Im about to get an 86 sport coupe and i was just curious what kind of setups all of you are running. Is the 2.8l a good motor even though its down on power? And What things can i do other than z28 ground effects to increase its visual appeal.

Thanx

 

I have a 3.1 in my 90 Z24...basically the same as a 2.8 - still runs fine with 163K miles! IMO, keep it a sport coupe...they look sharp with a nice set of wheels!

 

thanks for the quick reply what wheels would you recomend. Preferably something that doesnt require spacers and is less than a grand

 

whats a sport coupe? ...you mean rally sport?
http://louisville.craigslist.org/cto/2176725472.html
3.1 is better...I will sell just the wheels with tires for $450

 

no thanks grassyflats im lookin for something a little different

 

Sport Coupes are the earlier model Camaros also known as the base model.



This was a cheap one on craigslist I was gonna get but alas I think he has moved.

 

Please no one take this the wrong way "but" if I had it to do all over again I would not even consider anything less than a 350. I have a 5.0 and love my car but still as stated. 350 all the way.

 

i got a 305 in mine...satisfies me... but also got a nova with a 350 pushn 400hp ...real soul shaker =D

 

I have an 83 Sport Coupe, Its still a work in progress.. It used to have a 2.8L in it, but i went 355 in it and am much happier..

This is currently what my car looks like...

 

Very nice.Is that a Goodmark steel hood?

 

i will have to agree with "Confuzed1" by keeping it a sport coupe. im not much of a fan of a sport coupe, but if you want it to look like a z28 or RS, then just get one instead of a sport coupe. there just arnt enough sport coupes running around these days with the looks it came with. you could deffinatly get an RS a dime a dozen compared to sport coupes, so i wouldnt ruin a sport coupe lol.

and the 2.8's were junk. at least they were in 3rdgens lol because i think every punk kid has hot rodded those poor little engines in the early days when they came out. but past experience, i have had to rebuild a 2.8 with 40,000 original miles because of a rod was knocking, and a main was thumping. another ex: i had to swap out my buddys 2.8 which only had 82,000 original miles on it because his connecting rod busted through the oil pan from driving it while it was knocking. ANOTHER ex: he was trying to buy a 2.8 from the junkyard, there were 3....all three were blown, and all were under 100,000 miles. yet iv seen some s10's with the same engine have good luck with 2.8's. so im not hating on 2.8's, just dont trust them from personal encounters. i enjoy cruising them.

a 3.1 is very similar but in my experiences again lol, they are bullet proof. i dogg the crap out of one of mine and it has 180,000 miles. runs great . my brother has a 3.1 in his RS too and it has 215,000 miles and runs better than my 3.1

 

The 2.8/3.1 and other 60/6s are pretty stout mills, as far as some decent rims go, I bought IROC-Z rims for my base model, its the cheapest route for something better than the ugly steel 14" rims, direct bolt on, but in hindsight I wish I had bought a hardtop manual with a 350 tpi, the t-tops and auto add like 200 lbs, and without chassis bracing t-tops cars flex more, plus you have to worry about your roof leaking, as for the manual, just a lot funner, not to mention much better for engine braking, and even with a modded 3.4 it isn't as quick as I wish it was, it does handle better though.

 

I understand your logic but unfortunately the only way to get a manual transmission is with a 2.8/3.1 or 305 or if you go back a ways an iron duke. I agree with you though except for the manual tranny part.

I've heard the fuel injected ones are better than the carburetored or TBI ones I had a 3.1 in a 90 olds cutlass and I was always happy with that motor but I was 16 at the time I'm sure now that I have driven faster cars it would seem like a pooch. By the way they never made the car you wish you would have bought so the only way to get it would have been aftermarket. Sorry couldn't resist.

 

Um there are 350 cars with manuals, I may be wrong about camaros having manuals with 350s but I know I was in a firebird GTA that had a t5 in it with a 350 tpi, and he said it was the stock transmission. And even that aside, considering how many people swap t5s or 350s into these cars its not that all that unlikely to find a 350 with a 5 spd behind it.

 

I have no idea what the brand is on this hood, but it is fiberglass.

No Third Gen came stock with a 350 and manual trans combo.. the biggest engine you could get with a manual was the 5.0

 

Personally, I'd get something old school and simple in the 5 spoke wheel catagory...Crager S/S, Keystone Classics etc...but that's me. You'll hear dozens more opinions when it comes to wheels, but in the end you're the one driving it.

As far as the 2.8 vs 3.1, A guy I work with just junked his '89 Z24...it was almost identical to my '90 Z24 - cept his had a 2.8 instead of the 3.1 like mine has....his finally blew a head gasket at 187,000 miles. He just didn't feel like fixing it and sold it to the junkyard for 225 bucks. He kept the Body/Interior in awesome shape...too bad I didn't have room for it, or I would've bought it.

If I had a decent S/C Camaro, and I did it all over again I'd drive it with the 2.8 in it for a while, and save up for a LS swap later on!

 

In that case it must have been swapped in or he was wrong about it being a 350, it was a tpi and unfortunately you can't tell by looking at one if its a 305 or 350, I had always thought the 350s didn't come stock with manuals as well, but just assumed maybe the firebirds did since I don't really know the birds, car sure seemed quick for a 305 though tbh, it had 305 or 315 tires I think with decent tread and the car fishtailed a little when you romped on the gas.

 

I realize there are 350 cars with manuals but none of them were 82-92 f bodies that came from the factory. If you search you will see that I'm not the only one that thinks that. You may have rode in a GTA with a 350 and 5 speed but if the tranny was stock the motor was not or it was a 305, externally the 305 and 350 look the same the only way to know is by looking at the vin. And I do realize lots of people swap trannies and motors and that would be the only way to get one.

 

I'm not sure what year it was but in the later years there was 2 versions of the lb9 and the one with the 5 speed was a stronger motor I don't know what was different but they were only rated at like 10 HP less than the 350, I'm sure the 5 speed could make up for the 10 hp if not in speed for sure in fun.

 

heres my 86 sports coupe, i have the stock 2.8 and its got 211k on it, dont mind the blue mirror either, the original was busted so i took the mirror off my parts car., as for the guys above in the argument in the 350/manual combo, it didnt happen, plan and simple, there was never a 350 with a manual that came out stock from the factory, someone would either have to swap engines, or trannys.