I little while ago when I got my 92 RS with a 350, my brother drove it and loved it. I feel sorry that he has to put up with the powerless 2.8 and want to help him. It has a newly rebuilt engine with pretty much all stock parts and gets 60psi of oil pressure, compared to my 15psi. It also just had a new catalyst converter put on. It is an 86 SC with 2.73 gears and a 700R4. It really handles well but it needs the power to go with it. I want to put K&N filters on it and keep all the mods either free or cheap. Any help he will greatly appreciate.

 

Is that an MPFI unit or a carb? And are you sure it has 2.73 gears, because they mostly came with 3.42 gears IIRC.

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Stock 2.8 MPFI auto w/ Flowmaster 80 Series, More to come......
New Pioneer Head Unit
Targa E-910 7-Band Equalizer w/ crossover
2x 10" Pioneer subs powered by 300 Watt Jensen amp
2- 6x9" Pioneer (rear)
More to come..... (hey, i dont got a job yet)

[This message has been edited by 89V6FBIRD (edited September 17, 2001).]

 

All 1985-up 2.8/3.1 F-body engines were MPFI. But yeah, that should be a 3.42 gear back there. What points to it being a 2.73?

Free/Cheap?

#1. Major Tuneup, ~$100. https://www.thirdgen.org/messgboard/...ML/002189.html

#2. Any cheap/free mod you do to your 92 RS can be done to his '86 SC.

#3. Does he have a Camaro or Firebird? You didn't say. In '86, one is easier to make a ram-air for than the other.


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-Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l)

 

I'm assuming its a camaro because its an RS. The ram-air mod would work for him then. Also check our sigs for ideas.

 

Ignition is the BEST investment you can make.
ALong with a better CC
2 1/2" in & out for $60- Don's Hot Rod 800-888-0884.
Next is the Fresh air.
Investment about $150-ish
Power increase, NOT REALLY
BUT a smoother running higher RPM car is what will be attained.
You really need a 3.4! The 2.8 lacks torque. 3.4 has that in abundance!
I know!

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Chat Soon,
KED85
Karl
1985 Firebird 2.8 to 3.4 swap project for Smog Happy LA, CA

 

Thanks for your responses, hope to hear more. He has an 86 Camaro Sport Coupe with the 2.8 MPFI, a 700R4, and I'm not real sure about the gears but since its a SC with a v6 its probably just the standard axle.

 

16.1 is easy all with mods under 150...

 

Well, you can't get much cheaper than the ram air for the '86 Camaro SC.. find it at
https://www.thirdgen.org/newdesign/tech/ramair.shtml It says it's for a TPI Camaro, but your brother's MPFI Camaro shares the same intake.

One thing I'm /sure/ they missed on the rebuild: The distributor. It's easy to rebuild, and should run you about $90 in parts- thats $60 for Holley spark module 891-103 (or a plain "stock" module), $15 for a pick-up coil, and $15 for a cap/rotor kit.

Another thing- he should have his injectors cleaned. I had a spare set done by Rich Jensen at http://www.cruzinperformance.com - he flowtested/cleaned/blueprinted all 6 of my injectors for about the cost of ONE new stock injector!!! The car was noticably peppier after installing the new injectors, too. I sent a spare set because I need my car daily; but if your brother can live without the car, Rich has a fast turnaround! It took a week for him to receive my injectors (from NJ), clean 'em, and ship them back to me! I thought they'd take at least two weeks to come back. Oh- my injectors were cleaned at about 180,000 miles; give or take a few thousand.

Have you done any mods to your '92 police package? If so, post 'em, chances are probably good that the same stuff can be done to his Camaro too.


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-Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l)

 

Thanx for the replies. I'll make the ramair setup when we both have time, but the motor in his car was recently rebuild by my dad, so it wont need any tuneups for a while, although I think he reused the injectors, so I'll look into it. Thank you all.

 

Also, what would a ramair do in the rain?

 

Slap some K&N filter charger replacements, that'll take care of any possible water that may creep its way up.

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85 2.8L Sport Coupe 5-speed.
Mods: Hpertech chip and powerstat, MSD 6A-L, Crane fireball coil, Accel Cap and Rotor, Dynomax hi-flow cat and catback system with a dynomax magnum race bullet muffler on the i-pipe, K&N filterchargers, Gutted Air Boxes, 8mm Wires, Eibach Sportlines and Tokiko springs/shocks setup, Global west sub frames, Suspension techniqs front and rear sway bars, and good ole 88 IROC wheels with Kumo Ecstas on em!
"It's not the ricers, it's those damn V8's!"

Wins: 2000 V6 Accord, 69 302 Mustang, 2000 Auto VR6 Jetta, 89 Toyota MR2, 90 Civic Si, 76 350 Camaro, 2000 3.8 5-speed Camaro, ~68 Chevelle 350, 92 CRX Si.

 

Just told let you know, a K&N filter doesn't stop water.

 

First off, unless your dad is a very thorough man, which he could be, I seriously doubt he rebuilt the distributor. Rebuilding an engine involves removing the old distributor, rebuilding the engine, and installing the old distributor. Nothing is said about rebuilding the unit; yeah, it's a good idea if it's on the bench.

And a major tuneup involves more than plugs & wires. Did you even read my major tuneup message? I worked on an '83 Camaro 2.8 that had a newly rebuilt engine; the thing was so out of tune it was unbelieveable. Granted, that car went to a shop, and not the guy's father, but, still. Read the tuneup message, cross off the things that were done, and do the ones that weren't.


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-Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l)

 

Thanks, I just found out my dad bought a new distributor.

 

What do you put on a KNN filter to help it's inherent filtering abilities? Oil. Now think of the inherent properties of oil. It displaces water. Point proven.

No, it won't stop the water if you drive through a flood, but any rain that would -possibly- get in there, would be stopped by the filters. I'm using RA with paper filters, they're holding up just fine.

.

As far as mods go. Definatly have those injectors either replaced or thoroughly cleaned by a speedshop. Cruisin' Performance is the savior to about 99% of us here, they do great work. Ensure that the vacuum lines are good, I don't know anything about spec rebuilds, but overlooking them will cost ya (I speak from experience). Ensure the sensors are good as well. O2, CT, MAT (often overlooked!), and MAF. advance the timing real good so you can hear knock under load, hook it up to a scanner and ensure the knock sensor is going hog wild. Any hitch should be replaced. After all that testing, reset the computer.

Porting and polishing.

RA, or CIA will help, as well as KNN's.

Bump up the fuel pressure. The how-to is on this site.

1.51 or 1.6 rockers as well as a Crane CompuCam 2030 will help (not cheap really, but we're running out of things to do...) The specs are:
Small Chevy: 1957-up 262-400, 264/274 degrees duration, hydraulic, CompuCam 2030

Advertised duration: 264 intake/274 exhaust
Duration at .050 in.: 204 intake/214 exhaust
Gross Valve Lift: .423 in. intake/.446 in. exhaust
Lobe separation: 110 degrees
RPM range: 1,500 to 4,500

That should be good for some wheel spinning fun... after that you could do exhaust (dynomax super turbo's are the general consensus among V6'ers.) and a perf cat.

Basically, whatever you can do to your 350, you can do to the 2.8. Just make sure you account for the 2 cylinder loss...

Good luck. I hope you find usefullness amongst the babling.

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1985 Camaro SC - 2.8L, auto.

http://www.xenodrgn.f2s.com/Frontright.jpg

 

I have not seen that yet... where is it. I need to bump mine up now...

 

Xenodrgn a K&N will NOT STOP WATER. If you make a ram-air that is a direct flow and has nothing to stop the water except these K&N filters then you will get water in your car. I understand what you are saying about not enough water to worry about BUT did you think that the intake actually pulls air into the engine? So yes just a little bit of water should be a worry because while it is sucking the air in it might just be sucking in some water.

 

Solving the water issue is pretty easy. Simply drill a couple of small holes in the back portion of the scoop. the part that starts to make the first turn. The watter will be forced out the holes and only worry about watter when you decide to take it for a swim.

 

Monkie, true, I'll admit, but even then the only thing that would be at risk really is the MAF sensor... remember that whole 'misting water into the TB' thing that everyone argued about a while ago? Yeah... Anyway, the choice is yours on what you wanna do. CAI is a must at least, weither you wanna go Ram Air or not, thats up to you. If you do, just don't go swimming and you should be fine (numerous people run them and are fine, we'll leave it at that.)

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1985 Camaro SC - 2.8L, auto.

http://www.xenodrgn.f2s.com/Frontright.jpg

 

I remember reading somewhere that the K&N will stop water... something about it being cotton, I guess. But yah a mist is different than sucking up a ton of water- and in that case, if you're soaking the front of your F-body in a lake, you've got bigger trouble!

There's a new device out there, mainly aimed towards the import crowd, that acts as a bypass for a water-soaked filter. It's a round piece of tube, with a filter element all around, and special flaps. The idea is that as soon as the filter is water-logged, the flaps sense the engine's suction, and open. Air intake is taken through the sides of the device instead of thru the regular air filter.

They wrote it up in an import mag. Problem was, I think the demonstration was rigged. They took an expensive sports car, (a Ferrari? Something along those lines), ran the air filter into a bucket of water, and attached this device between the air filter and engine. They used clear tubes for the intake ducting. As the guy rev'd his engine, you'd see the water rise in the clear tube, but it never got to the device.

Ever take a drinking straw, and cut almost all the way through, at the top, and bend the cut part backwards? Looks like

|
| (original straw)

._
| (modified straw)

Then, you put the straw in a glass of whatever. Then, you suck on the end. Since the air is passing over the top of the straw, it creates a low pressure area in the main body of the straw- and liquid rises upwards.

This is what their demo seemed like to me. Yeah the device should do what it claims; but the magazine was impressed at how much water was rising in the clear (vertical) intake tube after the filter. That's like a parlor trick.... and I think the company knows it, but the magazine didn't.


[edit] And there's still things left in the major tuneup. It's good it's got a new distributor, but- ah, well, hey, it's up to you. Either you look at the file or ya don't. I guarantee you'll find something that wasn't done; but it's not my car!

And I don't think bumping up the fuel pressure on an otherwise stock 2.8 will do anything except hurt performance. Running a bit lean = makes more power than running rich. Sure it's different if the car's running way too lean- but that usually happens after a major mod, like head porting... and maybe even a camshaft.

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-Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l)

[This message has been edited by TomP (edited September 21, 2001).]

 

THis running richer thing, I know for carbs, quadrajets i know, run the primaries lean fro milage, secondaries rich for power. haven't realy looked into it for fuel injection, except if you run rich i.e bigger injectors or more fuel pressure, male sure the air comming is increased just as much. keep the plugs clean.

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85 Firebird. $150.00
2.8 Auto.
Blown Head Gasket.
turbo has arrived,

 

Is there a ram-air "kit" that can be purchased? (85 2.8LV6)

 

Tom, it wouldn't make the engine run lean....the computer would compensate for the added pressure and maintain stoich using the O2 sensor and adjusting injector pulse width... ... the reason you pump up the pressure is so that the injectors have the pressure when they need it.

Plus I read somewhere that these engines lean out under acceleration even in stock form...

Just my .02

[edit] Missed the last line of Tom's post, "Sure it's different if the car's running way too lean- but that usually happens after a major mod, like head porting... and maybe even a camshaft."
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1985 Camaro SC - 2.8L, auto.

http://www.xenodrgn.f2s.com/Frontright.jpg

[This message has been edited by Xenodrgn (edited September 28, 2001).]