i was out testing my 1986 z28 camaro. im sad to say that the quarter mile times are about the same as my geo tracker, around 16 flat. as far as i know, everything is mainly stock. i have new air filters, new bosch double platinum plugs, new plug wires, and it has a custom exhaust. i want to get some more hp from it without having to do much of a tear down. headers are going to be too hard for me to do as i dont even have a garage to work in. im trying to find if there is anything out there that will help it breath better, intake wise. either replacing the plastic intake, or replacing everything from the manifold up. im on a very tight budget, so i cant do anything wild. i dont even think i could put a cam in it, although i would like to. i plan on removing the catilytic converter after it gets inspected. what else is there i could do to help it? new injectors? advancing the timing? reducing weight? where would be the best place to cut out some weight without stripping out the plastics and upolstry, or the spare tire and jack. anything computer wise?

what are all you guys runnin and what do you recomend for me?

 

Welcome to the forum. The times are about right for a 305 Z28. It's probably a bit soft in the rear end gear area, so I'd start there. A set of 3.55 - 3.73 gears will work nicely. Then a set of headers with a dual exhaust. I'd leave that cat alone because You have to get inspected every year. Try the gear change and let us know. Good luck.

 

Yeah the rear axle will make the biggest difference. Next time you launch it down the track, you can always take out anything not necessary such as the spare tire, tire iron, and jack (FREE). Camshafts actually aren't that expensive. You could get one for less than the gears. You could also spring for some "economy" roller rockers for the same price of the gears. Rear axles take a little more skill to change than the cam B.T.W.

 

getting decent times from a third gen with a 305 "without spraying" isn't cheap. between the engine and minimal chassis mods i have roughly $15,000 in my 85 IROC. sure enough getting it off the line is half the battle but, if it's a bone stock 305 you don't have to worry about that. the major problem with a 305 is obviously that it just doesn't have enough cubic inches to generate very big horsepower gains. so you have to use what displacement you have wisely. between boring the block, milling porting, and installing bigger valves in the heads, a hot lopey cam, upgrading to a hotter ignition, managing the air/fuel ratio correctly and running a huge exhaust it is possible to turns some heads with a 305. in addition getting rid of your highway gears will help some. the thing is if your able to get your engine up to 300 HP. nothing short of a locked rearend with HUGE slicks will stop it from spinning. believe me i've tried. the thing is all the weight is on the front end. and the way third gens are designed it's very hard to loose it. i stripped mine to the bare metal and only lost 300 pounds. the front end design prevents being able to remove the fender wells and alot of the front end components that can be easily chopped off a first or second gen body. it also lacks the ability to shift it's weight as easily as some models do without very expensive chassis mods. if your wanting good times without having to spend a fortune ... buy a nitrous kit. and some slicks for about 3 or 4 hundred bucks you could probably get close to what i did with $15,000. Sick

 

i dont want to do anything too serious as its going to be a weekend driver weather pending. im still in high school, and my geo would still be in use for the snow and the commute to school and work. it has a custom exhaust on it, which is dual, and i think its 2 1/2 from the manifolds back. i still live in a major farming area, so i can get away without running a cat. right now my list of hp gainers are the following
twin 52mm throttle body
throttle body air foil
removing the cat

and im looking at a possible ignition upgrade, cam, under drive pulley's, or possibly even replacing the entire heads. im also looking at headers. the cheapest i can find are around $150, but ones with the smog fittings are around $350. i dont know the importance of keeping them on here as there are no emissions testings here, but i dont know if it will mess with the computer if i removed it all. i dont have that much experience with car engine (small engines and motorcycles are my expertise), im 16, i dont have a garage to work it, and im on a very limited budget. i just want something that will get me around reliably, and go have some fun as well. smoke a few ricer's, go up to the local 8th mile, and just cruising. i like the gearing thats in it because i can cruise at 75 and it will only be around 1750 rpms.

are there any cold air intake upgrades out there? the stock intake seems restrictive being flat with all kinds of turns. i was thinking maybe a cone air filter on the throttle body with a hose running to the front? however, the hose would probably have to be a dryer hose, which seems quite ghetto.

 

oh, and another thing. this is a performance chip for a 1991 305 TPI. will it work with my car even though it is an 86? http://www.jegs.com/webapp/wcs/store...tegoryId=10373

 

has anyone tried the jet performance chip for their camaro?

 

You actually lose power. Unless you get the computer programmed for the mods you've done for your car, don't even bother.

 

i think the chip reprograms the computer to compensate for mods, but will also set it up if you dont. right now, its mainly stock. i plan on getting a throttle body, headers, removing the cat, probably a cam, possibly heads or nitrous.