I have just recently gotten into classic cars and upgrading cars. I got my hands on an 83 Camaro V8 305ci Berlinetta.

I have a few questions, one being when I buy parts to upgrade it, for example a new transmission. Is the best way to go to buy the original transmission for the vehicle? Or would buying an aftermarket transmission better.

I want to increase the horse power and speed in the next few months but I had seen some people on here saying that the first thing to do is replace transmission and carb.

Anyone have any suggestions on a roadmap for upgrading? And answering that first question ^^

 

The 700R4 is a fine transmission. Whether or not you need to upgrade it is going to be determined by what your goals for power output are, however, even if those are quite lofty there are other parts that will break before the trans gives you issues.

So, that begs the question - what do you want the car to be? (also what condition is it currently in?)

 

Its no different than modifying a new car or any car for that matter. Start with air flow. These cars have a pitiful excuse for an exhaust. Replace everything from engine back with headers, a high flow cat (or eliminate) and cat-back. Whoever told you to replace the transmission and carb is a fool. There may be a point in time where you need to upgrade the carb, but at the beginning stages you are no where near that threshold. You will also want to make sure everything else on the car is up to snuff and not worn out. Shocks, struts, bushings, brakes, etc. Make sure that is all in good condition before you add power.

 

The condition seems pretty good to me. A little surface rust on a part of the engine that I haven't had time to identify. The car has 45,000 miles on it. It was garage kept.

My long term goal is to have a nasty sounding quick third gen. But not drag race quick. Just street racing with my friends.

 

Is it possible to put a cold-air intake on the older cars? I am going to be replacing brakes and changing the oil next time I drive it.

Another question, I was driving it the other day and when I arrived home there was smoke coming from under it, not from the engine. But from the surface of the muffler where oil had seemed to have leaked onto it while I was driving. Any thoughts?

 

Yes it is. You can go open air element (not really cold air, but opens the surface area), or a carb bonnet style.

I would see where that oil is coming from. There shouldn't be oil that far back.

 

Don't. Take it to a track. AutoX event. Something sanctioned.

That being said, assuming the car currently runs/drives, your first order of business would be to go through the car and replace anything and everything that is expendable that you don't have record of being replaced in the past 10 years. A non-exhaustive list would be;
-Brake pads/shoes
-Brake lines
-bushings
-Tie-rod, drag link, pitman arm
-Fluids (brake, coolant, oil, trans, power steering)
-Hoses (radiator, oil, heater, etc.)

Once you've completed the above you'll have a solid foundation for figuring out what your car currently feels like at it's "peak" without having wasted money on anything that you're just going to rip off and upgrade. Then you can make decisions about bolt-ons vs an engine swap, rear end gearing, exhaust, etc. etc.

Get on eBay and fine a Chilton or Hayne's manual, they're very helpful and sometimes quicker than the search function on this forum. Also the Berlinetta has many one-off items that, should you choose to remove them, you may be able to sell for a good return to fund future upgrades.

 

You have an oil leak, when it's cooled off feel around the block and figure out where from. Not uncommon on an old car.

 

Any idea how to test or get my temperature gauge fixed on the dash? It just sits on the bottom. I have tried searching but only find where someone is selling a whole dash setup.

 

Pull the gauge and test it with a multi-meter. (or even just two wires attached to a 9-volt battery). If you can get the needle to bounce then you know the gauge is OK. If the gauge is OK then you need to replace the sending unit (under the hood). If you do both of those things and it still doesn't work then trace the wiring and look for cuts/breaks in the wire.

 

Appreciate it. I am brand new to this. Do you have any idea where I can find an engine diagram so I know what im looking at exactly when I am under the hood?

 

Glad to help! An 82-92 Camaro Haynes manual would be a good resource, or even a generic 1983 year Chilton manual. You can also try googling because chevy put those motors in a lot of different applications and they all use the same parts.

 

If you are brand new to wrenching, focus on fixing your broken stuff with oem quality stock parts first. That way you have resources like factory service manuals for complete instructions, and people online will be able to help you since generally speaking they also have stock cars. When you start doing mods, you should already have a clear idea of what you're doing and why because it's essentially all custom work, and it should be done on top of a sorted machine with no outstanding issues.

 

A true cold air intake needs to source the air from a point forward of the radiator shell. A functioning factory air cleaner with dual snorkel will supply more cold air than the engine can use. A single snorkel air cleaner could be a bit restrictive under heavy use.

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/engi...o-z28-h-o.html

 

And for "some people" suggesting replacement of the transmission and carb, the transmission has already been addressed above. The stock E4ME carburetor is capable of delivering 800 CFM (as are all QJs built after 1973 - Even those used by Dodge in the 1980s). It doesn't take much to get one into shape for decent fuel control, and almost any other 800 CFM carb is not going to be nearly as friendly to drive, with the possible exception of some Carter 850 ThermoQuads being close to having reliability and street manners.

 

If it doesn't have one already you need a wonderbar. About $80 and bolts on so easy. I've just recently figured out how many braces our cars lack compared to newer thirdgens and had no idea that it does so much. Literally fixed cracks in my frame today and have a thread about it I made asking what to do about it. Hopefully will save you a possible headache before you start ripping it around.

 

...assuming it has a 700R4. Lots of '83s still had the TH200C, which was not a good transmission for any purposes.

 

Your temp sender is located in the drivers side head. Make sure the connector is attached, they tend to get knocked off when working around them.

 

Will check tonight when I am home, thanks.

 

My advice is to not upgrade anything before fixing all of the things that don’t work properly first. The only exception is to possibly upgrade the things that do not function properly right now. If it runs fine the carb is fine, leave it alone for now. If it drives and shifts fine then the trans is OK, leave it alone.
Since it is new to you and you don’t know it’s history then do the brakes. Stock replacement stuff is OK at this time with the 305. You could do an LS1 brake upgrade as the stock stuff is pretty weak if you plan on adding power later. Just make sure whatever you do works good NOW. Remember going fast is optional, stopping is not. Make sure you can stop on YOUR terms. Same thing with suspension, get it up to snuff and maybe upgrade the things that are shot.

 

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