Hi everybody first id like to start by introducing myself. Im greg i have an 84 camaro (not sure which submodel ive had problems identifying). im no mechanic but i do what i can. alot of what i know about my car ive learned from this site, so thanks for that. ive been using this forum for information since ive had the car (about six months) and its time to start joining in on the talk.

So heres my question. i have an 84 camaro 40k miles with a 305 in it.the PO upgraded the following:

edelbrock victor jr intake manifold
edelbrock 1406 carb
removed emissions equipment
removed a/c
i was told a mild cam had been put in it but its hard to tell.
plug wires
plugs
and i put a cheap edelbrock circle air cleaner on from autozone.

i just got a set of ceramic coated mid length headers off craigslist and a flowmaster "american thunder" 3" cat back. i have the car at the exhaust shop now getting it mounted on the car and having a Y pipe fabbd up.

now i dont really know what i should upgrade next. this is the first time ive ever had a "muscle car" or any car that ive moddified more than just an exhaust. i plan on putting a 350 in eventually when i get the money for an engine thats not the gm goodwrench fleet truck 350, so i dont want to upgrade anything that cant be directly moved to the new engine when i do finally get one. any insight on which direction i should go next would be helpful and appreciated.

p.s. not just necessarily engine or HP upgrades, just whatever you guys would consider "must have" upgrades.

 

Welcome to the forum.

Things that will help any of these cars:

Subframe connectors
Springs
Shocks
Sway bar end links & bushings
Replace any worn-out or broken parts (ball joints, steering linkage, etc.)
Brakes
Lube everything
Change all the fluids
"Wonder bar", LCARBs, strut tower brace, etc.

Depending on exactly which model you have, you might have some really pathetic gears. (more likely than not) A gear upgrade makes a HUGE difference to the overall "pep" of the car.

Similarly, a torque converter can drastically improve the way the engine and the car interact. Stock ones aren't known for letting the engine work to its full potential.

And of course, you can always work on non-"performance" things; get the A/C working so that members of the other sex will be willing to enter it, clean it up, fix the rattles & sqeeeeks, take care of any water or wind leaks, new seats & carpet, etc.

In short, leave the engine alone, and work on THE CAR instead.

By no means a complete list.

 

Thats some solid advice, with only 40k and everything has been pretty well maintained so and the car still rides pretty nice, at least im happy with it, i never been in an upgraded one to compare the difference... (the doors do let wind it its pretty annoying) Gears are also on my to do list but i dont know anything about gearing plus posi vs open... just havent really made a desicion on this yet but i was talking to an old timer and he said the same thing... bad gears in them upgrade and it will make a huge difference. thanks for the reply btw

 

Set the stage for the swap you are going to want to do in the suspension.Gearing and t/c'ers are related to the power curve.Maybe you want to do chassis dyno tune to help I.D. what that power curve is and gear accordingly.I will say it is common place for these guys to go to 3.42's.But that doesn't mean it is the right set-up for your car.As far as the rear end you could go anywhere from a posti for the 10 bolt that is in there now to a conversion to a Ford 9".The Ford rear end conversion would be expensive.It all depends on your long term usage and how much your going to get after it in a 350 swap.

No matter what,any kind of a brake upgrade from stock OEM is money well spent.Then shocks and sway bars front and rear.

A super clean car and maybe some sort of striping or graphics or fresh paint is also a very positive move.I just can't begin to tell you how much joy it it is to do a engine swap on a car that has all the detail work done already and is super clean.Maybe a fiberglass aftermarket hood.But a engine bay you could eat off of.

Wheels and tires.Much of that again is going to be related to intended use.A 26" rear tire vs a 28" tire will effect the final gear ratio which along with the t/c makes a difference when the power curve comes in.So in a general sense you want to set the stage for a 350 swap.The right way would to write out a build sheet for a 350 including all the parts you want to use for that and stick to it.Do a dyno sym and buy the wheels and tires for the final gear ratio for that.BTW-not a big fan of the "wagon wheel and tire look". On this link is some helpful calculators for you to use:

http://www.wallaceracing.com/Calculators.htm

Lastly,I've been in hot rodding for 50 yrs.I will never imply that it is cheap to do.The saving grace is if you do it in stages,each stage sting to your wallet will become a faded memory.A really nice looking well done project doesn't normally move at the speed of the internet.It can take yrs. Take your time,ask questions,and do it right.

The end result will be a proud full smile per mile driving it.

 

Definitely have to agree w/ sofa and gary. I will +1 for the subframe connectors being one of the first things you want to do as long as all safety concerns have already been addressed.

 

somebody help me!!!! I been askn people on 4 forums, still nothing. I've been through 3 mechanics and still nutn! first, I have a 94 chevy with 5.7 350. always ran great until 8 mts ago. To make a long story short, I have had new plugs, wires, distributor, tbi, o2 sensor, map, coolant temp sensor, fuel filter, tps, iac, ecm, also went through 6 fuel pumps!! now im still at square one! after all this work was done the oil press stays in redline, [low press.] this is where im at now, ill crank tk and let it idle, after 3-5 mins. it'll start surging then die. ill crank it back up start down road and do fine. then all of a sudden it will start acting like its flooding, ill coast in neautral and its fine. come to a stop sign and it dies. crank up and go down road and it'll start again spitn and sputtering, ill floor it and it'll take off but not enuff power. also while im holding steady 45-50mph all of a sudden it will jump up to rite rpm like it should. IM STUMPED.. and my air filter is soaked with gas. the ecm codes on rite now is o2sensor, and the two codes that say running rich and lean!!!!! HELP ME!!!!!!!!