Chris'86RS

I just bought a 1986 RS camaro. I am pretty sure it is a 305 TBI. I am spending alot of money myself on the car that i dont have much money right now to add to the horse power but what would be the best and not so expensive thing to do?

AlkyIROC

Best thing to do would be to get rid of the 305 and drop in a 350. Best bang for the buck is nitrous.

Bolt on low buck increases won't usually be noticed but things like headers, free flowing exhaust, open air filter, intake manifold are some of the first steps to improve performance. When you add on 5-10 HP from some bolt-on item it's unlikely you'll notice the increase even though it may be there.

Every little bit helps but it's also a total package. Putting on the best intake, air cleaner, headers and exhaust won't do much good if the air is still going through the stock heads bottleneck.

Everything is based on a power to weight ratio. A 3200 pound car with 250HP will be quicker than a 3700 pound car with 250HP. Finding ways to make the car lighter will also increase performance.

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Follow my racing progress on Stephen's racing page
and check out the race car

87 IROC-Z Pro ET Bracket Race Car
383 stroker (carbed) with double hump cast iron heads and pump gas
461 Big Block installed and ready for the 2001 racing season

Best results before the 383 blew up
Best ET on a time slip: 11.857 altitude corrected to 11.163
Best MPH on a time slip: 117.87 altitude corrected to 126.10
Altitude corrected rear wheel HP based on power to weight ratio: 476.5
Best 60 foot: 1.662

Racing at 3500 feet elevation but most race days it's over 5000 feet density altitude!
Member of the Calgary Drag Racing Association

87 IROC bracket car, 91 454SS daily driver, 95 Homebuilt Harley

ede

not to disagree with stephen but i think the best thing you can do right now is nothing. just sit back and read whats posted here and learn a little, and maybe have fun too. there are several sites like this one, just none as good. for non tech post go to macgyvers board at www.nethirdgen.org

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ICON Motorsports

1st & 3rd

Chris'86RS

So ur saying its the little things that count even though sometimes it isnt that noticeable....I see....Thanx

zupmanZ28

maybe im missing something here, but i wasn't aware that the RS camaro existed in 86'. I thought it came as a replacement for the SC in 88. I also didn't think the TBI 305 was available in 86, I thought it came out in 88'. Is your motor original? IF so are you SURE it's an 86, and are you sure it's an RS? or am i just completely retarded and missing something?? anyway to answer your question, depending on how much you can spend, and assuming you want to keep the 305, headers are a good place to start. If you decide later you want a 350, you can always use them on the new motor.

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My 1986 Z28 and more!!
view my car (movie)

R.I.P Dale Earnhardt

BlueBottleJunky

Very well put ede. My only suggestion for Chris is to start out w/ the obvious mods. The 1st things I'd do would be maybe start w/ a performance muffler, then power pulleys, upgraded plug wires, etc. Don't jump into anything too serious at first, such as nitrous. Your engine needs to be in top running order and tune to successfully run NOS. Like ede said, read the posts and sharpen that pencil.

Chris'86RS

ZupmanZ28...i said i wasnt sure i dont have the car in my possession as of now. Then maybe you are right maybe the TBI didnt come out till '88...so if it isnt a TBI then what is it? I figured since it is a 305 and a RS it would have the smaller 305 in it but i guess i am wrong....WOOOPS! So can you do me a favor and tell me the specs on the '86 RS or give me a website i can at least look up the specs...Thanks

RB83L69

There's no such thing as a 86 RS, and I didn't think there was TBI that year either. But I'm no expert on such matters. I'd be inclned to think you really have a Sport Coupe with the LG4 carb motor if it's an 86, or some other year if it's really a TBI RS, or some unguessable hybrid from somebody's garage.

Can you post your VIN, except for the last 6 digits (don't post the whole thing: weird stuf can happen on the Net! the first however many tell what kind of car it is, th last 6 are the serial number, don;t ever post those for fear of fraud)? or go look it up on the VIN decoder on this page and tell us what it says the car really is?

Anyway, the guys that have already answered have all added some wisdom. Learn about what your particular drive train is lacking before you go out and pour cubic $$$ into stuff that doesn't matter because the weak link is still in the way. If in fact you have a TBI RS car, it needs a rear end gear, a better exhaust all the way from the heads to the street, and a decent (but don't go overboard) cam. Start by finding all the things that are wrong with it and fix them, make sure it's in a perfect state of tune, and then and only then start to mod it.

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"So many Mustangs, so little time..."
ICON Motorsports

Mark A Shields

Are you sure it is an 86, the best way to check is see if the 3rd brake light is on the hatchback that is the only year they were put there. RS weren't produced in 86 neither was TBI only carb. and TPI.

Chris'86RS

It has the third tail light on the hatch...once i get the car i will post the last six digits of the VIN # which will be in 2 days

FastBroker

My vote:

Cam = 79.95
Intake = 147 (max!)
Test pipe = 50
Muffler = 30
TOTAL = 300 bucks to add about 40-50hp MIN on carbed motor. Not bad. Maybe little more for carb tuning and/or rebuld.

mcconahay37

iTrader: (3)

Chris'86RS Do NOT post the last 6 numbers of your VIN. Post the first part of the VIN. Now for Fastbroker's list. I agree with the components, but don't forget to account for little things like gaskets, gasket sealer, lost or broken fasteners, etc. Those trips to the parts store for little items adds up quick. That $300 will probably end up between $400-$500. Still not bad though.

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82 Camaro:
350, Erson cam, ported heads, Crane Hi-6 ignition, Accel supercoil, Comp Cams 1.6:1 rocker arms, Turbo 350 tranny with 2500 stall.

FastBroker

Yeah, true... buy FelPro complete gasket set and add another $50 bucks for beer and Pizza and fasteners/misc = another $150 bucks. Sorry. WORTH IT!!!

[This message has been edited by FastBroker (edited February 19, 2001).]

I ROCK

Stephen is right and is one of the hardest core racers on here. Put aside a Saturday to disassemble your interior (be careful with the pull tabs!!) and take out that heavy carpet padding under there. Take out your seatbacks - not only does this give the car a cleaner (lighter!) look but every passenger I've had back there who has tried both ways prefers NO seatbacks. Definitely put a pipe in place of the cat unless you have emissions testing where you live. I bet a single side pipe setup wouldn't be too hard to achieve if you can weld but then I'd leave the cat. If it's carb, do open element or cold air. If it's tpi, do cold air. Focus on little nicky nack **** you can do for next to nothing. Your BEST investments before you do anything heavy to the car are: a shop manual for your year (Helm Inc.) maybe a scanner and/or tuning software, and some good tools. And like ede said come here often! I've probably saved many thousands of dollars by being a member of this site over the past 3 1/2 years. If only I hadn't bought a lemon 87Z two years ago my current Iroc would be twice as tricked out! As far as ignition, you won't even need more than the stock coil and some decent plugs w/ properly routed wires, and get the $20 accel cap/rotor set when it's tune-up time. When it's time to change your oil - go to synthetic, if it leaks you needed to change some seals anyway. Since you bought a used car that's 15 yrs old, all sorts of medium-priced maintenance is coming up for you!! Replace anything that breaks/wears out with high performance stuff. But knowledge always pays: in terms of budgeting for example, you can get away with cheapie auto zone struts but get some good aftermarket shocks - why? because regarding weight transfer your mostly concerned with a stiff rear suspension and some "give" in the front so an overly tight front end doesn't hurt weight transfer to the rear...unless you're willing to sac a bit of off the line performance for superior handling. Bottom line: learn all you can, learn about all the tradeoffs to be made, then think about how you want to use the car and make your personal tradeoffs accordingly (did I mention come to this site a lot?? ) good luck!

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"Among so many conflicting ideas and so many different perpectives, the honest man is confused and distressed and the skeptic becomes wicked...Since one must take sides, one might as well choose the side that is victorious, the side which devastates, loots, and burns. Considering the alternative, it is better to eat than to be eaten."

Napoleon I

84TransAm

Ah yes, performance maintenence.

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--Steve S--
1984 Trans Am 305 LG4, 5 speed
Daily Driver, Flowmaster 80 Series
NOW FEATURING: Holley 600 cfm & vacuum advance

Ray87Z

I'm going to assume you have the little LG4 305 in your car. Check out the magazine article on modding a LG4 in the below URL. It goes into extensive mods including heads and cam which I figure are out of your price/capability to install range, but pay attention to the first few mods they did.

The engine is rated at 145hp. W/ Headers and a free flowing exhaust (no cat) the car made nearly 200 hp on the dyno (it also had a non computer controlled carb, and a standard HEI distrib. They probably accounted for something). A Edelbrock Performer intake upped it to right at 215hp, a Performer RPM instead of the standard Performer upped it to right at 230hp. The combo of the full exhaust and one of those two intakes will do wonders to wake up your car.

You can view the article here www.inter-scape.com/ray/305buildup/page1.jpg Just change the page numbers to view the whole article, it's 5 pages total.

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Ray87Z
-Vortec headed 350.
86 IROC w/ a cammed 305 TPI.
Formerly Ray86IROC.
www.inter-scape.com/Ray

[This message has been edited by Ray87Z (edited February 20, 2001).]

Chris'86RS

Aiight...thanks guys...i will post the first six of the vin # when i get the car...i made a mistake. What do u mean about tearing out the seats and everything? Will i be able to put people in the back to sit?

I ROCK

Yeah, and until and unless you do some head porting, I'd stick with the performer (non-RPM) unless you want your car to drive like a mustang. Sorry, I might have not been specific enough. I should have said seatback(s) since you probably have a single rear sear and not the split version. If I remember one of my old cars right, the back is still separate from the bottom cushion(s) so you just take the back off not the cushion. People can still sit and buckle up and they have more leg room because their back rests deeper in the car. On mine - which is a split rear bench - there are two torx bolts on the sides of the back(s) and you can't get a ratchet to them (well you CAN if you have a 1/4" ratchet and special socket and tiny vice grips. But that bolt goes into a bracket. If you look underneath, there's another regular hex head bolt on the other part of that bracket, I believe 14mm. Get a box-end wrench and remove those on both sides and take off the seatbelt bracket and you're done. If you want to remove the brackets from the belt, you'll need to take the cushions off temporarily, then get a T40 or T45 torx and very very carefully take off the bottom seatbelt bolts. I'd recommend a torch first b/c I stripped one of mine. Then slide the brackets off, rebolt the belts in (tight!) and replace the lower cushion(s). It's cool to take a torch to stage 8 steel - it barely gets red at all, whereas most other metals get red-hot and start to melt.

84Berlinetta305

Not to get off the subject, but do you have a picture of a split rear seat? I'm just curious to see what they look like. Thanks

Chris'86RS

OK...so it will just be like a big cushion in my back seat...thats cool maybe i will try that...does it make the car much lighter? And can i put it back in if i want too?...Thanx

84Berlinetta305

yeah, you can always put seats in and out. I took mine off an on about 4 times this weekend. The best way to get the backs off is to take the bottoms off first. The unbolt with a single bolt that is in the front underneath the cushion. Then they are velcroed to the back. To take the backs off, there should be a bolt on each side it can be a pain to get to, but you'll know what i am talking about when you see it. When you get the back off, put the bottom on the same way you took it off.

Dan87IROC-Z

The most common problem with up-grading cars is that everyone wants to get the best, the fastest and the cheaspest way to the 11s or whatever. Now, I am only 18, almost 19, but one thing I have learned is to be patient with your car. When my Camaro is undergoeing work, I have to drive a 91 Honda Civc, and in driving that, I've gained a tremendous amount of respect for how fast and how special my car really is.
My advice; take your time, be patient, and spend your money wisely. Yes, you can get a cam for $79, a set of headers for $100 and whatnot. But from what I have learned through my personal experience and from talking to others is that, especilly with performance parts, you get what you pay for. And also, I would do as much of the work on your car as you can by yourself, or with your friends or whatever, don't pay a mechanic $800 to put a new cam in your car, its such a waste of money. Anyway, I hope this helps!

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1987 Chevy Camaro IROC-Z
L98 TPI 350 (5.7L)
TH 700R-4 Transmission
Borg Warner 7.75" 9 Bolt Rear End

Current Mods: LT4 Hot Cam, Comp Cams 1.52:1 Roller Rocker Arms, Edelbrock TES 1 5/8" Headers, Hooker 3" Aerochamber Cat-Back System, Performance Resource Chip, Accel Ignition Coil, Cap, Rotor, 8.8mm Wires, K&N Filters, JET TPI Air Foil, All Free Mods, Falken ZIEX Z-Rated Tires.

Best ET (w/o LT4 cam): 14.32 @ 97.7mph
(corrected for elevation)

7.5" 10 Bolt with 3.42s soon to come!

Chris'86RS

OK...thanks for the advice guys i will use it...i am gettin the car tomorrow night...i have to bring it to the mechanic over da weekend...Thanx again

Ray87Z

BTW, the torque curve for the Performer vs Perf RPM were nearly identical. Slightly less for the RPM at very low end but that's all, both peak at the same 3300 rpm. Both blow the stock intake away at all rpms, including down low so it's not like the RPM will hurt lowend performance. It's 15 hp gain up top puts the RPM clearly ahead by my book...

BTW, take a look at the 8th digit of the VIN to determine which engine it has, H is the LG4 305, and E is the L03 TBI motor (170hp). It won't have the TBI if it's a 86 though...

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Ray87Z
-Vortec headed 350.
86 IROC w/ a cammed 305 TPI.
Formerly Ray86IROC.
www.inter-scape.com/Ray

[This message has been edited by Ray87Z (edited February 20, 2001).]

Chris'86RS

So...If its not the TBI what engine do you think it has? and how much horsepower does it push originally? I went to a website and found some engine types by the eigth letter so i have most of them but not all...I will post the eigth digit and sixth didgit so u guys can hep me determine what model it is and what engine it has....Thanx

Black Beauty

its a carbureted 305. pushes 145 originally in optimal running condition. LG4 is the name. do like these guys say...hang out here....read...take notes THEN spend your money. take your whole VIN and enter it on to the VIN decoder on the home page...Thirdgen.org. (not the message board part) and itll tell you exactly what your car is. Also...guys....the third brake light was also available on the hatch on the 1990 RS....i have it. good luck

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Rick
90 Camaro RS 305 TBI
400 small block, Hooker 1 3/4 LTs, Random Tech Cat, Hooker aero chamber cat back on the way!!
TH700-R4 with Trans-Go shift kit (corvette servo here...but not installed yet)
MacEwen Motorsports White Gauge Overlays
14" K&N X-Stream Open Element
GTS Headlight and Taillight covers
5% Limo Tint all around
Classic White Chevy Bowtie sticker on rear window
http://www.geocities.com/esvalenz

Man if my camaro were a rice-rocket all those mods would give me what...easily 50-60 hp!!!

"Just because I've done it, doesn't mean I knew what I was doing!" - Me

daniel dekay

does your car have ground effects? mine didnt when i bought it, it was an 86 cpe. had the third brake light on the hatch too, not the spoiler. thats and easy way of telling if it is an 86 or not. as for the tbi carb decesion. just open yer hood and pull the wing nut off the air cleaner and look inside. if its a v8, you should see a carb down there with 4 little barrels. is it a v8? in 86, they only came irocz, z28's and cpe's if im not mistaked. the RS wasnt introduced until 87 i think?

daniel

oh yeah, the first thing u should do before anything else(except find a manual) is scan for codes. this is pretty easy, just take a paperclip and stick it in the two holes on this little wire harness underneath the steering wheel. check the manual for the codes, or i think there is a tech article about codes and everything.

84TransAm

Hey you have an LG4!!! HIGH 5!!

It's really not that bad of an engine, that some people will lead you to believe. sure it's only got around 150 hp, but 240 lbs of torque makes up for that, just not insanely. Headers is the most noticeable bolt-on you will notice. It jumps power up to around 190 from 150 or so. Best 1st mod possible. Of course, if you have no experience with anything mechanical, have a shop or better yet, befriend someone with mechanical abilities and get them to install it.

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--Steve S--
1984 Trans Am 305 LG4, 5 speed
Daily Driver, Flowmaster 80 Series
NOW FEATURING: Holley 600 cfm & vacuum advance

I ROCK

If you're going to get headers, get the dirt cheap flowtechs or dynomax. Yes you get what you pay for but this is an LG4. You could pick up another engine probably better than yours for $200. So that's why you have to consider the tradeoff between expensive mods and saving for REALLY expensive mods like new engine, performance trans etc. You can't really go wrong with suspension/appearance mods although I'd do performance ones first up to a point. I've had an LG4 car, it was a pristine 83 Florida t-top car, and if I knew what I do now back when I was 18 and bought the car the flowtechs would be in the mail once I signed the pink slip. Have fun.

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"Among so many conflicting ideas and so many different perpectives, the honest man is confused and distressed and the skeptic becomes wicked...Since one must take sides, one might as well choose the side that is victorious, the side which devastates, loots, and burns. Considering the alternative, it is better to eat than to be eaten."

Napoleon I

daniel dekay

i didnt know what by just adding headers to an lg4 would increase the horsepower by almost 35%?

Ray87Z

The exhaust sucks on them, read the magazine article in the URL I posted above Daniel. The LG4 had just shy of 200hp w/ a good full exhaust... They did get rid of the stock carb and put a standard rebuilt distributor on it though, probably accounted for a little bit but that is still doing quite well for the exhaust alone.

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Ray87Z
-Vortec headed 350.
86 IROC w/ a cammed 305 TPI.
Formerly Ray86IROC.
www.inter-scape.com/Ray

[This message has been edited by Ray87Z (edited February 22, 2001).]

Chris'86RS

Not to sound stupid or nothing....What is torque?

Conv389drv

Torque is basically a twisting force, like the force you use to tighten a bolt.

Torque is usally measure in foot/pounds (ft/lbs). Ten ft/lbs would be 10 lbs applied to the end of a lever 1 foot long. (a foot long wrench for example).

On a car, ft/lbs can be measured at the engine flywheel, or the car's drivewheels. The torque rating of the engine is basically how much twisting force it can apply. An engine that makes 300 ft/lbs is equivalent force to using a foot-long wrench to apply 300 lbs of force to a bolt (or the drive axle of the car).

Hope this helps

84Berlinetta305

Where is the best place to get dirt cheap headers? I would really like some. Also, how hard are they to put on?

I ROCK

You can get flowtech from JC Whitney and probably summit. You can get Dynomax from Summit....HARD! Especially if you still have emissions. You'd be best off to remove all the stuff you can think of that might get in the way before you even try (temporarily unless you want to axe the emission stuff for good) emission stuff, unplug all the wiring harnesses and bend them back behind the plenum, maybe depressurize AC if you have it (mine's empty) and bend that stuff out of the way, maybe even bend brake lines out of the way (or drain the system and remove the MC and the whole mess), maybe even the valve covers, maybe even the steering box!! There's a progression here, depending on brand and installer some guys have a relatively painless time but others invent many new words...After all that you have to weld them up to the Y-pipe unless you get a custom Y-pipe with flanges (read: NOT flowtech or dynomax!) and then you still have to weld that to your cat or pipe you have in place of the cat. And yes, I used the phrase "the whole mess" up there...I pity the fool!!!

johnyIROC

I love my LG4, it just won't die... I've run it out of oil and coolant many a time, and she never quit. I am sure the cam is just a straight bar by now, but that won't stop her. I could do with out the Q-bog, it really sucks *** ... and I noticed about a 25% hp gain just by disconnecting the exhaust after the cat.

Even though I love my LG4, I couldn't resist the 355 (350 .30 over spec) 4-bolt I picked up last week for $100. It is on it's way to the machine shop tomorrow morning to get magnafluxed, cam bearings, frost plugs and cleaned. Hopefully I should have the short-block assembled late next week.

johnyIROC

PS: Why didn't anyone tell me I had to take out the fuel pump majigger before I take out the cam.... I nicked every bearing! I had planned to replace them anyways, but that sucked.

Chris'86RS

What headers can i get to up my HP almost 35%...i remember someone saying something about that....and if not what are good headers...not the best but good so i can increase my HP a bit?