Hi i have recently became the owner of a 1981 chevy camaro. It is in bad shape. all i really do know for sure is that is does that the original 305 V8 in it and is mising some parts. i am working on it by myself and i went to school for mechanics but never really got hands on exp or in depth on any certain car. i never really dealt with transmissions in school so this is an area i am really lacking.
I don't want to put something in this that will end up messing it up. I have plans to bore the 305 to a 350 and rebuild the engine obviously but i was wondering what kind of transmission i should put in and what transmission are compatible. i was also wondering if there were any good sites that i could get parts for my camaro. i have a lot of work ahead of me. the person i bought it off of used it for dirt track racing and jerry rigged everything. i would like to get this car to car show standards and race standards. any insight would be helpful!

Thank you all very much. Jeremy

 

y bother with a 305??? i understand its the original motor but its not worth the time or money to rebuild (well not to me) u could just stroke a 350 to a 383 have more power and a better motor. and as far as trannys go i would use a simple th350 but it all depends on have fast u want to go and what u want to do with it

 

welcome to the board Jeremy

first off i agree with hotrodz for the most part, 305 is not even worth boring original or not (just keep it to the side), the money you will spend on the rebuild you will be able to buy a 350 engine, not even sure if its possible to bore a 305 to 350 and if it is you will have to get a new set of heads cause your motor will blow after a month of daily driving (to much compression and carbon build up) and you might not be able to use pump gas (i just went through this).

plus it all depends on your budget, you can just put a cam, aluminum edelbrock performer intake and a good 4brrl carb in your 305 (it wont be the greatest in winning races but you'll have fun!).

but first if your not sure about what to do motor wise yet then you should take every single part/bolt off the car and replace with refurbished/new parts/bolts (considering you want show quality).

here are a few links to some good sites

http://www.summitracing.com/

http://www.edelbrock.com/automotive_...age_main.shtml

http://www.jegs.com/

but all that is just my $0.02, it's totally up to you and your pocket now.

good luck and don't give up

Joe

 

Welcome to the forum!
I'll just say ditto on doing anything to the 305, for the same reason; money. Just not worth the cost of trying to make it a 350, when a 350 would be cheaper.
If you could give some details of your budget and time frame, then I'd be able to give more info on what direction to take. But before you take any direction you should really get into your car's body and frame to ensure it's good enough to not suck your finances dry prior to even starting the rebuild. If it's got hidden rust that's too major, it wont be a candidate for a show car rebuild without lots of funds being spent.
Taking a good clean '81 Camaro to show car status can still run easily over $10k, even with you doing a lot of work yourself, and a number of years working weekends and evenings. It will be rewarding, but it's a big task.

 

Hello and thanks for the insight so far. i really have an unlimited time schedule. now since i have unlimited time schedule i have unlimited finances but my finances come in at a trickle. it will not be a daily driver in fact i really plan to only use it for shows or a little funn once its done. this car is also for my wife. so i am not looking to SUPREME POWER or faster then and airplane type thing. just a little fun. as far as body goes there is a little rust but nothing big the trunk will need replaced but i was going to custom fab that. i will be working on it tomorrow and i can pics for you all to see what i am working with maybe then you all can help me out as to my best route. i was even considering useing this car as a dummy car and getting another one which would be the really thing but...i don't really have the money to get another and i think the guy ripped me off on this one.

Out of curiousity anyone in pa? i live in york county.

 

The 305 can only be overbored the same basic amount as other engines can, which is measured in thousandths not inches. You can't bore it out 1/4" to turn it into a 350. If you want a 350, you need to start with a 350 based block.

 

Really? i didn't know that. thanks a lot. again to all of you i am still new to all the terminology and everything. i don't want to sink a hell of a lotta money into it. i bought it at 3k....(to much i think) and when i am dun i would like to have it value more then i spent.

 

Better stop now if you want the car to be worth more than you spend on it when you're done. It's almost impossible to get there from where you're starting. Now if you want to forget about it being worth more than what you put into it, then you can enjoy building a nice project.
It's not just your car that makes it worth less, it's pretty much every old car. It's much more common to get upside down in these rebuilds, even when a car is given to you when at the start.
Ask any car guy if he can get out of his car what he put into it, and the chances are he's either got really lucky, or owned it for a lot of years!
I'm sure not trying to discourage you, but rather encourage you to forge ahead, but don't plan to get in the black doing so.
Look forward to pics.

 

i understand what your saying and i am in it for the long hual no matter what and when it comes to the value i am not talking now. i plan on having this car till i die.

 

the sentimental value will be priceless, i love my car so much i talk to it when i work on it lol, and i still have a ways to go. had her for 10 yrs (only started working on it over the past winter here and there) but take a look at her, shes still my baby lol even all apart.

joe