I know very little about engines and mods, but I would like to learn. I am buying a second camaro for this very reason and I, like many others, would love to make it fast...what are some parts or things I can add/do to add HP or make it faster?

 

Listing the car model, engine type, trans, etc. is always helpful when asking questions.

JamesC

 

In any case, start with the basics, like the oil change, a complete tune-up, and any other maintenance.
Then decide on what power level or performance goals you'll be happy with. This will help you avoid buying the wrong parts. Alot of the things you'll change are offered in different levels of results. The cam for a 350 hp 350 is far different from the one for a 550 hp 383, for example.
This will also affect your choice of fuel system. A 550 hp 383 isn't happening, for a beginner, with TBI, for example.
You do need to decide what you will do with the car. Daily driver, weekend warrior, race only, or street and racetrack.
Manual trans, or automatic?
7000 rpm screamer, or low-rpm torque monster?
Frequent nitrous bottle refills, one time hit of a blower or turbo kit, or no power adder at all?
Once you get that far, the folks on here can steer you right.

 

Here's a repost of what I put in a different thread. This is just a general guide to get you started, not the definitive answer:

Get your steering, suspension and brakes up to snuff before you start diving into the power mods.

Obviously, I don't know what kind of shape your car is currently in, but a safe guess is that it needs some general maintenance first.

The upside is two-fold: You can tackle it a bit at a time for minimal cost, and you can gain some skills and knowledge working on your car. So, when you get to the inevitable 350 swap you will have a nice, solid base to work on and the corresponding skills/knowledge to ease the process.

As a general guide, I'll offer this:

1. Full Tune-up on the engine - wires, plugs, distributor cap, rotor, coolant flush, etc.
2. Replace steering components up front with good Moog parts.
3. Replace suspension components with new springs, struts/shocks, bushings, ball joints (Moog parts again).
4. Rebuild/replace/repair ALL brake components.
5. Sub-frame connectors.
6. Wonderbar.
7. Full exhaust - headers back to the tailpipes.
8. Intake
9. 3.42 posi rear-end gears swap
10. Computer tuning kit - I prefer the EBL system, but check the TBI forum.
11. Now you are ready to start making power.