ktthecarguy

Hi there,
I am looking for opinions on my engine rebuild; whether to go mostly stock, or modify the heck out of it?

for some background, I bought this 1988 Camaro sport convertible new back in '88, and had lots of fun with it for years. then in 1999, I parked it and pulled the engine and trans in order to do a rebuild. The engine had overheated a couple times, and I also wanted to add some horsepower. So I bought a Crane Cams #104201 compucam, and Crane 1.6:1 rocker arms.

Everything has been stored in the garage for 14 years now. Well, I finally have enough money saved up to start the restoration, but I am at a crossroads: I have all the parts necessary to restore the car to all original. But should I do that, or modify the engine to make lots more power?

I think I would like to keep it looking mostly stock, for example not switch to a carburator, but stick with TBI, things like that.

I am interested in what others think might be a good direction to go. Please feel free to comment.

Thanks.

ktthecarguy

Holy cow, 78 people read this, and nobody has an opinion? Do you need more info, or clarification? Anything I can add to help?

8t2 z-chev

since it is a convert,i vote for doing a stockish rebuild but with a few enhancements added to to get an extra 20-30HP-with that modest boost in HP,no or minimal modifications to the TBI injection will be needed.I don;t know much about the 104201 compucam,but the stock Lo3 cam is very mild so should be able upgrade from stock a little without getting the stock ECM out of whack.Factory stock spark advance curve likely also pretty mild too.
LO3s and LG4s are easy to upgrade since factory output is pretty low

ktthecarguy

Hi, thanks for the post. That's kinda what I was thinking, keep it mostly stock, but with a little bit of added grunt to make it more fun. The compucam was the one Crane originally recommended for my engine, but I am wondering if it may be a little too aggressive for my engine, especially if I keep the TBI.

Has anyone used this cam, and is it a good match for a TBI 305?

Ronny

iTrader: (1)

Boy I would be tempted to go 350 or larger! anyway I used the Crane 2040 in my 350 and was very mild.

ktthecarguy

Hi,
Thanks for the response. Did you have to do any reprogramming of your chip in order to get the cam to work with your 350? I heard if the cam is mild enough, there is no need to reprogam, that the ECM can compensate okay. What's your experience?

ktthecarguy

Hi there,
A very late update, but I decided to go with a 350 instead of rebuilding the original 305. When I pulled the 305, I knew nothing about storing engines, so I just took the heads off, and stuck everything in the corner of my garage.

Well, after 15 years of exposure in the drafty, LEAKY garage, I had one giant solid block... OF RUST!!! So the original engine was no good.

So I went shopping on Craigslist, and found a nicely built 355 from a 1969 Camaro, and really nice heads from a 1970 Camaro. They are both top notch builds (Speedpro pistons, ARP bolts throughout, etc.) so it should make pretty good power. The PO was pleased that the engine is going in another Camaro.

I am keeping the induction system TBI, with mods, so the engine will look mostly stock. But with nearly double the horsepower. Should be a fun ride.