Ok so i pull up to a stop light next to my friend in his 1999 4-door jaguar 4 liter v-8. i was in my 92 camaro 305 TBI. we both floor it and my car gets off the line a little faster but then he pulls way ahead of me with no problem. i know that jags are pricy cars but still my engine is way bigger and it really makes my camaro look bad. im trying to do a budget rebuild so that i can whoop his *** next time we race. im really looking for much higher compression..... any ideas???

You will need alot of mods to your TBI to make it run fast. Some of those Jags were supercharged, making 370 hp. To win against one of those, you totally have to transform your motor from what it is now.

You don't need A LOT of mods, just the RIGHT ones.

yeah thats what i plan on doing, is it possible to convert TBI to carberator? and would that make it any faster?

What are the right ones? i was thinking a top end kit, new pistons, cold air kit, & headers/exhaust. will that get me there?

You need to run deep into the 13s to beat a 99 xjr. Yes, these cars are heavy, but they still make 200 horses more than a TBI car, and about that much more torque. As far as not needing a lot of modes and just needing the right ones, I don't know about that. I know that a budget build on a TBI is not going to get you into the low 13s NA. It will take money, heads, cam, intake, exhaust and a good deal of drive train / suspension work to get you there on the motor. With nitrous that may be a bit more easily achievable, but still I think that it would take a fairly big shot of nitrous to get a stock TBI into the low 13s. But again, I don't know everything. Just my 2c.

alright thanx for the help

budget build would be
open air intake,
headers back exhaust
Corvette L98 (aluminum) heads
RPM performer series intake manifold
Carb-TBI adapter
LT1 cam.
And port the hell out of everything. EVen then, all of that will probably set you back 1500-2000 and be good for some decent performance, but i dunno about enough to take an xjr.
13.7 is 1/4 for the jag.
http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/...eleration.html
WIth those mods, some good tuning, and maybe removal of smog pump, weight reduction, etc, you could. BUt again, do you want to show up this one guy? Is it worth the couple grand you'll drop into the car?

alright thnx man that helps alot, i didnt realize xjr's were supercharded.......
well i was planning on rebuilding it anyways, (L03's are slow as hell) and i would like to beat him as well as show many other people up haha

hey by the way click click vroom, do you like the pioneer subs you have? i cant decide which brand to buy

Honestly I would go with more cam. Either a ZZ4 cam or better. What you described above is almost the EXACT same thing I'm doing to my car. Although I'll be using 1.6's on the intake and 1.52's on the exhaust with a ZZ4 cam. My ZZ4's are worked over and I have a 3200 Edge stall ready and waiting. Also my car weighs 2860 at this moment. so that will be a big help. With my setup if I don't see low 13's to high 12's I'm going to be pissed.

just think of your camaro as a race horse. a good race horse needs food, it needs to be able to breath and it needs to get rid of all that food.
your tbi starves the engine for gas.
the heads will not let it breathe even if it was getting enough gas, and your stock headers will not let it get rid of all that crap.
and without all that it cant build muscle - as in a zz4 or better cam.
headers with cat back - if you are cheap like me - less than 500.00
tpi instead of tbi - 500.00
cam, springs, 150.00
heads - still working on that but anywhere from 300 to 1200.
the end result - 170 hp to maybe 275.
then you change the rear end - 300.00 with some lower gear posi - and now you can out run that cat, for 1/4 mile at best.

Dude the stock TBI unit UNMODDED WILL support 275hp, and Ultimate tbi will support 300hp+ . It's not the TBI system that is the limiting factor. It's the stock unmodded heads, tiny *** camshaft. (Stock L03-L05 camshaft 10088155 179/194 - .350/.384 109 LSA) PATHETIC stock tuning and EXTREMELY restrictive exhaust from the factory. Fast355 built a 420+ hp 310 with TBI. I believe the Camaro it finally ended up in was in the High 11's.

I wrote this awhile back. I hope it helps you in some choices.
http://www.thirdgen.org/techboard/tb...-synopsis.html (TBI: Condensed Performance Synopsis)

@Wesrams1:
Yeah i love the Pioneer subs. They're fantastic. They have an amazing 97 db sensitivity, and give me more clean sound than i could want (volume wise).
The price was attractive too. I got them as a kit w/ my amp off of crutchfield for like $250.
I think they're getting rid of the product. $50 can get you them
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_130TSW3...h=Pioneer+subs
I wish they had a little more range, but my 6x9s can mask well with them, so it's all good.
They were selling $110ish alone when i bought the kit, so that's a fantastic price. Of course, they're not super subs, but amazing for the price imo.

As for the cam, I haven't done that much research, but i know the LT1 was a proven cam. You should def research each area and type of part before spending. (trying not to get too off topic) but would fuel mileage be hurt by the ZZ4 cam? (LOL i know that shoudl be the least of my worries, but somethigns wrong. I'm getting like 15mpg on highway like daily commute).

And I agree on the TBI. Definitely keep it unless you're going completly extreme. I was going to do TPI just for the 30 hp boost, but again the intake isn't what's limiting it in it's stock form. That and all the improvements you can make you can get a lot of the tbi unit. Don't waste the money on swapping to TPI and instead use the money for a tune once you're done upgrading (A tune that you would've needed if you had gone TPI anyway).

alright thanx everyone! your advice has been REALLY helpful. most likely ill probably end up keeping the TBI, buying new exhaust system, 400-500 dollar heads, a big cam, new intake manifold,cold air intake and get a professional tune. im hoping that will get me in the ballpark of around 300 hp. im not too sure but im thinking my stock auto transmission might also be holding some power back, anyone ever convert a auto to a standerd?
oh and thnx click click vroom, i just bought the 2 pioneer subs haha, just got to install them

[quote=ClickClickVroom;4146240]budget build would be
open air intake,
headers back exhaust
Corvette L98 (aluminum) heads
RPM performer series intake manifold
Carb-TBI adapter
LT1 cam.

Sorry for posting here but I would like to ask you a few questions about your mod list.

I am about to get a lt1 cam, for my lo3, slowmaro. The cam is used. Anything to look out for? Do I need to get anything else for this swap? My motor is stock. Will this cam work good in an otherwise stock motor?

Yeah it should be fine but I would get new valve springs while you're at it. other than that, some tuning stuff and you're good. What year LT1 did it come out of? I can tell you the specs to give you a better idea.

Sure you could.

But you won't (legally) pass inspections or emissions tests anymore.

OK cool. Its out of a 95 TA. Can used springs do the trick? I have very lil money, & the cam is only $25.

By the way I see u live in Kingman. I live in Kansas City Mo, but I stopped in Kingman on my way home from California A lil over a year ago. I love that place. Went to the in & out burger. Funny huh. I have some bumper stickers I picked up, from that very restaurant.

I was talking to a real estate agent about buying a house their. Lots of nice homes for cheep, so I looked up jobs on Craigslist.com in the area. Didnt find much. What do you guys do for money out that way?

Here's the specs on your cam. It could be one or the other as there were 2 cams offered that year. I wouldn't trust used springs. The last thing you want to do is bust a spring, the results would be catastrophic. You can get new spring for pretty cheap.

201/207 @.50 .447/459 117 LSA
202/207 @.50 .450/.450 116 LSA

As far as work in Kingman there really isn't much right now. Being a small town (retirement town) there really isn't much to offer but the price of living here is pretty cheap nowadays. I'm lucky I have the job I have, I rely on broke people,lol (Manager traniee for Aaron's sales and lease)

OK I will price the springs. What kind should I get though? Just stock replacement?

You must be lucky to have a good job where your at then lol. The prices of the houses seemed to good to be true, till I started job hunting. Knowing my luck, Id starve to death.

Here's a good set of springs that have been recommended here for a while for this swap.

Manley 22410-16 for upgraded cam, and 22409-16 for a stock cam. And the retainers are 23651-16 for standard height and 23652-16 for +.050" more spring height.

Yeah they are quite amazing. Just make sure you give em plenty of space. I used the standard sub well design in the audio section, and it fits within the minimum space each sub needs. They do make baffling I think that behaves like an enclosure 30% larger, although i have no experience with it. If you're borderline it may be worth a try.

And other than springs with the Cam, you dont need anything but a lockplate would be a good idea (just in case).

for 2k y not upgrade to a 350, cam, and exhaust?

you can get a running 350 for $500 then just change out all ur 305 parts onto the 350...the 305 heads will give you higher compression and the exhaust will help it breath and cam will give you better all around performance.

im doing the whole lower end on my 350-->383 for 1700. look here for some short blocks or long blocks www.pawinc.com tons of stuff there.

here is a 377 short block https://secure.pawengineparts.com/377_4N_Chevy.html

I am not sure that the 305 swirl port TBI heads will be a good upgrade for a 350. You may want to go with 58cc aluminum corvette heads, or at worst some ported 416s / 081s with bigger intake valves.

i agree but just wanted to keep the person under budget. They will get more out of a 350 with 305 heads than the stock setup.

Not only that, but an engine swap is a huge deal. Especially when you're keeping the computer. There's a huge difference between bolt ons and that, and for someone who's inexperienced (no offense, i am too), it's a huge daunting project. Even more so when you're younger and its your only set of wheels.
That said, 350 is test and tried, but the 305 has a lot of potential too.
The thing will really awaken with those mods.

Also, the whole carb setup;
There's a reason we dont use them anymore :P
Fuel injection can be so much more efficient.
Dont ditch the computer.

my firsts swap woudl be an a used l98 motor .. figured 500 or so and then a 350 tpi setup.. figure another 500 or so.. then build of that platform... if you do headers/exhaust for antoher 500 after that.... your at 1500 total and your atleast in the ballpark of the 13/14 sec area... plus you have a better platform for future mods... jsut my opinion....

"there is no replacement for displacent"

Well I will keep my new motor. I didn't pick it, nor did I rebuild it, but its done. I mean I could have the motor out, & 350 in the car in no time at all. Easy swap. The thing is money. I have a new motor that I can build on. If parts have to sit, then they sit. When deals come my way, I buy.

Here's an example, or two. Camaro is car #5, it was free. I buy a lot of broken cars then fix. Out of all five cars I have I only paid $2,350. That's for all five.All run but one. Also have a motorcycle that was free. In fact the last two bikes ive had where free. One, 90 ninja zx-10, the one I have now is a naked goldwing. I traded the free ninja for the camaro.

The 1997 seats in the 89 camaro cost me $30 in good shape. The z hood, z tail lights, z grill, & fog lights cost me $100 all together. Ill post a pic. The cracked dash I fixed myself for $20. The tint I did the fronts myself. The white face gauges I did with red led's for cheap, the steering wheel was free. Get where I am going with this?

I know from mustangs that a 302 can be pretty darn fast. So why cant my 305 be too? I know its more work but I have time on my side, with a new motor, and trans (that came with the free car). I even have the paperwork from the rebuilds. I say 350 all day, but I dont have a 350, I have a 305.

Find pics of the dash here
http://www.thirdgen.org/techboard/in...ml#post4149344 (I fixed my cracked dash. Looks pretty good. Saved lots too.)

All this advice is great, but in the end you're comparing a N/A motor to a supercharged motor. That's apples to oranges, why not supercharge your own motor? That will easily add 100-200 hp to your motor, while (if it's centrifugal) not compromising durability greatly. I believe you could have a centri supercharger for under 2 grand.

y not buy a 350 and build it out of the car then throw it in when u have some spare time.

Wow I totally stole this thread. Sorry Wes. I hope you benefit as well. I am trying not to clog up this site any more then it is, since its so hard to find the info needed, when I search for things.

But Chas, to answer your question. I will find a 350 block some day. Its a plan but for now I want more from what I have. The 305 is not the worst motor. Guess it could be a corsica.

the Ford 302 has a 4" bore, while your 305 has a 3.75" bore. thats the major difference why the blue oval 5.0 runs lots better than the chevy 5.0. the small bore size of the 305 limits the amount of air/fuel it can take in. it also limits the valve sizes you can use. the standard 2.02/1.6 valves on almost all SBC heads cannot fit above the 305s tiny pistons

in short, youre severely limited using the smaller bore engine and it will never run with the 350 SBC or 302 Ford unless a ton of money is spent. which is exactly the opposite of your "cheap" mantra explained in your above post

Good points Ill keep lookin for a cheap block. Its no hurry, since im workin on three other cars also. Getting burnt out. Now where talkin motor swap.