The Z28 camaro.

well, since this is a new site i figured i'd get everybody caught up that doesnt know what i've been doing for the past few months.
well, more like 2038423 years, seems like it. lack of money really makes things go alot slower!! anyways, this is my Z28 camaro. its a 1986 3rd gen car.
anyways, i picked this up for $400
before i got it, it had either a 305 or a 350 carbed engine.



this car has stock 3.73:1 gears in the differential, unfortunatly i got a open differental and not a posi! so that will have to be changed out down the road.

this was the bay when i got it.
and this was the interior when i got it.

no back seat, im wanting to put some subs back here. they have to be removable tho. this car is being built for 1/4 mile.

my gauges, 150mph speedo and x100 tach. i want to get white face gauges to match with my white vents.

here's the trunk area.

I've had a amp rack back here, and 5 12"s up front but i ripped them all out because it sounded like crap and made everything rattle.


i took a few cans of paint and made it all one color. the red/black/primer wasnt cutting it!

well this was the engine when i got it. casting numbers are showing me 250-300 HP and 350 pounds of torque

(sorry for the small pictures)

after cleaning through 1 inch of grease and slime i started using degreaser and wirebrushing it.
it took a couple days to get it paint ready. after i got all the gunk off i then soaked it in gasoline several times and whiped it down. this is an old trick used for paint prepping. it takes all the grease and gunk off and the gas evaporates and leaves nothing but a paint prep'd surface.
i then started to paint.


after i got done with all the paint the engine looks like this.

i picked these up off a friend for $20. there fully stainless and retail for like $300 he said.
specially made for side mount exhaust like im putting on here.

it took me a few months but i bought a transmission for this. i wanted either a th-350 or th-400 because i dont think a 700r4 would handle the power. or anything else along those lines. so i got a TH-350 i also got a torque converter with the trans and i got a torque converter with the engine so i now have two.

all bolted up and ready to drop in.

i also pulled the plugs to keep from breaking them.
i should have pulled the distributor also! it was a PAIN to put in with it on. i ended up breaking a peg on the rear of it but it didnt break the metal contact so it still works.

me and chris had to wrestle it through the dirt to get it into the bay, luckily i had chris to help me ( the guy in the picture) because i dont weigh enough! me 151 pounds vs. 600 pounds of engine/tranny = not good!


finally got it in (wasnt ready 4 the shot)

now as of lately i've just been making stuff for it, and cleaning up hoses and wires! and wiring!
most recent picture of bay is

Looking great plus you can come back to this thread in a few years and laugh at all the great memories!!!

great work... love that car!

yeah! if you dont change your mind! just kiddin buddy.
i started it up yesterday and it didnt wanna accelerate so i think i hit the
distributor while putting the motor in and retarded it. so now im trying to find a timing light. i lost mine

woooo! more young people!!! im not aloneeeeeeeeeeee!

awesome work man.

i love camaros. i did all the same but it sucks to rip an engine out and put it back in when you only have like 72hp!


nice build. bet this thing sounds nasty

lol yeah. the engine is at 250-300 stock HP but not all of thats getting to the wheels.. well none of it yet because i dont have a driveshaft! but when i get money im putting either a crane or comp cam in it to make it sound even more mean =] right now its just open headers. scraping up money for other stuff. after i get it built im going to start buying performance (cams, heads, forged stroker kits and twin turbo or supercharger kit. and a air intake w/ moving butterflies.
im told 400 hp to the wheels will pull the front end, with all the stuff im putting in it ill have 500-800 HP.
but this will all take lots of time and lots of saving to buy the parts! oh and im also boaring it .030 over to a 383 stroker.
not to mention taking money out for the suspension..tranny rebuilding.. differential posi kits, tires.. ect.

michanic220 wrote:

lol yeah. the engine is at 250-300 stock HP but not all of thats getting to the wheels.. well none of it yet because i dont have a driveshaft! but when i get money im putting either a crane or comp cam in it to make it sound even more mean =] right now its just open headers. scraping up money for other stuff. after i get it built im going to start buying performance (cams, heads, forged stroker kits and twin turbo or supercharger kit. and a air intake w/ moving butterflies.
im told 400 hp to the wheels will pull the front end, with all the stuff im putting in it ill have 500-800 HP.
but this will all take lots of time and lots of saving to buy the parts! oh and im also boaring it .030 over to a 383 stroker.
not to mention taking money out for the suspension..tranny rebuilding.. differential posi kits, tires.. ect.

nice!

i had a chevy 90 model 1500 with a 350. i had aftermarket everything in the engine, cam, lifters, performance intake, 4bbl carb, crank, bored out to a 383 as well, with a beefed up 5speed and gears. i loved that truck. think i was running about 500 hp and could easily stand it up. but i lost the truck when i moved out and left performance alone since then. now im all show and no go!

A little advice from a former Firebird owner..

First off, great work so far man!

As for the rattles that these cars are NOTORIOUS for, let me say something that is usually taboo on a car audio forum...in the case of an 80's Camaro/Firebird.....Less is more. Let me explain.

That huge enclosure you built with all of those subs LOOKS great, but as you know it will turn the car into a coffee can full of nuts and bolts. What I did when I had my '88 was build a simple rectangular box that fit snugly down in the T-Top hole in the hatch. The box was divided into two chambers, I believe they were .5-.75 cubes each iirc. I had 2 10's loaded into it firing OUT THE SIDES! Back then I used Hifonics Olympian subs powered by an Orion XTR amp, but nowadays, who knows what I would run. Maybe the PPI Pro series reissues?? Anywho, that setup BLEW AWAY MY 4 12 setup I had before! No joke. Cleaner, louder, and didn't rattle the car near as much. After a thorough coating of Dynamat, it didn't rattle at all. Another trick for that car..your dash pad is going to rattle, how you stop it is get some foam tape, and run it along the underside of the dash pad wherever it comes in contact with the dash. The dash will still bounce around a little, but it won't make a peep.

Another thing...you're going to notice the 4x6" speakers in the dash, for lack of a better term, blow. Literally. You will NOT be able to keep them alive (Went through 8 sets in a year, I know). My solution in the bird was to build up the door panels to gain the depth needed for a proper speaker setup. In my case I had a 1" dome, a 6.5" woofer, and a 4" mid-woofer. On top of that, in the B-pillar I was able to stuff an 8" woofer and a 6.5" woofer on each side, powered the fronts and rears each with their own Orion XTR. That was a MEAN setup. With the woofers in the B-pillars and the system on full tilt, you could see the B-pillars flexing from the pressure from outside the car.

Anywho...probably way too long of a post, but I wanted to give you a little advice since I have a little experience with those cars.

the 5 12"s was temporary, i did it to see how it would sound and how loud it was. and yes, it did make everything rattle. but i just want a decent set of 12"s or a single or two 15"s. i loved my L5 so im thinking of getting two L7's. but it wont be for a while. in my dash i have two (i think) 3x6"?? boston speakers with furo fluid cooled tweeters. they sound great for a oval shape set of speakers. i also have two jensen 6x9's in the rear which are alright on the bass end but dont sound as good as the bostons.


also, i fixed my timing problem on the engine, i had it 8 degree's advanced. i must have smacked it while putting the engine in. i got it close but not dead on the 0. i couldnt see because water on the harmonic balancer was glaring the timing light flash. this fixed my reving problems and now its scaring me. just tapping the gas shoots the tach up to 5k. its deffinatly gonna be a fun car when i get done.

as far as the rattles go, the bare doors rattle most. i gotta get door panels for them. or make some either way. as far as everything else 90% of the floor and walls have some kinda silver stuff to keep it from rattleing. like dynomat but i dont think its name brand.

when i get the car together i can finally start saving for some fun stuff.
Likee.....

this.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/SUPER-TWIN-TURBO-KIT-CHEVY-SBC-CAMARO-TRANS-88-89-90-91_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trkparmsZ72Q3a1171Q7c66Q3a2Q7c65Q3a12Q7c39Q3a1Q7c240Q3a1318Q7c301Q3a1Q7c293Q3a1Q7c294Q3a50QQ_trksidZp3286Q2ec0Q2em14QQhashZitem280312339007QQitemZ280312339007QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

and gotta do away with the powdered rods and steel crank soo..

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Chevy-383-Forged-Stroker-Kit-chevy-350-69-84-2pc_W0QQitemZ150310088166QQcmdZViewItemQQptZMotors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories?hash=item150310088166&_trksid=p4506.c0.m245&_trkparms=72%3A727%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

I will probably put a crane or comp cam in before i buy anything this pricey. i just gotta make sure its boost capable.

im broke and work is slow so it wont be anytime soon. but just to give an idea of what the future of the car is.

Lookin' good Joel !! Bet she gets up and jumps when you're all done. (or is anyone ever ALL done with a project ??)

ohh ill have it together, but ill never be done!

what is the point of being done???? That would be no fun....


OK OK OK My celica Will be done this year!

THAT i highly doubt jeff!
you can never be done with a vehicle
specially a celica!

Give me about 7 months and I will prove you can finish a car!!!

lol, i cant do that. ill be completely satisfied one day and be like wait.. no that could be better! or i like this, not that! on my car. so im always doing something new. it helps keep me occupied.

Well the hope is to have a new project sometime in 2010!!!!

But I am sure little things will be done to the celica cause I never plan on selling it! I bought it brand new with 5.2 miles on it and the rest is me!!!!

michanic220 wrote:

lol, i cant do that. ill be completely satisfied one day and be like wait.. no that could be better! or i like this, not that! on my car. so im always doing something new. it helps keep me occupied.

2nd that! it keeps me busy and when i'm stressed, thats the first thing i go for.. what can i do to my car to get my mind off things? lol i dont' believe ANY project can be totally finished.. thats the fun of it..

yeah but I am kinda leaning towards the next project in 2010!!! I am kinda excited about that....

but yeah yall are right cause I probley will always be doing little things to the celica....

lol, i have three projects right now! first and for-most is the Z28 camaro! then after that is my KTM 250SX that the flywheel self destructed the coil! i completely rebuilt the engine now i just need a coil and a flywheel but i gotta get this car together first! and 3rd would be my boat that im rebuilding! that can wait for the summertime! im in a rush to get my car together b4 i turn 18 on june 24th! because i wanna take a road trip somewhere out of florida! anywhere but hereeee! im 8th generation down here, never been out of the state of florida

COME TO Biloxi Ms on June 19th 20th and 21st!!!! Scrapin the Coast Car Show!!!!

idk where that issss. lol

my buddy is selling me a 480/480 cam.

i need new valve springs tho to support them.

i wanted a rough idle cam...
this isnt one..
its labeled nasty idle
lol.

where is oak Hill, near Jacksonville, or south near orlando