I'm about to do a rebuild or buy a crate motor for an 86 Camaro. Meant to be dd that will get decent mpg. I also have a donor car, an 85 2.8l, that will provide a T56 and possibly block if I need to rebuild. Sooo - I started looking at GM crate motors (so I could be lazy and not rebuild) and the 2.8l crate motor for 85 manual trans is about $800 more than an 86 2.8l with auto. What is the difference between the engines that constitutes added $800? Internally balanced, something with the crank...??? I talked to a local mechanic buddy who runs a shop and he had no ideas. Any help with this would greatly appreciated.

Thanks and Cheers all .

 

you should look into the 3.1 or 3.4 swap. gm did a crate 3.1 swap that added i think 30-40hp. worth looking into.. be prepared to put headers(3mpg) on the car because the manifold bolts are going to break and are a pain in the ask to remove. i can't remember any diffs.