i got an 86 camaro for $80!!! its gonna be a cheap racer. i was thinking of build in a cheap vortec 350 or 400(i wish) as i already have a manifold and carbs, and pulling almost everything out. but i would like to hear what all you guys have to say??

thanks
RS

 

depends on what you consider cheap. i'd buy a zz4 th350 and 9" strip everything to save weight, glass hood, lexan kit and go racing

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ICON Motorsports
1st & 3rd
MM Black Diamond 538 F&AM

 

Strip everything ... heater core, AC headlights, bumpers, seats, insulation, carpet, dash, all wiring, sway bars. Buy a milk crate and sit on that.

Build a 350 4 bolt main. To make it really fast, it has to rev, and 400's were never meant to rev. Buy some DART 220's, A really, really big mechanical flat tappet cam, 4.11's, and a turbo 350. If it's fast, tell everyone that I was the most influential person in your decision to build the car and that I should be worshipped as a *** amongst men. If it's slow, don't tell anybody you know me.

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355 c.i.
Dart 180 Heads
Lunati 224/224 cam
Harland Sharp 1.5 rockers
Performer RPM Manifold
Holley 600 cfm double pumper
Hooker Super Competition Headers
Flowmaster Exhaust
Competition Engineering Sub-frame connectors
Super T-10
GM posi 3.42 rear
Hurst Roll Control
13.9@102

 

ROFL, good one!

 

what kind of $$$$ we talking here?
Cheapest way to build a fast car is a big engine! If its going to be a strip only car you cant go wrong with a BBC and some cheap $120 open headders. Who cares about a hood or the other crap that you want on the street? Since this probably isnt going to see the street ever again, just cut what doesent fit and forget about it. Probably $1000 for a running BBC and to ghetto rig it in there.
SSC

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85 Camaro, 355/400 "drag car" in moth ***** 13.1@ 101mph on its last season run.
Plans: Possibly add N20 for next season.
82 Firebird, 305/350 currently moth balled.
Current plans: Rebuild 305 with flat tops instead of the dished "cups" for pistons or slightly built 327 with the 58cc heads from the LG4, Upgrade the 2:73 to 3:73 or 3:42 and replace the turbo 350 with 700r4.


"Web site under construction"

G0D Bless.

 

Mine started off as a cheap drag car. It's now a $20,000 investment and still changing.

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Follow my racing progress on Stephen's racing page
and check out the race car

87 IROC-Z SuperPro ET Bracket Race Car
461 naturally aspirated Big Block (times are for the current engine)

Best ET on a time slip: 11.447 altitude corrected to 10.99
Best MPH on a time slip: 119.42 altitude corrected to 124.86
Altitude corrected rear wheel HP: 493
Best 60 foot: 1.586

Racing at 3500 feet elevation with a typical race day over 5000 feet density altitude!
Member of the Calgary Drag Racing Association

87 IROC bracket car, 91 454SS daily driver, 95 Homebuilt Harley

 

$20,000, and you're running a 10 bolt? Yuck! The wife must hate you!

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No guts, no glory.

 

ok $20,000 Canadian. It's not a stock 10 bolt. Not married.

 

20K Canadian...so that's like...fifteen US dollars, eh?

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1992 Camaro RS (Auto) 5.0L TBI
-
Performance mods
NOS (125 HP shot),Dynomax cat-back exhaust, Hedman headers, K & N open element/ X-Stream lid, MSD 6A ignition, MSD 8.5mm plug wires, LT1 camshaft
Soon to be installed:
Performance intake manifold, B & M 2400 RPM stall torque converter, Trans Go shift kit, World Products Torquer heads, Ed Wright Fast Chip

Audio
Sony Xplod CDX-M610 head unit, Pioneer 2-way 4x6 front speakers, Pioneer 3-way 6x9 rear speakers, 12 inch Pioneer VCCS PRO subwoofer, QLogic sealed box, Kicker ZR360 amplifier, Lightning Audio 1 farad capacitor

Other
Macewen White Faced Gauges/Shift overlay, A-pillar gauges (Phantom oil pressure, Air/Fuel), 180* thermostat, Window Tint, chrome valve covers, xenon headlights

 

Cheap? Nah! Five-Oh-Two.

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"Question with boldness even the existence of a *** ; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blind-folded fear."

-Thomas Jefferson

 

pull the rear, weld the axle tubes, buy a cover with bearing preloads, a set of aftermarket axles (rather cheap really), get a 4.10 gear from a junkyard s10, use a mini spool or if you can find one for a good price, a detroit locker. many of them around here holding up under some good power and they are light with low power drag. find some extra metal and box your control arms and panhard rod as well as put in some polyeurathane bushings. pick up some some drag shocks for the rear and put some junkyard struts on the front that have no oil left in them. use 4 cylinder or 6 cylinder front springs from a junkyard. remove the front sway bar, but keep one in the rear if you have one.

buy some subframe connectors and put in a driveshaft saftey loop. use a th350 from a junkyard or swap meet with a tci or b&m rebuild kit as well as shop around for a cheap stall converter. some junkyards will have an 82 camaro around you can get the driveshaft from. the th350 install kit from b&m will be well worth it here. turbo 350 being the choice since it's cheap, low drag, and lightweight. put the battery where the spare tire used to be and pull all unwanted interior and wiring out. keep the rubber bushings in the front but have it aligned with alot of caster and just a touch of negitive toe. use of racing bucket seat would also helpfull. look around for two aluminum spare tire rims for the front. use the softest tires possible so you don't have to use a large size which will slow it down from weight and drag. use lightest wheels you can find in the rear also.

as for the engine, the more compression the better. find some cheap high dome or flat top pistons. use vortec heads and port them. have them cut to run more valve lift and find a flat tappet cam. solid is a bit more power, but more of a hassle, this is up to you. be more concerned with duration than lift since idle quality isn't going to be important. use a vortec victor jr. intake with whatever carb you can find but up to an 850 would be fine. stock distributor with hypertech coil and msd ignition module will keep that area simple and clean. run full legnth headers with a few feet of turnout pipes. find an electric water pump or use an old heater blower motor to turn it. electric fan from sold old front wheel drive car will work fine also. that should cover the bases, but to run hard and cheap, remember that lighter is better, less drag is better, and some junkyard stuff is fine.

 

Chevette------------------200
70'500ci BB Caddilac------250
Cheap rebuild kit---------300
TH400 out of the same car-???
everything I cant think up1000

500hp in an engine that only weighs 20pds mor then a smallblock! Just dont rev it over 5grand.

 

hmmm

 

I agree with lotsaballs,
Caddy 500 stock is at about 375 hp and 450 tq, not sure of exact numbers. Can get up to 500hp and 600 tq for around a grand. Cheap and fast, puut the car on a diet, and go with lotsa gear. The caddy engine also is only running at about 7.5 or 8:1 comp. so you will need to boost the CR
Scoty

 

Rescued from obscurity post huh? Weird to see my old sig. I miss my Camaro. BBC is still they way to go BTW.

 

Here's my recipe for a cheap 12.00- high 11sec ET racer.

350+.030 2bolt mains
stock cast crank
cast hypeurtectic flat top pistons
Block machined for "0 deck height"

Vortec heads 1.5:1 rockers
Machined for screwin studs, guide plates, and high perf springs.
Home ported, stock valve size.

CompCams Magnum 294s cam and kit.

Professional Products "Crosswind" manifold
750cfm carb ( edelbrock ,holley)

Stock HEI distributor with locked out mechanical advance.
MSD HEI Coil MSD wires.


Th350 trans - 10" 3500stall converter (B&M, TCI etc)
4.10 gears w/posi
Et streets 26/10.5/15
stock 15" aluminum wheels
Airlift airbags for rear.
Drive shaft loop.

new 3-8" fuel line front to back and a Carter 4974 7psi pump.
heddman 1-5/8" long tube headers

Lighten the car. Every thing that doesn't make it go fast, turn or stop needs to go.

 

I have to agree with everyone that said to build a big block. That is the way to go, cheaply anyway. Look for old suburbans in the junkyad and see if they have a big block. Rebuild it, throw a TH-350 behind it, some 4.10 gears and a locker. I left out a lot of littel things like porting and trans rebuild, but you get the point. Ditch everything that you as the driver never touch while racing. Fiberglass body panels. cheap-o suspension upgrades as told in previous replies. Go racing!

 

to the person who is trying to put a 700r4 tranny in your car your gonns be racing.. Just a oiece if advice i had one in my 84 Z28 and i had a 350 small block out of a older model ride and i took it out cause it just can't handle the strain and wear and tear your gonna put on it unless you put better guts in the tranny.. Although i put a t56 5 speed in my camero and it was trash also . I snapped 3 gr racing a 5.0 mustang lol.. Still blowed his door but after that had to look for a tranny again..if your going to build it then build it rt man.. I would put a 3 speed or even a 2 speed tranny in it but best bet is the 3 speed and a 396 year end.. Then u got the **** to hold up to the power and as for a motor i would go with a 383 strokes or mayb a 350. But if ya got a little cash hell build a 440 small block or if ya going to want to have a beast then build something like a 632 big block.. Then ya gonna have so e **** hard to beat foreal ... And still street leagel untill u go cutting out stuff lol lol...

 

to the person who is trying to put a 700r4 tranny in your car your gonns be racing.. Just a oiece if advice i had one in my 84 Z28 and i had a 350 small block out of a older model ride and i took it out cause it just can't handle the strain and wear and tear your gonna put on it unless you put better guts in the tranny.. Although i put a t56 5 speed in my camero and it was trash also . I snapped 3 gr racing a 5.0 mustang lol.. Still blowed his door but after that had to look for a tranny again..if your going to build it then build it rt man.. I would put a 3 speed or even a 2 speed tranny in it but best bet is the 3 speed and a 396 year end.. Then u got the **** to hold up to the power and as for a motor i would go with a 383 strokes or mayb a 350. But if ya got a little cash hell build a 440 small block or if ya going to want to have a beast then build something like a 632 big block.. Then ya gonna have so e **** hard to beat foreal ... And still street leagel untill u go cutting out stuff lol lol...

 

Wow this is an old post. When I originally replied to it, I was only running mid 11's

Technology has changed a lot since 2001. LS engines are common swaps to do now which can easily make more power than a SBC.