i currently drive a 1990 mustang lx and i'm planning a project and i want to buy a broke down late 80s camaro locally for a few hundred bucks and fix it up. i plan on starting with the breaks and suspension etc. and making this a long term fun project and im wondering how are the 350s. i have never had a camaro as i am from the mustang world(please dont hate me haha) but i have always loved camaros. im wondering if i should plan it based around beefing up the motor that comes in a z28 or plan on dropping in a chevy crate motor of some sort. the reason i ask is because a lot of mustang guys drop 351 windsors into their stang so i am wondering if there is something like this is that is a popular thing to do for this type of camaro that is relatively cheap and you can make good power eventually. i want to someday run in the low 12s-high 11s with it and still be able to drive it on the weekends and stuff. i would also like to stay fuel injected. all input is helpful as i am really interested and excited to get into the chevy world a little bit.

 

oh and when i say low 12s-high 11s i do mean with drag radials and nitrous. thanks guys! i come in peace to learn as much as i can about chevys!

 

sup and welcome. the 350 chevy motors are very good, and reliable. they are capable of a lot of power. my advise, get a 350 tuned port injection. they all come with autos. the 350 camaros did not have standards. or get a 305 stick and swap the motors. a auto to stick switch is one of the biggest pains you can imagine. once you have a 350, put in a stroker kit to 383. that will give you a lot more torque. get some really good aluminum heads, and a nice cam and lifter kit. full exhaust, performer intake and make sure the car you get had tuned port. that way you wont need to change the computer in it. get a stoker kit that has 10:1 compression too. the more compression the more power. if money isnt a big issue, get the best parts you can find. dont be scared to make this a long project. im puttin my car away for the winter and in the spring itll have a 600 hp 383 and new paint and some extra goodies in it too.

 

wow, thanks a lot dude. doesn't sound too much different than what you would do to 5.0 mustang becuase i plan on stroking it to a 331 soon and getting gt40 heads/intake. i also plan on keeping the camaro auto(my stang is a 5speed but i want to stay auto for a track car). keep it comin guys!

 

yes this is going to be a long project. i plan on it being on blocks in my front yard for a while but dont worry i have my little ol' 302 oh yea and what should i do to beef up that auto? stall? shift kit? how much power can they handle?

 

food for thought. if your gona make a 383. i was told that a TPI intake will breath enough for it. but it will obviously have to be tuned, and a new chip will have to be burned. probabaly several times before you get it right. Might want to consider a carb for a 383 stroker type setup. Unless you have somebody who knows exactly what they are doing. I heard this from a local drag shop, built all kinds of motors for all kinds of people. Includeing my dad, buildt my dad a 350 with LOADS of low end torque, it went in an old truck so not a speedy motor. But we havent had a lick of trouble with the motor there.

anyway, like i said, just a food for thought. dont let it deture you at all.

 

i have a guy locally that builds track cars that i can go to if i have trouble and to tune it (after i get me nitrous setup). actually i will go to him for advice for a lot of stuff i buy after i get the general concensus from you guys. i will mainly be here to learn about camaros and hopefully a lot of what i learned about mustangs will carry over but for everything else i will be here asking questions. again this is a great site and thanks for everyone who gives their opinion.

 

the 700r4 tranny is an auto and prolly what you have in it. you can get a 2200 stall converter, and a shift kit, but you should check the trans for rebuilding. this should all cost around 700 to 1000 bucks.

 

let me start off by saying sorry for growing up as a mustang guy, but its always good to see one turn to be a chevy guy. that 350 you have is a very dependable motor, but spending a couple more bucks and making it a 383 is always a good idea. it makes it a lot easier to get a lot more hp out of that block.