(Photographer's Snapchat: JP_DoezIt )

1988 Chevy Camaro - V6 - T5 Manual
(Swapping to 5.3 LS with LSA blower and T56 Magnum F)

We'll I've only been planning and slowly working on this for the last 3 years.
Finally the time has come to engage in this build.
This thread will be a record of work in doing this swap as well as a place to answer any questions and for me to give any insights along the way.

The quick backstory:
My first car was a 89 Camaro RS. v6 with the 700r4, hardtop.
I was 16 at the time and the car had 64k on the odometer. It was flawless other then the paint needing to be redone as the Florida sun had done no favors.
The summer after I got the car, my father, grandfather, uncle, and I painted it. To this day people still tell me it was the best painted car they've ever seen.
Sadly one night coming home from work a person pulled out from a stop sign and ran into me.
The car was totaled and that ended that.

Now I'm close to 40 and I've never lost the love for the 3rd gen platform.
I've owned many sports cars over the years, a 4th gen Camaro, a FD RX7, a BRZ, a FRS, a Cobalt SS/SC....so on. But I've always come back to my first car love.
So now after years of piecing together every part and finding the right body, here we are.


Project Fenrir:
(Fenrir the monstrous wolf of Norse mythology.
Fated on the day of Ragnarok to break free of his chains and devour the god Odin.)

Couldn't think of a more fitting name.
An unassuming little V6 going from wimp to beast of a machine.
I purchased the car running but shortly after buying it the engine gave out.
I wasn't yet ready to begin the swap so lucky I had a 2.8 from another 3rd gen and just swapped motors out so I could enjoy it as is.
After a tune up, a few mods were done in preparation for the big swap. That mainly being switching the seats to 5th gen Camaro Leather seats. Putting a set of new Torque Thrust M's on it.
And sourcing a cowl hood. This was most critical as the swap will include an LSA blower.
I've enjoyed the car as it came from the factory for a few years. I've even done a performance benchmark to compare from stock to modified later.

Here are the results:
0-60 mph - 11.0 Seconds
60ft - 2.50 Seconds (peg leg rear, even on good tires and launching as hard as possible ((nearly 5k RPM) with no tire squeal the 60ft is just horrendous)
1/8 mile - 11.32 Seconds
1/4 mile - 17.71 Seconds

As far as I can tell this is pretty much inline with what a 2.8 v6 was doing off the factory line.

So lots of room for improvements.
Lets start listing them:

5.3 LM7 Truck motor -
Gen 3 crankshaft
Gen 4 rods
Summit LS Forged Pistons
Sloppy mechanics "Best Cam"
LS9 head gasket
Trickflow GenX 215 heads
Sharp Roller Rockers
Melling Oil Pump
ICT Billet Accessory brackets for LSA

LSA -
Hand ported
Griptech 2.38 pulley
Zl1 lid with reinforced brick
EWP150 Coolant Pump

T56 Magnum F-
Tick performance Shifter
Tick performance Slave Cylinder

Quick Performance 9in Rear -
3.89 posi
35spine
LS1 style brakes

Exhaust -
Speed Engineering Long tubes
Hawks Sinister 4in with Hooker Max flow muffler

Suspension / Brakes -
UMI Tubular Race K member
UMI Wonder bar
Speedway Tubular A Arms
Founders Performance Caster/Camber Plates
Founders Performance Adjustable TQ arm
Founders Performance Adjustable Panhard bar and Relocation bar
BMR Lower Control Arms
BMR 1.5in Drop Springs
Hawks T56 Crossmember
Big Brake Upgrade spindles - Ls1 calipers
Russel brake lines
JEGS Quick Ratio Steering Box
JEGS Subframe Connectors
Koni Sport Struts

Fuel -
Aeromotive In-Tank Fuel assembly Hanger
Walbro 450lph pump
Holley corvette style fuel filter/regulator
Deatschwerks Fuel injectors - (93lb at 58psi)

Interior -
Haltec Rebel LS Ecu
Vintage Air Surefit A/C
Speedhut electrical to mechanical speed box


I think that does it.
I'll add more if I recall later.
I have to give a big shoutout to LSXMatt, as a lot of the planning was based on his own LSA swapped Camaro.
Also big shoutout to 3rd Gen Guy who's informational videos have been a total god send.
Shoutout to Fireball****** as well and generally to all the Youtube 3rd gen content creators.
As well as this forum.
It's because of communities like this that people like me can find the info we need.

I'll need to start going through and arranging pictures of the disassembly and build to post later tonight.
Sorry for the long post, look forward to answering any questions.