Hello

I will start this out by saying I am pretty ignorant about engines and general automotive upgrades.

Here is my situation.

I have a 1986 Camaro Berlinetta Automatic with Overdrive.

I am not sure which engine I have in the car, I can only guess it is a stock engine which I think is a V6.

Like I said I am ignorant when it comes to engines and such.

So I should be getting some money this year or next and since I am on a budget of sorts I was wanting to upgrade my car. I thought about getting a newer used car but figured I would rather upgrade the camaro for about the same amount of money.

I would like to upgrade the motor to a motor that has anywhere from 250-350 Horsepower. Probably the lower end of that spectrum since I don't want to hit the gas pedal and have to fill up the tank at the gas station.

I would prefer a new engine or remanufactured engine instead of a rebuilt engine.

So what I need to know is what size engines would fit my camaro (remember it is an automatic and I would prefer to keep it as an automatic). I don't know what size or style I would need or would fit my car.

I have been to some websites (jegs, Jasperengines, GM Performance) and have no clue as to what I should be looking at so it is frustrating.

If I could get a basic list or idea of what engines would fit my car or what engines I should NOT be looking at it may make things a great deal easier.

Thanks in advance for any help you could provide.

 

the problem you are going to have is , if its a V6 car everything under the hood is different for a V6 than a V8. engine , mounts, exhaust, radiator, transmission, wiring , belts , hoses, and everything else is all different. if it's a 305 car (the berlinetta could have a 305) then unbolt the old engine, and bolt in the new engine. if the car is a V8 car any small block chevy engine will bolt in , most crate engines are 350 or 383's i would go with a 350 to keep cost down and 350hp is easy tomake with a 350 i would suggest a turn key crate engine from GMPP. they have some that come with water pump,balancer,pullies, starter,distributor,wires,plugs,carb, and air cleaner. that would be your best bet since it's a complete package. you just have to remember you will have upgrade the exhaust, and make sure the trans is in good shape (and possilby install a aftermarket torque converter)

 

my camaro will be runnin about 425hp to the wheel. and still atleast 15mpg dude trust me its how u do it and how u drive it.

 

29 Hits and you all missed the golden oportunity. Brian,you say you aren't mechanically inclined. Dont feel bad, we ALL started somewhere. Do you have a tool set? Do you want to do this yourself or have a shop do it? I would recommend doing it yourself, hey you gotta learn somehow right. One good thing is that there is a ton of knowledge on this site and we can help every step of the way. So, let me ask you this, how many spark plugs does it have? Consider this the equivelant of taking the wrong pill in the matrix. If you decide to go out to the car and try to figure it out; you will go down a greasy, bloody ( a little), dirty, cussing, kicking the dog, beer drinking, late night, pissing off the wife road.Otherwise you will be leadto a boring auto shop and an empty wallet and no true sence of completion but, you will be happy. Sorry for the dramatic effect guys. OR I could be reading this whole thing wrong and just wasted a perfectly good soap box tangent. either way have fun

 

Yeah count the spark plugs and let us know what you have,and you can take som pics and we can tell you. You may have a V8. in that case you just may have to rebuild,and throw on a few bolt on's. if not then you would want a 350. Since you aren't wanting a ton of power you can toss in a good rebuilt motor for cheap. Pick up a few hot rod mag's and a chilton manuel and start reading. the more that you do the more you will start to understand.

 

Thanks for the replies they are greatly appreciated.

A few things.

I did not get a chance to check the forums out until after I got to work this morning.

I will check to see the number of spark plugs when I get home.

I did grab the manual and take it in my office this morning to see if there was anything in there to indicate if it was a 2.8 V6 or the 305 5.0 V8.

Of course I found out the manual is just a base manual for the Camaro and so it lists all the different engines for that year.

However there was a receipt in the manual for a part that the previous owner had bought back in 01.
It gives the part name and price but right above that it reads 1986 Chevy Camaro 305 CI/5.0L V8.

Now as I said I have not gotten a chance to check the engine / sparkplugs but this news is encouraging and I am hoping it is indeed a V8 engine to save me some trouble as I could get a new V8 without having to have everything changed.

I was looking at the Jegs site and seen a couple of GM Performance 350ci Turn Key engines of interest ranging from 330-355 HP. I don't think I want to go over that.

I will probably have some questions later but I will start learning through all of this.

 

Yep it is a V-8

I checked the number of spark plugs and there were 27...kidding there were 8.

So it appears that it is the 305 5.0L V-8.

So I think when the money comes in I will wind up looking at the 350ci 330 HPGMPP engine

I am not sure which of these are better.

Number 1

Number 2

OR should I go with the 350hp Ram Jet PFI.

Number 3

 

go with the second one, it already has everything you need , just bolt it in and go , but make sure your trans is up to the task. the 86 700R4 (which is what you have) had a weak input shaft and shifted like a slushbox. you will also need to upgrade the exhaust while your there . get some GOOD (i mean name brand , not shome cheap $100) headers with 1 3/4" primary tubes and 3" collectors. you can get off the shelf exhaust (flowmasters , borla, hooker , your choice) cat back exhaust and be rockin. i would also suggest a small stall converter (2200-2500 rpm stall) and a good shift kit for the trans. after that task is done you can start to think about gears and a limited slip rear differential. and with some learned driving skills , a 330hp 3rd gen will outrrun a stock LT1 4th gen and run REALLY close to a LS1 4th gen.