Hello everyone, my first post!

I live in Orlando Fl. and I have two Camaros, a 91 RS with a 3.1 V6/TH200-R4 in great shape and an 87 IROC with a ~350hp carbed 350/TH350 combo.

The RS is my daily driver and has been very well kept but at 155,000 miles the engine is tired.

The IROC has been through hell from a previous owner. It was rescued by my brother and I bought the car from him two weeks ago after he had built and installed a new 350.

For the last week or so I've been thinking of transplanting the IROC suspension and engine, and of course those beutifull 16" wheels, over to my RS. However, I'm not sure on a couple issues. Maybe you all can help me make an "IROC RS" of sorts.

First, converter stall speed. The IROC has a 2800 stall converter but I would like to keep the V6 converter because of the lockup. Would the stall be high enough?

Second, The guages. I really like the look of my stock 91 dash and would prefer to keep it that way, will I have any problems getting the guages to work?

Any input on this would be appreciated.

Thanks,
RW

 

Welcome to the board! I can't see the RS's 700R4 (not 200-4R) torque convertor working on the TH-350 trans.

You'll have one big problem with the gauges- the speedometer. Your 91 has an electronic speedometer, and it gets its signal from the Vehicle Speed Sensor in the tailshaft of the 700r4. You're going to have to hunt down a cable-driven speedo for the TH-350, unless someone's done it before.

As to the other stuff, like temp and oil pressure and etc; the wires should all be there for the sensors. You'd just have to buy the right sensors for the 350 and hook 'em up.


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-Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l) from http://www.f-body.net/mailbag/3rd/3rd_mailbag.html message boards
---Think your car could be pic of the week? Visit http://www.f-body.net for details!

 

Thanks for the info Tom. I will keep the 700 OD in the car. All this time I thought I had a 200! I just want to pull the 350 and drop it in without removing the TC from the trans.

As for the speedo, can I leave the computer connected? I could remove the bulbs from the idiot lights if need be but will the computer still work the speedo without being actually connected to an engine?

 

Ya know, that's a good point. The speedometer might not need the computer at all. I have a cable-driven speedo on my '86 so I don't know the specifics...

Unfortnuately the 700r4 behind your v6 won't mate up to the v8. The 700r4 used behind a v6 has a smaller bellhousing, and an overall smaller case. You'd have to find a v8 700r4 in a junkyard somewhere. Using the TH-350 with the TH-350's torque convertor seems like the best idea to start with; you could always chase down a v8's 700r4 later.


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-Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l) from http://www.f-body.net/mailbag/3rd/3rd_mailbag.html message boards
---Think your car could be pic of the week? Visit http://www.f-body.net for details!

 

Damn, that's bad news about the transmission. Oh well, since I do have a running doner car I would be willing to use the TH350 for a short time. It would be even easier to swap with the motor/trans assembled.

I could probably get enough cash for the used 3.1 engine w/trans to get a V8 700r4 so I think that's the way I'll go. Thanks a lot for your help, FWIW your on my good guy list for sure!

One more question, other than the motor mounting bolt pattern, are the V6 and V8 700r4s interchangeable? The driveshaft, crossmember etc...

 

Those are spots I'm not too clear about. I don't see why the transmissions would be different lengths, but they could be... I don't think GM made different length driveshafts (except for the old 82-83 200C transmissions) in the f-bodies.

Take pictures of the swap & good luck!


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-Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l) from http://www.f-body.net/mailbag/3rd/3rd_mailbag.html message boards
---Think your car could be pic of the week? Visit http://www.f-body.net for details!

 

Can we say headache? You are going to go through the pits of despair to get everything right. Not that it cant be done. lt can and has. However, lf l may be so bold, ld like to suggest a different plan of attack. one that l feel would be easier and better at the end of the road.

Why not fix up the 87 w/ parts from the 91? l mean, when its all over, you would be able to sale the WHOLE 91, not just the engine/tranny. Me, ld rather deal w/ cosmetics than deal w/ engine/tranny swap. (l've done both on third-gen f-bodies) Whith cosmetic problems (interior, body, etc) it may be ugly, but it runs right. With engine, it could look like a million dollars, but run like $0.02. See what l mean?

With V6 to V8 youre looking a whole lot of down time. You have to swap engine, motor mounts, tranny, wiring harnesses (inside and outside), springs, changing induction systems, (from fuel injection to carb.) which will require a fuel pressure regulator, lm sure lm missing at least a million smaller things.

By fixing up the IROC you can sale the 91 and then have a couple more dollars to finish it up. Like l said, this is just my opinion. But l think it would be easier and quicker.

Good luck either way

Clayton

 

Thanks for the input guys. I am sure glad I found this place before I started turning bolts. Please forgive the length of my post, I know I tend to ramble.

I was originally under the impression that this would be a fairly straightforward swap. After reading a LOT more about this I realize that's not the case.

Just for laughs here's a shortened list of the problems with the IROC;

Heater core leaks.
ALL weather stripping is trashed except for the rear hatch.
Door handles rattle and are very loose.
Door locks are destroyed from a breakin.
The passenger side power lock switch wiggles the drivers side door lock but doesn't quite have the grunt to actually lock or unlock the door. The drivers side power lock and passenger actuator are dead.
Hatch pull down doesn't.
Steering column has about 6" of play in the broken tilt wheel mechanism.
When I hit a bump it sounds like every peice of the interior is loose.
The rear view mirror is laying in the rear seat.
When idling the outside drivers mirror migrates downward.
The body doesn't look too bad as long as your at least 10 feet away. On closer inspection none of the body panels line up. Looking into the fenders it is obvious this car has been hit from every possible angle and has had several paint jobs done by bondo man himself.
The previous body damage and the fact it is a high horsepower ttop car means the chassis is probably not straight.

Heheh, that sounds worse than it is though and everytime I've driven this thing I've had the worlds biggest smile. That's what it's really all about and the car does have some good points and it is an IROC after all.

I beleive I'm going to take the advice of El Guapo and just start fixing things. Maybe in a year or so it could be a nice car again. Of course, with my luck so far that will be when FL starts emissions testing.

Good day all and thanks again for everyones input. Nice board here.

RW

 

How about parting out the IROC, selling the 91 and buying the car you really want? You could get a nice 91 V8 RS or Z28 and save yourself a lot of headaches and down time. Just a though...wish i followed my own advice a while back!