"John"

Alright so I bought a 91 Camaro RS (305 TBI WCT5) this summer. I plan on putting in a 350 (or 383) sometime in the future. I plan on the output to be somewhere in the 350-400 horsepower range. I want to know what needs to be replaced to handle the higher horsepower. What could stay? What will I need to upgrade?

"John"

Sorry if this is in the wrong category.

danclemts

iTrader: (1)

Are you talking about just the motor or the whole car etc?
With that much more HP and depending on traction from your tires, you start twisting unibodies, driveshafts and breaking transmissions, mounts and stuff. I'm sure folks will chime in

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

Run th ecar when you get this "350 - 400 HP" thing into action. Show us the dyno sheets or the track time slip (including all the intermediate points like 60' etc.) and then we can help you guess at what's likely to break first next.

No measurements, no exist.

In the meantime, we'll help you get an HONEST 350 - 400 HP. Starting out with a TBI 305, you've got a ways to go.

"John"

Danclemts: Whole car. I need to know what will break so I can replace it before it does...

Night rider327

iTrader: (13)

Sub frame connectors should be the 1st thing on the list
Better clutch kit
Poly trans mount
Poly torque arm bushing
Better cooling system... Make sure you have good fans, shroud, rad.

The rest of the car/parts will be fine at that power level for a while...

Next weakest points will be
Stock U joints
Stock T5 trans
Rear end

"John"

Nightrider: Are you sure the T5 and Rear end will be fine? They were my main concerns...

Night rider327

iTrader: (13)

Yeah they will be fine until you get traction and start beating on it pretty hard.

I know T5s are very weak, I seen stock 305's break third gear in them, but learning how to drive it goes along way into keeping the thing together... You don't shift the thing w/o using the clutch, you don't shift while keeping throttle floored, you don't "speed" shift from 2 to 3, you don't rev the engine to 5000 rpm and jerk out the clutch pedal...You know all of those kinds of things.
Every one I seen with my own eyes in person break, I would say was driver error to some degree. One was back when I was in my early 20's, this 17/18 year old was trying to burn out, and it would only leave a few feet of rubber on the road, so he had the bright idea to get on top of a hill, rev engine way up, let off of the break and let the thing roll half way down this big hill, then yank out the clutch pedal and burn rubber up the hill and shift into second gear at top of hill.... Yeah.... The transmission had other ideas and plans.. It puked all over the street.

The rears are pretty weak, but traction is the saving grace... I had a 500+ hp engine and the rear end lasted for years... UNTIL I set up my suspension, tires, chassis to hook. Then I snapped the rears like a twig. I broke 2 then went to a ford 9", but again that's with fully aftermarket suspension, drag radials, on a drag strip cutting 1.60's 60' times

Don't get me wrong now. I'm in now way saying these rears are strong, or good enough.. I'm just saying it will last a while 350-400 HP engine with a pretty basic, stockish suspension/tire combo.

It would be great if we could plan for failure and fix all the things that can/will break, but if that was the case it would cost $50,000+ and 15 years of work to build a 400 HP third gen lol. Don't over plan, or think or over build.. If you do, you may never finish the project.

Take it as it comes. Get the thing together with the best stuff you have the money for, then fix and up grade what breaks later on down the road.

Remember nothing is failure prone...

I'm on my second th-400 transmission and you know how people think those are 'bullet proof'