Pie

1989 Camaro RS Coupe
350ci Carbuerated Engine atm
TH-350 Automatic Transmission
Rundown:
Next week I'm going to be getting a truck, and parking this car for a while so I can finally put some work into it. Trying to plan this project as well as I can before getting into it, so that I can kind of schedule / price it all out beforehand. I've listed my goals, budget, and a timeframe of each part of this project, basically it goes engine / transmission first, then exterior and paint, and finally interior and audio. Any parts suggestions in order to reach my goals, helpful tips, or any other advice is appreciated. Thanks.
Step 1 - Engine Rebuild / Replacement and Transmission Rebuild / Replacement [ Fall/Winter 2009 ]
Goals for Step 1 Part 1:
- ~450HP
- 15+ MPG (negotiable)
- Replace Wiring Harness
- Replace Exhaust
Step 1 Part 1: ~$2,000 (includes engine if I do the swap below)
Here's my 2 engine options -
--> Fuel Injected LT1 from a 1995 Trans-Am, 54,000 miles on it, comes with the wiring harness for the engine, and the computer - can pick it up for ~$700
--> Carbuerated 350 that I currently have in there, needs to be pulled out so I can get the numbers off the block, and rebuilt
Step 1 Part 2 Budget: ~$1,500
Goals for Step 1 Part 2:
- New / Rebuilt Transmission
- New Shifter
Here's my 2 transmission options -
--> TH-350 Automatic (Current)
--> 700R4 Automatic (What the car was originally built with
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Step 2 - Body Work & Paint [ Spring 2010 ]
Goals for Step 2:
- Replace Passenger Side Fender (Have this)
- Replace Passenger Side Door
- Replace Passenger Side Mirror (Have this)
- Replace Hood, and add a Hood Scoop
- Repaint the entire vehicle, likely dark blue w/ white racing stripes.
Step 2 Budget: ~$1,000 (will be painting the car myself, just need material)
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Step 3 - Interior & Audio [Spring 2010]
Goals for Step 3:
- Upgrade the audio in the car, currently has a good deck, and 2x good 6x9 Speakers, would like to add subs, amps, tweaters, anything else to make the audio sound great.
- Replace Both Passenger and Driver Side Seats
- Replace Back Seat
- Replace Seatbelts
- Replace Dash Pad
- Replace Inside Door Trim
- Replace Speaker Panels
- Replace Steering Wheel
- Replace Guage Cluster
Step 3 Budget: ~$800 for Audio, ~$1,200 for Interior Parts.

Current Photos:
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs242...._4443701_n.jpg
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs194....5_575773_n.jpg

The Project

iTrader: (6)

WELCOME TO THE BOARD

700R4 would be my choice of tranny's as it should give you better milage on the highway.

If you go the LT1 route...remember you need a different fuel pump so make sure it's included with the motor and harness/computer).

I would go with the LT1 over carb but that's just personal preference.

Also remember that the dark blue will show more dust.....extra washing and dusting

SomeGuy25thZ

What about suspension chasis upgrades? I am doing the same thing you are now except everything is going on at once - body work, engine is being built and I have all suspension/chassis stuff ready to go in.

I will have a complete balanced 383 LT1 rotating assembly and a complete LT1 harness from a 1994 z28 Auto if you are interested in it. I was looking at 450 hp with ported heads and intake. Also have a 700R4 .. lol, just incase you need any of this.

Personally, I hate carb so I would suggest fuel injected LT1 as well. You'll have to address fuel system, power steering, etc.. with the LT1 which you can find info on in the LTx boards...

Pie

Okay so you guys would suggest 700R4 + LT1 build? And yeah I already found places to get the fuel lines, pump, and power steering parts from if I was to go that route. PMing you on the LT1+700R4.

Also as far as the Suspension / Chassis rebuild what parts would I need for this? Sorry I'm REALLY new to this stuff, first car I've ever worked on lol.

Thanks!

SomeGuy25thZ

I prefer T-56 but if your car is already auto then 700R4 will be cheaper.

Suspension/Chassis work will depend on you budget...

I did all Spohn suspension upgrades and UMI subframes

At a bare minimum if you are going up to 450 hp range I would look into

Subframe connectors, new springs/shocks, sway bars, brake upgrade - 1Le, 4th gen, corvette or other based on budget.

Next step up you are looking into

torque arm, tubular a-arms, panhard bar, k-member, coil-overs, etc...

Check out the suspension/chassis board as there are a couple posts on what would be necessities and such. A lot of good info there.

Pie

Okay I'll check out the boards for that. I have new shocks sitting in the back of my car right now in the box, just did brakes last month, but i'll check into upgrades there. Thanks for the info.

KITT1983

iTrader: (3)

awesome project dude keep us posted

SomeGuy25thZ

Not sure how much time you have but if you search each of the boards here there is sooo much information its ridiculous. I wish I had more time but I work too much and I just kinda read things here and there and just started buying stuff. There are some things I would change but im still happy with where I am. Take you time if you have it.

Keep us posted on what your thinking and im sure everyone will be glad to help you choose parts.

Pie

Okay well update = I've decided that I'm gonna convert my 350 to a 383 stroker, then work upgrades onto that. I figure it's gonna cost me less thna buying a whole new LT1 and getting the parts for the swap, and I can get the power that I'm aiming for as well, without crushing my budget.

Any parts recommended that would get a stock 383 stroker to a 450+hp engine? Also any suggestion on conversion kits would be good, I found one and emailed Advance Auto to see if they have one, because I get a discount there through my dad's buisness account. Thanks for the help though guys, you've been great so far.

1bdbrd

iTrader: (1)

Something to think about is that the LT1 can be turned into the same 383 stroker but will have better cooling since it is reverse cooled. That means the coolant gets to the heads first and can cool the combustion chamber better. Which means that you can run more timing and more compression. Some guys are getting away with almost 12:1 or higher on the street on straight pump gas.

Something to consider since a lot of the parts you would be sourcing to build your SBC would work on the lt1 (with the exception of the top end). Also remember it is a 1 piece rear main.

Just somethings to think about!

SomeGuy25thZ

to get an LT1 383 to 450 you will need ported heads and intake if you use the stock head and intake. My rotating assembly i have for sale was setup for 11.1 CR will help to get that 450 hp number.

Pie

Yeah I know the LT1's can be turned into 383's, but I'm thinking about my budget here, and my help isn't very experienced with fuel injected i guess.. which sucks, because I really would prefer the LT1 option but I just dunno if I can afford it right now :/

Pie

Alright so yesterday I spent a lot of the day coming up with a shopping list for the ENGINE part of the car. I had some help from a friend who knows a lot more about cars than I do, but in-order to get a basic 383 setup done here this is what I have so far:

350ci Block: https://secure.pawengineparts.com/sh...165&catid=1477

383 Stroker Kit: https://shop.enginekits.com/osb/itemdetails.cfm?ID=81

GM Preformance Vortec Top-End kit: http://www.jegs.com/i/GM-Performance...8060K/10002/-1

And a 650cfm Edelbrock carb that I found at Advance Auto for ~$250

I'm probably gonna blow my budget away on this but I think it'll be worth it with a brand-new engine block here. And I might even be able to use the block from my current engine, once I figure out if it's 4-bolt main or not.

Questions:

What would be the next step as far as parts for this engine?

And if you have any suggestions for the parts I've listed so far, feel free to throw out ideas. Thanks guys.

SomeGuy25thZ

so itl ooks like you are not going LT1 and you are not going fuel injected. Why not buy a block that is already bored out for a 383 rotating assembly? The 350 will need machine work done to it to fit the rotating assembly you picked out. Also, I am not an expert but a lot of these parts look cheap. I am not sure you are gonna be getting near 450 hp out of this. You might be looking more near 350 or maybe a little less? With a 383 you will not want all cast parts otherwise it will not be lasting very long.

What you have here is about $2000 is parts not including shipping. then you need machining work, assembly costs, sensors, accessory brackets and components, etc... there is a lot of little things that will add up fast. How much of this can you reuse from your car or another car will determine how quickly you blow your budget. And at the point I would just go with an assembled 383 short block for like 3-4K built right for good power and you will be much happier in the end.

Pie

Well.. I didn't see a 383 block anywhere... but the reason I kinda want to put it all together is that I'm gonna learn from this, for future cars. I should be able to use a lot of the parts from my current engine I think, but for major parts I'm probably going to go new, that way I don't have problems with it. As for the parts being cheap, I'm definitly still open for suggestions, and I'll look around for parts that aren't cast-iron I guess, but will it really matter a lot if I'm not taking this car to the strip? It's a street car, and I don't floor it everywhere I go, so I'm not sure if that would matter or not.

Thanks for the information though.

SomeGuy25thZ

THere is nothing wrong with all cast parts. If your not racing it all the time you should probably be ok. Usually with going 383 you will have a lot more stress on the rotating assembly so its not a bad idea depending on the power you want to make. I am pretty new to this stuff too but you should also try and call engine shops and just ask them a few questions here and there. A lot of times they wont want to spend an hour discussing everything so you can ask a few questions and then go talk to some other guys and ask some more and before you know it you'll have a ton of quality information and probably enough to start buying all the parts you need.

A lot of places will have specs and parts for their engines posted on their websites so you can see what is being using and mix and match parts as well. I'd def. like to hear from some mroe experienced people... this should probably be moved over to the Engine Tech thread.

Pie

Okay, and yeah I've been working with another guy who restores old trucks, mostly chevys. He recommended a dvd+book that I can get for 40$, gonna buy that on friday, specifically for rebuilding small-block chevys. Also I've been going down to Advance Auto, talking to some of the guys about specific parts.

Hopefully by Friday I'll have a final list, if I don't have to I won't buy a new block, just have to see if mine is a 2 or 4 bolt main, and if it's already a 4 bolt, no sense getting a new one if I don't have to.

I'll repost this over in the Engine Tech section, or at least the goals, and the shopping list I have so far, and see what I can come up with.

SomeGuy25thZ

you can always get your block machined for a splayed 4-bolt set up. Thats what i am doing with my 2 bolt.

Pie

I'm gonna have to find a machine shop around here.. never had to go to one before, I'm sure we have some, just gotta figure out where lol.