i have a friend who owns a junkyard right down the road from my house. he's got a 350 engine, heads, crank, everything except carb on it. keep this in mind.

i have a few choices here. i can buy an 84 z28 2.8l 5spd t top camaro that runs well, motor and tranny have approximately 2000 miles on them. i can buy this for $1000

i can rebuild my '91 camaros 3.1l motor and "pimp" it out a little for about $1000

i can buy a 3.4 motor and just straight shove it in my car with about 85k miles, for ABOUT $1000

OR i can buy that 350 for MAYBE $100, and rebuild it (he said its got a bottem end knock, im guessing crank) if i go this route, im not going to have a transmission for it. this 350 came out of a 71 chevy nova, if that matters.

i have exactly $1000 to spend for this procedure. i was considering buying the 84 z28 camaro because this car runs, and i could use the body parts for my 91 (my 91 camaro is my first car, i love it, and i want to restore it) and sell whatever i dont need or keep this car and in a few years possibly throw a 396 or 400 and drag it. what do you guys suggest?

 

z28 2.8?

 

Can you afford two projects? One grand doesnt go very far unless you have the time, resources and patience to set parts aside during the build. A V8 rebuild and swap into a V6 car will very quickly add $ up. Dont spread yourself too thin. Do one car or the other.

 

???

 

i would rebuild the 71 nova 350 if its complete and the main caps havent been removed and mixed up and such it is dirt cheap to rebuild a 350, and real easy too

good luck

 

$1000 isn't gonna get you very far no matter how you do it.Figure it's going to cost you right around that much for a basic, bare-bones rebuild on a 350 assuming it's in good shape. That's with no balancing, blueprinting and cheap parts. Then you're still going to need all the parts to get it in there. Intake, carb, headers, ignition, gaskets, trans, driveshaft, hoses, belts etc.. I would save the $$$ to build the engine right and then stick it in whichever body is in better shape. If the '91 is better, put it in there. Chances are that it has less rust and is a better base for a build.

 

You've posted some very tough questions to answer given your budget.

The T top car: it usually isn't a good idea to put a V8 against a T top car without doing some serious reinforcing of the body otherwise eventually the body gets twisted and nothing fits (doors, windows, T tops). I don't know exactly what is required, but a bare minimum some kind of "frame" connectors between the front clip and the back half would have to be installed and/or a roll cage (which a roll cage may sound extreme but it would definatley strengthen the car and make it safe too).

Small block Chevy rebuild: you said you can get a 350 (hopefully a 010 block--that's the last three numbers on the block casting) for $100 that "knocks" which means a complete short block rebuild. By complete short block rebuild I mean: the engine completely torn apart to a bare block state. Take it to a machine shop where the following must happen: clean every oil passage out with a "gun barrel" brush to remove any and all debris from them, check the block for: check the main caps to make sure that they are tight, check for cracks in the block, cylinder wear and bore as needed all eight cylinders, new cam bearings, check the crank for wear and straightness, either reconditon the rods (more on that later), and reconditon the heads (if you are going to use them over). The best rebuild kits for the price come from Norther Auto Parts ( http://www.northernautoparts.com/Index.cfm ). Best prices and name brand parts too.

Rods: you can either have your rods reconditoned (shot peened, magnifluxed, new ARP rod bolts, re-size the big and small end of the rods) or buy reconditoned rods (more on where to buy them too). I recommed getting rods rather than having them reconditioned by a machine shop but that's me.

Pistons: things to consider: if the engine is going to see only mild street use and the engine does or doesn't have to be bored, then go with the stock cast pistons. The next step up is hypereutitck pisotns. They are a middle of the road piston that will take somewhat more power than stock pistons (more cam/rpm/ hp and some NOS) but not a whole bunch of it either. I persoally like Speed Pro's version of them over the Keith Black ones but that' me. The next step up in pistons are forged. These are the most expensive of the three but they are also the best choice (and the only choice) if you ever plan on racing with this engine. They'll take a beating and keep on ticking but they cost a lot more money.

Cam: don't go nuts with and get a nasty cam that won't be streetable. Sure the specs on a Z75 Isky cam will lead you to think that you can have a zillion hp out of your engine but you won't be able to drive it on the street (without hating it). Go conservative on the cam--smaller is faster. I persoally like the Edelbrock Performer cams or the Comp Cams 268H cam for the street. Just enought lope to let you know it has a cam, great torque from them, they are stock carb friendly, and you can use all the accesories without a hassle.

Heads: here's where I get myself into a controvery with the new generation. They'll all want you to buy Vortec heads because they make so much more power. My problem is that I have all non-Vortec parts in my inventory therefore it doesn't make economic sense to invest in them (yet). Scoggin Dicky has the best/most complete/least expensive Vortec cylinder head kits that I've seen so far. Here's there link so you can look at them: http://www.sdpc2000.com/catalog/2172...-Head-Kits.htm As for the stock heads on that 350, they'll work perfeclty fine for the street and mild racing but are a POS when it comes to all out racing. By far, cylinder heads are the best investment when it comes to an engine breathing. BUT it's all about a complete package to go with them: intake, carb, exhaust (manifolds/hedders and the entire exhaust system too), cam, and the heads all need to be matched. One wrong piece and it won't perform to expectations.

Transmission: you haven't even budgeted for a transmission. Plan on spending $150 for a converer, a good used TH350 transmission goes from $150 up, $50 for a shift kit, and $30 for a governor recalibration kits. This wouldn't count having the transmission rebuilt which can cost from $250 to $1000 depending on if you can get a good transmission man to do it for parts only or if you have to pay for the labor too. Along with the trans is new U-joints, traction devices, etc. that can push your budget out of sight.

Bottom line, you're limited on budget to build a V8 car. Plan on $1000 for a good basic 350 Chevy small block rebuild anyway. Problem with that it leaves you with no money to actually build the car (radiator, exhaust, new carburator, transmission (trans, shifter, shift kit, govenor kit, converter). Any project will take five times the amount of money you've budgeted and ten times the amount of time even if EVERYTHING goes as planned.

I know nothing about your other car senarios so I won't even go there.

 

Depends on your main goal and objective not only short term, but long term.

1. Most power. The 350 will be the best platform for max power. Odds are it will surpass your budget. You will have an unknown amount of down time w/o a car.

2. Least down time w/o a car. This is where the 3.4 will come in. Its a direct bolt in. Since I think I know which motor this is, you could have it in the car and running in one day with some help.

3. Most reliable. Rebuild your current engine. This will most likely provide the long term and most reliable to drive provided it is built by a very reputable shop. It will have zero miles on and most likely have some type of warranty. Down time will highly depend on how fast the shop is.

4. Other car. As well like others are saying, they didnt make a 84z28 with a 2.8. Its a base 84 with z28 parts on it I bet. All 84's were carb(IIRC), likely drink gas. Your possibly buying more problems then you have now.

 

it used to be a 5.0 but he pulled it when he bought the car and bought a crate engine and had a shop install it as well as the tranny. my dad owns a shop and has all the required materials to rebuild an engine and said he wouldnt charge any labor to do so. i wanted to stick the 2.8 in my 91 although my 91 has 2 crushed fenders and a crushed passenger side door. i was just curious as to which option you guys would choose and would hopefully help me choose. the 350 or buy the entire running 84 for $1000 and use body parts off it. i cant see going wrong with the 84 because it has a new tranny which i could swap into my car since my 700r4 is starting to slip and convert it to a t5. it has the 16x8 iroc wheels and comes with an extra 4 with studs, i know these wheels are worth a nice little bit which i could sell or something as well as the z28 louver hood w/ louvers and t-tops

this 2.8 is a direct bolt in as well isnt it? so now what do you guys think.

i dont have a car at the moment because the original 3.1 blew, i bought another and had it installed and within 500 miles later it blew again and the mechanic is not taking responsibility so this time i was going to do it myself.

 

honestly i'd get the 2.8 car and drive it, save up some cash and rebuild your 3.1 or toss another engine in it. have a car to drive.

 

The T5 you are talking about won't last behind a decent runing small block. You'll be wasting your money on that T5. You might better get a TH350 or a 88 or newer 700R4 to replace your bad 700R4.

 

i want mine fixed. is a 2.8 a direct bolt in?

 

I'd rebuild your 3.1. You'll probably be better off that way. Then, later on, if you still wanan go for some more power, you can take your time on the 350 build and do it right...

 

[quote=DuceNova;3246165]You've posted some very tough questions to answer given your budget.

The T top car: it usually isn't a good idea to put a V8 against a T top car without doing some serious reinforcing of the body otherwise eventually the body gets twisted and nothing fits (doors, windows, T tops). I don't know exactly what is required, but a bare minimum some kind of "frame" connectors between the front clip and the back half would have to be installed and/or a roll cage (which a roll cage may sound extreme but it would definatley strengthen the car and make it safe too).

About this statement, would you recommend this for all V6 to V8 swaps (with t-tops) are just with highly moded 350's? im thinking of swapping to an LT1 this summer and i didnt think it would cause any major structural problems...

 

bad-newz, yes, even i recommend that for all 350cid+ motors, 305's dont make enough torque to twist the frame. everyone helping me make my decision! TGO rules!

 

I would recommend some kind of frame reinforcement with any HP/torque increase with a T top car. I've seen all kinds of cars that bent the body from torquing the frame/body.

 

The intake is slightly different. Depending the year of the 2.8 block would vary alot as to if I would even use it.

 

it looks exactly like a 88 or 89 mpfi 2.8l

 

actually even the 2.8 has enough power to twist. when i bought my car, the paint was cracked in the back upper corner by the windows from body twist. it wouldnt sit level on a hoist either. i was pretty surprised, lol.

 

D.A.M.N. who woulda guessed!