I have the opportunity to purchase an early 86, professionally rebuilt vette L98. My camaro has a worn out 305, I don't know how to build engines beyond just sticking on parts. I just want something better than my 305 that can bolt in place of it without me changing everything. I already know I need a different oil pan, as this is a one piece rear main seal L98 I am looking at. The seller provided me the build sheet, and claimed the builder (known reputable in my area) said it makes 325hp. Plenty for me also considering the power loss through drive train. I don't plan on racing it or beating it to death, just want decent fun power, even with a stock 700r4 transmission. This engine is said to be an early 86 block using one piece rear main seal but has the iron heads with perimeter bolts.

My 305 already has edelbrock carburetor and eps intake, streetfire hei distributor. (Came on car when purchased)

So, my questions;
A, can it make the claimed 325hp?
B, what do I need to be able to use my carburetor?
C, Is it worth it, the hassle and cost? Seller wants $2250 for this engine, I might can get it cheaper.
I will also add that I want to keep this car as simple as possible, no LS swaps, efi and whatnot.

I will post up pics of L98 engine and specs.

Convential iron heads


Build sheet. Camshaft part number at top Rear main seal 2919 is one piece

Same camshaft

Camshaft specs

 

The cam is a generic copy of a copy of a generic copy of a generically copied copy of a generic cam from the early 70s. Not that that's "bad"; just, there's probably better cams out there, in 2022, given what we've learned as a species about such things in the last 50 yrs or so since that one was introduced. Here it is with the roundoff error chosen a different way. https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-1103 It's as generic as it gets.

86, by definition, is a 1-pc RMS.

I see stock stamped-rubber rockers on it. Looks to me like the cheeeeeepest of the cheeeeeeep, in a general overall way.

Biggest questions I would have before laying out a stack of Benjamins on it would be, what pistons are in it; what machine work was done to it; and what heads are on it (can't read the casting #s). None of which are shown on the paperwork you have.

 

Thanks for reply. This is why I ask about this stuff. When you said the cam was a thousand times over copied, I would not have know that. When my car buddies start rattling off lift numbers, brands of parts, and whatnot, it just goes through one ear and out the other and I just nod head and tell em "cool sounds good".

I asked the engines owner for casting numbers, said he can get them tomorrow. As far as what pistons, are they bored out bigger, I don't think he knows. However I did contact the builder so I am waiting on that reply as well.

 

'Seems like quite a gamble for that price (and no warranty). I have that same cam in a Ford 302 (lift is higher due to 1.6:1 rocker arm ratio). It runs good but is a bit of a slug in the low RPM. Idles like a stock cam due to the 112° lobe separation and ground 5° advanced. 'Would probably work better on a 350 with the longer stroke, but yeah, it's a generic spec cam...

 

I have more experience with fords than this camaro(first gm), yet I don't understand all what goes into the figuring of building a good engine. My past experience is swapping in a 5.0 HO into an LTD and converted it to carb from efi and having a shop built 460 that I put into my truck. Back to the Z28, I was told by previous owner that the 305 was modded into a 327. Come to find out nearly impossible, but I didn't know at time of purchase. What I ended up with is a worn out 305 with aluminium heads and 2.02 valves that is a turd after hitting 60mph. I definitely don't want to be burned anymore with this car. Its my dream car after all.

The engine seller messaged me last night and said he would provide the casting numbers for the block and heads sometime today.

 

Interesting (in a good way) how you refer to this '83 F-body as your "dream car", as the '83 T/A was My dream car in 1983.
'Had to wait 17 more years to get one (and even then, it was a Firebird that I had to put all the Trans Am parts on). Of course there were some distractions along the way, but here we are...

 

It will be much better than the 305 but if it has the stock #624 heads that will be the bottleneck. Should make decent power enough but no 325. If you threw on Vortec heads it would.

 

If by 624 heads you are referring to Iron heads, yes it has Iron heads. From what little reading I did on L98s, and most of it was from a vette forum, is that some 86 L98s came with Iron heads due to Aluminum heads cracking. I also read on there that the iron heads are fine for hp given enough other parts are swapped out. This is where I get lost and confused, as people start throwing out math equation engine jabber.

Sofakindom is right though, I need to really know what I'm getting into before I toss money at something. Been there...

T.L. yes its my dream car. Been a ford guy whole life, (few decades old)but I honestly like Camaros way more than Mustangs. Also I just been obsessed with 80s camaros forever, I even collect the diecasts of them.

 

Sorry to jump in with my own questions but I am wanting to build a similar engine I have an 86 l98 and want to run a tunnel ram with 2 490s on top mainly for looks not to race I would like to know what I can reuse in the stock engine or do I really need to build a 383 I plan on running A/C also so like I said mainly for looks because I have the tunnel ram it's going in 86 bird I have an old hood to cut hole in for bird catcher to stick through

 

A 383 doesn't look any different from a 267 or a 305.

 

Well so it seems that L98 has the 624 heads. I probably would be ok, but the crack prone issue I found out is enough to dissuade me from this engine. Its too much money for something I would have to get a shop to fix. Thanks anyways guys, you saved me money and headache and I'll just have to live with ol gutless 305.

 

This is the problem with using the block "codes" to "identify" a motor. Not sure if that's any part of what's going on here - "See this 'code' here, it 'decodes' to 240 HP 86 L98" kind of drivel - but you wouldn't be the first, or last, to be in this state.

Problem with the "codes" on the block of course is, they're on the BLOCK, not the MOTOR. When people do things like ... put 624 heads on a later-model motor, they NEVER update the "codes" to reflect that. Even if the specific combo of block, piston configuration, head castings, cam, etc. actually ARE some stock setup, which is VANISHINGLY RARE anyway. Most often, the BLOCK "codes" still say whatever they say, and the MOTOR as a whole is something COMPLETELY else. The stamping codes are utterly USELESS on a "rebuilt" motor for this reason; there's NO TELLING how many posts there have been, are, and will continue to be, with something like "D00d has a motor with stamping code V041XYZ, how much horsepucker does this have?". Sorry, the "codes" won't tell you that. All they'll tell you, AT BEST, is maybe how much pucker THE MOTOR that THE BLOCK was originally part of had, and that's not even reliable. They WILL NOT tell you ANYTHING about what it is NOW.

People get RIPPED OFF all the time by lying sacks of s*** doing this sort of thing. It's one of the oldest tricks in the book; like, some goob has a 3970010 BLOCK (one of the most common castings there is, used in every possible 350 configuration from about 69 to 80) and since listed as one of the billion possible applications, instantly declares that the MOTOR built out of it is now a 70 "LT-1" out of a Vette, even though it has dished "rebuilder" pistons, 624/882/993/193 heads, a 929 copy for the cam, and every other possible DOWNGRADE making it a cheeeeeeeeeep rebuilder POS. Butt hay, the 70 "LT-1" that came in a Vette is ONE OF MANY applications that BLOCK might have been used in, so the romantic halo suddenly jumps onto the steaming bucket of crap that he's selling.

I'm glad you asked what to look for and LISTENED TO the responses. You got saved from draining your bank account in exchange for a pile of junk.

However bad that might seem, it's arguably still better than spending $$$THOUSANDS$$$ and getting an EQUALLY GUTLESS 350 to live with. Gutless is bad, but gutless AND an empty checking account is FAR WORSE. At least it's a state you can recover from easily enough. Consider yourself as having been granted a 2nd chance to get it right, rather than doomed to failure without any resources anymore to cure it.