im only 15 now and ive had my car now for almost a year, its sort of a project car for me to learn how to build motors and other automotive stuff but i only have a v6, I want a v8...im not selling the 92 RS that i have now because i got a hell of a deal on it and i have way too much time into it...well in the local classifieds theres a 350 4 bolt main, similar to the motor in the 81 corvette my dad used to have and it hauled a**. should i buy this motor for $150 and rebuild it so its like new and drop it in the camaro. I want something thats fast but can be a daily driver... but i really want a wheeler and there going for about $600 and with that money i could rebuiled that 350 or get a wheeler any help would be helpful...

 

i'd look for a 2 bolt 350. you might get lucky and find someone that would give it to you to haul off, or at worse get it much cheaper than a 4 bolt block. i doubt there's much reason you need a 4 bolt so save a few dollars with the 2 bolt. actually i'd look for a roller block and one pice crank seal over a 4 bolt block.

 

I really liked the way my dads vette handled, took off and it had gobs of torque, thats how i want my car but i doubt a big heavy camaro will ever take corners like a vette and accelerate like a vette but i want my car close to it...and wouldnt i get more power out of a 4 bolt main and since they only want $150 for it and my dad could prolly talk them down to about $100-$125...so why buy a 2 bolt and put performance parts on it...and i doubt anyone around here would just give me a motor to take off there hands.

 

The 4-bolt will be fine, but really no stronger than a 2-bolt in typical street performance applications. The factory had good reasons for the extra expense in truck engines. However, the 4-bolt mains had absolutely nothing to do with how well your dad's Vette ran.

You don't just "drop" a V8 into a factory V6 car. The sticky above explains all that.

There is no reason a 3rd gen can't run as fast or handle as well as an '81 Vette. And cost less doing it.

 

yea swaping engines is a big pain in the a**. but its worth it because i want power and im not going to get that out of the 3.1 v6...I thought that 4 bolt mains had more power just because it was a 4 bolt and not a 2...how could a camaro handle and accelerate like vette? vettes are lower to the ground and the body is made of fibergrass which makes it lighter

 

depending what year vette you compare what year camaro you'll get varying results....

my 87 gta handled really well and the suspension was awesome
my 93 vette handles well but but the gta was my preference

the vette runs 14.0@99 in stock form while the gta ran 14.8@92ish...

my friend's 94 formula runs 14.0@99 in stock formw

vette's are not as fast or anything else like they are hyped up to be... they are just another car with some history

either car can be made faster with money...i'm sure a ws6 thirdgen could out handle your dad's 81 vette

 

i just want the power so i dont have to put up with the ***** bull****

 

i dont know why but it wont let me say *****

 

r i c e r

 

That my friend is a banned word. Along with ****, ****, and a few others. Dont be afraid to put a V8 in your car, its not that hard. But it is a lot of work. I spent a lot of time and a lot of money to get mine. I can tell you this, if you truly love this particular car, then do it. But if the only thing holding you to this car is that it was cheap, then its probably not worth it to you. Get it running good and sell it, take the money and find a v8 car.

 

do you have to change the suspension if you put a v8 in a car that had a v6

 

not full suspension, but front springs/shocks are a good idea as the front will be so much heavier

 

do you know if you can buy them from summit or jegs if not then were can i get stiffer springs or could i go to the junkyard and take the front springs from a v8 camaro ?

 

any place you feel like...just standard stock replacement v-8 springs will do fine. whether you pull from a junkyard or order new is up to you. every place sells them

 

thanks for the help :hail:

 

81 vettes handle like ****, imho besides you can get your 92 to weigh the same or less then the vette. as for acceleration, camaros and corvettes both come with sbc's, so why couldnt it be as fast as a corvette?

 

what is an sbc's... the 81 vettes are nice but they would take corners at very high speeds like nothing

 

S mall B lock C hevy


BTW your third gen can be made to handle better then a 81 vette.

Vettes are all hype anyway. Why do you think Gm stopped making the cams and birds? Vettes could'nt take the competetition.

 

but it would take alot of time and money to get a maro to outperforme a vette...im only 15 and dont have a job yet

 

AND it would also cost more to buy and own a vette then it would to make a camaro/firebird perform on that level or greater.

For example insurance.

Get a price for a vette, then get one for a base v6 firebird or camaro. Major difference.

Do a motor swap in the bird/cam along with suspenion work and you have yourself a good performing car that still costs the same insurance wise.

 

it wouldnt take much money to make anything perform better then an 81 vette. not trying to be a dick, but that style vette isnt anything great at all. underpowered and a not so super suspension.

 

:werd:

My father inlaw has an 81 vette and it is slow as in 16.0 1/4 mile times. The only thing on that car that is superior to my thirdgen are the brakes.

 

i really doubt that that car is that slow because i have a stock 3.1 v6 thatll do better times than that

 

anyways the 81 corvette had gobs of low end tourqe that camaros dont have i dont care about top speed too much...could i ever get my v6 to have that much torque ? and what mods would i have to do ???

 

81-82 had the best body styling that any corvette has ever had...the nice fenders and the big front end .... all makes a a beautiful car :hail:

 

could your v-6 put out as much torque as an '81 vette? it might be possible if you put like $15k+ in your engine. swap in a 350, and it's very easy.

and yes, late 70's early 80's vettes are badass. i'm debating whether to build up my iroc or sell it and get a c3...

 

ive pretty much have decided that i dont want an engine swap...itd be a pain in the *** and it would just get me in trouble
so i figure wait until i get a little experience then buy a 91-91 camaro z28 with the 5.7

 

91-91, yep some good years there!

How do you think you get experience?

The motor mounts are the biggest pain. Besides that it's not all that hard. Everything fits only one way. Its not like you can put the motor and trans in backwards.

But hey its your choice.

 

im talking about all the wiring and the computer and something always goes wrong...finish doing a motor swap and have nuts and bolts left over from when you removed it from the other car....scary thought

 

Depends on your induction. I can count the wires under my hood (no inc spark plug wires) on one hand.

Seriously, Tons of people have done it. Do some research and you'll see whats involved.

 

leftover nuts and bolts mean the job is done right and as far as a motor swap its not as bad as your thinking carb = simple swap and about 1-2 days to do it me and brobert had his v6 out and the v8 in with hand tools and doing on the ground it took about 6 hours but if you go EFI well its a little bit more work but not too much more if you can tie your own shoes you can handle it i did my first motor by myself on the floor with a $60 tool set from sears

 

i want to swap it with a TPI motor out of a z28 but you dont always get what you want

 

just so you know, i dont have anything against the body style or interior of a c3 vette. i would love to have one because they look pimp when done right but they cost a good amount still for one in good shape down here (5k + for a no options one) and then repairs and maintenance blah. thats what i like about camaros cheap

 

thats what i like about camaros cheap agreed!