Friend is arguing that there are significant differences betweent he engines placed in the third gen firebirds and the third gen camaros, specifically the bolt patterns in the engines. I'm aware that there were some differences between the two before 1981. Being raised around GM, I'm pretty sure that after 1981 there were no significant differences between the two engines to the point where one can grab a TPI 350 from a firebird and drop it into a camaro with no muss or fuss. Can anyone clarify this?

 

1982-1992 Third Generation Firebirds and Camaros had absolutley no difference in the motors. A LG4 in a Firebird is the same LG4 in a Camaro. Same holds true for LB9, L98 etc...

 

Air intakes were the only differences.

 

I figured as much. I knew Pontiac and Chevy were rivals pre-1981 so I knew there were differences but after that I knew the only difference between the two would be styling cues.

 

I have people telling me all the time, a camaro is faster than a firebird or the SS will kick a Z28/Transam's ***... I just laugh and say umm humm while thinking, You, sir, are an IDIOT!!!

 

The body styles are different and the third gen f-bodys (pontiac and chev) share many of the same parts but GM went with a corporate engine by the time the third gens went into production. I don't know the exact year but the pontiac, buick and olds engines all stopped production and eventually, so did cadillac. The 80's started losing a lot of brand loyalties. Buy a Pontiac Firebird an Olds Cutlass or a Buick LeSabre and get a Chev engine. No other option was available unless you did an engine swap.

Now if you're talking about the old Pontiac engines compared to the SBC or BBC engines, they share nothing in common in design. It's like trying to compare a chev engine to a ford. A few people with pontiac third gens have done a Pontiac engine swap just to be different but there's no real advantage to doing the swap since it isn't a straight swap. Fabrication and adapting needs to be done but it is possible.

 

While there wasn't any difference between the engines of the same type between Firebird and Camaro, the Pontiac engine offered in 3rd gens was significantly different than the Chevy engine offered in 3rd gens - the Pontiac engine was the Iron Duke...

 

And didn't the 1989 Turbo Trans Am have a Buick engine?

 

Yep, the engine from the GNX. Ironically this V6 made this Trans Am the fastest accelerating model. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the numbers were around 0-60 in 4.6 from the factory?

 

4.6 0-60 time in 1989 from the factory? Thats pretty impressive why wouldnt GM want to keep that alive?

 

Same reason they didn't keep the GNX...it was faster than the Corvette AND much cheaper and would overshadow the corvette in sales.

The question is....why didn't they just make the Corvette faster? *sigh* I wonder sometimes...

 

Not to worry. They will make sure that never happens again. Ever.

 

Sometimes I wish they would get over the marketing factor of not wanting to make certain cars better then others and just make the best cars they can make

 

Which is why I'm all for a new Firebird...though "Chevy Firebird" won't have the same ring to it as Pontiac used to...

 

a new firebird would be atrocious considering how they butchered the camaro..

anyways..the firebirds are "supposed" to be a tad faster than the camaros simply in the matter of aerodynamics but no, not a single difference in the motors omitting the intakes..

 

Yup....the Firebird GTA had a drag coefficient of .29.....which is supercar territory. And that's also pretty impressive considering that the Bugatti Veyron only has a drag coefficient of .41 - .36.

 

well the third gen isn't a stretched out Bug now is it

Its much better looking, the Bugatti can do 260+, so what, our cars look like they're doing that sitting still

 

I'm sure with enough mods our cars can also do 260+....without the need of 10 radiators or $20,000 tires