Jared N259

I currently have an 86 fbird I plan to sell as soon as I finish getting it cleaned up. At which point I plan to buy an 87 iROC-Z with the 350 5.7L V8 L98 engine. Unfortunately, these engines only came with an automatic so I'll have to put in a manual. I also plan to turbocharge the engine after I get the car cleaned up and as long as the trans is working that will also be one of the last things I do. On this topic I have a few questions:

How difficult is replacing a transmission, more importantly, what difficulties are inherent to converting a car from automatic to manual?

Which turbocharger should I use?

I understand that you need to have an upgraded trans to handle the increased performance of a turbo engine, which transmission should I plan to get?

What kind of performance should I expect from a turbo 350? I've read that a 350 with a turbo should produce 300-325 hp.

I'm new to working on cars but do not intend to pay someone to work on my car unless absolutely necessary. I feel that wouldn't really be me restoring/improving a car if I just signed a check. If things could be put in lamens terms. Any links you could provide would be appreciated. Thanks!

jpearcy1

iTrader: (1)

There are a lot or articles on turboing cars how-to's and such. Search the turbo section and in general do a search for everything. I have seen a lot of threads of people swapping trans.

Got any pics of the car yet?

Jared N259

Okay I'll take a look at that. If you mean the iroc, then no, the one I was going to buy was a bust. No muffler, bad trans, cracked nose and bumper. Wouldn't go down from 3750 so it wasn't gonna happen.

jpearcy1

iTrader: (1)

Man that's sucks on the iroc some people think it's gold because its a Iroc, and way over price them.

Jared N259

Yeah I'm looking to spend 3500-4000 for a 350 iroc that runs well and is relatively clean. I would pay 2500-3000 for bad paint and interior because I'll replace that but I won't pay for that

Lvgta

I don't know if you are aware, but you can get an Iroc with a V8 and a manual transmission, but it will be a 5.0. I have an 88 GTA with the 5.7 and a friend had a formula with a stick, and it was a little faster. The HP rating is only 10-15 different depending on which year you are looking at. I realize you may want the 5.7 because there are more bolt ons, etc, but if you're putting on a turbo or supercharger, you should be able to hit the HP that you're looking for. Good luck with your project.

jpearcy1

iTrader: (1)

Not a bad budget. I just picked up my new one an 87 iroc with 350 paint not 3 years old interior needs work but it's not trashed. And it's all original nothing crazy done to it.

Jared N259

Well I plan on painting the car no matter what and I want a clean interior so unless it's exactly how I would make it, or it's perfect, then it's not really a big deal to me. Yeah I know that the 305 has a manual but I'd prefer a 350, not that I would turn down a good deal on a 305

jpearcy1

iTrader: (1)

Could always swap in a 350. Depending on what you do to motor could come out cheaper with less headache. Just a thought

Jared N259

That might work but doesn't a turbo engine require a stronger trans? Or did I just read that somewhere

jpearcy1

iTrader: (1)

Depends on how much boost you run but a stall and and shift kit never hurts

Jared N259

I'm new to cars so I'm not sure how much I'll be doing.

jpearcy1

iTrader: (1)

Research is key then. There are stickies at the top of each sections with how to's that answer most if not all questions. I'd start with figuring out a motor or tran swap prices and difficulties, then move on. Try to get a good idea of what all your gonna have to do but keep a realistic budget.