I just got a 92 camaro rs 305 auto that the engine is locked up. I want to autocross this car next year and would be the first time ever doing so. What is going to be the best engine swap to keep competitive while i can save for suspension upgrades. I have a 305 out of a 87 truck that i could use to stay in the stock class but that would make so i would have to do another engine swap once i get more suspension upgrades. Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

What you do with the car depends first on if you want to stay in a particular class so you'll have to follow those rules. Second, unless you are a VERY good driver you are not going to be competitive regardless of what engine you have. I'd say get the car running and drive it as is until you learn to drive the car to its current limits. Save your money for allowable suspension upgrades and forget the engine for now.

 

i agree run the car stock for awhile all the power in the world isnt gona make you faster if you cant handle the car as is now. the weekend after i got my 92 z28 i autox it with bone stock motor only thing the car had was a 80 series flowmaster. i had a total of 7 runs that day with just changing the way i drove and tire presures i lowered my time by 6 or 7 secs. about a month later i put a 3in carback on bumped up timing and swaped out the worn stock springs and took it out and it was a completely diffrent car but was a HOT day and had cooling issues so dint get any good runs in. think about it though most of the cars that I see do well are cars with fairly stock motors like miatas and such with drivers that have had YEARS of seat time. one of my good friends autox a miata with basic bolt ons and most all of the suspension mods with good tires and given i kill him in a straight line he runs consistantly 10-15sec faster than me but again he has been racing and dd that car for about 8years lol. i use to autox with a 98 camaro and id awful my first time out but after a few events i was normaly in the top 3 of the g stock class. i kept the car bone stock.

 

a bigger upgrade would be a new set of tires! didnt realize how bad my tires were until my first autox event (and yes i was conservative with the pedal). get an extra set of rims with the tires so they don't wear out so quickly.

 

I agree tires are a world of diffrence

 

Find out what the class winners are using and try to get as close to them as you can afford. And as said only use them on the track because they are expensive and ware out fast. A season, maybe two is about the best you can hope for depending on how aggressive you are.

 

How many AutoX meets do you consider "A season"? We do a meet every month around here, and I'm wanting to participate, but I cant afford to chew up my street rubber.

 

For most people once a month in the Summer maybe 7 to 9 days total is probably about it. If you get into it more you can join multiple clubs and/or travel to SCCA meets. I started with cheap used tires to get going. I now have a set of 17" rims with 275/40 tires just for the track. Depending on tires and how aggressive you are a set of tires should last at least a season maybe two. Even three if they're a bit harder. The better you get as a driver and the stickier the tires the quicker they'll wear out. Don't worry about your street tires initially. They'll be OK for a few times to at least get you on the track. That's the main thing. Unless you've raced before your first few times out you won't wear the tires that much. You'll be amazed/shocked/depressed at how quickly they get destroyed after you've driven for a season and can start to push the limits.

 

sshook,

Actually, that engine swap would, according to SCCA stock-class rules be deemed an engine swap, and you'd get bumped to another class with a higher preparation level. If you swapped _everything_ attached to the truck engine into the Camaro you'd be okay for Street Prepared, but sharing parts between the Camaro and truck will land you in Prepared class. It's the way the rules are written. You'd probably be eligible for a Street Tire class, though, as they allow a few bolt-on parts. As others have said, though, you'll be out-driven the first few times out, even if you have talent.

Go ahead and get the car running, and seek help from the tech people at your local events. It depends a lot on how serious your competitors are, and they can offer some insight to that, as well as look the car over to determine the best class for you. Your local region may also have a 'Rookie' or "novice' class that allows people to get their feet wet without 'swimming with the sharks'.

I'd use the car as-is, doing little more than keeping it dependable and keeping the fluids fresh in it and run it on STREET TIRES for at least a year before even thinking about dedicated R-compound autocross tires. Those tires are a lot stickier, but their higher level of traction can mask a lot of driver errors. Learn how the car handles as-is, on street tires, and improve your skills at the lower traction levels of those street tires first. It'll take time, but you'll be a much better driver for it.

After a year of driving, you may determine you want to drive something different anyway, so dedicated autocross tires and wheels would be a waste of money. While you're learning the ropes, also get a hold of the SCCA autocross rule book and start studying that.

http://scca.cdn.racersites.com/prod/...lo%20Rules.pdf

Installing the wrong part can bump you to another class you don't want to be in. I'm talking stuff as simple as a shifter ****, or CAI.

Most of all, have fun!

 

So you haven't commented on any of the comments people made... do you want to be competitive in some class or do you just want to run? I've raced, both autox and drag for years having fun without getting tied up in a specific class, but just had fun seeing what I can do with what I had (and got pretty crazy with logging changes and how different things affected my performance...).

Anyway, the point is that if you want to be competitive in a class then you have to build for the rules of that class, period. Currently I don't know that a 3rd gen would really be competitive anyway in the stock class it would be allowed in, and in no way ready are you going to be ready to race in a prepared class.

If you're serious about either then just swap the engine that fits the class you ultimately want to run in and accept the fact that you're not going to be competitive next year, just run to have fun and get practice.

If you just want to run it and not necessary compete then just get something in it that runs, it really doesn't matter what, and then register as "non comp" and go. There is no reason why you have to compete when you go out, for that matter, I'd bet that most of the people registered for specific classes out there are not really competing either, they just felt that if they're going to be there they need to register for something that fits.

 

Seat time is everything, try to build a reliable car and get a set of all season performance tires and have at it. If you want to swap in a 350 i would look at the ESP class, you can do a lot of mods and still run with a group of similarly prepared cars. But at first it doesn't matter what class your in just get out there and learn on Street tires then upgrade to better tires as you get more seat time, and learn the limits of the car. and most importantly Drop the hammer and have FUN!

Heres me in my 1991 Firebird at a SCCA AutoX in Packwood wa sept 2011
http://youtu.be/KExoQjdfxPI