Hello, I am new here and thinking about buying a 1986 Camaro IROC. I have never owned a camaro in my life so I know nothing about them. But I saw this one for sale on a local site it has now motor or tranny but it is suppose to have everything else including all interior and it is a T top the car is in primmer. They are wanting $300 for it. It sounds like a good deal to me. Anyways I am wanting to fix the car up and get 400+ HP if I can without breaking the bank. Somebody told me I could drop a 350 in it and a 350 turbo tranny and make a few adjustments and have a heck of a motor for around 1200. Does this sound accurate to you? I am also curious what engine you would put in the car and how much I am going to end up having to spend to reach my goal if nothing goes wrong with the car. Thank you.

 

Well newbie, I always seem to be the guy answering this question so here goes....finding a engine and transmission in good working order for 1200 bucks will take some research and dumb luck. There are a whole slew of electronic issues you need to consider depending on if you run a carbed motor or some kind of electronic fuel delivery. It will NOT however, be a heck of a motor for that price. 400 HP is going to require a good carb or injection, an aftermarket intake, a cam, and most importantly, a set of heads. Heads, either new or used and cleaned up and machined will run you 500-1500 bucks. Trust me...even if you get a killer deal on a set of heads...they will at least need to be rebuilt.

If you can find an honest, running 350 and a transmission for 600-1000 bucks (they may be cheaper by you, parts get a premium where I live) you may be able to start with a 250 HP engine. Again, HP numbers vary greatly on year and make....but the average mid 80's donor engine will probably be no more than 250 hp.

How much are you going to spend? Well, figure out your budget. How much can you afford to put into it?........Now take that figure........AND DOUBLE IT. Im not kidding. Anybody here will tell you that most any project costs about twice what you expected due to all sorts of unexpected reasons.

IF you are willing to do a ton of work finding a compatible donor motor and understand that 400 HP is going to take tons of cash and time (or you are willing to live with a lower HP amount) then 300 bucks for the car sounds worth it. You have been warned....this will be no small undertaking.