Why in the world do you all keep the V6's in these cars? It'd be so easy to swap a V-8 in, why don't you all?

Because after you've just beaten a V8 car there is nothing more embarrasing for them to hear than my wife say "it is just a V6", lol.

The first race I made was against a Mustang Cobra and the guy didn't beleive it. He followed me until I agreed to pop the hood. It was priceless.

I ran a 12.42 with an untouched longblock. Never had the valve covers off. This year I've redone the motor and new turbo - should be near 11.00. Definately unexpected from a stock looking v6!

But you could run that fast a lot cheaper and more reliably with a V8 could you not? Thats the argument all of us muscle car guys make to the ricers lol.

2,300 bucks into a 3.1 that can run 12's
and another 200 bucks and i should be able to go bottom 11's

To go high twelves it cost almost nothing for upgrades. A tank of race gas, an adjustable boost controller and ditch the air box.

This last round of upgrades getting me to the 11's (maybe even high 10's) cost me a few bucks. The V8 may have been cheaper.

Nothing beats lining up in Hot Rod class against an open header big block and beating him with a quiet-stock looking-V6. Ultimate sleeper. If I was into street racing for money (which I'm not) my car would definately suprise a few unsuspecting victims.

economy for daily driving is my key factor in going with the v6... although the 350 in my firebird is easier to take care of and far less picky...

both of my cars were originally 6's, so it's a difference of 300-350 miles to a tank... versus 200-250, usually closer to 200 to a tank with my bird...

although one of my side projects is a L69 305 that probably will eventually see it's way into the camaro I think... needs heads and an intake though...

I honestly think it's really cool that some of these guys turbo their 6's, but for the purpose mine is tasked with it's not necessary for more power, although when someone tries to race me, it'd be nice to be able to... and the more I hear about it the more I consider it. Also, v6's are probably the future for high horsepower engines in the US, so consider that...

I LOVE my sbc, but v8's ARE a dying breed... just like family traditions and laws defending owning firearms...

say project, would you say you lost any mpg going turbo? Honestly...

man aint that the truth

ummm depends on how i drive the car,

drive like a normal human and it gets better gas milage then stock
drive it with a heavy right foot and it will suck gas faster then a stock 350 tpi motor

Weight.

I want a sub 3000 pound car with about 350 hp. Some weight reduction and a turbo are the easiest way to do that. Sure, I could spend a lot on an LSx and have the power right away, but then the weight reduction would be harder & cost more.
Plus everyone swaps a V8. Yeah, its not hard to do and it'll scoot, but it is hardly unique.

^^Beat me to it. I always went to car shows and saw V8s under 99% of all the hoods. My family's always had V8s in their cars...I'm into building something different.
I'm also getting my V8 fix with me and my bros project...Supercharged 383 in an S-10

totally respectable...

I still have my "iron duke" from my first car sitting in the back of my garage waiting for the day when I find a way to make it not suck...

Because I like to do things the hard way

Attachment 170406

whoa...

Why not put in a v10 like someone did here a few years ago. Or a v12? Hell, Id love to stuff in a Detroit diesel, or duramax, that would be fun!

Some people like the look of the car, and could care less what motor is under the hood.

Because a V8 is easy....

Boring....

*yawn*

I like to be different, and since I believe the world is going towards smaller, more efficiant power plants, why not have the jump on going that route?

The look on the face of die hard V8 guys when you blow by them or they drive the V6 for the first time is the reason I do it.

The question might as well have been "Why do all you guys keep running small blocks when you can swap in a big block?" Really.......If we all liked the same things the world would be a boring place.

I love the difference in handling. Almoast perfect 50/50 balance, with larger swaybars and a little stiffening feels like a gocart. I can't wait to get a rack and better springs/shocks in it. Oh, and there's that 300 horse 3.4 I have tucked away waiting for paint...

well, me being a teenager, it is probably better that i do not have all that extra power, although i would love to have it!

so you get 300 miles per tank on your v6? i get like half that? am i doing something wrong here?

In stock form, mine would get about 270 miles mixed city/highway driving.

first of all dont be so ignorant. second of all v6 motors are not just useless chunks of iron my buddy used to have a 86-ish sc with a 2.8 in it and t-5 and the car could burn rubber like mad! dont get me wrong i love my v8 but some of the v6s are to be feared. like an untouched all original buick gnx, fastest us production car of 1987 i do believe

I filled up with the needle just above the E line and had 314 miles on the tank... keep in mind I have a cat back exhaust (3"), no cat, stock manifolds, and a cone air filter... nothing more, nothing less...

could be a few reasons why you don't see that on yours...

the 2.8L currently in my camaro was JUST (as in last month) rebuilt by myself... so is running on a top... and has a fresh tune...

another reason is that I am NOT a teenager anymore, although I am in my mid 20's... and I do most definitely enjoy burnin' that gasoline, I drive my V6 like it's my slow car... I don't race with it... I take off slow, stop gradually, cruise on the highway and I don't tail gate... I'd prefer to just show it off and let everybody wish they were driving it...

I don't know if transmission makes a difference, I drive an auto v6 camaro...

Also, I don't live in a city, so most of my driving is at speed on long straight, flat roads... I'll get between 250-300 when I'm joy riding... last tank before this one I had 286 miles... but that's cause I was driving around back roads relaxing for a good portion of the tank... but I have seen 340 miles when I have been comfort driving the whole time on all highways...

plus I have driven several v8 trucks and cars, as my firebird is now... and when your cruising, as I'm sure most of the people who have driven V8's here can attest, you learn how not to waste your gas while driving it... I didn't know how to do that as a teen...

a v8 is definetely easy power, and the torque is unmatched... unless of course you have one of the brand new camaros with the 300 hp 60 degree... which I may consider swapping to at some point in the future...

Because maybe some of us aren't made of money to swap V8 in right away, the plan is in the near future. And no I won't sell mine to be able to buy a V8, I've put to much time and money into my car to get it the way I want it just to sell it.

farther down the road the V6 and I4 camaros will be a rare breed, .....especialy the I4's

IMO i wouldnt mind having a iron duke camaro for a show car, but i would still have to have my V8 lol......just have 2

how do figure? I believe it will be the complete opposite, with the v6's becoming the dominant powerhouse in the US, I can't help but think I4's will tag along at some point...

Honestly though, have you ever driven something with an Iron duke? I drove an olds calais that was near to 1000 lbs lighter than an f-body with the iron duke and that thing crawled... I can only imagine how geriatric it must feel in a camaro...

would be cool to see at shows though, there are a few videos of them on youtube...

ohh the I4 would be a totaly show car, im talking about like an all original I4, they are kinda rare because people would rip out the 4 and put an 8 in it

and the V6 powerhouses are sure not stock V6 for our gens, now a newer V6 transplant would work, im mainly saying people keeping it for all original show reasons

hell i got a 250HP V6 Accord, the new ones got 27XHP, 6's are not what they used to be and that V6 they are putting in the 5gens has like 300hp....crazy

I pulled the Iron Duke outta that Olds and kept it, pretty sure they are identical to the ones in the f-bodies...

I had toyed with the idea of rebuilding it and using it in one of them someday, but I just can't seem to justify it... it's a workhorse of a motor though...

yea the dukes were almost bullet proof, you may want to keep it, maybe someone who has a camaro that should have an iron duke that wants to restore it may be looking for just that

the only way i could justify it, is to find a iron duke car, thats dont need alot of work to restore..... but i would have to have my V8 camaro fully the way i wanted it before i could justify restoring an iron duke

i want an iron duke. i want to turbo the hell out of it !!!!

why u might ask, well just cause i can lol

and thats the best reason to do it

lol well in all seriousness i think it would be a neat lil project noone has done it before,

and a iron duke would be so friggen easy to to do.

granted the thing might come out to 175-225 or so hp tops but tell me if u didnt see a nice clean 3rdgen with a turbo duke u would step back and say hey thats some neat ****

Lol i had an iron duke l4 for my first bird,bought it for 400 bucks has it had a betn tie rod. Man i hated that motor lol. But yeah i second the handling aspect of the v6. I've had both my 89 is a v6 and i had an 86 TA. Honestly driving the TA felt like swinging a sledgehammer sideways. It went there but it didn't like to come back. My 6 handles like a slot car

yea a lighter motor will handle better my friend has a V8 in a pinto and and sure dont handle well, he fixin fix that problem with some bigger sway bars and what not, he also has a highly moddified 4cyl pinto, and it handles like its on rails, but it has half the motor up front

i do know that when i put z28 sway bar and all poly bushings it was a night and day diff on my camaro...id love to see what some of the huge after market ones would do

Iron Duke locally has made over 300hp in a Midget car. It uses a single V8 head, ITB's, long open headers and forged/custom everything. Parts are available for them, the guy bought a 3500 block from me to replace the 3.4/3400 from two years ago that was making 340hp, all N/A and shifting about 6000.

wow really thats amazing n/a as well. any info or anything on it online???

Ugh, all this talk of 4cyls is making me sick... There's only a select few 4 bangers I really consider noteworthy, otherwise they're just econo putzers. Of course there was a time when 6's were considered the same. Nowadays they're stuck somewhere between performance motor and standard equipment.

why would anyone swap a v8 into a v6 camaro, just buy a different car. The 305 v8 that is in most of the cars was not much faster than the v6 anyway. I have owned both, they both are good for different reasons.

HAHAHAHAHAHAH!

you make me laugh

ill race a 3.1/m5 against my L69/m5 and see how that 3.1 holds up agianst the lil 305

FYI ive owned a "few" v6 thirdgens and a lot of v8 thirdgens......

i will never drive a v6 thirdgen unless its forced induction 3.8/4.3

The 305 will launch much harder and leave the v6 in the dust, if the rear gearing is close. But a 6 w/ 3.42's vs an 8 w/ 2.73's is just about matched despite the difference in torq. I know, my v6 originally had open 3.42's and a buddy with a 305 & shitty highway gears could hardly pull on me. Like maybe a nose on launch. Both auto though. If I had a better reaction time I would've pulled on him. I don't know how gm sold all those f'ing tbi 305's with crappy gears. Runs like a fat turkey and gets out of breath in a hurry.

Depends, a L69/M-5 has 3.73's and a bigger motor, my 305 isnt running top but its a LB9 Auto with 2.73's, an 87 2.8 5 spd 3.42's held me through first, which is the most surprising area he had me in. I also own an 87 2.8 and 700-R4, there no powerhouses, but there no dogs. Its all on what you want. Me I appreciate both so thats why the sport coupe is getting a 3.4/3400 and when thats done the IROC will get its 383. We all win

Just because it has a v8 doesn't make it a nice car. There are some really nice 4 and 6 cylinder f-bodys out there. Also, emissions is a big deal for many in the great US. Its hard to drop a carb'd 350 in every firebird out there and expect to pass emissions for a 6 cylinder with fuel injection. They 6 cylinder cars are nice daily drivers...better than the average commuter car. Theres plenty of reasons.

I love my V-6/5-speed!!!! In the typical grid-lock of most cities, to hold the clutch on a V-8/5-speed is very tiring. The gas mileage on the V-6 is better, the handling in bad weather is better! Did I mention that I love my V-6/5-speed???

To tell you the truth, I don't really give a rat's rear-end about how much power a V-6 or Iron Duke puts out. The fact of the matter is that these cars are at least 16 years old and older - I can put collector's plates on my 1984 Trans Am, this year!! Appreciate that.

So, for what it's worth. If you're building, have fun. If you want to stay stock, also have fun. I think that showing up at a major Thirdgen Fest with a V-6 (that is other than a TTA) or with an Iron Duke will certainly get the crowds around and the tongues wagging.

Just my

Is that the best economy any of you v6 guys can do?
Don't think I dislike 6's, I still can't decide between a 350 and a 4.3...
But my LG4 with 183,XXX miles gets about 350 miles to a tank. I've never emptied the tank, but do the math:
23 (+/- 1 mpg) mpg x 16.2 gallons=372.6.
Mostly stock, no A/C, emissions equipment removed, no choke, car now weighs 3000-3100 LBs.
But I have a heavy foot, so I might average 18-19 mpg.

What i am saying is that a stock 305 tbi with 2:73 gears vs a v6 with 3.42 gears is very similar to drive. Obviously if you have an HO engine or you have done work to your 305 there would be no comparison. Most of the cars out there match the former description.

its not that v6s can make more power or anything, its usually because its cheaper. sure a 350 would be great, but i got my 3.1 for free. you can't beat that pricing, and if you can please tell me how.

To all you guys saying a V6 or iron duke (duno wat it is, inferring inline 4 from wats been said in here) will drop jaws at a show, I don't see how. A camaro/firebird is a muscle car, a V6 isn't muscle, so if you're a stock nut, then yeah, but most of you guys have said you aren't even keeping them stock.

Gas milegage you do beat a V8 on, I personally think its worth it for the V8 though.

Handing, eh, not so much, its also how you drive the car. I like how my V8 camaro handles, and I've taken quite a few 4 banger ricers on curvy roads, just because I've gone out and just slid the read end for hours on end for fun, so I know how to drive it like that. Put me in a car that has no oversteer, and turns like its a go-cart, and I'l drive like **** most likely lol.

But, its your guy's cars, props for building them how you want em and not following the crowd. To each his own.

As for the v6 guys, i respect them. My 90 cavalier had the 3.1 in it. best motor ever, it had some hard miles but never ever gave me trouble then stupid me sold it like a retard. I always wanted to add a turbo on that car just to bump it to about 200hp.
Yes you can get more out of a v8 but its being different is what is the key nowadays, any john doe can do a v8 swap..its not hard. but adding a turbo to a v6 takes some skill. Props to you guys.

i can tell u first hand, a turbo v6 camaro at a show will get more attention then u want.


we have a nice car show at our swapmeet 2 times a year here,and i always put my rs in the show.its goten so bad i cant get away from my car to go do any shoping,so i only put the car in the show for one day now instead of 2.

one year specially comes to mind i was parked inbetween a zr-1 vette and some 2nd and 1st gen fbodys. there were more ppl looking at my car all day long,then the others that i actually pissed off one of the 1st gen owners parked nexto me

of course i got the usuall comments from those guys "oh thats not a real car" etc etc etc

but at the end of the day my car gathered a whole lot more intrest and looks form ppl then those guys did

the v8's have a bigger gas tank then the v6's do...
----------
WHAT!!???

is this real?!??! sh*t man, I could build that in my garage...

im pretty sure the v6 cars have the same sized tank

That made me laugh, cause I have that problem from time to time...

that's why I have too much fun in FWD, cause I just drive the hell out of it...

point and click is just too easy... lots of fun though

How about this to answer your question:

I got my 1992 Firebird 3.1 V6 car brand new when I was 18 years old. The car needs paint and new t-top seals right now, but I have always kept it in good shape and taken care of it. There is no way that I am going to take this car and go through all the hassle that it would take to swap in a V8, wiring harness, front springs, etc... I also want more power, but the car was a V6 so that is the way it will stay.

Like most of the guys on the V6 boards here, we want something different. Around here the V6 gets no respect... That's fine with me because I like being the underdog. It also means that I won't be going to the local cruise in or show and be sitting there with 15 other cars that are just like mine except for the paint job.

In the future I plan a mild 3.4 liter engine with a turbo and intercooler making about 12 PSI of boost. That thing should spank any stock 3rd gen and a lot of the modified ones.

Also, why build one of these instead of a *****??? They are basically taking a car designed from the ground up to be an economy commuter car, and they are trying to make a race car out of it. Some of those cars are really fast, and I can definitely respect that, though. The Firebird and Camaro were designed as a performance platform from the get-go. Just because it has a V6 doesn't mean that the rest of the car isn't 90% the same as the performance models.