Hey all -

I’ve been a TGO lurker for a while now. Few posts, but I’ve read (and learned) a great deal from everyone on the boards here. I found myself inspired by the great father/son story of Kurt and Derek Boehringer (link here, for those interested). The trials and tribulations of their rebuilding efforts together are a great read.

I’ve decided to keep a running chronicle of my own adventures rebuilding my first ever project car, including building the engine from scratch where no engine currently exists...

Hopefully, others can learn from what I am doing here. As much as possible, I will try to link out to information (part specs, etc...) in my journal. I'm going to ask a lot of questions, so I appreciate the input!

The interesting twist for me is that, at the start of this project, my wife and I were pregnant with our first child, but didn’t know it!

In any case, let’s get everyone caught up to speed:

My wife knows that I have been determined to put together a third-gen Camaro ever since we got together back in 1997.

One day, upon arriving home, she grabs me and says “Come with me. Right now!”

I could tell I had little choice in the matter. 

About ¾ of a mile from the house later, she presents to me a car for sale. See attached picture.

And so this tale begins...We'll see what the journey is like and where it may finally take me!

 

August 25, 2005

OK - time to check out just what the heck I bought for $150.

• A 1988 Camaro Sport Coupe with no engine or transmission.
  
• VIN coding indicates that it was originally a 305 TBI mated to a T-5 manual transmission.
  
• No excessive body damage, other than the driver's side taillight assembly.
  
• Interior is dusty and full of dog hair.
  
• Entire car has heavy exposure to the elements and outdoors. Specifically, you can see the engine compartment in the attached picture.

 

March 1, 2006

OK - My plan is as follows:

This is a budget build-up for personal use. Not much into drag racing, but I want the car to GO when I hit it. I may do some SCCA racing when all is said and done. What is the budget, anyway? I don't know, just not much!

This car will be converted from TBI to carb, and from manual trans to auto.

Engine

• Locate 350 core locally
  
• Have rotating assembly built at local machine shop. (Note - I've decided to use Performace Engine, a local engine builder, for this. Tina, the owner, has been great about getting my questions answered, and it looks like a good value.) This "short block and then some" kit is built as follows, and assumes a good 350 core is provided to them:

1. SCAT 383 crankshaft
2. Probe forged dished aluminum pistons
3. Probe connecting rods
4. Clevite bearings
5. Comp Cams Extreme Energy XE268H camshaft and bearings
6. Hot tank, cleaning, boring cylinders (up to .60 over) and all assembly/machine work

• GMPP Iron Vortec heads
• Edelbrock AirGap RPM intake
• Holley carb

Transmission

Unknown at this time, but probably converting over to automatic, as manual replacement transmissions are extremely expensive (and out of my budget).

Body and Paint

This, folks, is my ace in the hole.

A good friend of mine owns Smooth Creations, and I've been working with him for a few years on some projects. Needless to say, raw materials cost (wholesale) is all this will cost me.

 

March 30, 2006

I've located my 350 block to use as my build up engine foundation!

Here's what I picked up for $180:

• Dusty, dirty (but very cleanable) block
• 4-bolt mains
• Single-piece rear seal
• Roller-rocker ready
• Casting number 14093638, which codes out to an 1988 truck engine

Pictures attached of delivery of block to machine shop

 

April 23, 2006

Being that the engine is now being built, I better get this engine compartment cleaned up. Here we go!

Removed some parts and stored into large labeled ziploc bags:

• Windshield wiper fliud resevoir
• Vapor canister
• Cruise control servo
• Power steering pump NOTE: Mistake made during removal! Learn from me - don't cut the hose from the steering box to the pump. Remove the fittings from either side instead, as this can be an expensive piece to replace!

 

April 23, 2006

Attachment from previous "power steering pump" incident is included here...

 

April 30, 2006

OK - it's high time I get this engine compartment cleaned. Where, oh where, do I begin?

How about here:

 

i hope it turns out to your expectations. you got to love projects like this, its what turns boys into men.

all the best to you!

 

May 27, 2006

An update on my baby...

We found out today that it's a boy!
He's due August 26th!

 

June 17, 2006

Got a little motivation today, as I was in Portland for the Champ Car Grand Prix of Portland. Nothing like being around 800hp monsters to get you fired up!

Oh yea - I also ran into this one guy...

 

July 4, 2006

The engine is back from the machine shop! Woohoo!

As a side note: this engine build took a little longer than she had expected, so she installed the oil pump (Summit brand) and Summit oil pan for no charge, including painting the pan.

Here she is:

 

July 4, 2006

More close up pictures of the engine (see original posts for specs)...

383, baby! (4.00" x 3.75")

 

July 4, 2006

It's high time that the project car came in out of the side yard and into the garage, don't ya think? Pushing this car up the driveway and into the garage is a PITA, but it will all be worth it someday!

 

July 9, 2006

If you have a project car that has been outside for a while, read this! I knew I was going to have bugs and spiders throughout the car, so I decided to do a "bug bomb" in the garage overnight. Here's the bug bomb I used - RAID Fumigator. A few of those under the car, and in the morning, I found a dozen spiders, one very mean looking black widow, and about 20 hornets dead on the floor of the garage.

I rolled her back out of the garage today to clean the engine compartment a bit.

• Removed negative battery cable
• Removed positive "junction post"
• Disconnected headlights
• Removed heater core hoses
• Wash/clean passenger side of engine compartment

I also found out where the hornets were coming from - they seem to think that the side mirrors are a perfect place to build a nest. In my case, it was one on each side! Nothing that a 1300 PSI pressure washer can't handle!

Before/after pics of passenger side of engine compartment included.

 

July 30, 2006

My brother and I busted out quite a few hours getting the engine compartment cleaned up. We broke out the pneumatic wire wheel and really hammered on the sub-engine crossmember, which you'll remember was very rusted (surface rust, but crappy looking none the less).

"Before" picture and Tony hard at work are attached. After picture (with new paint) is a bit down.

 

August 8, 2006

Time to install the Vortec heads onto the engine!

NOTE: I ran into something that may be obvious for some, but it wasn't for me. I'll document it here, in case someone else has a question about it:

The water jacket holes on this engine (and a lot of 350's from what I understand) are a different shape/size on the block, gasket and heads.

Pictures attached:

Bare block
Bare block with head gasket on top
Vortec heads

In each, I've circled the water jacket holes. You can clearly see that the water jacket holes in the block are round (about the size of a nickel). In the head gasket, they are also round, but it is a pinhole (like the size of a pencil-poke). In the heads, it is more of a "windshield wiper" shape.

I figured that this is a problem. After doing a bit of research, I have found that this is apparently exactly the way it should be.

 

August 8, 2006

OK - so now that I know that, it's time to install the heads.

For this, I got some help from my wife (and my as-of-yet unborn, but about-to-show-up boy!).

 

August 24, 2006

Our boy has arrived! Welcome Jeremiah to the ThirdGen family!

 

September 1, 2006

Finished the cleaning and priming/painting of the engine crossmember and steering system. As always, pictures are attached, including the old "before" visual.

 

Awesome , looking good so far! Its always good to get them started out young lol.

 

May 09, 2007

No, I'm not dead!

Having a baby is a great experience. It cretainly takes a lot away from this project, but it's such a great, wonderful new part of our life!

More coming soon !!!!!

 

glad to see its not dead

 

May 12, 2007

I'm going to detail an issue I ran into in the hopes that someone can learn from my experience.

Issue: My choice of cylinder heads (GMPP Vortec Heads, commonly accepted as the best bang for the buck for SBCs) is rated at 0.480 maximum cam lift, and the cam installed in my engine package (Comp Cams Extreme Energy 268H)is rated at exactly 0.480 lift.

Some options exist to address this tight clearance issue, and honestly, I'm not real familiar with all the different ways to handle this, but I knew that I wasn't going to just "let it ride", as some people recommended.

I chose to have the valve guides machined down to afford additional clearance. Unfortunately, I had already installed and torqued the heads, so I'm going to end up replacing the gaskets to do it right.

I've had the machine work done locally at Lindvig Machine in Phoenix, Oregon.

Today, I cleaned the metal bits from the machine work and the old gasket material off of the cylinder heads (Thanks *****-Wiltrout!). Not as easy as it sounds, I learned.

Work continues...

 

Well, that's a well-documented aspect of those heads, and the info is shared with any that ask about them here. Sorry you had to learn by experience.

 

looks like youre def heading in the right direction. a few words of advice though...

1. autos suck major a$$, if your car came with a manual then its better to keep it manual. you have some serious $$$ invested in your motor, why not back it up with a nice t-56? it will be a much nicer driving car. besides its not fun changing pedal setups. (i guess this is a matter of opinion though)

2. sport coupes had really sh*tty suspensions. find a wrecked iroc or GTA in a boneyard and grab the springs and sway bars from it. its an inexpensive way to have a great handling car

3. SUBFRAME CONNECTORS!!!

4. for all those little hard to find things you might need i highly reccomend HawksThirdGenParts.com

looking good man, keep up the good work!

 

Seems like we are trying to build a similar setup, budget 383 auto trans for $$ sake. what are you doing for a rearend? Im using a 9 bolt... Congrats on the baby also!

 

November 18, 2008

Still not dead yet!!!

I've had the help of a buddy for some recent work. Among the updates (please add any thoughts or input):

Last year, I picked up the transmission I'll use. I REALLY wanted to go with a T-56 manual (the car is already setup for a manual), but I just can't afford the $1500+ for a 4th gen transmission.

So - I picked up a 700R4 for my car on Craigslist. Pic is attached.

 

November 18, 2008 - Second Update

Jim has come over a few times to help with the work needing to be done. Among the things he's helped me get done:

• Removing the gas tank for coversion to external fuel pump
• Show n' Tell - rear suspension parts and functionality
• Undercarriage cleaning (this was messy and fun!)

Thanks, Jim! (see pics)

 

November 18, 2008 - Third Update

One other big step recently:

Still needed a full front engine setup (pulleys, brackets, etc...) and engine mounting brackets.

Picked up the engine brackets, all the pulleys, brackets and accessories, a radiator and fan for $75 from the junkyard.

Pics attached...

 

January 10, 2009

A few things have happened since the last update:

• I picked up an '89 IROC parts car (see this thread for the details)
• Worked on swapping over the mo' betta IROC front suspension parts (springs, sway bars)from the IROC to the SC

See pics...

 

January 10, 2009 - Second Update

Some more work this week:

Completed the fuel tank changeover from internal pump to external pump. (original car had injection, and I'm going to carb'd so I'm changing over to external pump).

This thread (Carb gas tank pickup) got me started on the right method for making this changeover.

The work on my fuel pickup is attached. I also took out the grey wire, which was used for the internal fuel pump.

 

January 10, 2009 - Third Update

Today, Jim and I worked on installing the gas tank and moving the IROC rear suspension over to the good car.

We did have a small issue of the IROC jumping off of the jack stands - DOH! No harm there, though... (see pic)

I've included pics of the two rear axle/suspension setups side-by-side. In a matter of a few hours, I got an upgraded suspension (sway bar and springs) a drum-to-disc conversion and an upgrade to a Borg-Warner 2.77 LSD rear-end.

 

Oh - look what I found on the IROC:

Looks like a Flowmaster to me !!!

 

do yourself a favor and DON"T waste your time on that crappy flowmaster, go dynomax, hooker,spintech or magnaflow, not flowcrapper, they don't flow.

 

February 14, 2009 - A MILESTONE IS ACHIEVED!!!

Today, the engine was installed in the car! I also mocked-up a few of the other parts, as I just got my Summit headers and the water pump...

Woohoo!!!!

 

great story of a third gen over the years keep up the good work and keep us up 2 date

 

Yep, you have done a super job documenting your struggle. Keep up the good work.

 

IT LIVES!


(now I need a cheap exhaust system to race with. Like, hella cheap.)