hi my name is pj and i just got a 1986 Z28 with a 5.0 and a t-5
its in pretty good shape and under 100k i know it need a starter but i can do that and it only cost me $800 bucks now i dont know alot about camaros so i have alot of questions
i hear that the t-5s are really weak someone told me if you put headers & intake on them you should upgrade to a better tranny this cant be true i hope to make this car pretty fast i guess the question is really how much torque can the stock tranny handle without probs. now i THINK the rear end is a 7.5 10 bolt (someone tell me if im wrong) is this true?
how fast are these cars in the 1/4 with a good driver im thinking like mid 15s i really like this car and i hope the tranny can handle what i plan to throw at it

im glad there is a fourm for camaros im sure ill post again very soon

thanks

 

you may want to start digging through threads, as everything you've asked has already been answered and discussed at naseum. (to death).


This is a carbed car?

headers and full exhaust are the main weakpoints, that'll speed up the car the most.

You're right on the rear axle. 10 bolt 7.5". It is weak, but I think you've got a bit of room to work with before it's really worrysome. I'd beef it up before I swapped it with a stronger axle, as the choices for a stronger axle are pricey or difficult. (take your pick).


do some searching, then post a specific question, you'll get more answers that way.

 

ok ill do a serch but i was talking about the tranny being weak but thats cool the Z is a carbed car 4bbl
i cant wait to start wrenching on her


i dont know why it wont let me say ****** on this website i guess it would offend to many people
oh well thanks, pj

 

That car should do high15s - low 16s, as it cam from the dealer.

Headers and full exhaust first; then a cam; then gears; and an air cleaner housing somewhere along the way. The L69 one is best as it eliminates the restriction of the stock LG4 one, but supplies cold air instead of hot under-hood air.

Edlebrock TES or SLP headers are good choices. I'd avoid the super cheapie headers like Flowtech. "True dual" exhaust and long tube headers are an extreme PITA and offer little or no benefit to a near-stock 305.

A good cam is a Comp XE262; or a near-equivalent from Crower, Crane, Lunati, or Isky. Avoid the Summit cheapie cams, or Edelbrock duplicates of the same thing. They're OK, but will not win against the others; and for the amount of money and effort in a cam swap, the $40 or so that you save, is a little bit of nothing.

3.42 or 3.73 gears will be about right once you've got the engine to where it can breathe.

Things to avoid wasting money on at this time, would include a carb and intake manifold. Those aren't what's limiting the engine's output or the car's performance.

 

wow thanks
ok my next question is with the air cleaner, gears, full exhaust, whats my time slips gonna look like now
i would like to get the car low 15s with basic boltons and some good tires im sure this is possible
thanks again

 

With that cam, the right exhaust & gears etc., you should be able to get it to mid 14s. Maybe low 14s.

Keep in mind, the early L69/5-speeds ran about a 15 flat, off the showroom floor; and that combo I gave you is faster than those.

 

now on the exhaust what size would be good im thinking of like 2.5 then a high flow cat and a flowmaster muffler for the camaro
does this sound allright

i still dont know why i cant say m u l l e t s

 

most people would say 3in. I have a 3in and see little to no restriction.

Main thing is most aftermarket catbacks are cheap and junky so make sure you get a decent 1. You want mandrel bent tubing with fairly suddle curves. Less bends the better (for the most part). If your going with a full exhaust my opinion might be to get 3in outlet headers and go 3in from front to the rear. Get a 3in in and out highflow cat and run a good freeflow muffler and you should have a pretty noticable increase in power.

As for 10 bolts being weak i'm not so sure about this but, it's only my opinion. I personally know a guy who ran a 454 s-10 with 470hp and 550trq with posi to a stock (except a heavy duty diff cover) 10 bolt. I beleive it had the 28 spline axles which your's may not + i suppose the chance of getting a 454 s-10 enough traction to cause any real stress on this rearend would be slim to none on the street tires he's running so maybe this isn't the best comparison to showing it's not week but, i think this rearend is fairly streetable for 300hp and trq (only my opinion).

 

Yes i am offended by a hairstyle. You think bowl cut will get by. Sorry mods i don't really mean to be so asinine but thats just going to far. It's not really the mods choices as much as the lawyers. Political correctness has gone way over the top.

 

The T5 is good for about 300 ft/lbs of torque. It will handle more if you are careful but if you start shifting it hard or put on drag radials that will hook up it will die. A decent set of heads would be worth looking into. Be sure to use the function. Lots of great info already on this board.