about $5000 with shipping. CLICK

2) Richmond T-10 high performance 4-speed manual transmission. A little less than $2000 with shipping. C:ICK

3) Hurst universal Indy 4-speed shifter. About $200 with shipping. CLICK

...Obvious other things left-out here are going to be the small modifications that are going to have to be done to the fuel system (due to going carbed), the transmission, a few of the gages, etc. Its nothing that can't be done fairly easily, but you've got to spend money in order to do it right.

With the Camaro, its pretty much drag-n-drop with most parts, as its more or less a matter of finding the right ones, and getting them in there. There are plenty of people who would probably just take care of it for you (that is, if you don't want to do it), but even doing it by yourself, it wouldn't be too hard.

I've seen a lot of third-gens done up really well, particularly those that started with a V6. You've just got to spend the money in order to get it right...

 

[JCE]

The third-gen Camaro was a chassis that generally saw a lot of changes during its lifespan, so for the most part, the sky is the limit with what you can do.

Actually the 1982 chassis was pretty much the same as the 1992 chassis. Bodywork, engine, suspension (slightly), and the interior (slightly) were tweaked. But for the most part the 3rd gen was the same platform from 1982 to 1992.

The car has been around long enough where pretty much anyone with money has done something to it, and quite frankly, any changes are going to be pretty easy to do.

The easiest way to build up a pretty fast car on a budget is to go and use the standard, value-priced, high-performance parts available through any GM dealer, or your standard JEGS/Summit catalog. My thoughts:

1) GM High Performance 350ci crate engine, 330 BHP, ready-to-run: about $5000 with shipping. CLICK

2) Richmond T-10 high performance 4-speed manual transmission. A little less than $2000 with shipping. C:ICK

3) Hurst universal Indy 4-speed shifter. About $200 with shipping. CLICK

Dude you HAVE to be made of PURE MONEY to be able to afford that rediculously overpriced product. You can (and I can show you) easily and cheaply obtain a much better drivetrain. LS1+T56 combos with ECU+wiring+acc can be found with low miles for $2800~3000 shipped.

I've seen a lot of third-gens done up really well, particularly those that started with a V6. You've just got to spend the money in order to get it right...

That's the problem, if you decide to drop $8k-10k (way too much unless you want a show car) for some trick setup yes it will be nice but you can do more for less money. Fuel economy was one of his points, you can't accomplish GOOD MPG from a crate carburated engine. The LSx is just the perfect alternative to ordering a crate engine in my opinion. The LSx+t56(or 4L60E auto) is just a better cheaper alternative if you are going the V8 route.

Just my opinion.

 

[YSSMAN]

I know what you mean. To be frank, if you're looking to spend that much money in modifications, you'd almost be better off buying a late-model F-Body (say '98-'99) with the 310 BHP LS1 and the T-56. Faster, more efficient, arguably better-looking...

Good deal to me!

 

[breakpoint]

1) GM High Performance 350ci crate engine, 330 BHP, ready-to-run: about $5000 with shipping. CLICK

Ah man, i spent 400 bucks on my block (4-bolt main) and 1,200 on machine work and i would guess about another 500 bucks on intake and HP HEI (used) and other little hear and theres and it was dyno'd at 455hp at the wheels. You just need a southern accent and you could get it cheaper. Also get a can of cope and walk in with that in your lip, better deal for you for sure. But i got my heads for a steal pretty much. Used 305 heads which come in on the block a little more so i wouldn't have to notch the frame for my headers. Went in a 1979 Malibu Classic. Had 202\160 valves and other porting and work done and just traded my heads that came with the 350 and 400 dollars( and the heads i had were cracked!) Getting a motor built by a local shop is much cheaper. Plus you have to watch the GM blocks because allot of the "base" blocks are being made in good ol Mexico and they are riddled with imperfections. The guy that build my SB showed me what he was talking about, he started boring and honing one and well look at what he found....glass all in the block that had been just casted in it! I guess somebody had to much cerveza

 

[JCE]

I know what you mean. To be frank, if you're looking to spend that much money in modifications, you'd almost be better off buying a late-model F-Body (say '98-'99) with the 310 BHP LS1 and the T-56. Faster, more efficient, arguably better-looking...

Good deal to me!

WTF? Better looking? Oh hardly.

1982 Z28:

1986 IROC-Z:

1992 Z28:

1984 Trans-Am:

1989 GTA:

1991 Trans-Am WS6:

Are you kidding me? Those are so much better looking then the 4th gens. With only one exception, the last version of the Trans-Am WS6. All other 4th gens looks pale by comparison to me. Performance is 200% better, but the looks are not. He needs to keep the 3rd gen.

 

[YSSMAN]

On the engine topic:

Doing a junkyard dog is good and all, but if he is going to be running this every day, you're going to want some built-in driveability that comes with a warranty. There are shops all over the country that will sell you a 350, and quite frankly most of them are going to be halfway decent models. It may be a personal preference, but I'd rather buy a brand-new crate motor for a bit of cash than running the risk of modifying some '70s-era block that really wasn't meant for high performance whatsoever.

...Plus, GM will sell you a truck engine for half the price that sheds a few BHP, but has a bit more torque. That may be a better option...

---

On looks, its a personal thing really. I'm not going to say that the 3rd gens were bad (hell, I grew up around them), but I prefer the 4th gens overall.

^ Matt Berger's SS is still one of my favorites, as is the good-ol Screamin' Chicken WS6 from 2002 V

But even then, I love the looks of the early 4th gens, particularly the 'basic' Camaro Z/28 and the Firebird Formula V8.

(I like those best in white)

(The Formula always looked best in Black)

...Just as a contrast, my Father, who owns a '68 Camaro, likes the looks of the 2nd Gen the best. I think overwhelmingly most people are going to agree that the 1st Gen is by-far the best overall, but then it gets willy-nilly as to what they like second to the originals....

 

[Jay]

I think overwhelmingly most people are going to agree that the 1st Gen is by-far the best overall, but then it gets willy-nilly as to what they like second to the originals....

Not me, my father (and I in the later years before the market for them dropped out) imported a lot of American cars, 1st gen Camaro's where one of the popular models to import and I have been around and in them quite a lot, but they are not my favorite Camaro model. Early 2nd gen is my Favorite (~1970), sometimes they can look bad but when, but often they look awesome.

 

[JCE]

I can't believe no one is here to back me up. From 2nd gen through 4th gen it is understood by as many Camaro lovers as I've met that the 3rd gen is the better looking car. But like I said, the Trans-Am WS6 in any form is just sexy--and the last ones made in 2002 were just perfect. I personally hated the Camaro's looks from 1970 through 1981. Oddly enough the Firebird/Trans-Am was better looking more of the time in almost every year...except maybe from 1982-1992 when all of the 3rd gens F-bodies were sexy as hell.

 

[YSSMAN]

Well, the '77 Trans AM wins with the Texas Paint, no matter what...

...Growing up in a Chevrolet family, anything Camaro is kosher around the house. My Dad always talks about buying an '81 or '82 Camaro Z/28 and throwing in a built 327 similar to his (425 BHP '67 Corvette engine) so he could get the better handling and the straight-line performance of his '68. But, he also loves the '70-73, and every time he sees one with the split-chrome bumper, he goes on and on about how he wants to get one...

Mind you, we're in the middle of restoring his '68 right now...

...I should make a thread about that...

 

[breakpoint]

I will back you up on saying that IMO the early editions look horrible and they are redneck bound. But as far as the stock blocks being more reliable and the early 70's model blocks not being made for performance?! Are you serious? Most people seek the earlier blocks like that, much better for performance. Not to mention the 70's is the muscle car era. They were building some strong blocks, most of the crate engines that you can afford are only 2-bolt mains...thats total junk. Also if you goto a good shop and not some redneck doing it out of his trailer you will get a warranty. But what do i know i only have my ASE's and worked as a mechanic and also built and owned a low7 high 6 second car (eight mile, we don't have quarter here) And i drove mine every single day, it was my daily driver. Only problems i had was with the amount of power i was making.The torque converter bolts were backing out and broke 2 of them off on the bellhousing. Also went through 2 rear ends, and a few other misc. little problems. And these problems also stem from me running it hard almost every weekend at the track and not to mention when a kid pulled up next to me and wanted to run the fancy new mustang his parents bought him that he thought was so fast. How could i resist, i could come out so hard that i would be past the intersection before he would even be a quarter in it...they would always just give up and then the next light would always have a surprised look on theyre face as they yelled "holly shi! what do you have in that thing!? But what do you expect when you are driving a car with that much horsepower and torque on a daily basis? If you want reliable then keep it under 350 horsepower.

And i love the 70-73 also.

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

If you want to keep that 88 Camaro I would go with option #2. Easiest and the least expensive way to make a fast sleeper car. You can find a 350 in the junkyard for around $300.00 then have it rebuilt for around $800-$1,000. If you do everything yourself it will be much cheaper. Or if your lucky enough you can run that junkyard engine for a long time while you mock up everything for your car.

 

[Tornado]

The 3rd gen Camaro (in Iroc or Z28 spec, of course) destroys the fourth gen in every way imaginable in the looks department (the early 4th gen cars look about a foot too long, and the later ones look like Cavaliers), and if it wasn't for the post-1998 cars, the same would apply to the Trans Am.


Anyways, back on topic:
Find a fuel injected small block. When it starts on cold days you'll be glad you went that route instead of using carbs. You can also have a used small block (be it iron or early aluminum) for less than a grand, and the iron ones from, say, a junked 3rd gen Camaro, can be made to have similar outputs to LS1s for stupidly low money.
@ Those suggesting a twin turbo 3800: Not only is the small block comically cheaper, no doubt, but a 3800 would probably cost the same as a 350. You can then apply said twin turbochargers to the 350 instead, and any fuel economy benefits the 3800 would have would really be negligable.
@ Musclecarchris: Is you car a stick or slushbox?

 

[JCE]

Actually, if he has the automatic then he's running a 700R4 which is the direct decendant to the 4L60E automatic which in my opinion are some of the best automatics for medium performance applications you can get. Infact the only real difference between the two is the electronics--or lack there of in the 700R4. If he has the T5 his best bet is to swap that out for a T56 if he does the 350 swap.

I'm 80% likely to do the 3800 Series II TT swap in my Camaro. I'm not doing it for fuel economy gains, I'm doing it because it is unique and something different. There has been 2 people in the country I've heard of who has done it. TWO, and this is between 2 of the most popular Camaro forums.

Maybe we've all gone off the deep end, maybe we should wait for him to respond to all of our comments? lol

 

[Tornado]

If he has the T5 his best bet is to swap that out for a T56 if he does the 350 swap.

I agree, but if he has a slushbox I really don't think it would be worth it to make room for the T56. It would probably be easier (and cheaper) to just buy another 3rd gen Camaro that already has a T5 and 350.
I would personally try to replace the 700R4 with a 4L80E (assuming a slushbox is in place), as they are designed to handle more torque than both the 4L60E and 700R4.

 

[JCE]

Yea but those (4L80E) are harder to come by and more expensive otherwise I'd agree with you.

 

[YSSMAN]

I agree, but if he has a slushbox I really don't think it would be worth it to make room for the T56. It would probably be easier (and cheaper) to just buy another 3rd gen Camaro that already has a T5 and 350.
I would personally try to replace the 700R4 with a 4L80E (assuming a slushbox is in place), as they are designed to handle more torque than both the 4L60E and 700R4.

Largely the choice of transmission is something that has to be decided by the driver based on what they want to do, and how they want to drive the car. Chances are that the car has the 700R4, which isn't a bad transmission, it just isn't quite as "sturdy" as the Turbo 400 predecessor, or the 4L80E successor. I can't remember the part that fails often in the 700R4, but either way, JCE is right when he says its a good medium-duty transmission.

On the subject of a manual transmission, its more or less a difference of how much money you want to spend and how hard you want to work the car. A T-56 is going to handle just about anything you throw at it, but that is part of the reason why even used models can go for upwards of $2000. A solid T-5 should fit the bill, and combined with a good rear axle with the correct rear-gear (a 3.73 is going to probably be the best-overall setup to go for), performance should be decently good.

Either way, a choice of transmission can really only be done before we know what engine he is going with. If you go the carbed route, you're going to want the old-school Turbo 400 or 700R4. Anything "modern" by comparison is going to need the 700R4 or the 4L80E. Of course with manual boxes, you can match those up to just about anything...

 

[xXSilencerXx]

http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/

Check that place out. They have lots of info on swapping engines and tuning of camaros. I personally think you should put an LS1 in it.

 

[MusclecarChhris]

:?...Well, glad to see everyone helping me out! It doesen't have a slushbox, and never will as long as I own it. 5 speed manual is what it's got. I might go through with the junkyard 350 idea, but there is just 1 thing I want to say: There isn't anyway I'll get a V8 and leave it FI. If I get a 350, I'm taking everything that has to do with the comp. out of the car and replacing it with mechanical parts. What about the exhaust? What is the exhaust that will make it sound MOST like an extremely loud V8? And, any suggestions on springs and shocks? Then again, I still might go with the supertuned V6 idea. Another idea popped out of my head, why not take the sheet metal off the camaro and make it into a firebird? is that possible?

 

[JCE]

:?...Well, glad to see everyone helping me out! It doesen't have a slushbox, and never will as long as I own it. 5 speed manual is what it's got.

That means you've got the T5 tranny, which also means you can grab yourself the T56 6spd and be in heaven.

I might go through with the junkyard 350 idea, but there is just 1 thing I want to say: There isn't anyway I'll get a V8 and leave it FI.

So if you are going carb you don't want a blower?

If I get a 350, I'm taking everything that has to do with the comp. out of the car and replacing it with mechanical parts.

Going all carb and no computer is going truely old school. And I do have a certain amount of respect for that conversion. If this is what you decide do to then go for it!

What about the exhaust? What is the exhaust that will make it sound MOST like an extremely loud V8?

Simple solution(s). For one if you know someone who can pass your car's emissions if you live in an emissions testing state just dump it pass the catalytic converter with no mufflers and it will sound like a drag car. Or if you prefer to have a full exhaust kit DO NOT GO FLOWMASTER. Flowmaster is the most OVERRATED piece of **** out there. Grab yourself some SLP exhaust, that in my opinion sounds the best over all the V8 exhaust packages.

And, any suggestions on springs and shocks?

Swap over all the main suspension parts from the C4/C5 Corvette along with a 4th gen Z28/SS/WS6 rear end and then get some decent aftermarket struts and shocks and you'll be good to go.

Then again, I still might go with the supertuned V6 idea.

I'm doing it (most likely), and a few others have done it with surprising results. There is one person I read that turbo'd his 3.1L stock V6 and outran stock 5.7L TPI IROC's and Z28's. I think doing the 3800 Series II swap from the 4th gen would be a great project--and even better when you add a couple of turbos. Stock the 3.8L that came in the late 4th gen Camaro made 240bhp/240lb.ft. of torque--which in a 3rd gen would already outrun a 5.7L 3rd gen.

Another idea popped out of my head, why not take the sheet metal off the camaro and make it into a firebird? is that possible?

Easy, very easy. The only main differences are the front fibreglass fascias , hood, headlight support frames, and the rear taillight setup. Other than that EVERYTHING is the exact same on the exterior. You don't even need to really cut any sheetmetal minus possibly the taillight section. I've actually thought about doing this myself, turn my Camaro into a 3rd gen Trans-Am WS6 like this one:

http://www.thirdgen.org/tech/images/gallery/91redTA1991FirebirdTransAM.jpg

*edit*
One last thing, I'm dropping in a 4th gen 1998-2002 Trans-Am interior into my 3rd gen as well. Thankfully EVERYTHING will literally bolt right in from the 4th gen. There are pictures and info on the thirdgen.org forums about the interior swaps.

 

[breakpoint]

Don't go flowmaster? Ah hell i am going to have to get an old video of my malibu and post it so you can hear it then. I had 3" dumped out of 2 chamber 40-series flowmasters with a cheap set of headers that i can't remember the name of and the car sounded great.I jerked the cats off when i ran my exhaust, i live in alabama we don't have fancy things like emission tests....lol. And open exhaust sounds like a tractor running down the road, might as well get some thrush mufflers if you want it to sound like that. I got compliments on the sound almost everyday. They were dumped at the rear end with no turndowns for a long time and it was very deep and had a nice growl, then i messed that up by putting turndowns on it. Still sounded good just nowhere near as deep. Before the turndowns it would rattle the rear view mirror. But even after them i would still set off car alarms when i went passed cars in lots that had alarms...lol. I will take the old VHS footage to my friends next week when i get a chance and get it shot over to digital so i can post it up for you to hear it if you like.

 

[YSSMAN]

:?...Well, glad to see everyone helping me out! It doesen't have a slushbox, and never will as long as I own it. 5 speed manual is what it's got.

Awesome. If you're converting to a V8, you may need to beef it up just a bit, but no worries... You've got a good platform there...

I might go through with the junkyard 350 idea, but there is just 1 thing I want to say: There isn't anyway I'll get a V8 and leave it FI. If I get a 350, I'm taking everything that has to do with the comp. out of the car and replacing it with mechanical parts.

What you're thinking is becoming more popular these days, and even GM got the news: They're selling carbed versions of the LS2 from the factory (in a crate obviously), but that is a bit expensive to buy outright. I'd suggest finding a good, strong, basic 350ci crate motor for not too much money, and just go from there. I'd call for about 300 RWHP, so you're going to need at least 350-375 BHP at the crank to be getting the 'good' numbers...

What about the exhaust? What is the exhaust that will make it sound MOST like an extremely loud V8?

Flowmaster Super-40s are going to be about as loud as they get, however there is always the classic Cherry Bomb brand (what we have on our '68). Otherwise, there are those side-pipe kits which are pretty sweet, but that costs a bit of money to throw together (you know, the electric butterfly valve ones...).

And, any suggestions on springs and shocks?

Poke around and you'll find something. Eibach is going to have the better racing-style springs, maybe go for the Koni or Bilstein shocks, but then again, I'm not certain what each offers for the 3rd gen.

...Check out Jegs or Summit, they may have suspension packages ready for the car out of the box...

 

[JCE]

they may have suspension packages ready for the car out of the box...

Or gank a C4 suspension and add some good shocks/struts and you'll be good to go.

 

[breakpoint]

Or gank a C4 suspension and add some good shocks/struts and you'll be good to go.

What i was thinking:tup: On my cousins 2003 T\A he bought a totalled W6 and swapped over the suspension from it. Helped allot. Still was a bit loose in the rear end, but what F-body isn't? Mustangs are bad about it too, i had a 2002 GT and it had aftermarket coil overs and other goodies when i bought it and it still loved to step out on me.