Hey
Just had to ask to see where i am at. I am getting ready to start working on a 3rd gen camaro been doing a lot of shopping to find the car. I have no mechanic backround although i have worked on some parts of vehicles and can pick up on on things extremely quick. How hard is it going to be for me to buildup a 3rd gen camaro w/o being a mechanic? Can i get all the information and direction i need online and what not? What things will i be able to do and not do. The car is designed to be mostly street but with some drag abilities.

My father in law does body work and most exterior work. So the only thing that worries me is being able to get my engine and transmission up and running with the performance upgrades and being able to see where i need to work and tuning settings. I have an idea on what engine and transmission i want to go with but help with a somewhat simple setuip would be nice. Thanks.

 

Just take your time, think things through, and post questions that you have.
If you want to learn, read, read, read. Then practice.

 

i think you can do it. its not that hard to work on cars i would just read alot on this site and other sites. ive learned a great deal about third gens on this site. this site is great

 

Thanks. Do you guys have any other websites with intructions and maybe more in depth explanations on setup and parts?

 

You can find about everything you need right here with the .

And get you a good shop manual.

 

A good start would be to buy a chevy or tpi book. You'll learn a lot.
IMO, knowledge pays off better than experience.

 

You mean like an Owners book or like aftermarket book?

 

A shop manual like haynes or chilton is well worth the $20 it costs. There is a lot of info on here too, and a lot of people here that are willing to answer questions. The hardest part is patience. I spent 4 days just getting my engine cleaned up, but it looked new once i was done. Cleanliness and clearances are the most important part. Take your time, and everything will fall into place. One little trick I haven't even seen on here.... clean the engine surfaces to be painted with rubbing alcohol right before painting. It actually works good to get off all the solvents and cleaners.

 

Thanks, don't have to really worry about patience i know this will take a long time i plan taking lots of time to everything well. I am not just gonna slop together a car and throw some performance parts on it. I want it too look good all over as well as the performance ability. Not to mention that i have to wait between purchases enable to save up for the part cant afford to do it all once.
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Also where can i pick up one of those manuals at?

 

Online, or parts store can get them.

 

What limitations are there on what i can and cant put into the car? is there a size constraint on how big the engine i put in has to be?

Also i was looking around some posts and i saw a few about turbos. Do a lot of people put them in their camaros? i always though those were for *****s and superchargers were for muscle? or do people put both in?

Finally i am aiming for approximately 550 to 600hp in mine so if anyone has any recommendations on setups or builds or anything that would help me reach this goal i would appreciate it.

 

if you are as new as you say you are... forget about turbo/superchargers... and aim lower than 400hp...

build an engine that survives first then worry about making it faster

you will also come to realize 500hp isnt easy and costs big bucks to do it reliably

 

Good to know thanks. Never thought it would be hard to get to 500 i keep hearing about a lot of these with 6 or 700 so i thought it was just a matter of getting the parts.

Would you suggest trying to rebuild an engine then for my first project or starting fresh? and what is a good size engine to start with?

 

The parts are out there, but it takes a lot of knowledge and some cash to get there.

A 383 would be good, I would just have a local engine builder do the shortblock.
There are a lot of little things that can ruin a motor quick.

 

Looks like i will be going with a crate engine to start with and work from there. Just found out that i would be able to get a good deal on a new one so i will most likely start and upgrade for performance later on.