Just have a couple of questions about it. Firstly, do you have to have it a specific diameter to fit an exhaust system? Because when I was looking at it on Summitracing.com it shows a range starting at the smallest:

Smallest:2 1/4" Inlet/Outlet

Biggest: 5" Inlet/Outlet.

Accodring to your thread here "Looking for a catback? Start here!" it says a minimum of 3". Do i need to figure out the diameter of my exhaust to choose which size of Bullet to use? Or does it not matter? Thanks in advance,

 

uhh diameter of exhaust would be diameter of muffler inlet and outlet. I feel the need to add that on a v6 this will sound like butt.

 

stock is 2.25, i had a dynomax on my 305 and it sounded stock, so i riped it off and just put a peice of flex pipe imbetween the midpipe and the drivers side tail pipe in the factory hanger position

 

Not gonna be a V6 for long. A friend of mine works at an engine shop here in San Diego and he's hooking me up with a 427 V8.

 

That's what I have, and it is mounted before the rear axle, not in the stock location. A new cat went on at the same time, and I wasn't really with the exhaust noise, but I think that was more a matter of the cat breaking in. I like the sound now, unlike it at first.

 

Post again when you're packing 400+ cubes...

 

got it

 

Why are you worrying about a muffler? You'll never be able to register it again after that engine is in there.

(From a former SD resident. . .)

 

why wouldn't i be able to register it again?

 

Emissions.

 

doh! didn't even think about that.... well isn't there a cut off year where they don't check the emissions for vehicles? My friends got a GTO that has a 455 motor in it and he still drives it around.

 

i think the cutoff year is 72

 

around there, the car has to be 30 years or older to not have to go through emissions.......i have to wait 10 years Well, that's kind of b/s, because now i may have to go with a smaller motor unless i can figure out a way to make it pass...........

 

It was 1966 when I moved away in 1994. I've heard they stopped the 30 year rolling cut-off and made it a particular year. 1972 is probably right, as a mag has been doing a feature series on a 1976 Camaro with an eye toward keeping it smog legal.

When I moved to SD in 1986, they made me put the '57 through smog! It failed, needed a PVC to replace the draft tube, and had a sticky valve at idle that kept it from meeting the idle emissions requirement. I got the $ waiver, and never had to go through that again.

Most likely 3rd gens will never be exempt in CA.

 

hmm..... any recommendations on what to do? I want a large motor in it but I also want it to pass smog because I'm only 16 i cant just go out and buy another car and keep my camaro in the garage.. Would a 383 Stroker work? By the way thanks for all of your help, especially you five7kid, you saved me from buying something that would be illegal in california.....gah i hate living here lol.

 

never mind lol. the 383 Stroker is waaaaay more expensive than the 427 or 454 I wanted to get. I may just have to settle for a 350 or if I can get some personal experience on the 396 and if it'll pass smog in California...looks like if i get the 350, I'm gonna have to do something more to it with the extra cash i have.

 

Here are the basics of emissions and motor changes (that's what they call them in CA, not "engine swap"):

1. The engine you put in must be the same year or newer than the chassis.
2. The engine you put in must have been certified for CA emissions in a passenger car.
3. The engine has to have all of the equipment on it in your car that it had in the car it was originally certified in.

Therefore, no big block Chevy can go in a 3rd gen, because no big block Chevy was emissions certified in a passenger car in 1982 or after.

You can put a 350 in, but one of two things has to occur:
1. It has to be equiped like a passenger car 350; and that means fuel injection, unless you happen to find a 1986 Caprice with a 350 and carb.
2. It has to look exactly like a 1986 or 1987 305 carb engine (with all of its equipment) such as came in 3rd gens so the inspector doesn't suspect something and start comparing block casting numbers and discover it's actually a 350.

A decent choice is a 1992 (Vette)/1993 (f-body or b-body) or later LT1 with all of its equipment. I don't know how much this 427 was going to cost you, but you can find LT1's with transmission and all equipment for around $1000-$1500 on eBay all the time. It will cost more by the time you get it in, but you can take that down to the motor change referee and have them certify it for you with no problems.

Then you can put on your bullet (non)muffler if you like (I call it a non-muffler, because it really isn't a muffler - more like a wide spot in the exhaust pipe).

 

well that officially does it..... i hate california for all its worth lol. Well luckily 2 years im getting the puck out of here and going to either Colorado or Michigan...

 

ok just got in touch with my friend, here's the engines he's got in the size of 350:

1.)Chevy 350 Roller Cam, 2 Bolt Main, TPI (He's got about 2 of these)
2.)Chevy 350 Roller cam, aluminum heads, 2-bolt main, SFI

He doesn't carry too many 350's, he's basically got 383+...

Luckily for me though, since I did him a favor a year ago he can get me one of those ^ 3 for EXTREMELY cheap, so im hopin' it works out. Because I'm fine with the 350 if i can upgrade its performance and still pass smog lol.

 

I don't mind living in central Texas. It's warm 11 months out the year...Texas emissions tests are almost over for me, 4 years to go!

"# Subject Vehicles: All 2-24 year old gasoline vehicles (excluding motorcycles) are subject to an annual emissions test beginning with the vehicle's second anniversary.
# Test Method: Model Year 1996 and newer vehicles will be subject to On-board Diagnostic (OBD) testing and Model Year 1995 and older vehicles will be subject to Two Speed Idle (TSI) testing."

 

thanks for making me hate california even more and rubbing it in lol j/k.

 

hey five7kid, my friend said he can special order a 1986 Chevrolet 350 TPI motor that has been bored out to 383, would it work? Would the car pass emissions and would the emissions specialist be able to tell that its not a 350 but a 383?

 

That would be a .030" overbore and a crank with a 3.75" stroke (stock 305 and 350 are 3.48" stroke). If the crank is internally balanced, then it would be visually indistinguishable. If externally balanced, a sharp-eyed inspector might note the weighted damper.

 

let's say they don't notice its a 383, would it pass emissions just as well as the 350 would?

 

Assuming it is tuned and running properly, it should pass the sniffer. The cam makes a big difference there as well. Too much cam, emissions will go up.

 

alright well that settles it lol. I like my chances of fooling the emissions guy (as long as its externally balanced) with the 383. Even if not, I know the guy at my local shop that does Smog Testing and maybe he could pass me lol. Thanks a lot for your help and I'll keep you posted on what I do with the engine and if it actually works lol.

 

Go with the 383. Even if the 427 or 454 blew perfect emissions #s, it wouldn't pass visual anyways. Big blocks never came in 3rd gens. Of course, you could pull off the 427 LS7 swap, but if you had the money for a LS7, you wouldn't be asking questions anyways! You wallet could just fix everything!

I've known people that had 2 different chips, One that was the normal hp tune, and a special one for emissions testing day, that leaned everything out, to pass. A bit of an extreme, but ya do what ya gotta do.

 

well, here's the update on my situation and it's definitely not a good one.... I was driving my camaro home a few weeks ago and it felt as though it was losing power than finally I heard a lot of banging around from my engine so i pulled over to see what was a matter and I couldn't tell other than the fact it was a LOUD banging. So I decided not to screw around with it before I got home. So I drove it home, keeping the RPM's as low as possible (the noise was almost non-existant when idling) until I got to my hill. I live on top of a huge mountain with a steep grade, my dad told me to get it home before anything happens to it, so I started driving up the hill but unfortunately, the car did not make it up all the way (it overheated) so i was stuck on the side of the hill. Then after I got it towed to my house we (my dad and I) overlooked it thought it was the water pump going bad, took off all the belts and what not started up the engine but the motor was still making a loud banging noise. So my dad told me to drain the oil and look for chunks of metal, take off the oil pan and look for metal in the pan. But, unfortunately for me, chevy made it impossible to take off the pan with out removing the engine (we have the shop manual which tells you how to do everything on the car). So my dad called it quits there and now on monday the car is being towed to the junkyard..... I spent a lot of my money on my car (New Tranny, Altenator, Water Pump, tires, and brakes) so I'm extremely upset, and also I'm not allowed to buy another camaro in my dad's house because they are too much maintenance. No V8 either in the car (I never actually got the 383 Stroker Motor). So this is a horrible ending to my first car.... I loved that car very much, so I guess I obviously can't post much on this forum any more because I haven't got a camaro any more... Thank you for all your help when I was asking about a Dynomax Muffler and a good motor.

Take care,
Brett

 

Something knocks and you're calling it quits? Wasting an, otherwise, good car to the junkyard?

 

It's not my decision. I said the exact same thing. My dad is the one who's making the decision. He said I'm wasting to much time and money on the car so he's sending it off to the junkyard. It honestly makes NO SENSE to me and obviously to you either. If I were actually old enough to support myself (I'm 16) that car would not leave my hands once until its fixed. But, in my dad's defense, we spent $2000 on it and we've already put about $4000 into it, meaning we've spent twice as much as the car was worth and it has a salvaged title because my brother got rear-ended in it. Unfortunately he said we've got to "Cut our losses" and move on. I'm having a hard time with that because it's going right back into the place I took it out of. (It was parked in front, somebody left it there and it was in perfect condition). I just don't understand why I have to get rid of it......

 

whos the one actually paying for it? i mean EVERYTHING

if its you dont junk it, tell your dad u paid for it your keeping it, maybe do a 3.4 swap or a turbo 3.8 build up if you cant do a v8

 

At 16, you can't tell your parents "I paid for it, I'm keeping it."

After all, who clothes you? Who feeds you? Who houses you?



I can understand cutting your losses, but it seems like it would be a waste to start over. $6k down, and nothing to show for it ar all...get another car, put money into that, then watch it deteriorate in value, whereas you could just minimize your investment in transportation, by keeping the car.

I wish I had just kept one of my old cars, rather than buying a new one.

 

I would say "I paid for it, I'm keeping it" but my dad believes its his because he pays for the insurance for it...... I completely understand what you're saying, the car is absolutely perfect in every way (except for the motor now) and from the transmission forward everything is BRAND NEW (except for the motor). My dad's excuse for this is that as soon as we get the motor, then something in the rear is going to break and cost more money... but the thing is I'm willing to put more money into it, and he realizes that, and thinks im wasting my money... arrghh, if only i were older.

 

I suppose you could always argue the point that with anothr car, the same could happen, and you've already invested this much in this car, so it would be a waste of money to start over. After all, you have several thousand dollars tied up already, in parts that won't wear out for a long time, whereas a new car might replace parts to be replaced soon.

Just trying to come up with a sensible point to argue. Your side profile shows it as a V6. Maybe instead of concetrating towards a high hp 383 or such, you could go for just rebuilding/replacing the V6, and point out that by keeping the V6, your looking for gas mileage, and not requiring a lot of new parts to support and accomodate a V8? I know, keeping the V6 isn't exactly my idea of fun either, but it may help you save towards a 383. Stash cash away, for a future engine.

Shortly after getting my DL at 16, I had a 68 Camaro with a STRONG 327...It could yank the front wheels off the ground! In retrospect, I had no business having that car, especially with that power.

 

well the thing is, he's already made his mind, I've argued with him over what you have suggested.... For awhile I had him and we compromised.. He said no v8, I agreed, and I compromised by saying bore, stroke, and tune everything else you can possibly do to the v6 and he agreed but unfortunately, we need to clear the car out of here because we have it in the garage in disrepair with 3 cars in our driveway.. We had to go out and buy a temp. replacement car, we bought a cop car (Crown Vic) that my brother wants when I get my permanent replacement car.. I mean I'm truly upset that my camaro is not going to make it because of my dad's poor decision making, but in another aspect, my dad did say I can get any car I want $5000 or less (without a v8).. Seems kind of retarded because $5000 is much more than a new engine would have cost, but, it's coming out of my dad's pocket, rather than mine. My dad said he didn't like the fact that we got so poorly ripped off by the dealer that was selling it, it definitely does not look like eye-candy that's for sure but it was my car though so no matter what its going to upset me. I'm hoping that I won't be home on monday when its towed or I'll probably end up being towed with it..... If you want to take a look at what it looks like I've got a site up on cardomain.com. Thanks for your concern, I knew a fellow camaro owner would understand, but, if only my dad would...

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2524151

 

Well, it sounds like you've tried to compromise, and that's what counts. Maybe over the weekend he'll cool down and come around?

Don't give up, but don't hound him either. See what a bone stock replacement engine or rebuild would cost. Who knows?

But, if he's already willing to pony up $5k for another car, that might be the best you can hope for. Who knows? You might even find something you like better? A dropped truck? A 4x4 would just kill gas mileage.

Just trying to think of options...

 

then take it off the road and have it a project car, see if you cant talk one of your buddies into keeping for some trade off, you will get probably about $100 for it at a junkyard at the most, its plain not worth it

BTW: i just turned 17..
a.) who feeds me - me
b.) clothes me - me
c.) houses me; ya ill give that one to my rents, but only for the fact that you cant kick a minor out

 

i doubt he'd calm down this weekend because he's already called all the junkyards around the area looking for the best deal and he said NO MATTER what he's getting it towed monday. It's upsetting because I really like that car, but, as you said it opens up a whole new door of cars to me. I want to stay with the F-Body, like when I originally bought the car, I loved the Firebird/Trans Am better than the camaro, but we couldn't find one cheap enough around our area ($2000-Less). So maybe I'll stick with the F-Body and get a Firebird or Trans Am, hopefully a 1990 because that's my birth year

 

I can sympathise how you feel. My stepdad had a 86 V6 Camaro while he was dating my mother, and he kept saying it was mine, and after they got married and he bought a new truck we started working on the car and we could never get it to work. We ended up selling the car for scrap to some guy and I was upset. I then drove a 95Grand Am for about a year and then that crapped out on me. Once I got a job, (right after my Grand Damn died) I started looking for car and thats when I ran into the Trans Am. It has a 305 TPI, its not a 350 but its not a blue V6 either (and black is my favorite color). I bought it off a cop and it only had 86Kmi when I bought it for $3,000. Now I'm happy as ever and building onto this one. I don't think I'll ever sell it...I'd like to pass it on to my kids and such. But I was completely obssesed (sp?) with the Camaro, but if we didn't get rid of it, I'd be driving a v6 instead of the v8. Its my first asset. I pay for everything including insurance. And I've been to jail for speeding. So keep an eye out and you might get lucky too...

 

at least I'm not the only one...... other than the part where you got thrown in jail for speeding haha. I've got a little bit more control, especially if you've got a nice car with a nice engine, you don't NEED to show off the power, that's why I laugh at all the people revving their engines at me when I was at a stop light... I never raced them, I didn't care much, but, not to get any more off track, I need to find a $5000 wonder around my area, and with all of the rust on cars around here, its going to make my search extremely tough.

 

Yeah, the jail part, it was a speed trap on my way to work (damn those lasers) while I was running late...or flying late...Have you thought about a Fiero as an "intermidiate" car? An F-body little brother? Those aren't that hard to keep up then again, there isn't much room...

 

haha! you should probably be a little bit more careful! Well if you come to Southern California watch out, I'm driving a police car haha. My parents bought me/my brother (he wants it after I get a firebird, trans am, etc.) a 200 Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor. It comes with a spotlight and what not. It's a fun car to have for a little while because I scare the crap out of all the little rice rockets that are, I don't call it this because they're not going fast enough, "Drag Racing". So it's a good laugh

 

I don't know much about fords, but I know the inceptor package on the crown victoria is pretty beefed up, I'd like to know the E.T.s on that...

 

high 15s, its dual exhaust stronger 4R75W auto, 8.8 reare with a trash-lok, and some suspenstion crap

 

hehe, that just saved me some time but you're missing some stuff. It's got a supercharger, 4.6L Mustang V8, etc. but yeah, i would never try to figure out the E.T.'s around my area, for one the cops are **** around here and if you accelerate of the line hard enough they'll pull you over. Especially since I'm in a police vehicle, I've been pulled over about 4 times and asked "Why are you driving a police vehicle". So yeah, not gonna try it lol.

 

its not supercharged, and it up unil 2005 it used teh sh*tty NPI heads, 96-98 mustang GT motor, you know, ones that my stock split port V-6 can take down

 

Barona. http://www.baronadrags.com/ No need for speed on the street.

 

haha thanks, but no thanks, i would never bring a cop car there lol.

 

Why? See them at the track all the time out here.

 

Honestly, I would do it, but my dad bought the car and is giving it to my brother after he gets back from college. I don't want to mess with it, but already my dad and I realized the car is already falling apart, the transmission doesn't change gears smoothly, putting the car in drive from reverse the car gets stuck in neutral because it doesn't lock into Drive, and it downshifts sometimes for absolutely no reason.... And to answer abyliks, Police Interceptors have superchargers on them in California, I don't know about where you live but they are supercharged. Oh and also I didn't mention this earlier to you all, my camaro was towed this morning to the junkyard, but i took a lot of stuff off it for sentimental value (the emblems and logos, license plates/covers, original keys, i gave the junkyard guy the spares hehe, etc.) and the stuff that could be transferred to a different car (radio, speakers, subs, etc.) I'm sure gonna miss that car though. R.I.P Camaro 1986-2007....