gsmith

Hey guys, I bought my first Camaro back in December from some guy off Craigslist, and it apparently used to be a UTI project car. It runs and everything, although there are a few issues..but I plan on putting a lot of work into this car. Anyway, I wanted to know what type of engine I have in this car (pics shown below). All I know is that it's a carburator engine, 5.7L 350 V8. It's an aftermarket Edelbrock engine, but that's all I know. I'm not aware of what model it is, or the horsepower that it's packing. I cannot find an emissions sticker anywhere so I can't tell what engine this is. (And unfortunately, there is no computer in the car to take the diagnostic tests..which reallllly doesn't help me, it was probably taken out by one of the UTI students a while back).

I got the car for only $900, and since then I put some new tires on it and am currently changing up the interior. I have a short somewhere in the car that drains my battery if I don't unhook it when I turn the car off, along with an oil leak somewhere, and it's an electrical nightmare under the hood, but I really don't want to let this go if there's any hope (it's not even registered yet so I haven't had the chance to take it out for a spin lately), anyway, here are the pictures.











Any and all help is greatly appreciated! Thank you.

wrsjr

It doesn't look to be an Edelbrock engine. I dont think any Edel engine would factory valve covers.

If that's the kind of work UTI did, I sure as heck wouldn't want any of those jokers working on any thing I drive.

Ilike2stroke383

i went to wyotech. we call these cars "techorized". Just sell it. Its either gonna explode or kill me. Techers are retarded while in school, but if they actually finish the class, they must know their **** because the program is designed to only let you pass if you know what your doing.

Twin_Turbo

iTrader: (25)

Probably belonged to a cooking school specializing in spaghetti cuz that's what the wiring looks like.

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

An Edelbrock carb and intake does not an Edelbrock engine make.

plasmeh

iTrader: (10)

On a more constructive note...

It appears the engine was indeed swapped at one point, as evidenced by the red/orange engine paint. As mentioned, just because the engine has an Edelbrock intake and carb does not mean that the entire engine was produced by Edelbrock. From what I see, it looks like the normal cob-job crafter assembled the engine and threw it in the engine bay as fast as possible to get it on the road. There really is no telling what is in that thing. How does it run? Any track timeslips? Timeslips will give everyone a much better idea as to what kind of power that thing has. I know you haven't got it registered, so I realize timeslips are a long shot.

Pocket

iTrader: (24)

Truck accessories and center bolt valve covers suggest LO5. Pull a valve cover and check the head casting numbers

This is a pretty ugly swap though

gsmith

Dang, so I should really just let this thing go?..Thanks for all the feedback nonetheless. I will post pics of the exterior and interior of the car as well to get further opinions. I'll try to find out some more about the engine if possible..I know that it's aftermarket for sure. I'm curious to know how much I could sell the actual engine for itself (granted, I have absolutely NO idea how many miles are on this engine). I thought that I initially got a good deal on the car, talking the guy down from $1100 to $900..but now I'm starting to think that it's just gonna be a huge pain to work on, even though it would be my first time to work on a car like this. (I planned on rewiring practically all the components in the car and put a lot of time into it).

Ilike2stroke383

Dont fret! As long as the body dosent have any rust holes. Then it wont take long to have it running strong and fast. Engine rebuilds arent hard. Im guessing this engine has already been bored over once, so maybe just start with another block. Have it bored and maybe do a budget stroker build. I dont see a clutch master cylinder in the pics, so its a 700r4 most likely. Just do a rebuild kit on the tranny and add a shift kit. Maybe R and R the rear end, clean/replace the interior and you will have a fine clean vehicle. Also a budget paint job isnt hard either. Post pics of the car!

Mochotruck

I agree with pulling a valve cover and getting the number from the head, that way you can look up the specs on the head and kinda know what kind of power to expect out of them. I would also get the number off of the back of the block and look it up to find out what era the block is from and whether is a roller cam or not. You should be able to see that from the top with a flashlight.

Pocket

iTrader: (24)

Its not an aftermarket engine at that price. If the chassis, body and interior or decent then its well worth the $800. You can fix that mess under the hood yourself

Damon

Those are factory cast iron 87-up bolt pattern heads. Edelbrock never sold a crate engine with factory heads on it.

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

I'd say it's not a project for the faint of heart, but I wouldn't call it hopeless. Or extremely complicated.

If you're willing to pay attention to detail, it can be brought around.

(Although no carburetor is emissions legal in any of the 50 United States on a 1990 model year chassis.)

Grumbles

Well I can already see center intake manifold bolts so the chances of this thing having swirlie boat anchors is pretty good.

Pull covers and cross fingers.

EDIT: Dude don't let anything anybody says discourage you, if you could drive it home it was worth $900.

Pocket

iTrader: (24)

Ive driven quite a few 3rd gens worth alot less than $900. A running motor doesnt automatically set its value. For all he knows the floorboards could be wood and the rear hump completely cut out to remove the fuel pump. The quarters 1/2" thick in bondo and the dash harness a nightmare

Dont assume anything

Grumbles

Eh I'm from Arizona where 90% of the time a straight body is a straight body.

camaronewbie

OK - basics ...

Driver side, top of block, way in there where you can't really see it that well - there will be a casting number - like 6 digits - get us that number.

Pull a valve cover off and find us a casting number off a head.

Just because someone used ugly blue wire wraps on it, doesn't mean it's a waste - let's see what we've got before trashing it.

silentkillzr

iTrader: (2)

Get rid of that accel distributor stuff, my buddy informed me they like to start fires and such due to a bigger coil, i have just the cap on my car. Also find the other block numbers located behind the alternator, that can tell you what it is and include a partial vin from the car it was removed from.

z28freak84

Beat me to it.... Its an L05.....

Pocket

iTrader: (24)

Oil dipstick suggests it was from a van. Funny how they left the recently replaced reman AC compressor exposed so its now worthless beyond being a heavy idler

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

Could still be a 305.

gsmith

Sorry for the delay, I've been away from the house so I haven't been able to take any new pics of the car..I found a pic I posted on another website a few weeks ago, disregard the idiotic pose I'm doing, it's just a basic picture of my Camaro from the side..it definitely needs a wash lol..



I'll get some new pics soon, I'll take some of the interior and get some other exterior angles.

darkhorse91

oh man you should just give it to me. You have to drive it up here though. It looks decent. I would have taken it if I had the opportunity. just remember it's a project and not a finished product, so be patient and have some fun with the car making little things better until they all add up and you have a great ride.

BTW sexy spoon

gsmith

lol. Yeah I'm just holding a spoon to prove that it was me (it's a common practice at the misc forums I post at). Anyway, there are a few cosmetic issues with the car..some that I didn't even notice when I purchased it. There are a couple small dents right behind me on the passenger door, I have no idea how they got there, and I wish I could get them fixed..but I know cosmetic work can cost a lot. There is also some slight frame damage/scraping on the back of the car at the bottom, I'll take some pics of that. I can't wait to get this thing in perfect shape though, it's just gonna take a lot of time and work..

I have a short somewhere in the car, at least I believe so..I'm not sure how I'm gonna fix it, I wish I could do it all myself (I'm in a financial bind right now). Maybe I just need to start driving it a lot?..my friend had the same issue with his car and now his battery can hold a charge no problem (he just started driving it all the time and it seemed to fix itself..strange.) And I believe I have an oil leak somewhere, but I'm completely oblivious on how to fix that.

SSC

Looks nice except under the hood. I only have one suggestion and that would be do something with the electric fuel pump held on to the brake lines with zip ties. Thats just asking for a fire.

gsmith

What does the electric fuel pump and brake lines look like? Please excuse my ignorance, I'm really new to vehicle auto parts and this is the first car I ever purchased xD

On another note..I did some research on the L05 specs, this means that my car is barely pushing 200hp?! Dang..it sounds like a beast when it runs though, and feels like it's putting out a lot more power than the specs say..but I still have to find the serial number on the engine to confirm that it is in fact an L05. My friend said he thinks it may be modded somewhat but I'm not sure.

gsmith

What do you mean by this? The engine itself is worthless?

Quick_Trans_Am

iTrader: (2)

He's referring to the Air Conditioning compressor ports being left open and exposed, which can wreck the compressor.

86 LT1

Car not bad,engine bay creative hopefully the rest of the wiring isnt hacked as bad,not sure why vac line from 600 edelbrock to pcv valve is lookin sucked shut and why a mechanical fuel pump wasnt used but the blue conveluted tubings Classy! if its a truck or van engine its a good possibility its a 4 bolt main block so thats good

gsmith

What's a 4 bolt main block? And why would it be good? (just curious).

86 LT1

4 bolts on main caps stronger than 2 bolt it makes for a good foundation if you ever wanna make some real serious power

//<86TA>\\

iTrader: (15)

are you holding a spoon

gsmith

Yes, it's a spoon pic (I know, it's stupid), it's just a common practice on another forum I post at, where I was asked to post a spoon pic with my car (for "actuality"). lol. Disregard it.

Pocket

iTrader: (24)

Yup, if any dirt or grit gets in there, the compressor is toast. I only mentioned it because compressors are rather expensive and it looks pretty recent

Not really. Splayed 2 bolts are stronger and anyone pushing the power to NEED a stronger block will already be hunting a 2 bolt to convert. Its a selling point anymore

Being a truck engine, it can be either 2 or 4 bolt main depending on the original weight rating. Youd have to drop the pan to find out. In the mean time youll never know the difference

The spoon is rather strange...

gsmith

I have no idea how I'm gonna fix any of that stuff..what will I have to do for the compressor?

And what kind of mods can I do to the engine to increase horsepower and torque? I don't have a limiter on my engine, but I've never tried to test out it's top speed..I really have no idea how much power this is pushing.

Quick_Trans_Am

iTrader: (2)

You're only going to have to address the compressor if you plan on having functional air conditioning in the vehicle. From the looks of it, The lines are gone, and the dryer has been left exposed to the elements. From the appearance of the wiring in the pictures, your air conditioning wiring is probably long gone. You will at least need a new dryer (the aluminum canister looking thing sitting near the firewall) and new lines, along with at least having that compressor tested for functionality, if not replacing it completely. If you decide against restoring the air conditioning system, the existing compressor will not harm anything, as it's just a pulley spinning until the compressor clutch engages. It would probably be in your best interests to at least cap off the ports on the rear of the compressor.

InfernalVortex

iTrader: (4)

Dude pull the valve covers and get the head casting numbers. That will tell you 90 percent of what you need to know.

Pocket

iTrader: (24)

Lets address the wiring and fuel system before opening the mod bag. It would also be a good idea to pull a valve cover and get the casting number. Modding a mystery motor can get tricky

gsmith

What exactly are the valve covers and how do I go about pulling them off?

InfernalVortex

iTrader: (4)

Hmmm you're either gonna sell this car or it's going to teach you a whole lot I think.

Just embrace it. I think a running thirdgen that's reasonably straight like yours for $900 is a deal anyawy. Even if it's a crappy truck engine it's still as fast as half the thirdgen v8s anyway. Not exactly a downgrade other than dealing with the carb.

The valvecovers are the covers on the cylinder heads.

Take off the air filter. You know what the carb looks like. The thing the carb is mounted to, that's the intake. The intake bolts on each side to the cylinder heads. Pointed up and to the left on the passenger side and and up and to the right on the driver's side on top of the cylinder heads are your valve covers.

Here's my car with the valve covers off:



You can actually see the valve covers on each fender.

Dont be confused, my valve covers are dfiferent than yours, and my rocker arms (all those things under the valve covers) look way different than yours.

This is the top of a cylinder head without the rockers and springs and studs or anything on it... but this is the surface you'll see when you look down into it. Look for a number like this. The big number that ends in 416 is the casting number. Those are 416 heads. You need to look at yours and find the 7 or whatever digit number it is, and remember the last 3 digits.



You may want to do it to both sides just to make sure they match, but that's up to you. If you only do one, just pick the side of the engine that has the least crap in the way. It's just 4 bolts. Pull those off, and try not to damage the gasket as you remove them. If it leaks it's not a huge deal just get new gaskets - you know how to do it.

It's really very easy, and it's hard to damage anything by doing it. Just dont let a bunch of trash get into it. Dont pull them off while your neighbor's mowing his lawn that's mostly sand or anything. Will take you at most 15 minutes. Just put everything back the way you found it. If you remove any plug wires, label which cyl they went to or which terminal on the dist they went to. That kind of thing.

cashusclay89

I know everyone is telling you to pull the motor and fix it...which is a good plan to..Lol I bought a 87 iroc for 900 after talking him down from 1100 too...but the motor was still the tpi 305 but man did the mexican **** it up..never seen home depot nuts holding down my rocker arms and also my heads were from an 86 my lower tpi intake an 87 so different bolt holes and they just keep tightening the bold and now the intake is all ****ed up and the block is casteded as an 87 and up but I'm not machined for roller lifter like its supposed to maybe it was a federal block i dont know but good luck...and You have some fun in that beast nothing compare to driving a camaro or firebird

danziger

Looks like a good project to me! Be thankful for the Internet and all the help you can get off this site. When I was learning about cars, it was all word-of-mouth or trial and error... If the body is straight and the car runs/drives, you got a bargain for $900!

gsmith

Bump. I just got back to the house where my car is at but I can't even find a way to take the valve covers off. I did find out that I have an Edelbrock Performer on the engine (a 1405 edelbrock carb..the number is 1405 7268). What exactly is this?..and what does it do for my engine? Thanks.

naf

iTrader: (7)

The performer intake isn't much more than a stock style replacement. The edelbrock carb is a shinier carb that doesn't, IMO anyway, provide any benefits over a stock style qjet. Your original TBI induction system was, however, improved by installing a four-barrel intake and carb-if the carb is tuned correctly. Just not really an improvement over the stock manifold and qjet that would have been on earlier models.

The four bolts in the center of each valve cover can be removed and the cover lifted off. You may have to move/temporarily relocate some hoses/wires/etc.

beachbummer

Your power draining issue is more than likely from the rear hatch latch being broken and letting the motor run check back there after you cut the car off and see if you can here it running.

gsmith

How would I go about fixing the rear hatch latch? (Are you referring to the trunk or a component in the engine? Please excuse my ignorance on auto parts lol.)

DeuceNC

There's a motor in the hatch that pulls the trunk shut nice and tight. If something is wrong with it and it runs constantly, it'll kill your battery. Just go back there and listen when the battery has a charge, you'll hear it. Its right where the trunk latches down.

gsmith

Bump.

I got in contact with the original owner of the Camaro, and he was the one that built the car (it apparently used to be a junkyard car lol). Anyway, he was the one from UTI that assembled the engine. He told me that my Camaro actually has a Vortec 5700 engine that's modded, fully boarded out, shaved heads, etc. And that the total horsepower is at 370 right now. lol. That's a lot more powerful than I originally thought. He would have no reason to lie to me about it, he's not getting anything from it lol. So I'm guessing I got a pretty great deal on the car, the engine/transmission must be worth at least twice what I paid for the car itself.

But yeah, I just wanted to share that information. He said he used to race this thing a couple years ago when he had it and he wish he didn't let it go to the guy before me.

Also, I got a new black leather seat set from a 4th gen that I just finished installing today, the interior looks 10x better now! I'll post pics soon.

Doom86

Check the casting numbers already and then go from there. One thing you need to know is that a lot of these cars sold as "350's" magically turn into 305s when you check the casting number.

It's really easy to do you are over complicating it. Take the bolts out of the valve covers and they come right off. You might even find your mystery oil leak is a faulty valve cover gasket. Having a mystery oil leak on a newly "rebuilt" engine is enough to make me question everything the builder says.

gsmith

?

I didn't really understand this post. Lying to me would serve no purpose for the guy that built the engine. He swapped the Vortec out from a GMC truck and modded it out. It's definitely a 350 for sure. I verified that it was a Vortec 5700. What am I over complicating?..

And I'm not positive that there is an oil leak anywhere.