Newbie here, forgive me if I'm posting this in the wrong place, Mods pleas move it if you think it should be in V-6 forum.

My question is, what is the next step to upgrade/increase performance from the stock 2bbl carb on my V-6? Modified air filter, bigger carb, etc.

(I thought I read something about triple weber carbs but I think that was FI.)

Thanks

 

A motor swap to a newer 3.4 60* v6 or a v8 swap honestly.

Try the v6 section, You'll probably get more help there.

 

No need to post anything further for help.

There is nothing that you can do to that piece of crap carburetor that is going to make the slightest noticeable bit of difference in performance. I would know, I have had two separate Camaros with that carburetor on them. I tried tuning the **** out of the carb on Camaro #1, produced no change except it ran richer than it should have. I put a K&N air filter on Camaro #2, which is a better running car than #1 was, but the filter made hardly a difference. The problem with the E2SE carburetor is that it just does not flow enough. It's a lost cause.

If you want to squeeze more power out of your existing motor, here are the only options that you really have to consider:

1. ditch the E2SE 2bbl and get yourself the Holley 4bbl for the 2.8 (I think it's a 390cfm, or thereabouts), coupled with

2. the Edelbrock high-flow intake for the carb'd 2.8(I don't know if the intake will accept the E2SE, but I don't know why anyone would want to slap that crap carb back on a new intake)

3. replace the cylinder heads with some MPFI heads out of a later 2.8 (they have larger valves and will breathe much better) I cannot remember if 3.1 heads or 3.4 heads will go onto a 2.8 quite as readily, with the valvetrain and all. should be same bolt pattern but double-check that with the other guys on the board. I know that Dale knows about that subject real well. TomP might as well.

You will notice a boost in horsepower with all of that, but I can't say if it's anything that'll be HUGE. Now, if you were to take br()bert's advice and drop in the 3.4 (as many on this board would also urge), and get a better intake and DEFINITELY the better carb, then you would definitely notice a departure from the pathetic performance of the carb'd 2.8. But then you're talking about a matter of time and money. AND, I've been warned, you should also have the tranny rebuilt at the same time, otherwise the increase in power from the 3.4 will be enough to kill the old 700R4 if it has enough miles and age on it. If you're not looking to get too crazy, start pricing that Holley carburetor and the Edelbrock intake. That will set you back half a thousand dollars brand new, but it's cheaper and quicker than the 3.4 swap coupled with the tranny rebuild...though that route certainly would have its benefits.

Sorry I don't have better news for you than that, but I've been through the efforts twice....and I'm always happy to help save someone else from wasting their money on the stock E2SE carburetor.....don't buy anything high performance until you're ready to start replacing big stuff.

 

Thanks CamaroManBlack:

I think I'll start saving for the 4bbl and the intake. I was going to use this car as a daily driver, and the V-6 gas mileage is what made it appealing in the first place, especially with the price of gas going up again.

There are some pretty inexpensive ones on trader.ca, if I wanted to invest in a real "mover and shaker" I may end up getting athother one somewhere down the line, to do just that!

This website has tons of great info and opinions with regards to the F-body series. I'm sure glad I found it!

Thanks again!

 

Hey, no problem....glad I could offer helpful information. I don't see many fellow 2bbl 2.8 owners on the boards; most of the the V6 owners here have fuel injection. What I know I have learned from my experience with my own two Camaros, and I don't mind passing on the lessons learned.

And I hear you on the gas mileage part....I don't mind sacrificing speed for fuel economy. Feels good to pass a gas station and watch the V8-owners of cars and trucks pumping half their paychecks into their tanks, while I cruise on by with plenty of fuel to go....

 

EXACTLY!
I knew a dude that I worked with way, way back who had a second gen, with the smallest motor.
He did every thing "outside" to make it look like a beast but yet the motor was the smallest available at the time. I mean he had the whale tail and split exhaust, but it was only a chick magnet, nothing else. Any other car that would have come up to this dude at a light and wanted to go would have blown him away. This short little dude told me, he was one of those non agressive types. Yeah, the ladies loved the ride, only because they had no idea what a ****box they were in.
I personally like my ride, regardless, of if I can blow the doors off anyone else. At 17, yeah that would be an issue, but at my age (double that) I'm happy to have the same looks as the big block guys, but with some more coin in my pocket.....

 

Haha, precisely. I am currently in the process of redoing my Camaro. I have done all of the body work, and will be getting the car repainted black in a couple of weeks. I may put ground effects on the rocker panels if I can find a set, and I have a set of rear window louvers that will be going on the car as well (the nice 3-piece metal ones). I also have 15" 2nd Gen Trans Am wheels on it to tide me over until I can affort the Torque Thrust wheels I want. The car came from the factory with the Z28 suspension, which I keep in full repair(just need struts when the paint is done). She'll look and handle pretty mean for her age when she's all done....but she's still powered by that little 2.8. I'm 22, and though I sometimes like to go a little fast, this car is just fine. The acceleration isn't so terrible that I can't stand it, and there's no need to be able to burn the tires on a daily driver with today's traffic laws(I can't afford to rebuild my automatic tranny afterward, anyway). I, too, get some of the looks with this car (well, before I ripped it apart to restore it) as some of the guys with big-motor cars get. Many people actually think I have a 305 under the hood until I physically pop the hood and show them the 2.8. I was completely amazed on one occasion when I took the car through the beach last year (still black, with surface rust bubbling through the paint over the rear wheels and the bottoms of the doors, with a rippled hood), on a night when people were driving stuff like 67 Camaro Z28's and Old Mustangs and Chevelle SS's, and people were actually checking my car out like I was one of the hot rods. And they weren't laughing at me, either. I could not believe that my plain-bodied black, beat-up V6 Camaro got that kind of attention. But damn did it feel NICE.

As far as girls liking it...well...girls around here don't like the 3rd Gen Camaros much...they tend to like the brand-new front wheel drive boring crap. R * c * rockets, too. So owning this Camaro is strictly for my own enjoyment. The ladies tend to prefer my 1989 BMW 325i....heehee

 

The guy that previously owned mine apparently raised the suspension to be able to put bigger rims/tires combination in it. But when he sold it to me, he had the cheap basic ugly stamped rims with some bald tires on it. I could see past the crappy rubber, but now I don't know if I should go with bigger rims and tires, or re-modify it back to original. I think the body skirts/ground fx look really good on f-bodies, but a really nice set of wide rims with low profile tires will show of even a basic body style.....

 

Lower it back down; I bet it'll handle better and it'll look better too. I don't know why people raise the suspensions on these cars...if they want that feel, then they should just go out and buy a Caprice or some land yacht like that. Or a truck, for that matter.

If it was me, I'd lower it. Low-profile rims will fit without a problem, even with most drop-kits (lower than factory). Lowering that car's center of gravity will definitely improve your cornering ability.

 

Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's going back down, like you said maybe even a drop kit!

I don't recall, but is that something that was done back then in the 80's?, (I mean raising the suspension?) Looks pretty goofy right now......

 

wasn't done unless you were a red neck or something, to my knowledge....not to an Fbody....

 

The v8's getting bad gas milage is seriously not as bad as the v6 guys try to make it seem. Seems like they need a reason to justify owning a v6 car so they say "well the v8 gets bad milage, yeah thats it" My car gets about the same gas milage now as it did when i had the pos 2.8 As long as i dont get deep in the pedal and drive 80 + on the highway.

Only diff with the car now then when it had the 2.8 is the front is lower and i have a ton more power.

 

Hey, br()bert, calm down. I'm not trying to start another V6 vs V8 war (this board has enough already), I was just making a general statement (not everyone who does a V8swap uses an overdrive tranny). Yeah, with the overdrive tranny, the V8 cars will do pretty good on the fuel economy. That's common sense. But calm down, man, I wasn't trying to get offensive. Sorry if it seemed that way. Just sharing some humor with Bigng, that's all.

As far as "justifying" a reason to have the V6 in an Fbody, what the frig other reason is there going to be other than fuel economy? It sure as hell isn't going fast or being able to do much to it with aftermarket performance parts.

It's really starting to feel like the damned Watts Riots in here lately.

 

I wasnt pissed or anything, just posting is all.

"Watts Riots"? LOL damn i dont think i was even alive back then

 

Looks like I may be able to get my hands on a 86 witha 5 litre engine. Body is pretty bad, though, so it wouldn't be a project car, more likely a donor. Are there any major differences in body (other than bolt on plastic and tail lights) between an 84 and an 86? I was thinking of stripping the plastic off the 86 donor, and putting them on the 84...?

 

Haha, I wasn't alive back then either. But it seemed to fit the general atmosphere of the boards here lately. lol


Bigng-

I don't think there are any major differences between the 84 and 86 Firebird aside from engines and wiring harnesses(which you would swap with the motor anyway). The swap should be pretty straight-forward, I would think. No wait, I'm wrong. There will be one big problem if that donor motor isn't the carb'd V8--the fuel lines and sending unit/fuel pump assy in the gas tank. If you drop a fuel injected motor, you are going to have to route the proper return line and change out the sending unit in the tank. Rewiring for the electirc high pressure pump will be no big deal as long as you transfer all of the electronics over from the donor car. If it's the carb'd V8 then you shouldn't have to mess with the fuel system beyond the firewall. br()bert, you're a Firebird guy, am I forgetting anything else?

edit: as far as plastic body pieces, those should hypothetically go onto your car...As far as I know, the thirdgen body lines stayed the same from 82 to 92, with modifications only to fascias and ground effects(and some of the hoods). I know that's true for the Camaro, I am not 100% sure on the Firebird. Again, br()bert, what say you on that issue?

 

Looks like it is a carbureated V-8, but I won't know for sure until I can get a look under the hood.

 

yup its a 305 carbureated
needs a new alternator, killed the battery driving it home and dumbass that I am left the windows open, whats worse, the hood latch broke, and even worse than that, they're expecting rain today. Now I have to somehow unlatch the hood from underneath just to put in a new alternator, or at least charge up the battery to close the windows, unless any one knows of a quick fix to apply 12 volts to the switch somewhere so I can close the windows?
Anyway, I think it was worth what I paid for it, even if it is to be used as a donor. Its fully loaded and the T roof windows have never even been taken out (I especially like the power trunk lock)
Lots of cancer though, but hey, I got plenty of time to look around for a decent body....