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2.8 Port and Polish / 3.1 Heads - manifolds

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Old Mar 7, 2008 | 10:39 AM
  #1  
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2.8 Port and Polish / 3.1 Heads - manifolds

Hey guys,
I want to build up my 2.8 to match the worked transmission
that has gone into it.

I have a friend who works in a machine shop,
he is a CNC mill guy.

I want to open the 2.8 up...
Should I use stock head / intake manifold,
and if so, how should I go about porting them?

I see aluminum 2.8/3.1 heads on ebay for cheap...
are these a good idea?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NOS-A...hippingPayment

Would this fit with stock intake manifold?
Are they any different powerwise than what I have stock/?

I am willing to go any combo of heads / intake manifold
as long as it will bolt on with minimal trouble.

I am looking to pair this with bigger injectors,
headers/highflow cat (already have cat-back)
Some type of nice ignition setup, weather its just getting
a nice coil /cap/rotor/wire/plug set, or going full on
multispark MSD blaster, or crane.
Under drive pullys, ram air mod to Air box, (if even worth it)

I have never gone about a port/polish before, so
Please help me out with advice.

thanks
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Old Mar 7, 2008 | 11:55 AM
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From: Casselberry, FLA
Car: 88 V6 'bird/89TBI bird/85 T/A
Engine: 2.8/TBI/TPI
Transmission: V8 T-5/700R4 x2
Axle/Gears: 3.42 open/2.73 open/ 3.27 9 bolt
Re: 2.8 Port and Polish / 3.1 Heads - manifolds

Those are the older front wheel drive car heads. You have to have the matching intake (now your distributor doesn't fit), custom crank trigger for the now required coil pack ignition, and PISTONS from the front drive 2.8 as well.

There are guys doing it here, you need to search them out. Look for firstfirebird, and you'll find them. I think the post is titled, "What's a hybrid?" or similar to that.

Good luck on your project!
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Old Mar 7, 2008 | 11:58 AM
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Re: 2.8 Port and Polish / 3.1 Heads - manifolds

What a bout grabbing heads/intake off a 3.1 camaro and
working with those?
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Old Mar 7, 2008 | 12:27 PM
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Re: 2.8 Port and Polish / 3.1 Heads - manifolds

You can order heads from http://www.engine-parts.com/GMV6/gm28stroker.html. They have over sized valves and fully cnc ported.
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Old Mar 7, 2008 | 03:33 PM
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From: Casselberry, FLA
Car: 88 V6 'bird/89TBI bird/85 T/A
Engine: 2.8/TBI/TPI
Transmission: V8 T-5/700R4 x2
Axle/Gears: 3.42 open/2.73 open/ 3.27 9 bolt
Re: 2.8 Port and Polish / 3.1 Heads - manifolds

The only problem with that setup is that you'll have well over $1000 in just rwd heads and you'll be at the end of your potential. There's no good intake setup to harness that head upgrade.

I think for 1000 bucks you could convert to genII or genIII fwd top end stuff and a rwd 3.4 block, if you hit the u-pull it yard and get one 4th gen 3.4 engine along with one 3400 fwd engine...

You could put the two engines together and freshen up the rotating assembly. You could always sell the rest of the stuff off on eBay or somewhere else...
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Old Mar 7, 2008 | 03:55 PM
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Car: 91 Camaro
Engine: 3.1/3100 in progress...Turbo Soon
Transmission: 700r4
Re: 2.8 Port and Polish / 3.1 Heads - manifolds

Originally Posted by kukerdan
What a bout grabbing heads/intake off a 3.1 camaro and
working with those?
What year is your 2.8? You might have the same heads as the 3.1. I think around 86(someone help me with the year) the 2.8 got bigger valves, and those heads are the same as in the 3.1 and the 3.4.
If you want to do something with "minimal trouble" you might want to P&P the heads and gasket match your stock manifolds.
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Old Mar 7, 2008 | 04:20 PM
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From: Casselberry, FLA
Car: 88 V6 'bird/89TBI bird/85 T/A
Engine: 2.8/TBI/TPI
Transmission: V8 T-5/700R4 x2
Axle/Gears: 3.42 open/2.73 open/ 3.27 9 bolt
Re: 2.8 Port and Polish / 3.1 Heads - manifolds

My old GM performance manual said that all of the fuel injected 60* rear wheel drives (TBI or MPFI) got the better heads with the bigger valves and that the carb engines got the crap heads. Their advice, especially when running a stock class, was to run the fuel injection heads and stock cam, even if you have a carb application. The heads are the same from 85-95 mpfi rear drive, Fiero mpfi 2.8, and front drive 1986-1987 cars with the fiero style intake and heads. The first fuel injected celebrity had the same fiero setup, but I don't know what else...
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Old Mar 7, 2008 | 05:11 PM
  #8  
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Car: 92 Camaro RS
Engine: 3.4/3500 hybrid
Transmission: 5-speed
Axle/Gears: 3.42
Re: 2.8 Port and Polish / 3.1 Heads - manifolds

You need to go to www.fullthrottlev6.com or www.60degreev6.com and look up a 3x00 top end swap. I put one on my camaro and used my distributor. Using the FWD heads on a RWD 2.8 will give you around 11 to 1 compression which people is running. I just bought a 3500 topend swap and may sell my 3100 topend if interested. but there will be a little fab. on the dizzy to use it.
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Old Mar 7, 2008 | 08:38 PM
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From: Casselberry, FLA
Car: 88 V6 'bird/89TBI bird/85 T/A
Engine: 2.8/TBI/TPI
Transmission: V8 T-5/700R4 x2
Axle/Gears: 3.42 open/2.73 open/ 3.27 9 bolt
Re: 2.8 Port and Polish / 3.1 Heads - manifolds

Could you please post pictures of the distributor mounted with that top end? I think it would help a lot of people here if you did that.

Congratulations on your swap! How does it run compared to the stock V6?
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Old Mar 7, 2008 | 08:57 PM
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From: Tallahassee, FL
Car: 89 V6 Camaro
Engine: 2.8
Transmission: 700R4
Axle/Gears: 3.42 open diff
Re: 2.8 Port and Polish / 3.1 Heads - manifolds

There is another thread with the UIM cut for the dizzy cap. I was wondering if somehting like that would work.
http://60degreev6.com/forum/showthre...t=39681&page=2
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Old Mar 7, 2008 | 09:52 PM
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Re: 2.8 Port and Polish / 3.1 Heads - manifolds

Originally Posted by 923.4v6
You need to go to www.fullthrottlev6.com or www.60degreev6.com and look up a 3x00 top end swap. I put one on my camaro and used my distributor. Using the FWD heads on a RWD 2.8 will give you around 11 to 1 compression which people is running. I just bought a 3500 topend swap and may sell my 3100 topend if interested. but there will be a little fab. on the dizzy to use it.
HMM, and you'll see me there I'm Forced_Firebird.


Just an FYI, though, unless you bore the 3.1/2.8 over .081" or more, the 3500 combustion chambers are going to overlap your cylinder deck. The 3500 heads have chambers that are slightly over 91mm (~3.581") and the 3100, 3.1 and 2.8 have the same bore of 89mm (~3.50").
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Old Mar 7, 2008 | 11:43 PM
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Re: 2.8 Port and Polish / 3.1 Heads - manifolds

They are just under 600.
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Old Mar 7, 2008 | 11:51 PM
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Re: 2.8 Port and Polish / 3.1 Heads - manifolds

Originally Posted by nutcase-mark
They are just under 600.
You can just use a 3.1 crank and pistons to stroke a 2.8, you don't need to buy a "kit"
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Old Mar 8, 2008 | 08:05 AM
  #14  
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From: kentucky
Car: 92 Camaro RS
Engine: 3.4/3500 hybrid
Transmission: 5-speed
Axle/Gears: 3.42
Re: 2.8 Port and Polish / 3.1 Heads - manifolds

Originally Posted by 2.8RS
There is another thread with the UIM cut for the dizzy cap. I was wondering if somehting like that would work.
http://60degreev6.com/forum/showthre...t=39681&page=2
thats the ones that I have
----------
I have a 3.4

Last edited by 923.4v6; Mar 8, 2008 at 08:08 AM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost
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Old May 10, 2008 | 01:13 AM
  #15  
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From: vancouver, bc, canada
Car: 88 camaro
Engine: 2.8
Transmission: T5
Axle/Gears: unknown
Re: 2.8 Port and Polish / 3.1 Heads - manifolds

so I didnt quite understand what was said earlier but I was alway curious, will the heads on a 2.8 feiro fit on my camaro? if so, is there any benifit? Has anyone tryed shaving the stock heads at all?
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Old May 10, 2008 | 07:16 AM
  #16  
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Car: 1998 Camaro Z28
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Transmission: 4L60E
Axle/Gears: 3.73
Re: 2.8 Port and Polish / 3.1 Heads - manifolds

The heads from a fiero are the same as on your camaro. All the CAST IRON heads from 85-89 2.8, 90-92 3.1, and 93-95 3.4 engines are exactly the same. they all have the same valve sizes and are completely interchangable.
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Old May 10, 2008 | 08:11 AM
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From: Tallahassee, FL
Car: 89 V6 Camaro
Engine: 2.8
Transmission: 700R4
Axle/Gears: 3.42 open diff
Re: 2.8 Port and Polish / 3.1 Heads - manifolds

Firo headers won't even begin to fit in an fbody engine bay. Look up Pacesetter for headers for out cars.
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Old May 10, 2008 | 04:49 PM
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Re: 2.8 Port and Polish / 3.1 Heads - manifolds

heads not headers
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Old May 11, 2008 | 08:46 PM
  #19  
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Car: 88 camaro
Engine: 2.8
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Re: 2.8 Port and Polish / 3.1 Heads - manifolds

thanks I heard that the valves were bigger but anyways I was just wondering, thanks for the answer!
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Old May 12, 2008 | 07:38 AM
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Engine: 2.8
Transmission: 700R4
Axle/Gears: 3.42 open diff
Re: 2.8 Port and Polish / 3.1 Heads - manifolds

Originally Posted by kukerdan
heads not headers
oops. I don't know where I got that.
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Old Sep 23, 2011 | 06:30 AM
  #21  
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From: Davidson co, NC
Car: 85 camaro RS RIP\ 86 IROC-Z :)
Engine: 2.8 MPI V6\ carbed LO5 5.7 v8
Transmission: 700r4 auto
Axle/Gears: 3.42\ posi 3.73
Re: 2.8 Port and Polish / 3.1 Heads - manifolds

Originally Posted by 923.4v6
You need to go to www.fullthrottlev6.com or www.60degreev6.com and look up a 3x00 top end swap. I put one on my camaro and used my distributor. Using the FWD heads on a RWD 2.8 will give you around 11 to 1 compression which people is running. I just bought a 3500 topend swap and may sell my 3100 topend if interested. but there will be a little fab. on the dizzy to use it.
First were you able to still use regular octane w/o overheating and knocking and what had to be done to get our stock distributor to fit?
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Old Sep 23, 2011 | 12:55 PM
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Transmission: WC T5 w/ Steel Support Plate
Axle/Gears: 3.42 10 Bolt Posi
Re: 2.8 Port and Polish / 3.1 Heads - manifolds

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Old Sep 23, 2011 | 01:33 PM
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Re: 2.8 Port and Polish / 3.1 Heads - manifolds

Get some instruction on that nail gun.
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