Hey guys,

I am acquiring a 91 RS in a few days that my dad got from some lady who couldn't afford to keep up with it anymore.

long story short, i know it has a 305 in it, but apparently there are at least 3 models of the RS, and one of them has a VERY insufficient and ball shriveling 170hp, while the other has 205, (flywheel i assume)

which..... still REALLY sucks, but makes me feel -slightly- better. I'm praying to the HP gods that this one isn't one of the slow(er) motors.

How can i tell (possibly by the vin?) what motor this one has in it?

I'm not sure if exterior packaging has anything to do with it, but given the fact it's blue, an automatic, and has girly leaf looking wheels on it, i'd be willing to bet it's the inverted ***** model. I haven't actually seen this car in person yet, but it's free, so i cant complain too much.

Either way, believe me, i'll be on here quite a bit asking about performance mods. I really don't know much about the LO3 or LB9. I have no idea if they are the same block, if they accept the same parts or anything... I'm not even sure why one is higher performance than the other, or, ....... well... ANYTHING about them really except that they are 305's.

how do i figure out what motor it has in it?

1991 Chevrolet Camaro Drivetrain List
Yr Model Trans Engine
code/type CR Displ. HP Torque Induc-
tion Manual
std. Manual
opt.
(G92) Auto
std. Auto
opt.
(G92) 91 RS M5,A4 LH0 V6 8.5:1 3.1 (191) 140@4400 185@3600 MFI 3.42 ---- 3.23 ---- 91 RS M5,A4 LO3 V8 9.3:1 5.0 (305) 170@4000 255@2400 TBI 3.08 ---- 2.73 ---- 91 Z28 M5,A4 LB9 V8 9.3:1 5.0 (305) 205@4200 285@3200 TPI 3.08 ---- 2.73 ---- 91 Z28 M5 LB9 V8 9.3:1 5.0 (305) 230@4200 300@3200 TPI ---- 3.42 ---- ---- 91 Z28 A4 L98 V8 9.7:1 5.7 (350) 245@4400 345@3200 TPI ---- ---- ---- 3.23

 

the best way to identify a motor is to get the numbers from the block on the bellhousing area, near the distributer. then run the numbers. www.chevymania.com is a good place for info like this.

 

Will only confirm if it is a 305.
Won't tell what version

 

If you can read the engine suffix code stamped on the front of block that will give better indication what engine was originally.
This far down the track anything could have happened to car or engine.

Unless partial VIN stamped on the engine pad matches those on car ( last digits of the VIN ),
engine has been swapped out

 

As a RS, the odds of it having anything besides a 6-cyl or a L03 (TBI 305), are so tiny as to be unworthy of considering.

99.99999% odds, it'll be one of those 2. Count the cyls. If there's 6, it's a ... you do the math. If there's 8, it'll be the L03.

 

yup

if it has what appears to Dad as a carb on top that's actually throttle body injection. If Dad is getting it for you for free then kiss dad on all 4 cheeks and be glad you got a car.

 

8th digit in the VIN

 

LOL!!! I like that..

---

as for the other responses, cool, and thank you.. I'll have him check out the block and see if it's numbers matching. I think the chick he bought it from was the 2nd owner. the first owner was meticulous and kept records all the way up until about 2000 or so then a guy bought it for his daughter. Basically, it started giving her problems, so she took it to the shop and "had the intake gasket replaced"

so, now it sputters and dies until it gets warm, or at idle (this is all what i've been told, not seen with my own eyes as of yet)

the tach reads about 4k rpm HIGHER than actual revs, and a few other things, so i'm guessing either a sensor or two were hooked up backwards, not hooked up at all, or there's a vacuum leak somewhere, or maybe she "MEANT" to get the intake gasket replaced.

or maybe the ECU (or whatever they would call it on that car) went bad...

don't know...

says the engine is solid though, just some kind of issue.

BUT.... i'll save all of that for a different post!!!!

for now, when i know a little more about it, i'll post as to whether it is the orig block or not..

ok, going to start another thread in the performance section somewhere now. 170hp .. will... not.... due..... my motorcycle has 190 stock before the 7psi of boost.... i think my wife's Honda is faster than the camaro. and i hate driving it because it's slow and has trouble merging into the crazy traffic here.

but as for the message i originally quoted above..

despite what i just said... IM EXTREMELY HAPPY to be getting this car.. i've always wanted a 91 or 92.. it's my favorite body style, and i love the ground effects on them. i've passed up buying about a dozen of them.

but that motor has GTG!!!!! in the meantime, i will research them. i know most people yank them, so there's gotta be a reason why. probably not a good platform to start with "?"

thanks guys... look for my technical post please in a little bit. it will be more short and to the point.

 

Sweet. And yes you have the LO3 which only produces 170HP, but you do have an impressive 255lbs tq at just 2400rpm. Look forward to your next post.

 

for the love of god will someone trade rims with me? lol









and my past loves

00' z28


02' Formula (i loved that damn car....)

 

Nice man. Also there are many threads already open with 305 performance suggestions. I have compiled a few links in my quest 305 knowlage. I could share them here if you would like.

 

Don't know of anyone that would trade their wheels for .... that ..... but:

IN THE DAYTIME, take them down to some one of the parts of town you wouldn't DARE step foot in AT NIGHT; find somebody wearing brightly-colored clothing and wearing too much gold jewelry and such; and offer em for sale. That's the only place I know where you could find anybody who would be interested.

 

sofa king, yeah..... their pretty damn bad aren't they?

eeehhhh...

Skelitor, i'd love to see the links. I've been looking for things throughout this site and various other places on the web, and as im finding there are too many POTENTIAL options. i'd rather see some tried and true options.

I have a feeling though, much like the LS1, anything i do is going to require tuning, and while i have found threads on that here, damn it seems complicated and borderline advanced lolol

at least with an ls1, you buy a good handheld tuner and plug it in directly. it seems like you need a laptop and all sorts of creative debauchery to make it able to tune the car. and it doesn't seem nearly as intuitive either. oh well..... i guess i have a few brain cells left, i can learn...

 

oh, by the way, does anyone know if those rims are factory camaro rims of any sort?? i seriously think their firebird rims, but i have no way to verify that at the moment, but i'm judging by the flowery design vs a more mechanical, no BS look of the "normal" camaro rims..

i just figure someone may have had these on their car originally and could tell me for sure.

i guess it doesn't matter even, but i may be able to sell them to someone who wants original rims (it happens)

 

No way. . .No Camaro of any generation came out of the factory with those wheels. Looks like something off a sedan. . .

 

Here are some public posts (you’ll have to cut through the opinionated and engine swap crap), but there is some good stuff in here. #1 rule, don’t get anything you can’t swap over to a 350 or 383 or sell later on. #2, Go cheap on the 305. Don’t put a $50 dollar saddle on a $20 horse is the common saying.
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/tbi/626560-evaluate-305-tbi-build.html
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/tbi/622480-just-want-200hp.html
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/power-adder/622784-looking-get-high-power.html
And a TGO Official post. Ultimate TBI parts one and two, plus how to make a dual snorkel air cleaner.
https://www.thirdgen.org/ultimatetbi
https://www.thirdgen.org/ultimatetbi2
https://www.thirdgen.org/dualsnorkel

And these are my suggestions:

1. Open Air Element (Cleaner) or duel snorkel air cleaner
2. New headers back exhaust system
3. TBI Chip
4. 180* Thermostat swap
5. Nitto NT555 tires or similar tire
6. Edelbrock performer rpm intake manifold
7. 3.42 10 bolt Rear End
8. Corvette Shift Kit (if you have an auto)
9. Ultimate TBI mods
10. Wider Aftermarket Rims

And if you want to go big:
1. Heads
2. Camshaft
Hope this helps!
-SKELITOR

 

And sorry. Those are some ugly rims haha. I think I've seen those Before. Maybe on an interped or something. Wasn't a ferrari I'll tell you that haha.

 

oops, responded to the wrong thread