oldschoolrodder

I can't believe that I am actually sitting here reading these post and getting the fever again. My wife is going to flip! I am an old school hot roder ie: 67 camaro, 69Z28, 71 Monte Carlo..etc. All of my past prodjects seem to pale in comparrison to the one I am currently formulating. I own a beautiful 2.8 electric blue, t-tops, centerline wheels, 63,000 original mile, interior perfect, winter cracked my block, Camaro RS. Hate the 2.8 ! From what I have read, this is my plan of attack. Let me know if I leave anything out.
1. V8 TPI + mounts + exhaust manifolds + y-pipe
2.700R4 + yoke + crossmember + driveshaft
3.CPU and harness (complete from engine to dash and CPU, and I plan on getting the gauges)
4.Maybe a bracket from jegs for the trailing arm
5. Perhaps a fuel tank from a Z28 and put in a new fuel pump
6.New Z28 front springs
7. Z28 Radiator
*. Z28 Air induction system (wonder if my v6 ram air will work?)
8. AC hoses from Z28
I think the list goes on but feel free to add on. I am quiet sure there are more to add. Haven't built a Rod for many years but I think I like the challenge this one presents. Gonna pull my chevey into the garage, pull the engine and tranny, put it about 3 feet off the floor and dismantle the front end from nose to firewall. Hmmmm, at 41 years old have I lost my marbles? Good reading on these boards guys. Thanks for the info.

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

Old? You're three years younger than I was when I started mine!

Your list is fairly good, but #4 isn't required if you get a TH700R4 that already has the torque arm mount. You didn't say what year your RS is or what tranny you have, but if it has the TH700, a V8 tranny is all you need from #2.

For #5, you need the fuel pump from a TPI, but not the tank. If your 2.8 is MPFI, you're already set. If not, you could also get an external pump to put in-line.

To #1, add catalytic convertor and cat back. The V6 stuff is too small for a V8.

For #*.(sic), I doubt the v6 stuff will fit, but you may be able to modify it. Better to get it from the V8 TPI donor car.

You should consider upgrading your front sway bar to take the extra weight. My V6 car was also missing some frame braces, particularly at the front crossmember - the holes were there, and the self-tapping bolts from the donor car went in just fine with the 1/2" impact.

You'll also need to replace or reroute the front brake line that goes across the front crossmember. Those front engine mount bolts are a bear to get to unless the A-arms are dropped down - I'd recommend replacing the springs and engine mounts at the same time (will require a spring compressor since the engine weight will be gone).

Add sensors to #3 (just keep them attached to the donor harness). Get the charcoal canister w/hoses et al; accelerator, cruise and TV cable from a TPI donor car as well. You'll also need the brackets for alternator, PS pump, AC compressor, and smog pump (and probably one or two of those accessories), as well as power steering hoses for the V8. Obviously radiator & heater hoses, battery cables.

This is a big project, and I typically tell people there has to be something pretty special about your V6 car to make it worth while. But, you're a big boy, been around the block a time or two, so I'd say, go for it. Take pictures of each before you start, label everything as you take it apart (both cars), and have some fun!


P.S.: How many of those "old school" rods do you still have? All, I hope...

P.P.S.: There's only one known cure for "the fever" - garage therapy!

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82 Berlinetta, orig V-6 car, now w/86 LG4/TH700R. 2.93 limited slip. Cat-back from '91 GTA, Accel HEI SuperCoil. AMSOIL syn lubes bumper-to-bumper. Daily driver, work-in-progress (LG4 w/LB9 block, ZZ3 cam and intake, WP 305 heads ported & polished, Hooker headers & y-pipe, hi-flow cat).
57 Bel Air, my 1st car. 0.030 over 396, Weiand Action+, Edelbrock 1901 Q-Jet, Jacobs Omnipack, 1-3/4" headers, TH400 w/TCI Sat Night Special conv & shift kit, 3.08 10-bolt, AMSOIL syn lubes bumper-to-bumper. Best 15.1 @ 5800' Bandimere. Daily driver while Camaro was being put together.

oldschoolrodder

Thanks five7kid, what are these frame braces I read so much about? My RS is an 89 with the 200 whatever it is trans. Kind of like a sheep in wolves clothing. I would assume the carb swap to be the most straight foward but, where's the fun in that? Anyway, I like the responsivness and dependability that fuel injection offers. I have to report that through the years I am down to but two chevys. My Camaro and the wife's 99 malibu grocery getter. I did however just part with a 1978 Trans Am black and gold. That car was a lot of fun. One interesting note. My neighbors son drove over the other day in an S10 conversion. It needs some attention to run like it should but we are planning a tune up and a few carb adjustments which should help. Gonna tinker with the timing a bit. I thought maybe the 700 trans would come with the bracket I need. I think headers would be in order. I remember when a man could buy a set of decent street headers from hooker for around $69.00 and tax but that was about $300.00 ago. I dunno, I want to stay as close to factory as I can so probably just buy new stuff from the manifolds on back. I live in Ky. and we have no inspections here so staying smog legal isn't an issue. It sounds like a lot of parts but I am thinking that one just needs to pay special attention to the small stuff that could come back and bite one's rear in the midst of this thing. Well, must sweet talk the wife a bit, maybe massage her over to my way of thinking this valentines day? Oh, heck, she enjoys it as much as I do once the initial shock wears off and she realizes that I have been living in the garage for a month. Maybe she will even bring me a cold one from time to time? Have fun in that Camaro.

Chris Sartori

Hello from Lexington,
Just reading your post about the swap you want to do and thought I would drop you a line. I live in Lexington (Just down the block). I have a 305TBI 88 Camaro and want to put a 350TPI in it. Having trouble finding a donor car. When you dont need one they are everywhere. When you are looking they all dissapear. One really great book I ordered online that has a wealth of information is "TPI Fuel Injection Swapper's Guide" By John Baechtel ISBN 1-884089-12-7
Good luck on your project! If you find more than one donor car email me please!

Good Luck!
KyRenegade

'87FAKE-IROC-Z

Hey there.
I did a similar swap. I put a TPI 305 out of an '87 IROC-Z in my '88 RS. It was also a 2.8 crap-house!
You have everything well planned I think.
One problem that i ran into on my swap was with the wiring harnesses (did i spell that right?)
Anyway, we pulled the engine out complete with the harness still atached. The part were it wanders over to the driver's side of the firewall and goes into that big connector, was my problem.
The connectors are the same type, but i found that the way the individual wires were layed out was different. so i had a wire coming from the engine that had no mate, and vise-versa. You could fix this by finding out which wire goes to which wire and move them around in the connector.
On that firewall conector there is a conector for the engine harness and another for the lights that go into the firewall. These 2 snap together and are held in to the firewall by a small bolt in the middle, i think a 5.5mm. I found that the lights connector was matched up however, so it stayed.
So in my swap i had to go and swap out the entire dash harness as well! That is a CHORE!
It is easier to remove the whole dash assembly and do it out of the car.
Another point of concern was that on the other end of the dash harness, by the computer, there is a clear plastic connector that the V6 harness had, the V8 harness did not. so that connector would not work, disabling whatever it controlled.
Off the top of my head i can't think of anything else.
Oh yea. you might need to get the dual fan set-up and harness. there is a small, maybe 2 foot long harness that controls the fans, it goes into the engine harness by the battery.
I hope this hasn't scared you, but i know you are probobly like me, and will forge ahead for the sake of performance.
And if all goes well, maybe you won't run into these problems because you are working with a different year model.
Anyway, best of luck to ya!
Damn the 2.8!

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88 CAMARO RS
87 IROC-Z DRIVETRAIN
305 TPI, 700R4, 3.73s
ported plenum, performance resource chip,edelbrock TES Headers and cat-back, K&Ns, AFPR, rest is stock.
15.0 @ 92.5 (bald tires)

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

The frame braces you keep hearing about are probably sub-frame connectors - not necessary for the swap, but a very good idea.

The frame braces I was talking about are small triangle-shaped pieces bolted between the frame and front crossmember. May not be critical (or even missing from yours), but I figured anything that stabilizes things is probably a good thing.

Headers: Boy, they are expensive for us. You could probably get away with non-AIR types, but you want the O2 sensor mount so the computer has a clue. And, y-pipe is necessary, so the $350-$600 or so total comes out as money well spent. Full-length might perform better for a race car, but for a street driver, probably best to stick with the shorties.

Too bad about the 69Z. Oh, the cars we wish we still had...

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

You sure you have a TH200?

slayer2000

iTrader: (1)

hey man, I've got the same deal going. My car is a 89 rs with a 2.8 V-sick. I already had a mild 350 and I bought a used tpi setup for it. your car should have alot of what you need on it. your trans is probably a 700 because I don't believe the 200 was offered in a camaro but I could be wrong. the main difference between the 2.8 trans and V8 trans is the mounting face. that being said the torqe arm mount should fit fine. The harness I got was the complete unit out of the donor car so I think I can just unplug my old one and plug in my new one pretty easy. I'm also from ashland so maybe we'll get a chance to run against each other come summer.

slayer2000

iTrader: (1)

by the way I don't think a y pipe is nessasary. I'm running a pair of flowtech shorty headers and a custom exhaust.

oldschoolrodder

Slayer, Actually I am from Westwood. I really don't have a clue as to what trans I have. It does have overdrive. I haven't looked at a chilton's for this car as most of mine don't go up to cover my car. Perhaps I will buy a manual this weekend and do some research. I just assumed that since this car has the 2.8 v6 from factory and with my luck it came with all the slow go stuff, tranny and all. Whats the identifying features that one could tell if the trans is a 700 or 200? And...how could it bolt up to a 350 if it is a 700R4? Think I am gonna carb my Camaro. I haven't delt with TPI/ECM transplants but I do understand Carbs very well.

Keith5

You have a 700 if it has the original 89 trans, but you still can't use it with a v8 because it has a different bolt pattern, plus it's weaker anyway, but you can bolt a v8 700 right in I would think


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1989 Pontiac Firebird Formula LO3 Auto
-180 degree stat
-Hooker Cat-Back
*****Possible summer '01 mods*****
Open Element, Auburn Posi, Keyless Entry, wonder Bar off the IROC, 4th gen seats, T/A tail lights

1985 Camaro IROC-Z LB9 Auto
http://www.geocities.com/krt80/