OMG!!! My dad & I ran the motor with open headers in the garage today (no exhaust whatsoever!) --- it was so f'ing loud!!! (but it has motivated us BIG TIME to finish the car now!!!)

The '73 Camaro that my dad and I have been working on for awhile (two years)finally has a running engine! Over the last couple weeks, we began putting the motor together --- lapping valves to get the heads ready, installing everything else --- crank, pistons, etc........

TODAY, the motor was ready, and went into the car. It's complete with:

• 350 block (bored .030" over)
• forged 350 crank
• 11.5:1 pop-ups
• "Camel Hump" heads - w/2.02" + 1.6" stainless valves
• 1.6(intake) and 1.5(exhaust) Crane roller rockers (full rollers)
• .502" int/.488" exh --- 304/312 degree --- solid lifter cam!!! (the duration is absolutely nuts!!! )
• Edelbrock RPM Air-Gap intake
• Edelbrock Performer 750cfm carb
• Holley "Red" electric fuel pump

The car is going to get a 4-speed w/3.42's for now, but one day we're probably going to put in a set of 4.10 gears.

Once we sat the motor into the car, we had to hook up the essentials (battery + fuel line) to start the motor --- just to hear it run!!! WOW - is all I have to say! I can't wait for this car to be on the road! We'd like to see times in the low 12's with it, but we really have no idea what it'll do. With 400-425 HP in a ~3400lb car, any idea what it might do???

Anyway, I'm pretty excited right now (I love starting new motors for the first time! Especially ones like this!!!) I just thought I'd share with you all. Hopefully by the end of the summer, we'll have the car driveable, and maybe even painted --- I'll keep everyone posted on progress periodically, and if we bring it to the track, I'll be sure to post the times.

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2002 Z28 - A4, 2.73's, Blk/blk, leather, T-tops, sport appearance package - just bought on June 26, 2002! - Pics

1981 Z28 - 383, TH350 trans., 3.42 posi - sold August, 2000 - Pics

1973 Camaro - Dad's & my project in the works - to be built: 355 Chevy, 11.5:1 pop-ups, "camel hump" heads (w/2.02 valves), solid cam, 4-speed.....it should be quick! - Pics

 

Congratulations!!

I know how you feel because I just started my motor last weekend for the first time. It sure does motivate you to continue! I used cherry bomb mufflers in the garage so I could hear the motor better, but it was still pretty loud. I am now having fuel tank issues but it should be resolved soon....

Again, congrats and keep at it.... it'll be done before you know it! Wish me well, also, because sometimes I get de-motivated. But when I'm done, it will be a somewhat rare car because there aren't many 4-th gen Camaros with 454's in them....

-Dave C. '97 Z28
home.bellsouth.net/p/pwp-DaveHome



[This message has been edited by Dave C. '97 Z28 (edited July 28, 2002).]

 

Congrats! I've only had mine on the road now for a couple weeks and having a lot of fun. I still need to get my real exhaust installed but that should happen this week

Starting the engine really got me motivated. I hope everything else goes smooth for you!

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Andy
aim: Andyman350
1970 Camaro - Its running and is tons of fun
pics of me and stuff

 

Thx guys!

I guess I should have acknowledged a couple things. 1) I know the car looks like $h!t right now, but it's actually not quite as bad in person --- the body work has all been done, except the front right fender has a little damage that was done while it was in storage , but it was taken off so we could re-install the heater motor which had been removed at some point before we got the car. 2) the valve covers on the motor aren't staying --- they're just a pair of banged up POS that we put on for now while we run the motor initially, and while we're doing other work. We just bought a nice set of Edelbrock (aluminum??) covers --- we figured half the top end is Edelbrock, and they're nice looking covers, so we bought them.

We plan on having the car painted "Hugger" orange, which you can see in the picture is already sprayed along the inner edge of the fender and around the door jambs and the window frames. Hopefully by the end of the summer we'll have it in the body shop to have it painted --- but, we'll see!

Dave C - a 454 in a 4th gen?? WOW!! That must have been a b!tch to fit in there --- there's hardly room for the 350!!!

Andy - nice looking '70!!! Our car has the same full-bumper front end. Also, a few of our engine components are the same --- same intake, and half of our rockers are the same (half are 1.5's, half are 1.6's). Quick question: have you had it to the track?? If so, how quick is it? My dad and I really have no idea what our car will do, since we don't have much to compare to.

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2002 Z28 - A4, 2.73's, Blk/blk, leather, T-tops, sport appearance package - just bought on June 26, 2002! - Pics

1981 Z28 - 383, TH350 trans., 3.42 posi - sold August, 2000 - Pics

1973 Camaro - Dad's & my project in the works - to be built: 355 Chevy, 11.5:1 pop-ups, "camel hump" heads (w/2.02 valves), solid cam, 4-speed.....it should be quick! - Pics

 

Very nice! My car has been down since May, and it won't be done until the end of August, so basically the only nice months of the year that you can actually use the car around here are wasted. Oh well, when it's done, it will break 15's........

Pontiac 400 bored .030", full rebuild +
XE268 cam, 9:1 compression/Keith black pistons(?)
New crank, rods, bearings, etc etc, + engine balanced
Roller rockers
Edelbrock intake/carb
B&M holeshot 2000 TC/Shift kit (?)
Hooker headers, dual exhaust, flowmasters...
No smog crap, no cats, no A/C, K&N, march pullies....


I can't wait to start this thing up and actually hear some sort of cam in the car, as well as have some ***** in it for once!

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1978 Trans Am, will be alive soon, engine being rebuilt.....I'll get out of the 15's someday... http://www.cardomain.com/member_page...=225185&page=1

 

Sounds great, Nothing is better than a fresh motor starting up for the first time and running perfectly. When we built our 355 for our 67 we did all of the block machining and assembly. The only thing we had to send out is the crank to have it ground. I just loved the felling of satisfaction after we got it installed and running. Keep up the good work and hope everything else goes as smooth.

Later,

------------------
Wayne Best
Best Racing
67 rs Camaro

• 355 cu in Chevy
• 12.5:1 compression
• 10.90s @ 120 mph

87 Formula 350 w/388cu.in. motor

www.geocities.com/best_racing

 

Unfortuneately I haven't had it at the track yet. I'm going to get a few more miles on it before I take it racing. I never did make it to the track before the old tired engine went south. I really want to get a better rear end. Its got econo 2.73 gears in an open diff. Those are certainly not going to help me at the track

 

Hey Capn Pete!

Just read your post, and thought I'd let you know about a very similar setup that I had many years ago. My motor had an 11:1 350 punched out .030 with 2.02 angle plug heads, 750 Holley DP on a Holley Strip Dominator intake, Accel dual-point ignition and a cam with approximately .500 lift and 300 duration (came in a plain white box from J.C. Whitney). I also had a 4-speed Muncie and posi-trac rearend. I can tell you what it ran with 2 different sets of rearend gears in a '69 Camaro in full street trim with full 2-1/2" exhaust system (headers of course) and air cleaner. The car had big L60x15 rear radial tires that were approximately 27" tall. The times were with shift points at around 7000rpm, and coming off the line at about 1500rpm.

With a 4.88 ratio, it ran 13.30 at 107mph.
With a 3.90 ratio, it ran 13.50 at 110mph.

I personally think that a 4.10 ratio would have been the best ratio with street tires. With the 4.88 rear, I tried some holeshots and was coming off the line somewhere between 6500-7000rpm. Didn't get to run them at the strip, but they would have put the car easily into the 12s, no doubt.

Hope that helps!
Bill B.


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'69 Camaro SS396 with '81 305:
stock except for Performer intake, 600 Holley vacuum (modded), Perf. Dist. HEI, 1-5/8" headers & 2-1/2" exhaust/turbo mufflers,
beefed TH 400 tranny with 11" street convertor & B&M Quicksilver
3.08 posi 12-bolt
P235/45/17 and P275/40/17 Kuhmos on 8x17 Wheel Vintiques rallys
H.O. Racing front coils, Flex-a-Form fiberglass leafs, Herb Adams VSE body bushings and frt. sway bar, '79 T/A P/S box, power disc front brakes w/metallic pads

 

congrats!
must be something in the air, i just fired mine up for the first time since the "major driveline upgrade" (heh heh!)

interesting header choice, are those sandersons? did you have to fab up the headpipes?

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1980 z28,350/350,2x4 carbs,griffin rad,all msd,timing computer,line lock,3-step,insain retro eye poppin retina searing screamin yeller paint,12.00-12.50 in 2002
http://community.webshots.com/user/2x4z28.com

 

Oh yeah - headers! They're Hedman "Hustler's" --- which have 1-3/4" primaries instead of standard 1-5/8" primaries. The outlet is 3", and for now we've got 3" into 2-1/4" collectors (what came with the headers) but I think we're going to put at least 2-1/2" exhaust on the car - if not 3" - so we're gonna have to do something about the 2-1/4" collectors.

I bought the headers for my dad for father's day, and the guy at the performance shop recommended the larger tube headers based on the motor we were building, but they cost more, so I couldn't afford to get ceramic coated at the time, but I think down the road we might have them ceramic coated (I think headers look awesome when they're coated).

Well, the car is still in the same place, but we've got the clutch and transmission into place now, and we've got the rear axle to put in (3.42 posi replacing a 2.73?? open end!!). Our motto: slow but steady wins the race!!!!

 

Get the headers JetHotCoated, they use it in airplanes and stuff... suppossed to be way better then ceramic coating, the ceramic can still bubble off over time, the jet hot coating is suppossed to last forever. Atleast thats what I've heard. My friend got his headers Coated for about $300-$350 that included the shipping cost to and from the place.

 

Hey, thanks man! I've not really heard much feedback on either, I just know that some sort of coating would look better than plain black (and I've also heard that coated headers actually give you a little more horsepower --- apparently because they don't give up all the exhaust heat energy as fast as plain black tubes).

I just wish I had an extra few hundred bucks kicking around right now --- $300-350 US is probably closer to $500-600 Canadian once you do the conversion with our dollar at what it is lately!? Like I said though, for now we don't care, but one day --- and Jet-Hot coating sounds like a good idea.

 

Your project is sounding great and congrat! I also just did the major transplant this year. New B&P 355" with TH350 and all the goodies except I stuck with a reworked Quad on an Edlebrock EGR so I can pass our air-care emissions tests. I have alumicoat AR headers which seem to be really awesome and used copper gaskets on them. No leaks.
Looking for some advice too. Now having detailed the chassis I notice the body mount bushings look 22 years old! I want to put SFC's in and was thinking the body mount bushings should be replaced. What's involved? Any hidden nuts holding the body mount bushings in or do they just come out clean. I have a vision of a hell JOB!

 

What year of car are you putting that motor into?? If it's a 2nd gen, I'm surprised it would have to be emissions tested. In Ontario, we have emissions testing, but I think the cut-off year is '81 or '82 and newer vehicles, so only an '81 2nd gen may be affected.

To change the body mount bushings, I don't think it's that difficult, although I've never actually done it myself. I know my dad changed them on my old '81, and he just changed them recently on the '73, and it took him about an hour each time, so I don't think they're too bad.

We just changed the rear end in our car the other night, so it now has a 3.42 posi instead of the 2.73 open end rear, and now we want to start focussing on getting the body (front end) put back together, get the glass reinstalled, and get the car painted --- if not this fall, then for sure first thing next spring (so much for our goal of this year though! ).

 

11.5:1 comp.? is this a race car or for the street?
jeremy

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'93 z28 m6 (Purple Pearl Metallic)
stock shortblock, 230/236 cam, mildly ported heads, hooker longtubes, csi waterpump, all the usual bolton stuff.....
7.98 @ 88.7mph 1.84 60' (1/8mi)