Jake_92RS

Hey I'm Jake, Just got my 1992 Camaro RS a year ago. It is completely original all except for the FlowMaster series 80 i replaced the original muffler with. It has the original 305 V8 and 4 speed automatic transmission. But I'm caught between a rock and a hard place here. I love having one of the very few completely original third generation Camaros out there since all of them were either modded, fell apart, or were wrapped around a pole, am i right? But I'm sure most of you Camaro lovers just like myself know that the RS version of the 1992 Camaro that was NOT the heritage edition wasn't very fast, pushing only 170-190 horsepower. Now like I said I like having an original Camaro since its so hard to fine that runs as perfect as mine does, (Zero mechanical problems). BUT, here's where my dilemma is. I would love to give my car some more power, maybe put some headers on it, cold air intake, bigger exhaust, higher lift cam, etc. I want to beef this car out so it can whoop some mustang ***. (Not going to race, i just want to know it can, haha). So what would all of you professionals on thirdgen suggest to me? I like having an original Camaro, but i also want to make it the baddest car on the block if you know what I mean. Please reply with what you think I should do. Keep this in mind, I will never be selling this car, it is MINE and i refuse to give it up haha. Thanks everyone.

92rs!

Sup Jake, I think you should make that car as fast as you want & look anyway you want since you said it's yours & you're not giving it up. Especially since it's an RS lol. I feel you on the part about not ever giving it up tho

eseibel67

Nice pick for a first car. Personally, I would leave it just as it is, especially if it runs perfectly. But I totally understand your itch, I had the exact same one when I was 17. You already have a Flowmaster muffler, which means your car will sound better than 98% of cars on the road. What you should keep in mind is that it will cost a lot of time and money if you want to win a drag race with your mom and her V6 Honda Accord.

SolarGoldRaptor

Your car will never be as desirable as it is now.

But if you make mods, make sure they can be reversed and you keep all the original parts you've removed.

BlackenedBird

iTrader: (5)

With it being a TBI 305 (had a 90 & 92 myself years ago), it is going to take basically replacing the entire engine if you wanna "whoop some mustang ***". Just swapping to a bone stock '92 350 TPI will only get you to 245hp & even that will have you losing to more than you'd like to lose to. Just swapping to TPI will get you, on average, a good 30hp or more.

Not saying that you can't make it fun, just don't focus on "the win" ability. Drive it for what it is & enjoy it.

cIaRmOaCrZo

been there in your shoes lol. regret some of the things i did to my first 3rdgen (difficult to reverse), but now i just buy mutiple 3rdgens to scratch a differant itch i get from time to time. your car is perfect to just enjoy as is. i wouldnt even touch it. just keep up on all your maintenance

Coyote850

iTrader: (1)

Leave it as is and make it look as good as possible. Take care of it, (no winters). My '83 just turned 29 years old. (Built 3rd week in June/'83.) I've had it for 21 years and its part of the family. Take good care of yours and you feel the same way one day.

2007xl50

Looks like you have a very nice car, you did not state the mileage, but I'm guessing low as your car is very nice. I am in kinda the same situation as you. My TA does have the TPI 305, but onoly has 49,7** miles right now and besides little stuff is all OEM. I want to leave it stock, but at the same time want to mod the hell out of it-it needs panited anyways and a few other things, but nothing major. I am evern thinking about selling it and getting a car that I don't feel bad modding. Like was said you have the 305 TBI 170 hp I think and really there is no point in modding that engine. I mean you have part of the exhasut done, you could get a K&N filter and a PROM chip of some sort, but at the end of the day my 2012 Kia Koup SX is going to smoke you as well as alot of newer 4cyl cars, it smokes my car and I have a K&N and very free flowing exhaust. I would say keep her nice, keep up on repairs and mainteance and enjoy her. I see it's a T-top car so just take the tops off and roll.

80schild

iTrader: (5)

It's a 20 year old car, the technology just wasn't there back then to make the power of today's car (and run clean at the same time). I don't care what you do to it, it's still going to be slow compared to many cars. Heck, my GTA has the 350 TPI, and most cars today can blow the doors off of it.

You say now that you plan to keep it forever, but we all said that when we were 17. Times and situations change, and at some point you'll likely end up selling it. Serious buyers pay the most money for all original cars, that's just the way it is. I say keep it clean and detailed and enjoy it for what it is.

NCGuy68

I agree with what has been said above. There just isn't many 'speed parts' for a 305.

But, check around and see if anyone has a nitrous oxide plate system for it. Nitrous is by far the best 'horsepower bang for your buck' that exist. If a system is available, DON'T go crazy..! The bottom end in that little 305 can't take a big 'Hit'. No more then 100 HP and 50-75 HP would be ideal.

Don't 'hack-up' the car installing the system - you don't want it to be perminate, just temporary to have fun with the Ford boys.

Assuming a NOS system is available, Don't keep your finger on the button very long. If you do, you'll be sweeping up whats left of that 305 from the roadway. Ask me how I know.

You've got a 'Keeper', so maintaine, clean and most important Enjoy that car.

ZZ3 Z28

An almost all original 1992 Camaro? Leave it alone. If you want to race Mustangs go find some other car to molest.


.

Richboll

I'd keep it original but add your own personal touches. You'll read alot on here about people buying cars cheap that the previous owners have cobbled up and they are working to straighten out the issues and problems with them. IMO people will appreciate your car for it's looks style, and originality. If you're not planning to take it to the track, work on the "Show" and not the "Go".

Scorpner

iTrader: (4)

Wow, that looks to be in great shape. I also agree with keeping it original. If this is something you're going to keep you might also appreciate it more a few years from now.
I do have the means to own a second car that isn't as nice which I can modify without worrying about originality though and that's exactly what I recommend if you can pull it off.

I'm thinking that if you do decide to do something that planning things out will keep you within a reasonable budget while also help you keep things in control in maintaining it's originality and not ending up with something trashy, you won't enjoy, or can afford to drive around. I've watched a few go from original to poorly routed wires and lines, cheap intakes and rusty headers with that black flaking paint. Quality and classy upgrades are something I feel a car like that deserves if any are done at all.

Even then if you do actually budget it out for something with substantially better performance, the cost of a cheap Thirdgen shell is very small in comparison.

Here's an example:
Rebuilt 350 $1500-$3500
Performance built 700R4/T-56 $1500-$2500
9" Rear end $2000
Suspension/SFC's $1500
Performance exhaust $500

Those are pretty conservative, but you can see it's easy to put $10k into something to beat a few Mustangs, even then you'd probably want to swap an LS which would destroy any originality it had. I know you're thinking you want to do just a little but it rarely ever stops there.

Be proud of what you got, there aren't that many out there like that, and a good color to boot.

2007xl50

Please do not install Nitrous on your car. Remenber-Nitrous is like a hot chick with an STD-you want to hit it, but don't want to risk it.

Linson

first cars are like first girlfriends - in all likelyhood you are NOT going to be together forever.

i have always found a certain intellectual dishonesty in the idea of a bone stock muscle car - and Third Gens and Fox Mustangs were indeed the predominant muscle cars of their day. bone stock - that's what everyone says they want (typically for the sake of value.) but is a bone stock '91 Camaro an honest representation of what it is or was all about in its day - or is a, to one degree or another, modded Camaro a more honest representation of what these cars were/are about? same can be said for 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 5th gen cars IMO. same can be said for a 68 Charger or a 70 Mustang.

so dont worry about the value of a good condition RS. if it were an IROC, that thinking could be a little more justified, but even that is arguable when it comes to the payoff.

here is the good news on modding your car to make it totally fast and totally f-ing sweet. and the news is VERY good. ready? check it out: your car is already f-ing sweet! so you are out of the gate waaaay ahead of most projects. that is where so many projects never get off the ground - its one thing to build (or have built) a motor. its a completely different animal ($$$) to do the motor + a transmission + the interior + bodywork + paint + fix or upgrade a shot out suspension, ect., ect. from the looks of things, all you need is a motor (and gears and a posi, of course.)

my ADVISE to you on that end would be the following:

be patient. enjoy the car as it is for as long as it takes. do not rush things.

save up. doing it good and doing it right will cost big money. but if you spend 10 g's (all said and done) on motor, you're still way ahead of somebody who spends 3 on the motor and still has to FIX the rest of the car.

don't go with a carburater. i have nothing against carburaters, i just find them to be unbecoming of a late-model car. a sleek fuel injection system of some kind seems much more befitting such a sleek car.

do not build up your 305. i highly recommend swapping in an LS something (even LS1 is fine) - that would be the best way to go (great engines with HUGE aftermarket support.) short of that, i recommend a crate motor with a roller cam, preferably with stand alone fuel injection. at 17, you probably have no business specking out your own build (bigger is NOT always better.)

be patient, dont rush it, save up, expect to spend an obscene amount of $$$ (sticker shock), do it right. and dont rush things or you'll end up making your car into a jalopy.

80schild

iTrader: (5)

I don't mean to stereotype young people here, but also watch it with the electronic stuff. There's way too many cars out there with hacked up wiring, because someone wanted some LED strip lights or even a sound system. Personally, I won't even consider buying a car if I see that stuff.

AutoRoc

iTrader: (1)

Killer first car, mine was an 85 IROC and my buddys first was a 91 Blue RS 5 speed.

Keep it stock, simple bolt on mods arent worth the hassle. You might make another 20hp but ut will start running bad, engine light will be on forever.. if the engine goes bad, then it would be worth doing a 5.3 LS engine swap. That is cheap, swap parts are available, and it will get you 300+hp and great gas mileage. Set aside 5 grand for that swap though im sure it can be done cheaper.

Wear and tear upgrades will make a difference in the long run. Poly bushings in the suspension or just swap to better lower control arms out back. Good tires so it handles good.

Nothing wrong with getting another one to make into a race car if you get that bored.

AutoRoc

iTrader: (1)

The stock radio sucks big time... A 4 channel amp is always reccomended. A GOOD set of 6X9's in the back and good 4x6's in the front go a long way.

NCGuy68

I have to respectfully disagree Sir. The 305 in the young man's car sounds pretty solid and well maintained. A short 2-3 second shot of Nitrous should be OK.

He wants to 'Play' with the 'Blue Oval' Boys a little and NOS is the best way to go for VERY brief periods.

Please note that I did say to be very careful with NOS on a 20 years plus motor.

NCGuy68

^^^^^ Very Good Advise...!...!

puma1552

iTrader: (1)

Keep it stock. A decade and change down the road, if you do still have the car, you'll be damn glad you did. Ask me how I know this.

navy02ws6

Couldn't agree more. Nice stock 3rd gen's are getting about impossible to find. If you want a fast/reliable car, buy an LS1 4th gen.

keeslinger31

Either keep it stock or lt1-ls1 swap it and buy an all original 84 or something.
Everything iv'e done to my car can be reversed but probably will never be reversed as its so much faster and better and the way I want it. I am however getting the itch to buy another one and go another direction

Blue1990camaro

iTrader: (1)

lmao u soo remind me of myself, u even look lik me haha no bs, i got 3 years on ya tho

but its honestly up to u its ur car, personaly bc its so original i would just do a cam headers full exhaust, an eddlebrock intake and bigger throttle body and maybe heads,

depending on ur location i have a nice set of heads for you

Gordiggz

I learned this one the hard way. I'm about 10 years older than you, and you're ahead of me progress wise! One car can't do everything. Leave yours the way it is, and if you feel like drag racing, or autocrossing, buy another one that needs some work and mod it accordingly.

On a realistic budget, you can't have it all. If you want a nice, drivable car that can win a bass contest, run 12's at the drags, then smoke imports at an autocross, you're going to chase your tail, make compromises, and end up with a car that does everything OK, and not a single thing great.

Make the decision in your head now that "I want my car to ______." Fill in the blank. Then stick with that decision. Otherwise you'll never be happy with what you have, and you should really just enjoy that you're lucky enough to have an awesome car to drive that looks cool, sounds cool and is reliable.

Jason E

As the former owner of a 91 RS 305 5 speed, and the owner of 6 total third gens, I will tell you right now...

LEAVE IT ALONE. It is what it is, so to speak. Drive it. Enjoy it. You will spend thousands, and still be slower than a V6 Accord, as someone said above. Sure, you can hack it up and throw a carbed 350 crate motor in it, and come close to the Accord...but so what?

After doing EVERYTHING to my RS you described above (save the cam), it was barely faster than stock. Seriously. Leave it alone

Nice car by the way!

chazman

iTrader: (4)

Looks like a nice car. Keep it original. If you actually do own it forever, you'll never regret that you did that.

Jake_92RS

That made me lmfao.

Jake_92RS

Thanks to everyone so much, it's awesome that you guys are all such a help to me since I'm new to all this classic car stuff. This is good preparation for after I get out of college (I plan on working at firestone for that time) so i can have a good base knowledge when i buy my project 1969 Camaro. I'm really looking forward to it. But, one more question, Who would suggest switching it to the manual 5 speed instead of the 4 speed automatic? I always thought sports car were more fun to drive as a stick. What do you guys all think?

first3rdgen

hey its youre car you can do what you want and as far as some people saying youll sell the car at one point dont listen to them i still own my first car an 83 el camino owned it since i was 15 and i have now owned the car for almost seven years and im not selling it also i would like to add that the el camino is extreamly rare it came out with the olds 350 diesel only around 300 built in 83 less than 1500 ever built not necisarily a desirable car but rare. and when i am "finished" it wont be anywhere near original i just dont car to go that way. but if i owned an all original camaro like yours with a v8 i would not do anything to it there is nothing like just cruising a good looking all original car even if it has a 305 but its your car and in the end you do what you want out of it just my lets put it this way a 5 speed makes a 2.8 fun to drive id much rather drive my ratty 2.8 5 speed camaro than my cousins mint condition ttop 3.1 auto 91 firebird

Gordiggz

That's not a bad idea at all. There's a ton of info on the boards for it, I'm pretty sure there's even a step-by-step and a parts list in the tech article section. It can be done pretty inexpensively too.

In fact, here's the link:
https://www.thirdgen.org/manualswap

These cars are a blast to drive when stick. I had one auto and it was a little boring and frankly just felt more sluggish

SKELITOR117

iTrader: (3)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jake_92RS

Hey I'm Jake, Just got my 1992 Camaro RS a year ago. It is completely original all except for the FlowMaster series 80 i replaced the original muffler with. It has the original 305 V8 and 4 speed automatic transmission. But I'm caught between a rock and a hard place here. I love having one of the very few completely original third generation Camaros out there since all of them were either modded, fell apart, or were wrapped around a pole, am i right? But I'm sure most of you Camaro lovers just like myself know that the RS version of the 1992 Camaro that was NOT the heritage edition wasn't very fast, pushing only 170-190 horsepower. Now like I said I like having an original Camaro since its so hard to fine that runs as perfect as mine does, (Zero mechanical problems). BUT, here's where my dilemma is. I would love to give my car some more power, maybe put some headers on it, cold air intake, bigger exhaust, higher lift cam, etc. I want to beef this car out so it can whoop some mustang ***. (Not going to race, i just want to know it can, haha). So what would all of you professionals on thirdgen suggest to me? I like having an original Camaro, but i also want to make it the baddest bitch on the block if you know what I mean. Please reply with what you think I should do. Keep this in mind, I will never be selling this car, it is MINE and i refuse to give it up haha. Thanks everyone.

Hay Jake. I got my Car at 17. An original car is only really worth it in specific cases (like if you have a low mileage heritage addition 92 350 Z28). In the case of a 92 RS, Originality only mean its sucks. No one is going to pay more money for an original 92 RS (well not most people). Mod it out, have some fun, and build yourself a nice car. Also, don't put too much stock into the TBI LO3 305 you got in there. Do exhaust, air cleaner mod, chip it, and then leave it the way it is and enjoy the decent torque and good gas mileage. Then save up for a better engine. Put a shift kit in the transmission, and get a 3:42 posi rear end to get the best you can out of that drive train. Good luck mate, & welcome to TGO.



PS. Gordiggz, the 700R4 is pretty sluggish in stock form, but I put a shift kit in mine and it really woke it up. Plus, there is a reason why you don't see factory 350 cars with the T5 manual, and that's because it had no torque tolerance. I could put a ZZ4 in mine right now without having to mod the transmission at all. But it would blow up a T5. Plus, if its going to be your DD, you want the auto.

DethVenture

Never heard that one before lol.

eseibel67

Manual transmission is an absolute must in a toy car. Only exception is if you are using it for drag racing.

You can swap to a manual, but what a pain in the nuts. It's much easier, and only slightly more expensive, to buy a manual transmission car in the first place. And this is the moral of the story - set out your criterea before you buy, do not compromise. And the end result will be regret-free motoring.

jermdm

I also say keep it stock. You will be glad you did in the future. I've had my iroc for 15 years now and it was mostly stock when I got. PO put on some crappy headers and a junk exhaust system that fell off not long after I got it. Driver outside mirror glass was missing and the iroc emblem on the pass. side gfx was gone too. Have no idea what the PO was thinking and the car only had 44,000 miles on it at that time. Been piecing it back to stock since I've owned it and I'm glad that I didnt mod it or butcher it up. So, keep her stock and you will always have a head turner and you will always be feeling good driving it down the road.

Gordiggz

It's all personal preference, isn't it? I just like banging through the gears in a thirdgen. T5's aren't bulletproof, that's for sure, but a WC unit would hold up behind a 305 with mild upgrades no problem. Plus the guy is itching to do something to his car, that'd be a decent mod.

700R4's are tanks, the one in my suburban has 265k on it and counting, and that's alot of stress on a trans with that much weight getting tossed around fore and aft.

igotta355z28

iTrader: (1)

keep it stock and just drive it, save money and buy another third gen thats already been molested and make it fast. that way you still have your clean dependable one to drive when the toy breaks, cause it will break....I learned the hard way young that you dont go fast in your only car..plus is there anything better then owning multiple thirdgens....it wont take alot of cash to get another one, especially since you dont have to spend any cash on the one you have already....hell i just paid $3500 for my 91 L98 1LE a cpl months ago..... for 3k or less youll be able to pick up another decent v8 camaro. preferably a 350 or better.... hell i see mid 80s carbed 350 camaros around here like crazy for next to nothing....

1MeanZ

iTrader: (9)

What is a realistic budget? Other than the sound system, my GTA will do all the things you listed above(might actually run 11s) and I drive it daily with cruise, AC and quiet exhaust. I have around $11k in it.

700R4 transmissions absolutely suck, period. I'd put a stock 700R4 against a T5 in a longevity contest any day. T5s get a bad rap around here but have you actually blown one up? Do you know what it takes to blow one up? Unless you're dumping the clutch at 6000rpm on slicks or powershifting the 2-3 with 400hp a T5 is fine. I'm not trying to be rude but I want to dispel some of the rumors that a stock or even lightly modded L98 will blow up a T5 with sensible use.


Not true. Doing a manual swap is quite easy actually, I've done 3 of them so far. One was a TKO600, one was a T5, one was a T56. I did the T5 swap in a day. You have to know what you are doing, thats all. Doesn't mean it's hard or a pain, means you need some experience. Buying a different car just to get a manual trans is throwing the baby out with the bath water. It's just not that hard of a swap. I'd never sacrafice a deal on a clean car just to fine one with a manual trans.


The point of all my nay-saying is. With skills you can build whatever you want. A typical 92RS will never be the desirable thirdgen to keep stock. I'm not saying cut it up, but I do support simple exhaust and minor engine mods at your age. Take the time to do quality work and you won't sacrifice usability or reliability or value in most cases. My IROC was my first car and I did just that. I kept it simple until I got out of college and had money to get stupid with. I have no regrets about that.

Gordiggz

$11k is not a realistic budget for many people. I guess alot of that depends on your situation, but as a "toy" car up north, I still have to have a reliable vehicle that has to get through snowy back roads or a muddy field too.

You can do anything if you have enough money. Magic Johnson is still alive isn't he?

SKELITOR117

iTrader: (3)

Fun fact. Cash is the cure for aids. He liquifies it and injects it into his blood stream.

Jason E

I would rather see you do a T5 swap than try to mod a TBI 305. Period. At least then you will be able to see a real enjoyment benefit to your hard earned cash.

Better yet, throw a T-56 in. With the 2.73 gears you have, you'll barely be off idle at 75 Sure, you'll have to downshift to accelerate even the tiniest bit, but 30 MPG highway will be nice!

I could get 26.5 highway with my 120k 305 TBI, 5 speed and 3.08s...

Linson

a couple of things...

1. i disagree with those who say "if you mod it, make sure those mods are reverseable." my Formula 350 has been modded rather extensively and i didnt keep any of the old stuff. what would people have us do - go through life storing stock exhaust systems and stock torque arms; having a 305 TBI taking up space in our garage or on our lawn? screw that! why would i ever want to go back to stock? so i can sell the car? how much more is a stock Formula 350 worth VS. one with forged rods, aluminum vortec heads, hotchkis rear suspension, full exhaust, and much more? not much, probably less. for an RS, even more so in favor of modification. and then what? sell the aftermarket parts? i dont have time for all of that. it's a/the car you want or it isnt. it is NOT an investment. period. you WILL lose money. period.

2. when people say, that in 10 years, you'll be glad you didnt modify it, they are right (in a way.) because in 10 years you will be wiser than you are now. you will have a better idea what you want out of a car. and not having spent thousands of dollars taking your Camaro build in the wrong direction, you'd be glad that you didn't throw your money away. however, this is the painful learning process. if you do decide to modify, then if you're smart you'd listen to the folks here, and alot of them are smarter than me. notice, no one from the "mod it" crowd are telling you to carb it, throw a big block at it, throw nitrous or a blower at it, mini-tub it, ect., ect. everyone is pretty much in agreement on an LS swap or upping your cubic inches with a fuel injected roller motor. anyway, i agree in that respect, that in ten years you'll either want another car or be better prepared to tackle this project properly. however, i dont agree with the premise that in ten years you will wake up and decide that performance is not FUN or important, and that there is more pleasure in driving a well preserved 170 horsepower car.

3. there are those who say "stock is reliable." they are right. not that mods cant be reliable, but it has to be done right. i know that myself and others will put our cars up toe to toe with stockers as far as reliability - but i already had my 3rd gen project that i turned into an unreliable jalopy.

if this car is going to be your daily driver, and face rain and snow and have to get you from place to place on a daily basis, i honestly dont recommend getting into a bunch of mods any time soon. number one - too much down time. number two - you're not going to like your sweet baby (in which you've invested so much time and money) getting rained on, snowed on, at risk of theft or collision, or parking lot scratches. and three - it may become ill-suited for daily commute, if nothing else because of possibly decreased gas mileage. and finally, its a 3rd gen, so even in stock form, it isnt the most practical of commuter cars. in short, if you have the means, you should get a 4-banger beater or even a truck or something for your daily commuting before you tackle a serious Camaro project.

4. those that are saying to keep your 92 RS stock (because its in solid condition) and go and buy another 3rd gen that needs work, and mod that ... ARE WRONG. Dead Wrong. as i said before, you are already way ahead on this project because your car is in such good condition. if you are hard pressed to budget a build with the car you have, imagine mutiplying your expense up to 5-fold on a car that needs to be fixed, repaired, and restored, and not just built up.

dispite what people think or want to believe - NOBODY is looking for a stock RS. Nobody. and they never will be. never. people ARE looking for IROCS. people ARE looking for Formulas. people ARE looking for GTAs. not base models (RS's), regardless of condition. not saying that good condition cant be a selling point for a base model, but seriously, do you want a fast car or do you want to turn your $2500.00 (or whatever you paid for it) into $3200.00 in five years?

be patient. save money. get a daily driver. save money. LS swap... and do it right ~ if by then you havent decided that you like something else or are alltogether not into hot rodding. or maybe you will find something else fast, and your RS will end up as the daily driver. who knows? but as nice as it is, your RS is a solid foundation for an engine swap project, but because of it's low factory performance, it isnt a dream car. not even a 3rd Gen lover's dream car. it's still a nice car though.

eseibel67

Some really good points by Linson. Lower models are good candidates to turn up the heat a bit.

But I'm going to stereotype the OP by guessing that his budget is somewhere south of unlimited, and his repair skill is still budding. If this is true, I still think he would be better off keeping it mostly stock and learning how cars tick. A 20 year old car, even in excellent condition will still need some ongoing work to keep it running. Modifications are best applied when your knowledge of the basics have been mastered.

Scorpner

iTrader: (4)

I’m one of those that stated to keep the car stock and I am not wrong, nor am I dead wrong. I cannot see any other way than to find your post inflammatory and insulting. There are plenty of cheap rollers that are perfect for the entire suspension and drive train to be replaced. And that is essentially what will be needed to drop an LS in the car properly. Increasing the horsepower requires more than just an engine, and you know just as well as I that the stock suspension and body weren't designed to handle that kind of horsepower and torque. I don’t really feel that it’s responsible to suggest to a seventeen year old to completely gut and rebuild the thing either. I also know plenty of people that own more than one F-Body (including myself) and I actually enjoy my unmodified car more for daily driving. Something you probably didn't consider is that some people have the means to have an extra car around just like that and would enjoy it just the way it is. I didn't respond to argue with you and in fact I’m not going to. I’m also not going to sit and let you mock my comments or devalue my opinion either. You have an opinion and I can respect that. The only thing I’m asking is that you respect mine.

kmcn47

isn't it the truth, i regret getting rid of my 2.8 89 bird, i got an 84z28 to replace it but it was 3k and i coulda had an ls1 4th gen around here for that, there getting cheaper and cheaper as the 3rds go up in price

Linson

if you're upset or offended, you may want to read my (rather long) post again. i dont know if it escaped you the first time you read it, but i made many of the same points that you made for keeping it stock (for now anyway).

for example:

i also dont feel that it is responsible to suggest to a 17 year old to gut his car, which is why i advised him to wait, and save money, which will probably take years. and in those years he can learn more about what makes these cars tick. i have told this kid over and over again to be paitient.

of course i have considered that some people have the means to own more than one car - i have five cars. but did you consider that a 17 year old probably does not? AND, i told the guy, he should wait until he DOES get a second car before he does anything to his Camaro. (its all in my post, dude, so i dont know why you're upset with me.) and an added bonus of him waiting to get a second vehicle first is that more time will go by, more maturity and wisdom can set in rather than going hogwild on his nice car with (i presume) limited funds and limited knowledge.

sometimes, what can happen is people read a statement that they find argumetative, and their adrenaline gets going, their brain gets excited, and fails to process that which comes after the statement.

now, i stand by that...from experience. for most people, the end goal when trying to build the car of their dreams, is a car with performance AND niceties (nice paint, nice interior, and more) which the OP's car already has...which puts him ahead of the game. the "cheap roller" that you alluded to earlier is probably going to also need paint, an interior, electricals, and about a million other little things that add up to a project that will never get off the ground for most people without an almost unlimited budget.

perfect example: my Formula 350. when i bought that car, it made an 8 to the inventory. i already had a black 89 Formula 350 (rolling project) that i paid $750 for in El Paso TX, hauled down to Presidio TX, then had it hauled up to Washington State, where it sat in storage - i was determined - and had alread paid waaay more than what i paid for the car just dragging it around and keeping it off my front lawn.

then i came across the one i have now for 7K - an all original low miler (it had 29745 mi when i bought it. i jumped at that price under the premise that the car was in perfect condition. turns out i got ripped off because the motor was completely seized and it needed a few other things because the car sat for many many many years. BUT, after putting maybe 8K or so into the car, it is and does everything i want, from engine upgrades, suspension upgrades, to stereo system. it would have cost me, i can safely say, more than 20K to get my black one where i wanted it. thats how starting on third base gets you closer to home. and i have to stand by that and am not going to steer a 17 year old kid wrong by telling him he ought to start from scratch on another project in order to preserve a low-end 3rd Gen. that would be intellectually dishonest. but i am telling him he should wait until he has a second (primary vehicle) and about 10 grand to throw at this project before he dives in. and that can and probably will take years. and by then, he may not want to mod it, or spend the money on it, may have moved on to something else, ect.

SKELITOR117

iTrader: (3)

Wooh. It's getting fun now!

Maybe I should tell him to gut it! And paint it with a raddle can! Or tell hime to carb it and put nitrus on it! THAT would get things going.

Honestly, I think the best advice we can give is learn your car. And do little things slowly until you get experiance and knowlage. It took me about a year to learn my car (from being 17 to 18), and I'm still learning loads of things. What ever you decide to do, take it slow, and always make sure not to empty your bank account on modding it out all at once. Make sure you can afford to buy something and still have some cash in the bank left over. Savy?

ZZ3 Z28

Christopher Columbus, you are wrong, dead wrong, the world is not round, it's flat. Don't sail west because you'll fall off the earth into a pit of sea monsters. And remember the sun revolves around the earth, too.

If you are that confident in predicting the future please tell us who the next ten president's will be. I'll make it easy for ya', when will the Cubs win the World Series?



.

Guest

I had the same problem although my car is technically more desirable. Then I thought of it this way: as long as there are a few one hundred percent original thirdgens out there, I am okay with modding my car. Not to mention, there is way more than a few originals out there. The originals that will be desired are the ones that have 10 miles on them and are in original factory wrap. Not the daily driver originals no matter how pristine they are. So go ahead and mod that puppy, although I think you are beating a dead bush trying to get that 305 to "whoop some mustang ***".

Linson

keep reading. the WHY is all in my post. and the logic is sound and proven. and most anyone who is being intellectually honest with themselves will back me up.