Here's my deal, want to buy this Z28 but it is a little too hyper (never thought that I would ever say that) for what I want but it is a good deal. He currently runs the car on aviation fuel,but I would like to make it run on premium pump gas. Since it is balanced and blueprinted I am not eager on swapping out the 12.5:1 pistons. Can I do something with the heads (swap or rework) in order to make it more streetable or should I just swap this engine for another.
Also thinking of swapping the turbo 350 for a 700r.
What do the exrerts think?
thanks

Here’s the Stats:

1982 Camaro Z28

327 Short Block (from 1979 Vette)
- 4 bolt mains
- 30 thousands oversize
Balanced and Blueprinted
Steel Crankshaft - Large Journal
LT1 Connecting Rods - ARP Bolts
12.5:1 TRW Pistons
True Roller - Double Roller Timing Chain
Windage Tray
194 Open Chamber Heads (from 1969 Beaumont)
Sealed Power Long Slot Rocker Arms
Crane HD Valve Springs
TRW Push Rods
Crane Hi-Intensity Variable Duration Lifters
Crane Hi-Intensity Hydraulic Camshaft
- Lift - 510 Intake - 512 Exhaust
- Duration - 292 Intake - 302 Exhaust
Edlebrock Performer Intake
Holley Carburetor 600cfm - Stock Mechanical Fuel Pump
Stock HEI Distributor with Accel Super Coil
Mallory 8mm Plug Wires
Black Jack Headers - Dual Exhaust
Heavy Duty Radiator with Transmission Cooler
Turbo 350 Transmission with Shift Kit (tranny is from a Vega)
B&M Mega Shifter
3500 Stall Torque Converter
4.11 Gears with Posi - Stock 10 Bolt Rear End
Chrome 4-point Roll Bar (saw it in a magazine and had to have it)

 

Leave that thing alone. Anyone who claims to run something on "aviation fuel" or jet fuel is usually full of it.

It's a hoge poge of parts, just things pieced together to make the engine. Why stock LT1 rods (even if they are PM rods) with forged pistons? Interesting that it's also a 327 (which since it's a more recent one, should be a 2.45" journal block, unlike the older 2.35" journal ones) even so what's the stroke on that thing. The open chamber heads are more than enough reason to not buy it, no matter how well they flow they still burn like crap and you can almost never make the power back up with them.

Basically you could build that thing from swap meet parts and stuff from the junk yard.

On the compression question, if it's really running 12.5:1 (i'm willing to bet that the parts have never been cc'ed to get the exact volumes to find the comp ratio) the only good way to prevent detonation with that is to change the pistons. You already have 76cc or so chambers and if you use a thicker gasket you are even more likely to get detonation with a worse quench height. My guess is that it's also not zero decked.

The most redeaming quality of the whole thing is the 4 bolt block.

Just my thoughts, but as I said, I wouldn't touch it if that's the parts list.

Bret

 

man bud, that thing is one big pile of crap.

Way too much cam and rpm for the heads, stock heads?? WTF?? useless!!

PM rods are weaker than the forged rods that came in that motor stock!

Most of the listed stuff is just bull crap, sealed power (cheap replacements) long slot rocker arms = 0hp

windage tray (probably the stock pan one)= 0hp

true double roller timing chain $12 = 0hp everyone has one.

12:1 pistons? maybe in a 350 with 64cc heads, but in a 76cc headed 327 they would have to be MAJOR domes!!! maybe around 9.5:1 max.

open chamber heads? i doubt it, i havent seen a small block open chamber head for a long time! bigblocks are the only place i see open and close chamber heads being used.

1.94 valves are small for such a "wild motor", 2.02 and 2.08 are common in high performance applications, i run 2.02 on the street.

Crane HD valve springs.. yea ok, what kind, how much pressure? probably just enough to make that .510" lift cam work, a little over stock, no big deal $30.

TRW pushrods? why would you name that you have pushrods, so what, mine are competition cams, IMHO better.

He really BS'd the cam and lifters, all are high intensity variable duration blah blah blah, common crap, $150 max.

PERFORMER INTAKE! how stupid does it get, a performer intake is good for trucks and low rpm motors, that thing needs a SINGLE PLANE intake, or at the minimum a Performer RPM!! sheesh. what next a quadrajet with stock tuning?

oh, my bad, a holley, only a 650 and probably single pumper, stock fuel pump? $12 and just barely adequate for a 400+ HP motor.

stock HEI with accel coil, blah! $75 marginal performance.

8mm wires, so what, i have the same ones

headers, nothing special.

The tranny and shift kit is junk, i would be it isnt going to last very long and B&M shift kits arent a good choice to begin with.

3500 stall converter is MUCH too larger for this motor, the heads and intake crap out at about 4500 rpms, this gives you 1000 rpms of shift room...
4.11 rear is too tall for the combo of parts also, the motor loses power long before the end of the strip.
The gears and a posi are nice, depends on who put them there though and by the looks of it i would take them out and reinstall it to make sure everythings done right.

In all honesty i would say a fairly stock motor would either keep up or pass this car.
Most of the parts are very poorly missmatched, this is a prime case of throw high performance parts at it and cheap out in other areas.
Now you could go either way with this car, either build around the high buck parts (still stays streetable, sorta) or convert it back to fairly mild conditions (much cheaper).

I dont think i would purchase this car unless i got a heck of a deal on it, plan on replacing the motor and trans though, both are junk for a 3rd gen. get a good 700R4 tranny and a stock 350 and you may have a nice street car, the rear may have to go though, just depends on how you like it, the overdirve of the 700R4 will help out some but still sorta suck on the highway.

Idiot backwoods hack job, im sorry, but it is. seen it too often

U should score a good 2nd gen

If you like the 3rd gens and you want something streetable, i would go out and look for a nearly stock one, start with a GM built base, that way you know whats in there and that it can last untill you have the money to upgrade it instead of getting somebody elses hack job.

Goodluck!

 

Open chamber heads and 12.5:1 compression? If thats true, it still sounds like a mish mash of parts thrown together "I already have the heads so why get closed chamber performance heads."

 

Thanks for the brutally honest responses, but thats how I like them. The car is in nice shape and he wants $3000 Canadian.
about $2000 us. might just buy it and swap in a 350 with 700r.
This guy has alot of money and no mechanical experience at all and got someone to build it for him.
So like I said it is in nice shape and I will have to take a closer look at it all around, and take it for a spin once the snow goes away.
Thanks again for your expertise!

 

Yea, if you like the car as a whole, maybe pay around $1500 for it US dollars. dont know what that is canadian.

A 350 and 700R4 dropped in would be very nice and i bet would beat the combo he has in it now easy.

you could always hang onto the 327 block (wish i had one myself, wanna sell it ) and then sell off all the "performance" parts he has on it.
Though the performer intake would be nice on your 350 unless you have vortech heads with the vertical bolts.
some of the things can transfer over, but i would sell most of it, like the trans, converter, heads, cam (if you could find a buyer).

even the rear may be too much for a 700R4, but you could run it for a while and see how YOU like it. if now im sure there are lots of people out there wanting a set of 4.11's, drop in some 3.42's or 3.73's and sell the 4.11's

Goodluck man.