CarAteMyMoney

OK,
having owned a number of 350TPI and carburated Camaros, Trans Ams, and a 'vette...

..im thinking about picking up a v-6 third gen as a beater

..but I can never leave well enough alone

I know the v-6's are slow as can be, stock

what are the performance options (if any) for a v-6 car?

im also interested in a Turbo setup.. has anyone done this?
and can the drivetrain take the power?

85f-bird

can the drivetrain take power, eh, yeh it can....apparently it can take a turbo also, look for posts by doward on that...it's a lot of work however, don't know if it'd really be worth it, not the worth it factor, but the trouble to the end....if you have to start w/ nothing get a TBI 305 beater car, they're just as plentiful as the v6 models, they'll have a little more power, and you can pull the 305 and replace it with a 350 but keep the TBI on it....then you'll be set....

if you're set on a v6, then take a look at ARI racing, some of the prices are a lil' high, but they have just about every single modification you could ever think of for a 2.8/3.1L v6. These engiens were found in more vehicles than 350's were, and there are mods out there for em...just gotta look. Most company's make cams, some make heads, someone on here makes some bad *** headers (there's a sticky at the top of the board), there's also a nitrous kit out there from NOS....it's a factory set 100hp setup, used on FI fieros (same lil' 2.8L engine though) so, good luck, should be pretty simple.

hope this doesn't discourage you from either avenue, but encourage you in one of em.

kfoley

The only reason I'd buy a V6 is if I was planning on a motor swap...

You're better off with a 305 for a beater.

85f-bird

actually, i'd beg to differ. Unless ur planning a somewhat mild engine swap 2.8/3.1 and swapping to a 3.4L you'll get a drastic change in noticable hp from the swap 135 vs 170 but that's it....you get a 305TBI car, and you can start with 160-170 and then swap for 250-300 with the right setup, and do so much easier than with the six cylinder. So, for a common project swap, it's just about pointless going with a six, but if ur doing the exotic swaps, ls1's, lt5's, northstars :-d , then i'd suggest going with a six, since not much from the v8 setup would be utalized, or ur pockets are deep neway.

Project: 85 2.8 bird

1. Buy WaOnFiRe's car , as any V8 car in same price catagory will be a stained, paint peeling, rusted & tired out POS.

2. Check out what Doward & Co. are doing w/their turbo project.

3. THere actually is an aftermarket for the 2.8~3.4 motors. Ever hear of Super Six Motorsports?


What more could you want?

AM91Camaro_RS

buy a 305 if you want a car that weighs more than a v6 car and probably drinks more gas. if you want cams, go to crane cams, they have like 7 cams to choose from for the 60* v6. heads, use stock ones and port and polish them, don't spend the money on the aftermarket ones, they are p&p-ed stock heads only upside being bigger valves available. or, do some custom work and run some FWD 3.1 aluminum heads. use the FWD intake and do a little customizing to it to clear a distrib. bore a 3.4 motor to about +.030" run about 10.5:1 CR with a nice cam and you will walk all over 305s and run with SOME 350s. my car has beat some early 90s mustang 5.0s at the drag strip and my motor has room for improvement. i say buy a v6 if you wanna play some. mod it, add a turbo or a nice S/C with a good cam and you'll be set.

FbodTrek

As far as power goes (and seeing as you already have had a few V8's) a six pack isn't going to give you NEAR as much. However, the V6 Camaros/firebirds are lighter (I'm not sure how much...). They are fun to drive (heck of alot more fun than ANY fwd). They aren't race cars, but you can take a few cars... They're WAYYYYY easier to work on than ANY V8 F-body. The 2.8 motors are SUPER easy to pull apart (3.1 pretty easy too). I dunno, if you're gonna want to race your "beater", you're better off buying one with a V8. Just my biased opinion

IROC57TPI

Don't let this happen to you....

I coulda had a V-8

vortex

Doward here:

Yeah, I wanted a V8, too....




























But then I heard that turbo spool, and that BOV sound off... and I was sold on the 6

Vortex Performance: Home of the World's First Turbocharged 60º V6 Thirdgen! Yay!

6SPEED84Z28

iTrader: (1)

i have both a v8 and a v6 3rd gen and i love both of them. i bought the v6 as a beater. but after driving it for a while i found out how great it handles with far less weight on the front end. i helped the underpowered problem by first a tune up then a timing chain next a set of headers (available from PF&E) and finally a set of ported heads. the car is now more enjoyable to drive and gets good gas mileage (tuneup and mods picked up 4mpg)

WaOnFiRe

Like Project: 85 2.8 bird saidf, buy my car...