Dakota W.

So I picked up a 1991 Camaro Z28, LB9, T5, and 3.08 lsd posi about a year ago.


I learned to drive stick in this car, and it was the first car I have bought for myself, second car overall. For $2500 I think I got quite a deal. It's really worn down, the suspension is poop, the rear diff is poop, the transmission is poop, and now the engine has a blown head gasket as well as a thirst for oil. The interior was in really good condition, and it has a decent head unit.


And here are some recent pics of the car, I'm planning on changing the body up a bit in the future, but that is last on the list. I'm a function over form kind of person.




Right now I'm currently working on an engine out of a dirt racing truck that was originally made for a 1972 Camaro SS. It's a 2bolt main 350. I've ordered pro comp heads for it, as well as roller/tappet rockers and rods. I got the idea to use the pro comp heads from an article that I was linked to from TGO, and what sold me on them was the price; $490 to my door assembled. Here are some pics of the new engine that I've only had for 3 days.


Took this one ^ today, tomorrow is cleanup day since I've got the new double roller timing chain on. I'm going to be re-using my TPI and computer, so any advice on what sensors/parts I need to change out for the 350 would be greatly appreciated. I'm trying to get this done before April so I can put it on the dyno at the local meet.

kmcn47

as far as i know, none

Dakota W.

I know for a fact I'll need a 350 knock sensor, there was something else too I'm not thinking of, and I'm sure there are other things.


Update: Got my engine cleaned up and dressed up a bit today.

Not sure why the Chrome came out like that in the pics.

Zane M

iTrader: (1)

Very nice car. Looking forward to updates on your progress.

Lmancha96

Nice car the body looks to be in great shape..

Are you staying fuel injected or going carb?

2007xl50

Yeah that body does not look too bad at all. Good luck on the build.

Dakota W.

Just a quick update, didn't get much done today. Got my car and everything I need ready to go, just a few final touches. Tomorrow I'll be disconnecting everything and getting the engine ready to pull out on Monday.

toxik IROC

iTrader: (12)

Looks good so far, what is the switch with the two green wires? Also what is the plan for the rest of the car?

Making a build thread is nice to look back on and see it later on keep it up. my build stopped for two years so hopefully yours will go faster!

Dakota W.

The plastic piece in the steering column for the horn wires broke, so I wired the horn up to that switch, but I blew a fuse because I had it running to my fusebox, while I've got the engine out I'm going to look for another wire to run it to. My car will be running and driving by April 1st, if not sooner. I will eventually be putting in a combo-charged 396 sbc, the fattest rubber possible, and a lenco racing transmission. My only plans for the rest of the year for it are a T56 and 4th gen rear, maybe some 18x9 wheels all around, or maybe I'll do a complete suspension replacement short of SFCs.

BumpaD82

Fix the horn the correct way:

http://www.steeringcolumnservices.co...lumn-parts.php

~DaVe

Dakota W.

I looked, but didn't see what I needed. I need the plastic piece that has the wires running to the 2 horn buttons.

Update: I've got the annoying things out of the way, the important stuff labeled. Just working on getting it down to a longblock and getting it ready to come out tomorrow. I will have it ready to be out before I go to bed tonight, but for right now I'm eating dinner. Took this about 2 hours ago.

Dakota W.

Well, I won't be able to get it ready to pull for tomorrow. The finaly bolt for the driver's side runners is stripped, and when I tried to rotate the runners to get the bolt loose enough to grab with vise grips I tweaked it a bit...Tomorrow I'll be going to Ace to get an extractor, and I'll be bending the runners back to the flat surface they're supposed to be. Fuel rail is disconnected, all that's left is the distributor, intake manifold, exhaust manifolds, and motor mounts, of course.

Oh, and I'd appreciate if I could work with someone on making a custom chip for my car. I'm almost positive it isn't going to run well on the stock tune with more cubic inches, cam, and heads. I'm told it has a mild cam in it. Here are the heads http://store.procompelectronics.com/...assembled.aspx . I wouldn't have a problem with getting setup for datalogging and mailing the chip back and forth to get a more precise tune; I just can't afford to do it myself right now, nor do I have the time.

kmcn47

you're hurrying, slow and steady.

Dakota W.

I've only got until the end of March to do all of this and have it running, of course I'm hurrying lol. And I've only got my engine hoist and stand for the first week and a half of March, I borrowed them from someone because I don't usually do motor swaps; so there was no point in buying them. I live in an apartment anyway, no room for all this stuff lol.

kmcn47

oh man, three certainties of a project like this 1. its gonna take longer then expected 2. its gonna cost more then expected 3. take your time so you don't make mistakes, otherwise you'll end up taking twice as long as if you'd gone slowly in the first place. that being said i wish you luck, i understand having no time, or the proper equipment to get it done right. my car as old and falling apart as it is is my daily driver, and it kills me to know i need to fix my carb, but can't, i don't have the time to park the car and pull it off and then rebuild it, so i burn through gas and run super rich, but one of these days I'm just gonna stop call off work and do it.

Dakota W.

My goal is actually a week and a half from March 1st, but I've given myself until the end of the month for overtime.

Dakota W.

Sorry, I missed this a few days ago. I'm keeping my TPI, everything underneath the intake manifold is going to be new, but everything including the intake manifold and up will be the same.

Dakota W.

Update: Got the 305 down to a longblock today, only put in about 2 and a half hours of work. My mom's boss ran over her foot with a forklift so I have to take care of her for a while. Here's some pics, I still have to unbolt the xmember, tranny mount, motor mounts, and starter.



The distributor is staying on, I'm tired of cutting my hands up on the exhaust guard/heat shield/whatever the f#$% that thing is to get the last 4 wires out.

kmcn47

you know you could've un-bolted the motor mounts and pulled the engine whole, then diss-assembled it on a stand, or the floor if your not gonna do anything with it, i know its better then the 4th gens but the thirdgen engine bay is pretty cramped i would hate to be breaking my engine down to the block/heads with it still in the car

Dakota W.

It's really not that hard to get the intake off with it in the car. The only hard part is the exhaust manifolds and plug wires, but I'm unbolting the manifolds from underneath and pulling them with the engine.

2007xl50

Again I wish you luck, Due to winter I have not hadly worked on my Camaro and it sucks, but I know it's never going to happen overnight and I just have to take my time. Hope your mom is ok and you meet your time frame.

Dakota W.

Thanks, I have no doubt that I will meet my time frame. I slept all day yesterday after only getting 3 hours of sleep for 2 days in a row, so I didn't get anything done, but that's ok because I'm still waiting on my heads to get here. Today I'll be messing with the new engine since the LB9 is almost ready to come out. I just need to unbolt the x-member, tranny mount and motor mounts.

2007xl50

Sweet, yeah rest is good when doing a project so your stay frest and don't make misstakes

Dakota W.

Got the heads put on and torqued down today, everything except for exhaust manifolds and the starter is on the new engine, I'll probably be doing the swap sometime this weekend.

Dakota W.

Update time! This took waaaaaay too long, I was hoping to have the new engine in today.

kmcn47

on the plus side, it didn't take as long as you think it did everyone lost an hour today lol

Dakota W.

It took 3 hours just to pull the engine out...waaaaay too long.

Dakota W.

Ran into a brick wall today. The flywheel for the 305 won't bolt up to the 350 crank, so I'll be getting a new flywheel, clutch, p.plate, pilot and throwout bearing. It's a nice upgrade, but not one I wanted to make right now, since it's $350. Also, I'm selling the 305's heads for $100 for the pair, they're casting # A040. I've also got a Weiand dual plane intake manifold with thermostat housing for $200, and 487X heads off the new block. The 487X heads have 75cc combustion chambers and hardened valve seats(I think, not sure on the valve seats).

Dakota W.

Time for another bad update. The adapter for the harmonic balancer installer tool I rented is stuck in my crankshaft, the plug that's in the way of my oil pressure sensor is still stuck in the block, and I won't be able to use my mini-starter because I had to get a new, bigger flywheel.

Dakota W.

Relatively good update. I got the adapter out of the flywheel, the extractor pulled it right out. Now the problem is getting the extractor out of the adapter . Since I'm unable to get the oil gully plug out I'm going to attempt to get an adapter and run the oil pressure switch on top of the block. I'm also going to be trying to get a clutch and all that's associated with it today as well; so I can bolt the transmission up and drop the new engine in. If someone knows anything about starters, is it normal for there to be barely a hair of clearance between the starter and flywheel? I'm a little worried.

Dakota W.

Update: The surgery was a success.

BigKeg

congratulations...as for your mom ..I hope she is ok, I drive a lift and have seen that happen before...

I didn't read up on the heads that you bought.. but I was wondering, and I don't think you talked about it...are the heads ment for the TPI intake??? I know that the TPI intake and carb intakes are at a different angle. ..so for example. .if you had just pulled all the TPI out of you car and went with a carb ...you would need to get a intake to match the angle of the stock heads...but you got rid of stock heads and kept the TPI...so you need heads to match the angle of the TPI intake...

A few years ago I sold a TA with TPI...it had all kinds of problems. .but the guy I sold it to ...had a carb intake. .he had to drill out the bolt holes of the I take and added afew washers. ..

Good luck with the build...

QUICKCHICKEN

iTrader: (12)

actually there are 3 style intake patterns, early, mid and late. early all the bolt holes are at a 45' angle, mid I what 8-92 TPI intakes use and then there is vortec where there are 2 holes up front and 2 holes in back straight up.

another ques is, how many miles are on the short block? if its ben reasonably used and your putting fresh heads on it the motor wont live long.
if it has crosshatch in the cyls you can rn a touch up hone down the bores and re ring it with the current pistons and have a good fresh seal.

also, is this a 1 piece rear main or a 2 pc rear main? if its a 2 pc block your going to need another flywheel as your 305 is a 1 pc block.

even if I bought a set of new heads fully assembled I would still have them looked at by a local shop. iv seen heads like this have chatter in the seats and they are they are fresh assm heads.

Dakota W.

Yes, I'm using the new heads with the TPI. They're pro comp heads and I called and made sure before I ordered that they would work with the TPI.

I don't know how many miles are on the shortblock, but it still has some crosshatch. If I ran a hone down the cylinders it would need to be re-crosshatched for the rings to seat right, all of the cylinders had acceptable compression, so there was no need for that. I already got a new flywheel for it, it's a 2 pc rear man seal. The motor mounts and tranny xmember are already hooked up, I just need to put the driveshaft in and bolt the exhaust back up to the manifolds; then I can get to work topside.

QUICKCHICKEN

iTrader: (12)

a hone is what makes the crosshatch pattern. as long as the motor was never ran fat enough to wash the rings you should be ok then. I would just be concerned about balance being you are using a foreign to that motor flywheel. good luck, hope it all works out.

Johnny Blaze

iTrader: (15)

Judging from the dish pistons, and various coats of paint, I would question that short block.

Did you do a compression test?

What cam is in it? Probably not a TPI friendly one unless you changed it.

Dakota W.

The guy I got it from did a compression test and said everything was good. There is only the factory orange paint, and some flaky black paint. It has a mild cam in it, don't know the specs. This is sort of a temporary engine, which is why it's a budget build. I couldn't afford a 305 that gets 6mpg and drinks coolant.

Update: I was hoping the stock exhaust manifold's Y-pipe would clear the oil pain, but as luck would have it the lack of clearance is a fraction of an inch, looks like I'll be running open headers until I can get a set of shorties for cheap and have them welded up. The car's sitting on it's own 4 feet now, I just need to lift the rear end and get the torque arm bar untwisted (don't ask how it got twisted, because I have no clue), as well as stick the drive shaft in.

naf

iTrader: (7)

Y should fit. You haven't left off the spacer that goes between the right manifold and Y?

Dakota W.

By space do you mean the little half in donut? I put it on the pass. side since that's where it came off of, but maybe I'll get a new one and try it on both sides.

naf

iTrader: (7)

Spacer only goes on the right, hence the longer 77mm studs that side (vs 65mm on the left).

Not sure why you're having a problem with that pan, it's a stock one right? May want to replace it or bump it with a hammer.

And snug up those bolts when you've got the block hanging from the engine stand. When they're loose like that you're placing a moment on them which multiplies the forces. They will fail plastic (bend). They should be snug, tight in tension and resisting shear force.

Did you purchase the larger (168tooth) flywheel? It won't fit inside a T5. The smaller one needs a starter (or at least the starter bolt holes) to be in-line. The longer flywheel requires offset, or staggered bolt holes. Which way is your block machined? Some have both, many older blocks have only staggered.

Dakota W.

It's most likely an aftermarket pan, I'll just cut the y-pipe and have the shop weld in an inch spacer with the test pipe. The flywheel is a 15? tooth, it's the same diameter as the 305 flywheel, but the bolt pattern and opening for the ring on the crank are different.

Update: got everything hooked up underneath except for the exhaust and torque arm bar which I will be doing either later tonight or in the morning. I spent the better part of the day trying to get the torque arm bushing holder into the transmission, they energy suspension part number 1004 is not a direct fit. I ended up having to drop the transmission, pinch the housing for the bushing down with a c-clamp and then I was able to get the top bolt screwed in. It was hard going in, so it's probably cross-threaded, but it's in.

solaris_vii

iTrader: (3)

dont know if youve adressed this already or not, but switching from a 305 to 350 youll need different injectors or atleast a different tune

Dakota W.

I'm aware of it, thanks. I'm going to be getting a chip for it since new injectors are the same price, and the chip will be overall more benificial.

Dakota W.

I've recently found some work and if all goes well, she should be up and running by the end of April.

Javier87z28

iTrader: (1)

Nice build bud slot of work in a very short amount of time, keep the updates coming

Dakota W.

It was alot of work, but I was really motivated to get it done because of the car. It's KILLING me to not be able to drive it lol.

Also, the car was in a wreck and I'm noticing it now because the hood doesn't line up properly. The fenders didn't come off the assembly line with the car, nor the bumper. I was wondering if anyone had advice for straightening the fenders, It's just the driver's side that's hitting. I already adjusted the hood as much as possible. I have NO experience in body work so any and all advice is appreciated.

Pics:
The pass. side fender.

Driver side fender, the one that isn't fitting properly at the back, which I believe is cause the front to rotate inwards.

Driver side

Driver side

Pass. side fits perfect.

I guess my main question is, how and where the bolts are that hold that sucker on?

Dakota W.

Took this, this morning, can't wait to get to a car wash.

Dakota W.

Traded a member on TGO for an RS hood, I like the plain hood better than the powerbulges. Eventually going to get a low-rise spoiler as well, but I'm keeping the GFX.

Dakota W.

Small update: I got my rocker arms last week, but I've been really busy working, trying to get money for parts to have a running car again. All that's left now is the pushrods, which I'll be ordering friday(payday), oil, antifreeze, chip, and I need to get the exhaust welded up; I may just go buy a cheap set of headers.

Dakota W.

So, I made an oopsie. I went to put the distributor in and realized there was no intermediate shaft on the oilpump....Since I can't put the shaft in through the top because the plastic collar isn't on the pump, I'm considering JB Welding the shaft to the pump, or drilling out the shaft hole the little bit it needs to clear. Thoughts?