I want to start a 3rd gen project sometime in the future but i figured i should get a bit of info before i undertake anything.

i was wondering whether 240 RWHP / 300 RWTQ is possible on a TBI 305 with full intake/headers/good exhaust/cam/L98(or equivalent) heads?

or would i need to go 350 for those number(of course even higher torque)?

and on the same note would a standard WC(or even non-WC) T5 stand up to those kinds of numbers? i would not ever be drag racing this car but it would get "spirited driving" sometimes and may make it out to a Autocross or two

if not then what? WC+good syncros?

i am really bored whenever i drive auto and any transmission that is not a bolt in swap i would not like to even consider(unless i have to but........)

 

what? really? does no one know the answers? I figured people here would know something.

if rear wheel numbers are confusing you then just say 300hp at the fly and 360 torque

and i know that they say t5 are rated to 280 and 300 torque for non-wc and wc transmissions but then again i know people that have run non-wc are car well over 450 torque for years without problem as well as people that have destroyed them on stock v6s just because they drive bad.

so? t5 can stand 300 rwtq with a reasonable driver?

 

welcome

do you realize that the people posting here are not paid contributors?

NExt, 3rd gens stopped in 1992 aka 20 years ago so the newest 3rd gen is at least 20 years old.

With that said, if you've really been gathering information then you would have used the search function and already found your answer because it's been discussed probably at least a couple hundred times

If you want earth shattering performance then don't bother with a 305 or even the L98 unless you want to spend money upgrading them. Go to a 4th gen

If your heart is set on a 3rd gen, then start with a 350 block from the get go.

 

ok i know a lot more about these car than you seem to think and before you get too high and mighty about the search function i would have you know that i have been searching the forums here for months before i ever posted a question and even though i figured that it would have been covered numerous times i had trouble finding anything on just what it would take to get to those numbers.

i am perfectly aware of how old these cars are which is one of the exact reasons i want one. all three cars i currently own are no newer than 1988.

fourth gens while very good platforms in their own right are nothing like what i want. for one thing i hate how they look and for another they have lt1 engines which i never want to work on ever again(and ls series 4th gens are out of price range)

also i did not figure anyone here to be paid nor did i believe that they would have to be to try and help out someone that just wants a bit of information but i guess in these days no one wants to help someone else if there is not something in it for them.

 

seriously, search on 305 performance or 350 swap

you'll see that it makes no sense to get a 305 from the get go if performance is your goal

"high and mighty"

have you really tried the search function? It's loaded with tons of threads on EXACTLY your topic

with respect to the LT1, I don't know why people get all hung up on the engine. I've had a 95Z for 3 years and am fine with it. I'm not fine with poor workmanship of optisparks but once i got a good one, all is fine

I also understand the ugly comment as the 98-02's are ugly compared to the 93-97

 

well as far as the 305 goes i had seen a thread where someone had gotten to 180 rwhp and 240 rwtq on the 305 with nothing other than headers and exhaust so i figured that with good heads, tune, intake work, and a good cam that i could make another 60 hp on top of that to get to the exact number i want but it seems like i will just pull a truck or caprice 350 tbi

as far as the lt1 goes i personally have no problems with them and i know that they can be made to be quite fast. but my friend has had a 96 formula for three years and to date he has blown 4 engines, 6 optisparks, and is on his second ecu. and all this happened in about a range of 600 miles for the car.(with no racing only DD)

overall i just like the 3rd gen better. it may not have anywhere near the hp stock but is actually the better handling car. a stock iroc pulls 0.92 Gs and 3rd gens in general have been the car to have at the national level of autocross with 7 of the top ten cars in ESP being 3rd gens in 2010(not that i am anywhere near their level)

and over recent years i have just started to like 80's cars better in terms of how they look over other decades of cars.

but more than anything i am just tired of my current car. it has very little torque and bolt-ons do very little overall. it is one of the best handling cars i have ever owned but just not much to say for rotary engines these days.

which why my dad and my own other project rx7 has a 383 stroker in it. very fun and very fast but certainly not the most practical car out there haha

 

honestly, get a TPI 350 car if you want 3rd gens

Don't buy a 305 and then have to search for a junk engine which you ahve to rebuild. If they can't produce paperwork about a rebuild, then you must consider any used engine a junk because you know nothing about it

you'll have a 350 to start and any mods you do are done with 45 cid more.

4th gens handle better

3rd gens are so much easier to gain access to things

 

CLOSE THIS

 

^why? i was just starting to enjoy the conversation

and i would rather not start with a TPI 350 because for one they only came with automatic transmissions and for another you have to deal with the whole 4800 rpm 'wall'

the plan i believe is to find a TBI manual shell and swap in a TBI 350 and t5 and any motor i get to put in it i would already be rebuilding anyway.

and starting with a tpi 350 car may be a little out of my price range to start.

and it is not like i want earthshattering power by any means as long as i can get the car to 240 rwhp i will be perfectly fine

and i partly agree with the fourth gen handling because i have a friend with a 95z28 with about 3500 in suspension work and that car handles like it is on rails. normal people would never believe a 3300lbs car would be that good. but on the other hand both 3rd and 4th gens are in SCCA ESP classification but 4th gens are completely outclassed by 3rd gens at the national level

 

it sounds like you want a project vs a vehicle you could be driving off and on again as you work on it.

You need to decide which it is. If you are set on a 350 with manny tranny then focus on any RS or Z with as good of interior as you can afford in the vehicle. You'll be dumping the drivetrain anyway so don't get caught up on what's currently in it.

Seriously, after dropping in a newly rebuilt motor and tranny who wants to get into a car with torn seats, terrible rug, cracked dash and sagging headliner and weatherstripping which has seen better days?

You can look and find OK deals on powertrains and rebuilds but you won't be as lucky finding deals on decent interior and weatherstripping

for giggles, go price rug, headliner, sun visors and weatherstripping. It adds up quickly. You'd think weatherstripping was lined with gold for what they charge for the rubber pieces.

then, price out getting the seats reskinned.

Also, as rust free as possible should be on your list so try and search for FL or southern cars

I got mine for $500 with no rust, had all the trim pieces, NEW TIRES AND BRAKES and a running LO3 and 700R4. If of course tore it all down and also rebuilt the engine and tranny but the tires alone were worth the $$ as were the new brakes

good luck and who wants a car which runs great but looks like a turd on the inside?

 

i have a 92 firebird 305tbi and i make 202 hp and 268 tq to the tires on a mustang dyno i have a 4 inch open element air cleaner a 3 inch flowmaster system with hiflow cat a corvette servo in tranny and a 3.42 disk rearend from a 4th gen camaro. I also have a msd coil wire cap and rotor a chip from tbi chips and msd wires a crank underdrive pulley to

 

^^ yeah i have had a car with an interior that breaks off in my hand when i try to do anything and it ends up being a huge hassle.

my current 88 rx7 has taken me 2 years to get the interior back to stock.... so much better when you don't have to worry about the small stuff(not to mention big stuff haha)

could i take a rs and strait swap in a 350 tbi? i mean is it as easy as going from a 305 tbi to a 350 tbi? if not then i would prob do a carbed swap if i got a rs

and i do not quite know whether i want a car to drive and work on or one to get and do everything at once.

when it comes right down to it ill will prob decide when i buy the car. if i get a shell then everything will be done before car is driven but if i get a running car i may drive it while doing upgrades that i will be able to transfer when i do the swap.

and i should not have to much trouble finding a rust free car since i live in the south already.