I'm looking to do an engine swap which could bring AWD to my 1982 Camaro however, the Springs are in the way so I would not be able to fit CV axles.

Does anyone know if there is any aftermarket suspension systems that replace the use of Springs? Possibly some kind of strut conversion kit?

 

search for "coil over" or "coil over conversion"

the shocks on the front of a 3rd gen are, in fact, struts. they are just not located in the center of the spring.

 

i think the springs would be the least of your concerns. What are you planning to use for knuckles/spindles for use with the drive system? 3rd gen stock parts will not work. the cv would also have to pass through the frame rail/k-member if im visualizing this correctly.

 

You're going to need a custom fabricated k-member, custom spindles, possibly custom a-arms. Probably have to notch the frame rail like 86TA said. Not to mention a way to mount a differential and some sort of transfer case under the car where space is limited even with the stock set-up.
With all that being said, good luck. Spohn (I know) and BMR (I think) offer coilover conversions for these cars.

 

Hm, thanks for the info. My new vision is to fabricate the strut + wheel hub assembly from the original car to the Camaro via welding some kind of bracket to the lower control arm and working it out at the shock tower as well. That way the splines will work with the CV axles/transmission that I have.

I have the motor and transmission from a 5 cylinder 1991 Audi 80 that I flipped on a highway a couple of years back. I pulled the motor + trans before I junked it. The car was very similar to the camaro's weight and got 27 mpg on a regular basis and was pretty quick (way quicker than the 2.8L 2bbl carb is in my camaro now)

Take a look at http://www.jtnicols.com/audi/AudiParts4Sale.htm

The first 2 pictures give you an idea of the setup. I know there are some tubular K members out there, perhaps that would give me some more clearance. If it was really a bust, I could go RWD and use a quattro transmission and weld the internals so that all of the power goes to the rear driveshaft and then just get a custom length driveshaft. It would still be nice to have a high MPG 1982 Camaro. AWD would just be an added benefit if I could manage it. The wheelbase on the Camaro is only 1 inch more, so for half an inch on each side I may even be able to use the half shafts that I already have. If not, I could have custom length shafts made.

Anyone else have more speculation or know what problems I might run into?

 

You're going to have to fabricate your own tubular k-member and a-arms. Nothing stock or aftermarket is going to accept that motor/driveline.

You're talking a very extensive custom fabrication job. Unless you are very skilled in welding, tube bending, and other metal fabrication work yourself, the labor costs will be exponential. Even if you can do it all yourself, the costs will still be fairly high just to cover materials and it will be very labor intensive. - Not trying to shun your idea, just noting that you're looking at a very expensive build just to have something different.