I am debating weather or not I should swap this car. I have most of the stuff (headers and what not) as well as the ability to get it done. I have done several. The car was originally targeted for this purpose but it is super nice and far as know mostly all original. I have other LS cars so if I want to go fast they are available. Man, it would be really awesome though. What do you guys think. Am I ruining a rare fine example of Camaro history?

 

Well, you asked for opinions

"Am I ruining a rare fine example of Camaro history?" Yes, IMO

IMO, If I had a car in that great of shape (and I have a few), and I was toying with the idea of a swap, think I would need to make a trip to the doctors.

I have no problems installing go fast items on "the original drivetrain" to enhance the performance, but when you start talking LSX swapping......IDK about that on such a nice car.

"I have other LS cars so if I want to go fast they are available"

I have a 2000 RamAir WS6 6 speed if I need that "feeling!"

But hey, my opinion only

 

That's what I wanted was honest opinions. I will say it will be no mods or ***** out. It is really cool just the way it is and adding performance mods to this FI system is kind of like pissing in the wind. Keep them rolling.

 

I got to agree with Bob on this one. This is a nice clean Z28 and fine just how it sits. I wouldn't do nothing but put gas in it and enjoy it for what it is. Dang fine car you got there man!

 

Thanks. I have been wanting one for quite some time. I have a small F-body collection going and plan to ad a corvette or three in not too many years.

 

I want Bob88GTA's collection!

 

Thanks, That's funny! So does my 3 Nephews!! They ain't getting them either!
I terrorized the neighborhood last evening in the TTA, stirred up all kinds of commotion, and the headed back to the garage!
"We don't do that in this development" one guy said. .........bull......bla bla bla!

 

BOB! Shame on you!

As for Codyvette - I'd leave it the way it is....as long as you've got others to beat on.

 

Great looking car! Great questions. I too have a great condition 3rd gen but have taken the l69 and t5 out and dropped in a 383,700r4. I still have all the stock parts and have been seriously thinking about restoring it back to stock. I am getting older now(34) and the pleasure of buying new rubber and cleaning the rubber off the the rear lower gf is not such a pleasure any more. These cars are getting hard to find(in good condition) and I bet in the next ten years will be very hard to find. (thats why soon I am going to buy as many from yards as i can) If you already have others that go fast... and you have a stock/original car.... well hell man, Id keep it the way she is. Cheers!

 

It is funny. All over on LS1tech say swap it. The thing is they don't take into consideration that I have several LS powered cars and work on my more for friends and customers. I get to go fast quite often. I think I will leave it as it is and show it when I have a chance.

 

is it just a really clean z? id still say do it ! just do it right, keep it clean and it will look like it came in the car.


why do people think these cars are so rare and valuable? very few actually are both

 

They will be quite valuable one day which isn't my main concern. It is a rare occasion to find these in really nice shape. I as most car enthusiasts have an appreciation for the history as well as the fun factor in many different kinds of cars. In twenty more years people with a mind set that all these cars are worth similar money will have depleted them much further. An original 5.7 TPI car will be worth much more than a 5.0 TB car. I am quite sure of that. I know they look great under the hood when they are done right and it would have AC as well. I swapped a 90' that was my race car for years and it looked perfect under the hood. It was a pull out from a car I put a built motor in and had 160k on the claock. I put it in the third gen and literally only changed the valve springs for insurance. There is nothing like taking a bone stock motor and hanging the front wheels out to dry. I am just weighing out all of the options. I do believe if GM hadn't been choked down by emmisions requirements the would have made great power in 1991 anyhow.

 

About the only thing I would do to a clean all original 3rd gen is redo power distribution, but thats another thing entirely. I have an 88 GTA - notchback, t-tops and digital dash, and the only reason I swapped was because the old motor was a reman unit that wasnt worth crap. (not numbers matching) No comprerssion on 3 cylinders worth mentioning, and not to mention, the head gaskets were about to blow, and also I had the wrong heads for a TPI (Caprice 193 heads).

I had electrical issues mostly due to the car sitting. If I had a clean GTA to start with that was all original and numbers matching, I would only visit the wiring part of it - cause Lord knows GM didn't do such a bang up job and power and ground - again thats something else.

 

I don't have any electrical issues. I have always had real good luck with GM wiring.

 

I been lucky too! Knock on wood!

 

If I had one that nice, Id like to think I would keep it as is. Then toy around with another one.

But then again, mine aint nice and was originally a v6 car, so Im going LS as soon as the timing is right, then fix the body and paint later.

So a fairly clean car I would keep as is, a troubled has-been I would swap.

 

Beef up the battery to body ground or the engine to body ground and you'll see what I mean- just food for thought. (4th gens use a similar length ground battery cable as TPI cars - except they have a much thicker battery to body wire) - That's just one of the things though

I went LS just before my engine would have taken a dump- I was lucky - but again mine was not original to the car and a jasper reman so.....

 

Yeah GM wiring is really sorry, Look at the headlight circuit for example. Mine is getting the LS treatment and one thing I am working on is to re-engineer the headlight power to use a relay powered by the original switch circuit to control power from the hot battery circuit. Also I have installed the Racetronix fuel pump hotwire kit.

 

What do you guys think about the EFI connections obd2 swap kit for the L98?

 

Its awesome

 

I would love to do this to a T/A because I have heard so many things about it. With my LS swap I love my obd2 computer. It tells me what is wrong if anything and I fix it. It has fast communication and increases mpg. Throttle response is much better. Really there are very many pro's and very little cons.

 

I agree. I have a few LS cars and there are great. Everyone on LS1tech says I should swap the motor. What they don't take into account is that I am not looking to set the world on fire with this car. I am simply wanting to make it run a little better. With the TPI setup it is just too much trouble to make any changes at all unless you really don't care if the fueling and timing curves are just right. I may swap the car to an LS1,2,3,? Later but at the cost of less than $400, I am definitely going to give this a shot for now. I already have a PCM, wiring harness, fuel injectors, fuel pump & tank in a 1999 Trans Am donor car. I am going to switch over to a 58psi fuel system. This means if later I decide to swap to an LS1, I can repin for the coils and injectors and keep the wiring from this conversion. I feel like in that event, it will be a lot easier to sell the 350 to someone looking for an old school hotrod swap.