I have a question for you 2nd gen owners. Can I get a reliable 2nd gen together for 8000 or less. I have been looking at 2nd and 3rd gen but 2nd generation is my favorite in terms of look. It is not a question of if I will get one but when. I do about 45 total miles each day and rarely drive on the weekends. My question is would it be possible to buy a project car and get it up to snuff (reliable) and get around 15 mpg in the city? I can run a manual or overdrive transmission if they have conversions. I know that would be asking for a lot out of a 350turbo.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. If anyone with some wisdom has time to talk with me on an evening that would be wonderful too. My phone number is 97.741.5964. We can text as well.

 

My answer depends on several things. First is what you pay for the car you start with, and what condition it's in. 2nd is how finished you might want the body and paint to be. Finish wont add to reliability, so you can have a very reliable car, yet still not look perfect. And lastly, how much skill you possess, and how much of the work can you do?
I see a lot of inexpensive 2nd gens on my local craigslist, and they can be purchased as runner/drivers for under $4,000 often, if you're looking for '74 or newer 2nd gen Camaros. Earlier '70-'73 always get a lot more money for equal condition cars.
You can easily get 15 mpg on the highway, even with a TH350 of 4 speed, if your engine isn't too radical, and your gear ratio is around 3.08 or taller. Start building the engine up, and going lower rear gear ratios, and your mileage will go down quickly. My '71 with a 427 BBC, and TH350, with 3.31 gears still got 12-13 mpg on highway trips when I held the throttle steady. Start playing, and the mileage goes away quickly. My little Austin with a well built 355, with twin Holley 450 carbs, a tunnel ram intake, TH350, and 3.73 gears, still gets over 20 mpg just cruising on the freeway, but it's 1,000 pounds lighter than a 2nd gen Camaro.

 

Literally lots of nice late 2nd gens here for well under your budget! You could buy a plane ticket here, and still be under your $8k budget to drive one home!

1979's
portland cars & trucks - by owner "1979 camaro" - craigslist

1980's
portland cars & trucks - by owner "1980 camaro" - craigslist

1981's
portland cars & trucks - by owner "1981 camaro" - craigslist

 

I have a dirt track racing background so I have a good community of engine builder and I have built several myself. have transmission connections as well with a 350 turbo. I have a friend who builds rear ends as well. I can do all of the installation stuff myself.

Do you think it would be possible to get 15 in the city with very easy driving. I have to ask because I have no experience at all with this.

In the future, gas mileage will not be as big of a deal but I am preparing for a future of high gas prices. Does anyone ever put automatic overdrive transmissions in their cars? I am not looking for a powerhouse at this point in time. I just love the lines of this era. I will concentrate on reliability and then looks. I will definitely make sure that there is not rust though.

I would love to speak with someone about their build for cost perspective and outcome perspective.

 

I guess I should add that I am open to spending all of it upfront to buy a decent car that I can work on slowly as I get more money or I am also willing to get something that runs that needs work that is in the 4000 range you speak of.

I am not expecting a show car by any means. I just want the car to be protected from the weather so that I can turn it into something really nice one day and keep it free from rust.

I just really don't like owning something that I don't drive daily. my kids are almost 3 and 5 so we are at booster seat age right now but they rarely ride with me.

 

I have an automatic with over drive in my 1970. Junk the TH350 or TH400 for a 700R4, or a 4L60, 4L65, 4L80, or get real fancy and go with like a 6L65.

My 4L80 is full manual shift, no electronics, i cruise on the highway real nice with my 3.73s in the rear

 

I have not heard of the 480L. What kind of hp/tq can it handle? You say it is a manual transmission? I will do some research on it to find out how easy they are to get and how much they cost. Thanks for the input!

What do you do about the electronics on the transmissions? My dirt-track history has very little wiring in it. lol FWIW...I do hate computers in my cars.

 

No a 4L80 is an automatic, it is what is used in large gas powered and some diesel powered GM trucks. I have one in my Motorhome, and I have a 4L65 in my Avalanche i believe. My mom has a 6L65 i believe in her '14 GMC 1500.

My transmission in my Camaro is built for 1200HP and is full manual valve body, no electronics whatsoever. This is custom done from 700R4, 700 Raptor Transmission from PATC, 700R4 4L60E 48RE 4L80E. I have a 572cu/in motor with 620HP/650Ft lbs in my 70 and it seems to be holding fine.

My history is probably off here but i believe a 4L60e was an electronic version of the 700R4, and the 4L80 is a beefier version of the 4L60. All the "e" means is electronic, but like i said, i don't have any electronics in mine. I also am guessing fuel mileage to be more around the 4mpg mark

I guess i should add, if you don't go with manual valve bodies on those newer transmissions there are several companies that make shift modules for them. The only negative that i know for my 4L80, is that it is a notorious power soak, I looked past that because i wanted a tranny that i could beat on everyday and have it hold together.

 

An OD trans is great, and especially so on a car that sees some highway driving. If you rarely get out on the highway, you wont benefit from the OD trans, as it wont be using OD around town.
A 350 SBC can be built to get 15 mpg, but it will be tough to get in city driving, even with a taller gear set like 3.08 ratio. Things to keep in mind are your cam choice, and keeping the duration and overlap to a lower number. You can go to about .450-.460 lift, and short duration, and build an engine that has decent response, but still gets decent mileage. Don't go too large on the carb either. Stay with a 500-600 cfm maximum, and vacuum secondary to help with mileage. Things like headers and free flowing exhaust will also help the engine breath, and help mileage. Good heads wont hurt mileage either, as long as you don't go too large, and hurt performance. Smog heads wont work well, but runners over 195cc will not work with a mild built 350 either.

 

Thank you for the tips. I would definitely get a smaller cam to start out with and a smaller CFM 4 barrel. What kind of heads would you recommend. Are you thinking aftermarket or stock. What size intake runners would you recommend? 165 or 180? I have never built a motor with fuel consumption in mind. It has always been for torque. I am thinking long term this time though and not about racing. All of the help thus far has been great.