I have the 87 camaro not sure what kind it has rs and z28 markings w/ a 2.8 mfi H.O. engine and w/ gas prices the way they are I plan to keep the 2.8 for as long as I can but w/ only 135 stock horses or so i'm told but w/ as old as it is I doubt it still has access to even that many horses I'm not to sure as to how to get more out of it it's getting a complete tune-up plugs&wires oil change and filter fuel&pcv filter and I'm re-charging it's K&N filter in about a month or so when it gets a completely new clutch and flywheel not a high perfomance clutch I now I'm a bad camaro owner but I'm also a broke one anyway but I was wondering if this site or fellow members might know some cheap tricks to get a lil more out of it I'm getting a tornado for it too, btw some people have already tried to inform me that it's a gimmick but I've had this product in other cars and I've noticed differences I also intend to attemp to install Cold Air intake by using an idea that I found on this site heck who knows the person that put that info on this site might be reading this if so HELP (not sure what year impala he got the air intake elbow from, but I doubt he'd be reading this his car was a v-8 and this is a V-6 forum right?) I've gotten quite a few good ideas from this site some that i had already thought just wasn't sure how to execute I hope it's o.k. If I use the ideas otherwise why are they there in such detail anyway any ideas that anyone is willing to share on ways to get more horses would be great btw I'm scheduled for a race against a 97-99 stock V-6 w/ auto trans fwd nissan maxima in two months I'd really like to be able to leave him at least a car length behind me at the finish line it'll be a qtr mile run btw you guys might have already discussed something like this before if so let me know where to go to find the info I so desperately want btw if I win I'll win enough to get a modest V-8 I hope that info doesn't discourage anyone's help though I don't see how it would every camaro owner I know always talks about getting a V-8 or in some cases a bigger V-8 but the one I get won't even be put in the car until I've been able to afford a few parts from everybody's mutual friend good ol eddy brock which may be next year or ten years down the road I plan to keep this car until the seat falls out of the bottom (I say that line cause if the wheels fall off I'll get the suspension and drive train off a 4th gen even though I can't stand their body style I do admire their race abilities)(btw I do like the {would it be fifth gen}newest camaro I'm so glad they started making them again cause I get so tired of these owners w/ the new mustang thinking they're top dog I actually have dusted a couple of them cause they didn't know how to drive cause I am smart enough to know that it was just an HP race at the moment I'd lose but anyway what do you guys think of the new camaros, btw sorry that i ramble on I'm new and I'm not on the net much so I try to get it all out so that when I check for answers most of my questions might be answered) which if my 87 camaro is anything like the 82 I had that might be awhile

 

Have you tried using the search button at all? Reading the first few things your asking I'm sure you haven't. Your cars an rs since it's a v6.

 

sorry as I said I'm new here anyway I did have another thought to is it even remotely possible to anyone's knowledge to install a t56(retrofit or not) onto an 87 2.8 in the article I read about it they were putting it in a 89 I-Roc Z and I know that there is a very big difference in the two but I'd still like a six speed also even though I'm sure I'm putting this question in the wrong area the previous owner of my car threw a whole bunch of gauges in it including a tach and a cheap *** one at that I want to rip them all out and install an I-Roc gauge panel o.k. so it's obvious I always wanted an I-Roc just can't afford one but anyway is there a way to tell if the factory wires were removed or moved or spliced into to put that peice of junk sunpro gauge in

 

friendly suggestion: try periods and commas.

i really dont think you could ever win a late 90s maxima without at least a new top end & gears, so i really hope you dont have any money on that race. i almost bought a 1990 nissan maxima(3.0l v6) and it was faster than my 2.8 firebird. probably the cheapest way to go fast(for a short time at least) for you would be to put a 3.4 v6 from a 93-95 camaro in(its a direct swap, nothing needs to be changed. there are a few write-ups about it if you search) and slap a 100 shot of nitrous on it. then you could take the maxima, if your engine didnt explode. oh and buy a set of used 3.73/4.11 gears and a posi, that would help a lot for ET. your looking at a lot of money though to get a sure victory, if you buy used stuff you might be able to squeeze it out for $600, but i dunno. its gonna take a decent amount of research and parts-hunting.

 

Too much going on in that post.

Stop, break up the thoughts, and make each one a seperate point.

Then we might be able to help you.

 

how do you get more power from your engine?

you either deal with the minor (emphisis on minor) power gains you can get with mild modifications to your stock V6..... or you replace the motor.

 

as far as the race goes I have two-three months to prepare and the maxima might be older but I know it's a 90 something and as I said it's stock as all get up it isn't even using decent oil it belongs to a ex co-worker of mine whom has trashed his last three cars so I don't see this one lasting long nor doing to good in a race and I'm sorry about not being able to stay focused on one thought as I said it's my first time being in this kinda "club" I guess that's what you'd call it I'm not sure but I tend to ramble, and I'm sorry about the shortage of punctuation english wasn't my strongest subject in school.

 

o.k. this i my attempt at being able to be understood.

first off MrDude_1, what mild engine mods are you referring to, because I have searched (at local parts stores A-Z, napa, pep-boys, advance auto) and I can't find performance parts for my engine at all, also how minor are the gains are they cheap basically is it worth the money and effort to do it.

secondly Naft, I'd really rather not change my engine but I really don't appreciate the way the Maxima owner has put down my car so are you sure it's a direct swap I.E. will I have any probs w/ the fuel injection system, I ask that because a 95 (which if I were to do it, if I know for sure it's possible that'll be the year it comes out of)
is a whole lot newer than mine and opperates off of a more complex computer and chip and I don't have the patience to deal w/ changing that. Also as far as the rearend goes I happen to have access to a I-Roc that is being parted out a 92 (btw it was in a front end collision so the engine, the one that's halfway in the car isn't usable, though I was thinking of that when my friend told me he was parting it out that was until I saw what happened to it, I would ask the owner but all he ever cared about was that it was an I-Roc he didn't even know what the engine was til I told him. ) would that have a 4:11 w/ posi-trac, does it have any markings on it that would say, it already has rear disc brakes that I want if not where might I find a 4:11 w/ posi-trac btw I will attempt to find the article on it but I really haven't had much luck at finding the tech articles that I can use that's why for the most part I write all my questions here cause I figure until I drop a V-8 in my car everything pertaining to my car in a wild stretch of the imagination deals w/ a V-6

and I do thank you for any more info that your willing tell me

 

the only thing you need to change other than the engine is the injectors which is real easy. on the V8 note you will have to change everything to get it to work, would cost so much that you could buy a Z or an irocZ for the price. Fuel system, ECU, Wiring harness, Gauges, springs. so just about all of it not worth it IMO. if ya really want a V8 just buy one to be a playtoy cause having a V8 means you will want to mod it and tweak it all the time not a good thing for a daily driver.
P.S. Its perty stupid to get into a race with another even halfway sporty car if your gonna run stock to stock if the other car is over 5 years newer than your car.

 

my camaro isn't totally stock his car is though my mods are old and most of them are suspension and exhuast the only engine mod it has is a high rise cam not sure of the numbers it was put in before I got the car and I have no idea where the guy got it from. I definately won't be going to a V-8 at least not for at least 2-3 years I've been given suggestions about going to a 3.4L which I'm considering once I can gather more details and I've been seeing articles about some members putting in a 4.3L which also seems feasable though I'm told the only really good 4.3 is the vortec and I'm really not sure if I'd be able to get that thing to even start in my car w/o major mods to my car and the motor, though if it would help to assure a win I try until either it started or my face turned blue.

 

the 4.3 is just a 350 with 2 less cylinders so it has to have the same changes as a V8 would the biggest engine you can swap out without having to do the changes i stated would be a 3.4 anything else and you have to so much work that you might as well do a V8 swap. plus it would be almost impossible to find headers for that swap.

 

You need to use punctuation.

Those maximas arent as slow as you think. They do 0-60 in 7 flat, and 1/4 in 15.5....... Your car is a 10 second 0-60 and a 17 second 1/4.

i dont think you have any chance at all winning this race unless you change your engine or use a power adder. but you said you are broke... but im telling you not to discourage you, i have the same 2.8 engine in my car i know it cant take a maxmima and i dont care what kind of dicks drive faster cars so i stay out of races with them.

heres a formula to figure out what kind of power you will need

HP = Weight/(ET/5.825)³

the ET you need to beat is 15.5 and your car weighs around 3500lbs or so im guessing plus youre weight

so.. 3650/(15.4/5.825)^3 .. your gonna need more than 200hp and no away around it thats gonna cost some cash.

 

HMM that seems a lil off im going 15.2 with mine and my car wieghs 3,800 pounds and i dount im making more then 200 hp but ehh ive never had the car dyno'ed so i could be wrong

 

I'm not going to read this thread. I browsed over it as quickly as I can scroll down with the wheel mouse and already know what it says... I'm sure some dingbat is advocating every tune up part under the sun, and others are suggesting turbo's or 3.4 swaps, or maybe even aftermarket bolt ons... Don't waste your time and money.

Bottom line is you want to go fast with what you've got. What you've got isn't very fast and doesn't have the potential to be much faster without a lot of work. However if you want it to be substantially faster with a minimum of work, check the car over to make sure its in sound mechanical condition and spray it with 100hp shot of nitrous. Done.

Keep in mind you'll probably still get beat, but you'll have a minimum investment with a substantial reward. If it blows up you can pull the nitrous and put it on the next project.

 

I've decided what I'm gonna do I'm going to figure out a way to put the t56 trans in it and get a rearend out of a I-Roc and drop 4.3 vortec in it might be alot to change but i believe it'll be worth it and ya'll might be right maybe I won't beat the maxima but at least I'm willing to try. Not many of you seem to have enough faith in your cars this is a website designed around chevy horse power but no one is proud of it from the suggestion I get they all mainly say I can't do it that if I do the engine will blow that I'd have to get a v-8 that'll it'll cost too much. we all know there is plenty of parts available at junkyards that are still usable sure a junk yard isn't the best way to go but it's cheap and they for the most part have a lot of rs and z-28 and a couple i-roc I go to one just about weekly getting parts, my car might not look as good as some of ya'lls but I know it can move even w/ what it's got in it now and after that he** I can't wait to improve mine even more, sure it may cost a lil money to getting in real nice shape but I think it's worth it. sorry it just erks me these cars were built to go fast and nobody seems to believe that they can most of you let factory stats dictate your ideas unless your the original owner of one of these which the chances of that are fairly slim you can't go on factory stats some of these were babied some weren't and some were altered more ways than you know probably anyway I hope I didn't get banned for voicing my opinion I tried not to curse

 

Its not that no one has any faith in the speed or power of these car yes you can make these little engines more powerfull but you will have to get a 3.4 with the topend from a 3400 to make any real power with it but then you have to think well what cars already have an engine that size or its equal? tiny little front wheel drives. the camaros that have NO options weigh 3000Lbs a little front wheel drive might weigh that loaded! on the 4.3 or V8 swap its simply a matter of money that you have to consider you have to change so much to get them to work properly in these cars. unless you have done a great deal of suspention, brake, or bodywork to it you would save money and headach in the long run to buy a V8 car the 4.3 will require the same changes as a V8 if your gonna go that war go ahead and put in an 8. i stay with the V6 cause it is my daily and i just like having a 6. its just unrealistic to expect even a mildly modded V6 20 year old camaro to stand up to a much newer V6 or even 4 car. heck ignoreing the engine the newer car will have an imediate advantage in newer bushings, shocks, springs, brakes heck just about anything on the car will be newer material better designed and what not.

 

if you bother to search some old posts in the trans forum you will find a good topic that outlines that a T56 has a much higher first gear intended to take advantage of the huge power of the LS1s and it will suck even behing a 4.3 if you want to beat him find out howmuch a maxima with his options weighs and howmuch power he has compute the Power to weight ratio and se homuch power you will need to mach or beat that same ratio. Just did a search and the 95-99 maximas weighed 3001Lbs empty with 190hp. using my car as an example it has 135hp and it weighs 3090 with out me so that is a ratio of 0.043 now the maxima 190hp and 3001Lbs 0.063 so he would easily beat me. so i would need at least 200hp to beat him.
My info on the maxima http://auto.consumerguide.com/Auto/U...arreviewspecs/
and the calculator http://www.ajdesigner.com/phphorsepo...ight_ratio.php

 

i have a 2.8 bird. and i am all about chevy muscle, thats why i bought my 5.7 bird. drove the 2.8 again for the first time in a few months. man, for a six, that sucker pulls. i say, screw the mods. give it a good tuneup, loose. and when he says "ha, my maxima beat your camaro" say "yeah, my CAMARO gets 23 miles to the gallon, and guess what, its not UGLY!" give him the one finger salute and do a burnout... hellyeah.

 

I'm willing to bet this is your first car, or your first stick car.

First off, it's slow. The 2.8 was supposed to be an economy engine. It had 135 hp. Real performance street engines make well over twice that amount. If you think that thing is quick, wish you could have rode in my old LT1 Trans Am. You woulda shat yourself.

Secondly, don't bother swapping the engine or doing anything besides a good tune up. Just save your money to the point where you can sell the '87 and have enough money to buy a nice low mileage IROC or Z28.

Thirdly, and I can't believe you guys didn't get this one. Check his first post.

The Tornado is nothing more than a rediculous gimmic. It's an obstruction in the path of the flow, and any obstruction (spinning or not) reduces potential volume.

 

actually no one said anthing about turbos or aftermarkets, thats a lot of $$$, like the rest of us, if he had that kinda money he probably wouldnt have a v6. 3.4 swap is in no way a waste of money, and the only other thing suggested was a 100 shot of nitrous. if you actually did read this thread you would know what was said, and you wouldnt come off as such a jerk. If your gonna post, read.

radar, the rear from the iroc is posi, but its probably a 2.73 or 3.23 or 3.27 rear, so you would still have to do a gear swap. getting posi and a good ratio is probably gonna run several hundred at least, new posi units are usually $450 or so, good used gears go for $50 or less, and a low mileage posi unit would probably sell for around $150-200.

best bet for a single race is definitly 3.4 + 100 shot, and a solid foundation in driving skills. you could beat a stock or mildly modded maxima that way, but if the guy owns a maxima and is talking smack, he's probably either bluffing and will back down at the last minute(if he knows you have mods that is), or actually has some $$ into it and will beat you.

 

listen to "some people". they are right. that is so funny. better yet, take the money you were going to spend on mods and take a physics class at the local community college. i would wager big $$ (tens of dollars) that the differences you felt were purely psycological.

urbanhunter44 is right, these are economy cars. the only point of having a 2.8 or 3.1 is an economy car that is not ugly. they handle realy well, so you can do autocross. or bracket drags. have some fun, but don't expect to win. if you want to make your car "realy fast" it can be done. keep it well maintained and spend huge $$$. DOWARD on this site makes a nice turbo kitt. can't think of a better way to spend 3 grand on a v6 fbody. unless you are prepared to dish out that kinda dough, just enjoy your good gas milage and stop talking smack to guys in acura integras. i love my 2.8 fbody, don't get me wrong. it looks good (well, not mine, but in general they look good) it drives GREAT, handles like a dream, but i have come to terms with the fact that anything made after 1990 can kick my *** ( in a straight line anyway).

 

Loook mang, I simply don't have time to read every word when I already know what it says. Sorry, but its not worth my trouble. This entire thread isn't going to help anyone get to work Monday morning, or cure the world of cancer, its some delusional kid with a light wallet and dreams of grandeur.

I've been following these boards long enough to know what the general membership thinks will wake up a 6 cylinder. No offense, but most of it is

Bottom line... Radar77 obviously doesn't know his *** from a hole in the ground. Sending him on a wild goose chase for more power is a waste of time. The only thing he might be able to afford is a used nitrous setup, and if he's able to install it without stabbing himself through the heart with a screwdriver I'd be amazed. But if by some chance he did get a nitrous setup and got it installed and his engine held together, he might have a little fun.

If it seems like I'm being a jerk, or that I don't care about these cars, its because I've been around longer then the average thirdgen enthusiast and I can see past enthusiasm to reality.

Good luck with the 4.3 Vortec T56 swap and I-roc rear end upgrade... Wish you the best of luck.

This thread is highly ridiculous, but still not anymore stupid then half the threads on this particular forum. I would give real money if people would accept V6 thirdgens for what they are, rather than trying to improve them with ham handed upgrades that just take away from what they're intended to be... A reliable car that looks sporty.

 

well at that got a good response form some I truly did feel like all the members had lost faith is some of the cars abilities I know these cars aren't high end racers that's what vette s' and porche and lambos and such are for but let me clear this lil part now this isn't my first car, far from my first chevy not my first camaro either and not my first standard, I'm ashamed to say it but I've even owned foreign cars and worse then that I had a 5.0 stang not sure which broke down more the mazda or the 5.0 also I'm not some rookie mechanic either guess that's why I'm not some grammar teacher, I've been working on cars since I was 12 believe it or not it don't matter I also attended U.T.I. so though I don't like to think about car stats don't think I don't understand them I ask for suggestions because I didn't do mods until recently and I used to only restore sorry I upset easy it's the Irish in me or is it the german who knows and as far as them being designed for economy and quote just reliable cars that look good that doesn't make much sense to me but heck what do I know and I'm fine w/ waking up to a V-6 I just want it to be the biggest possible and as fast as possible too so that when I do play w/ it I can have fun btw there are quite a few cars made after 90 that these cars can beat this isn't my first race just the first one I've requested help w/ and the only one I've tried to prepare for I rarely lose, my car ain't slow and that ain't psycological it's better then most of the cars I used to race I know it'll do good my last camaro was an 82 it bought the farm last year freeze plugs blew and who knows what else went
it was older and carbbed and it won quite a few races and all it had was a stock(as far as I know)2.8 and an auto trans with a hurst shifter bolted to it like, that when I got it and it went up against a couple of stock stangs from the 90's that thought they were hot stuff boy you should seen their faces after the race
especially when I beat em bad cause I'll tell you this much the owner before me had a big prob w/ running into things I'm telling I've seen first hand what they can do I just don't know how the last owner got this car to do it cause the only mod I saw was that shifter and it had no turbo or supercharger which I'm not against putting on mine if I could find one nor did it have nos which I won't put on a car
anyway gotto btw the tornado has always worked in my opinion so I'll keep trying it til it don't

 

If its not worth your trouble, why trouble yourself by getting involved? Please respect the people who want to have some friendly discussion, even if you think its stupid.

as much as i love this community and the awesome wealth of information available for our cars, the v6 board really gets shafted by all the v8 stuff. I think everyone with a v6 realizes that $ for $ we arent going to go near as fast as a v8, but that doesnt make it not worth it to go faster . . . Its just a different world. As much as i may not like to admit it, the v8 thirdgens are in the world of 12 second muscle cars(as a regularity), and we're stuck over here in the sport compact-ish realm of 14/15 second economy cars. So we cant do 12 seconds in the quarter without dropping serious serious $$, I guess that means we should just burn our cars and ride bicycles. big news people, theres always someone faster, so just stop trying already. i mean, if you cant be the fastest car in the world, theres absolutly no point in being fast at all, right?

sorry your thread had to get out of control radar, if you need anything else just start new specific threads i guess, should help get away from some of this mess.

 

As for not being able to make these V6 engines perform look at this https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...adid=342953and combine that with one of the tubo kits that Doward and them are making and you would have a lot of power from a very light and compact engine.

 

radar 77. you don't have to be an english professor to use punctuation. all you need is a sixth grade education. the reason no one reads the whole post is that you drone on with a 500 word sentence. i am not reading that jumbled up crap, if you want some real help from those of us on this board that actualy know what we are talking about ( NOTE: i am not neccisarily(sp?) including myself in that group) then pay the 12 year old next door to type your posts for you, that way they atleast have a hint of grammer.

 

Look I know my car won't ever be the fastest there is hell some of you guys's V-6 could probably leave it in the dust, I just want to make it as fast as I can, is that a crime?
I'd rather have a V-6 anyway better on gas, but I refuse to lay down and except that they're slow nor will I put one into the rank of economy car cause it wasn't built to be that, it was built to race and by golly that's what I intend on doing w/ mine when I can, I'll be real happy if I can just beat the maxima after I do that and actually from now on out I won't ask for any help w/ upgrades, I'm just gonna do what I can hopefully I'll be able to put the 4.3 in and the six speed trans, I already know, out of all the ugrades adding the small list of I-Roc parts I want will be the easiest. I know that my sentences are long I do have a prob w/ that. I do have some good news though I know it's totally off
the topic (I figure they'll end the strand this way cause I don't think you can request it to be ended). I got a new/used (salvaged) hood looks nice just got to align it and clean it, it was already the same color so no need to paint it it's not for my engine, it's one of those that the hood connects to the air intake anyway I'm gonna just make them permanately shut, it might work.

 

no one is trying to tell you that you cant make its faster just that it will cost ALOT through major reworking of the V6 or cost a lot for a V8 or 90* V6 swap. if ya want better help on just the engine go here http://60degreev6.com/discussion/index.php. there are guys pushing 250hp with 3.4rwd blocks and Fwd internals and head combos.

 

is it the hood with "louvers"? the two haritage stripe looking black grills along it? those hoods are BAD ***! if i had an IROC i would put that hood on it. bad ***.

also i noticed puncuation creeping into your post, made it better on the eyes, thanks.

if you are actualy going to go six speed w/3.4L your car will kick ***.

 

he was sayin a 4.3 and the T56 which dont make much sense cause you could put in a V8 for the same trouble probaly less actually cause these cars were intended for them.

 

actually, if someone wanted to put a TBI 4.3 in these cars, it wouldnt be half bad.

Use the v8 tbi harness, redo the ecm, then the v8 tranny.

Only thing might be custom motor mounts, but I honestly bet some v8 motor mounts might work.

Now the 4.3 with SFI and CPI, now thats another story.

 

So you got a V6 Camaro that is essentially stock and underpowered. I can tell you from experience that you not going to get much power from it unless you can cure the flow issues with the intake and the heads. In view of this, don't waste your money on a V6 to make it go faster. They are nice freeway cruisers but the only way to beat a Japanese V6 is spend a s**tload of money without guaranteed results.

Put a kickass suspension under it, fix the interior, install a nice wheel/tire package, and get a good paint job. Be happy! At least you will pass them at the gas pumps and have a nice looking ride.

 

Radar your best bet is to get a 3.4l rwd block. 99+ fwd heads, injectors, rail? LIM (Which will take some work because it doesn't allow for a distributor), and pistons. Custom those babies onto your 3.4l then drop the $3g or whatever it is for dowards turbo kit that he's whopping quite a few cars with. As far as the 6spd goes I don't think it bolts to the 3.4l. There's an adapter plate for it to bolt to a 3.8l but I don't think that works on the 3.4l either.

And keep your posts short but packed full of information, and seriously learn how to use punctuation. A few miss spelled words here and there isn't too big a deal but your posts look like a pile of crap which makes people really not want to read it. Also use the search feature, there is a plethora of knowledge to be had.

Lastly I can understand Drew's annoyance with the same old questions being asked. No one that comes to the board as a new guy searches for a damn thing, so the same question get's asked 100 times and it get's annoying. Instead of being a ***** though just direct the person to the button.

 

I think the hood might be the one you're thinking about but I'm not posotive. I am going to try to do the 4.3Vortec /t56 combo, but I know it's gonna be difficult w/ wiring and mounts and the coolant system and all the other stuff. Yeah I'm trying on the punctuation and keeping it short and simple.
As far as my paint/body/interior go all the interior needs is a good radio and she'll be back to how she was built, but how many of us stop there and I'm no exception to that rule.
The paint and body that's another story right now til I save up $500.00 for the presidential at Maaco, the car is currently sporting Wal-Mart's finest paint job possible cost me $15.00, it doesn't look to bad, no runs no missed spots but I hope I can get it done pro before summer, it's got a couple dents not major, I can get them out once I have time.
The wheels, well the tires are pirelli Z-rated.
The 15in rims are from a Z-28 w/ center caps and chrome lug nuts w/ locks which coicedently I don't have the key for so I hope I never get a flat.

 

ya and dowards doing that with a Iron head 2.8 not even a 3.4

 

I can't wait to get my 3.4l with fwd rotating assembly in then get his turbo setup slapped on her.

4.3l vortec swap is a waste of your time. I'm guessing you didn't see someone else's response about how the 6spd is MADE for a 350's power. The 4.3l is more work then swapping in a 350 without the rewards. If your looking to do it to be different from all the other people that have swapped to a 350 I can kinda see that but it would still just be a waste. I don't even know if it would line up motor mount wise as far as what the frame is already drilled for. Making a 6cyl fast isn't a waste of time, just takes money, patientence(SP?) and creativity. I truly cannot wait to get my 3.4l up and running, racing v8's and beating them and telling people "It's just a lowly v6." It won't be the fastest out there but it'll be quick enough for me.

 

really say you spend $3,000 on building a bad A$$ V6 what do ya think your gonna spend to build a 383 properly? ya you will be makeing huge power but its two different classes of cars. if you have that much power and go AutoXing your probably gonna looseit in the first corner now take a light weight V6 give it enough power that you can pull out of a slow corner without bogging and you will kill 90% of V8s. if i want to drive a drag car i can drive my Bro's Z28 which has a dyno proven 600Hp NA383 stroker. Oh and if you spray caned your car with paint you did a dumb thing cause unless you want you new paint to strip off in a few months you will have to get it media blasted off. I speak from experience.
Edit: Dont sand it with a power sander you will warp the metal from the heat generated by it and have waves in the sheet metal. learned that from sanding a good fender and ruining it.

 

Well for the 4.3 that makes part of the prob easier just get it to kick out enough horses to match or beat (not very likely I know)the 350's stock HP, because the t56, if what your saying holds true it was built w/ the 350 stock hp in mind not it's potential so though it does better at higher hp at least it'd be usable at stock #'s.
As far as the mounts, brackets go yeah I'd have to do a lil welding modifications, luckily I know a guy that has a lift, the main prob I worry about is if I'll be able to find a bellhousing to bolt to the engine and a clutch and for the vortec what wiring would I put under the hood and how's that work exactly not to sound stupid, but I've never swapped wiring to put in a bigger motor I normally just dropped it in and cranked it up it's always worked in the past. I was only dropping in motors at the school that the "donor car" (it was the front section of a car that's a learning tool at U.T.I.)came w/ so there was never any need to mess w/ that part of the wiring, and unless I'm wrong they just don't unplug from the firewall boy wouldn't that be nice if they do of course I'll feel like an idiot. I keep getting suggestions to go w/ the v-8 tbi wiring (i think that's what the guy said) but the prob is I have mpfi at the moment and I hope that the 4.3 has mpfi too (I'm gonna check on that write after I post this) so what wires would I go w/ and can't it be from an 87 as well or no, ideas? (i know said i would ask no more, sorry) and the reason I don't want to go w/ a v-8 is becuase this car has to be a work car every now and then when the 96 Buick goes in the shop and I deliver pizzas so I want it to still be tolerable on gas if I need it, trust me if I didn't deliver pizzas or knew I'd never need it there I'd slap a 455 rocket in it so fast your heads would spin, but I do want it to be a quick lil f-er. It's kinda a joke at work too they say I'll get to the person's house w/ the pizza while there ordering. Oh and thanks for the advice on painting it but i'm getting the package where they have to sand it and trust me I'll check on that just to make sure they do it and I'll be making sure that they know I'm checking on it, they also are fixing two of it's dents if it's messed up during the paint job trust me they'll fix it whether they want to or not cause it'd be under their own warranty so i'm sure they'll be careful w/ it plus I've never heard anything bad about the one close to me.

 

Each engine has a specific wireing harnes and the ECUs only work with specific engines that they have the right features to contol. the only think i can say for definite is that you will NOT be able to use the 2.8s ECU and wire harness for a 4.3! some where there is a list that has all the GM ECUs and the compatable Engines. i just have to find it again.
Edit: if you want gas mileage just do a 305 TPI swap it will get you the same gas mileage as a 4.3 and everthing for doing it will be easily available and you will have a crap load of info on it just keep you foot out of the gas and in stop and go traffic a 305 should atleast match your current gas mileage. i base that off of comparing a buddys camaro to mine which has a fresh rebuilt 2.8 and auto trans. on the high way i take over as the better gas mileage.

 

please do and when you do could ya kinda give me a clue has to how to change the wiring, or am I just gonna be splicing

 

see thats just it your gonna have to wing 90% of this project on your own if you do this. probably the easiest way of doing it would be to get the engine and control system off of a donor car and mount it inplace of your current system.

i have never done a swap of an engine into a car that was not equiped for it from the factory such as changing from the 2.8 to a 305 or 350 other than carb swaps. i just tell you what i have read many many times here on these forums there can not be much help given without more info.

Im trying to help you as much as i can cause i can because Believe it or not make sense of what you type, but as i have not done it nor can i find any info on doing it i cant help you much more unless you can give a specific question.

 

http://www.geocities.com/drittichier/



but your gonna need a donor car, thers probably alot of parts you will need to complete the swap if you just buy the harness and tpi setup on ebay.

carb would be easier

 

Bout the only help on the ECU rout anybody here is gonna be able to give your is read this and try to understand. https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...hreadid=221968 that will tell you almost anything you would need to know on useing a thirdgen ECU for the swap.

or you could do the easiest thing and do a 3.4 swap you already have a T5 so if he has a auto that should makeup for quite a few ponys if ya know how to use a stick properly.

 

anyway, since you asked politely, i'll just ignore the rest of the thread and answer you.

you need to look at your exact goals first.
currently, from a performance and milage standpoint, your engine sucks.. theres no way around it, its a v6 from the 80s.

now if your goals are minor, you just want a few small things that make the engine feel better, thats entirely possible. from what i understand, pacesetter now makes headers for your car, you can put a catback on it, and you can make a less restrictive cold air intake.
that with a total tune up will give you very little power gain, but the car will feel and sound better.

the problem is, if you want a real power gain, you'll either be rebuilding your entire motor, spending alot of money, and still be somewhat slow... OR you'll be replacing the motor, also spending money.

now if you've done that sort of thing before, motor swaps are no big deal. as long as you can afford the parts, (and its cheaper after you've done a few and have some experiance) you can get it done in no-time, and work out all the bugs(if any) quickly.

swapping in a modern EFI motor is a easy way to make both power, and get better MPG... btw, it doesnt have to be a SBC v8... depending on your budget and once more, your goals, you can make it a later model v6, a LS1 or LT1, or whatever SBC combo you come up with... the catch to that last one is what someone mentioned above.. if you dont know what you're doing, you can end up with a sucky daily driver... the temptation is high to ditch the smaller, better for your situation, cam, and put a monster in...



so once more, you just need to redefine your goals... if it turns out your real goal is out of a realistic reach of your current motor, and its easy or within reach with your budget on a diffrent motor car, it may be more cost effective to buy another thirdgen with a v8, sell your car, and go from there... honestly, i know its hard to hear someone say"sell your car and buy another one", but unless you're thinking of a engine swap like a LS1 or LT1, its a very viable option.

just write out your goals, and think them thru, re-writing them until you know what you want.

 

Or just keep both cars.

 

Radar, I'm sorry, but I tried to read your posts, and the giant run-on sentence confused me.

Seems that you'd like to increase the power available to your V6?

If so, start with headers and a catback exhaust. This will help a good bit, by itself.

Within the next few months, we should start seeing new intakes popping up on the scene... that'd be the next mod I'd do.

If you are an automatic, convert it to a stick shift. You don't have much power stock, right? Make sure as much of it as you can, gets to the ground!