I just picked up a 1983 z28 with a 305.
anyone know what type of parts i should buy or parts I should not buy?

I am starting from scratch, engine will be pulled and rebuilt, but new ot v8's, so any Ideas are more than welcomed!

the sole purpose of this car is to throw me in the seat, not interested in buying a bigger engine atm, because it will be a hobby engine, because cash flow aint high.

thanks all

 

I see from your location that it says you are "stuck in Germany". Does that mean you are either a serviceman stationed in Germany, or an American on some sort of temporary assignment in German or are you living in Germany permantly? Your options in Germany may be more limited than they are are here in So Cal. If you are in Germany on a temporary basis, will you be moving to So Cal when you come back or elsewhere in the country? Smog laws here in So Cal will limit your options more here than in other parts of the US.

 

snap..lol, I just got stationed here and forgot to change my location. I know about the smog laws, I am going ot register the car in texas once it nears completion.

again, any Ideas on a good rebuild, or know someone selling a wrecked iroc with a 350 and a rear disc brakes, let me know.

 

What are your plans for the car?

The best way is to start with a good running engine, so a tune-up with new plugs, wires, sensors, etc is required. Then upgrade the exhaust with a 3" cat-back, and install subframe connectors. From there you can go with a rear gear upgrade, larger brakes, headers, intake manifold, camshaft, heads, etc.

 

I think that I would look for a 1988 or newer engine to rebuild. That way you have the 1 piece rear main seal and a roller cam. If all you want is to stay with the 305, you should be able to find a used rebuildable engine cheap because so many people have converted over to 350s. That will also enable you to kep driving the car while you rebuild the other motor and then when the motor is done just swap it in.

 

buddy of mine is setting me up with a 89 350 out of a van, what size cams ect. should go into this setup? I want it mainly for torque/ Drag. I have 2 t3 garrets as well I was thinking of putting them on. Should I stay carb or go injected? I would like to combine displacement with the power of Turbos. that way I can adjust the blowoff and save gas, but when the lights go down, crank it up and fill the air with rubber!!

ps, it does not matter if car sits, I have 2 camaros and a Silverado. the 90 Rs will be my to work and back till I switch the front clips, the 83 has a busted front lip and a damaged Fiberglass hood. I was planing on throwing on the later 90's front clip and keeping the functional fiber glass hood with the z28 intake...

what do y'all think?

the interior is the late 90's has the black cloth seats with the red stripe down the center. engine compartment is going to be black with red/chrome and polished aluminum accents. Outside is red w/ gloss black ground effects. chrome solid rims with wide tred.

 

The van engine is probably a TBI 350 with a tiny cam and crappy low-flow heads. It may or may not be a roller cam engine.
If you're staying here in CA, you cannot legally run any kind of turbo, as they dont have a CARB EO number. Unless of course you have the entire Calloway twin-turbo setup from a Corvette.
We prefer fuel-injection, but you can do with whatever you're more comfortable.

 

As long as he is in the military, he does not have to put a California registration on any vehicle. Federal law gives military personel the right to register a vehicle in the state they are stationed in, or they can maintain their residence in their home state and keep their vehicles registered in their home state. That is how Pablo got away with running a car that he converted from tbi to Holley carb.

That being said, we who have experienced the advantages of efi know that a tpi set up will make the car much more driveable as well as more economical.

Wolfman, in your first post you said you didn't want to change to a 350 and go for the big horsepower, just to make a nice 305 daily driver. If the 350 has a roller cam in it, you could use the short block as the basis for a nice build. You would need to change the cam and the heads. I think the STS turbo system might have been made smog legal with a carb eo #, but it would be the only turbo system that would be legal in Ca. If you want a blower, the centrifugal units from ATI or Vortech would be smog legal and I don't know that a turbo would be a lot more efficient than one of those.

 

thanks for all the post thus far, I was staying with teh 305 till I recieved the van engine for under $100. I plan on boring it out to 355 and putting better cams and better heads. this turned from a quick rebuild to a monster garage episode . As for california laws, I had enough, going to register my cars in texas. so any Ideas for what cams/heads I should go for, where should I buy ect? heck, go crazy and put what you would do as far as the build.

I got the rest of my tools in, the van comes in tommorow, and then I will start my car domain or myspace post of this project in motion.

hope to hear Ideas fly