Hey my name is Dylan I'm 20 and I just bought this automatic 91 Camaro RS off of a close friend for $250, he didn't really want the car anymore and I thought it was really cool and unique. So I'm wanting to restore the car and get some inspiration on what I should do to it. What I know right now is the engine is locked up. I definitely want to put a 5.7 in it 100% but I'm also not wanting to spend a fortune. what would be a good base price on a V8 for this car? And then upgrades down the road would be like what...? what are the main things people upgrade in these cars. I just bought my Haynes repair manual for 3'rd gens and I'm extremely excited to start learning about cars / working on them.

Ps. I know absolutely the bare minimum about cars and have 0 tools, so what tools should I get as a beginner? and tools I might need to replace the engine? is there an in depth step by step guide for that somewhere? so many questions.

 

What engine and transmission is in it now?

As far as tools, a metric and SAE socket and wrench set, covering from 3/16" to 1-14", and 5mm to 30mm (wrenches don't need to go down that small), maybe even a couple of varieties like deep-well sockets, 6- and 12-point sockets, ratcheting wrenches, and so on, especially in the most common sizes like 7/16" 1/2", 9/16", 5/8", and 3/4", and 8, 10, 12, 13, 15, & 18mm; screwdrivers, both slot and phillips; torx drivers; a digital multimeter; maybe a fuel pressure gauge; tire pressure gauge; hammer, chisels, punches; big slip-joint pliers, needlenose pliers, locking pliers; factory service manual for your exact year and model car; that should give you a good start.

The Haynes is largely worthless for anything but the most basic maintenance. Changing the oil and brake pads and stuff like that, it's OK; any time you need to dive any deeper, it's inadequate.

 

Before you spent a cent on anything else, buy a copy of the factory service manual for your specific 3rd gen; Ebay is the best place to find one. That Helms book will only serve to get a beginner into trouble.

Past that, there are dozens of threads exactly like this one already posted on this site; use the 'search' function to find them and start getting yourself up to speed on what you're facing.


Good luck.

 

Depends, a junkyard L31 would set you back a few hundred. A new create longblock is a few thousand. You'd be better off figuring out the combination you want in the beginning, and building that exactly since it all costs about the same. More HP = more money and more parts needing replacement.For starters, here's a large list of stuff that would allow you to tackle most replacement jobs:
https://www.tekton.com/auto-technici...undle-bdl99901

Doesn't have to be Tekton, that's just a middle of the road tool choice of adequate quality. Stuff made in Taiwan is pretty decent if you can't afford USA gear. That set is more basic tools than I've acquired over 15+ years, but at this point I do have most of what's there, minus some duplicates. You certainly don't need to start with all of it, but bare minimum you are going to need a full set of SAE and Metric combo wrenches (ratcheting is nice, but having a 6pt box end is more important for certain situations imo. Both is the real answer), and a complete set of SAE and Metric sockets with a decent ratchet. You could probably get away with 3/8 drive only for starters. The rest of the tools I'd probably pick up on a job-by-job basis to spread the cost out over time.