fin170703

Hi all i posted a thread recently on info about my car, 1983 z28, and i recieved no posts, apart from a guy asking to post the engine number which i will when i pick the car up on friday,. The reason is that i need help on what to do. the car has been stood for 18 months without being started and i need to start making plans and ordering bits that i will need, i.e will it need head gasket, seals, filters ( sorry i am new to the world of camaro's but am eager to learn) is that certain things that will def need changing. It also has 4 barrel holley carbs , will they need cleaning out and setting up,. Its all a bit of a mystery as to what engine is in the car but i will post the engine number when i get it. premature thanks to all the replies i get and thumbs up to guys that post info on the site as its extremely helpfull to people like me that are new to the camaro scene

Scrams84Z

I think the answer is, you won't know what you'll need until you get it. Get the car. Do a visual inspection and replace anything that is obviously cracked or damaged like hoses or belts. Get the battery charged and give it a whirl. If it doesn't start, or runs but poorly, then people can start diagnosing problems.

fin170703

Sounds like a good idea scrams, if i post some pics when i get it would you be able to tell more about the engine.

Scrams84Z

Things you should do before cranking would be check the water level to make sure there's water in it. I would probably change the oil and put a new filter on it. Then once you crank it, keep an eye on your temp and oil pressure. Make sure you have oil pressure and that the temp doesn't shoot up into the red. If you have no pressure or your temp goes into the red, turn it off. Things you should watch for is burning (blue smoke in exhaust) or leaking oil, white vapor in exhaust (water in exhaust could be head gasket). Things that typically go bad is anything rubber (hoses and belts) and thermostat.

Scrams84Z

In all honesty, small blocks look like small blocks and can be made to look like something they're not by the addition of a few dress up items. i.e. LT1 style valve covers will fit on many small block heads. The best way to identify an engine is the block number. Even then, if the engine's been modified such as new cam or heads, you may not know exactly what you have but at least you'll have a good starting point. Things you might want to look for are block numbers and head numbers. I can tell you this, they weren't using Holley carbs in 1983. So that's one indication that there might have been modifications made.

SLEEPER 86

i like scrams' attitude!
fire it up and look for signs of trouble.
if it'll make you feel better,change the oil and filter,and add a quart of marvels mystery oil in place of a quart of regular oil.i've heard good things about this stuff.especially for engines that have been sitting.
youll want to listen for valve train noise,bearing noise,vaccum leaks,rods knocking etc.
chances are that it will be fine!
but if all is ok,take the time to replace those valve springs,or at least have them checked!
Eric B

rgarcia63

Gasoline is seasonal, it has 2 formulas summer & winter, put a bottle of "Iso-Heet" to absorb moisture in the gas.

Don't use the car to test the battery. A 400 cold cranking amps battery will lose 1/2 of it charge from parasitic circuits (clock, Radio, ECM...etc) in 18 months.
Take the battery for testing, and charging if it needs it,
Test the battery cables visually, and for stiffness for the first few inches from each end, compare the flexibilty to the middle section, or to a new cable, if even one end is stiff replace it. This is an indication that the cable sheath has dried and cracked allowing the copper strands to corrode.

or

Before starting the engine put a volt meter across the post and it's connector it should read zero volts while cranking, any reading above zero indicates a bad connection. Clean the post and connector, and test again, replace the cable if it still reads above zero.

fin170703

you mention valve springs, is this a job that can be done easily, i am a o.k D.I.Y mechanic but have never worked on an american v8 before. In regards to the battery i am going to buy one and replace it rather than messing around with the old one. i Have ordered a book about tuning camaro's and was wondering if the engine turns out to be a 5.0 305 would it be better to just swap it for a 5.7 350 rather than tuning it.

Scrams84Z

Well, none of the 305's (5.0 Liter) engines in 1983 were any barn burners. You had the LG4 at 150 HP, the LU5 at 175 HP, and the L69 at 190 HP. The L69 Z28 is identifiable by the "5.0 Liter H.O." tag on the rocker panels and the dashboard (assuming the car has the original motor). The LU5 is the crossfire injection model that had a fiberglass hood with functional ram air scoops in the hood. The LG4 would just be the standard V8.

Find out what you have first by identifying the block and heads. Who knows, you might already have a 350.

My opinion, if you got the cash, go ahead and upgrade to a 350 or even a stroked 383. There are some very nice affordable small block motors out there putting out 350HP - 430HP. For more money, you can get more HP.

I dumped my L69 for a stroked 383 making 420HP and 425 lb/ft torque and a 5-speed Tremec 3550 manual tranny to handle the additional torque. I like it...I LIKE IT A LOT!!! WOW, what a difference.