Was thinkin about just rebuildin the 2.8 with a lil more power instead of putting a sbc in it.a lot cheaper.i plan on getting the block bored.adding roller rockers.a cool air intake . headers& exhaust and whatever else i could think of to add. here is my questions.would i need to upgrade the fuel injection system?also would like a recommendation on what size of exhaust pipes to use

 

What HP are you going for? The factory system was designed for 135 hp worth of fuel. Its should be ok to about 150 HP. If you going to shoot for 170 you will need to upgrade your fuel system and your cooling system. Don't forget every one HP you put out the crank you are going to get one HP worth of heat.

Anything over 2-1/2" exhaust is just going to change the tone of your exhaust. I doubt you would see and more HP over that.

This biggest problem with making power with a 2.8's is the heads. But the bottom ends are also known as very weak. If you plan on increasing the power of a 2.8 you really need to look into upgrading the bottom end. Back when I use to work at the dealership I put more cranks in 2.8 under warranty then all the other GM motors combind. Thats not taking into account the short blocks we put in cause a rod completly gave loose.

Now a fun project would be getting a 3.4 out of a 93+ camaro and a set of heads off a 99 FWD. The 3.4 has a steel crank and with some ARP rod bolts it will hold together very nicely.

 

Not specificaly any set hp just want more..heads can be ported. what would i have to do to the fuel injection.just get better fuel injectors? i know there bad about throwing rods.was hoping to find a better crank and rods some where but have had no luck.thought about a 3.4 but aint seen any for sale. would really like a sbc in it but converting every thing to make it work right is expensive and i dont have lots of cash to blow

 

you can use the 3.1 crank and rods in the 2.8 block. the 3.1 had much stronger rods than the 2.8, they don't stretch in the upper rpms.

the only thing that's confusing me about what you said is the part about not having enough money to swap in a 350, but you have enough to bore out a 2.8??? that's a couple hundred bucks right there just for machine work. i bought and rebuilt a used 350 for less than $600 total, and i know that boring a block out will cost at least that.

 

Boring it out is a maybe.i have not made my mind up yet on whats going in it. i figured out that i can get a good running 350 for 5 or 600 with accessories from a auto salvage.thats not the bad part its just getting every thing else i need to make the small block to work in the car

 

That is the biggest problem with these motors, there is not easy fix for these heads. There is very little material to remove before you start to damage the heads. Thinking your going to make a 2.8 faster for cheap is a mistake. There is nothing cheaper then a V8 convertion on your car. SBC are the cheapest motors to mod. The reason you can not find and aftermarket parts for your 2.8 is because they make no sense. Its not that they stopped making them, they never did. Trust me if there was a easy way to get a 2.8 fast there would be 100's of them around.

Find someone selling a incomplete project or a wreched V-8 car. They normally sell for less then the motor is worth and you know you have all the parts. You might even be able to part out the parts of the car you do not use and get a few bucks back.

 

Im probably gonna do a 350 . i looked a lil harder and i can actually do it cheaper than i thought originally