Mike C

Clutch parts are the same as for any small block. I think you will be limited to the 153 tooth flywheel with the T5 bellhousing which means an expensive flywheel. It also means a 10.5" clutch. I know Centerforce makes a 153 tooth flywheel for a 400 and McLeod might. McLeod makes a scattershield with both the standard trans pattern and the 15 degree rotated T5 pattern. I don't know if it keeps the Camaro slave or not. A call to PAW, a McLeod dealer, or Summit who has Lakewood, Hays, Centerforce, Ram etc. can answer your questions I am sure. I have had good luck and light pedal with a Centerforce II 11" pressure plate and McLeod street strip disc.

There is nothing shared between a Tremec TKO and a BW T5. Unless this is a race car, overdrive is for cruising and I think you will be real happy with the .68. If you want a little more top speed without the overdrive, you can swap the LSD into a 12mm 3.54 housing.

I don't think so. I have a set of Suspension Techniques bars for a '73 240 or early 74 260 for sale. I'll take $150 + shipping for both, or I have a set of factory bars from a '78 that would be nice in a 240. I'll take $40 plus shipping for both. It shouldn't be too hard to find a rear bar from a 280 in your area. The 70-72 don't have the factory sway bar mount and need an aftermarket setup, but the 73 240's (at least the 2 I have had) do.

Most people who run an LT1 in a narrow car wind up with the Corvette accessory drive that puts the AC high and to the drivers side of the compartment.

The '85-'89? TPI engines are MAF while the 90-92 are speed density. This is obviously easy as you can use all GM parts. The 85-86 manifolds are for old style cylinder heads, while the 87 and up are for the new style cylinder heads (but not Vortecs) Scoggin Dickey has a Vortec TPI intake.

I think the Ram Jet is an awesome setup for a swap into a daily driver. It is not a good choice for a max effort motor because the electronics are not upgradeable. This means swapping to a big cam will require the addition of aftermarket electronics, which makes the ZZ4 or Scoggin Dickeys knock-off ZZ430 and an aftermarket setup like the stealth ram seem ideal.

I think you could use a TB from a 454 for more airflow, but the stock MAP settings don't care much for hot rod motors. If you have a mostly stock 350 you could run a prom from a truck. Turbo City will custom burn a prom based on your displacement, camshaft, etc. You would probably want to run an aftermarket manifold and at minimum would have to mod the center intake bolts to fit on an '86 or earlier set of heads.

I have known several people who have run Jesel shaft rockers and timing belts. All in max effort drag cars. (3000#+ cars running low to mid 8's with big block chevys)Good products. Too much money IMO for a street car. Unless you run over .600 lift and operate at high rpms for and extended period of time (NASCAR, Road Race, Silver State) I don't see the need.7/16" studs and stud girdles are very effective with roller rockers. The 400 is a siamese cylinder block meaning the insed of each cylinder is connected to the outside of the next. Water does no flow between them necessitating steam holes in the deck of the block and correspondingly in the heads. Most can be identified by 3 frost plugs in the side, but there are some made with just 2. From 70-72 they were all 4 bolt main, mostly 2 bolts after that. Two bolts with the addition of aftermarket splayed main caps are considered more durable.

I've got a TBI 305, 90 model with roller cam I'll let go for $250 including wiring, computer and TBI parts. It ran fine but had lots of miles. I bought it for accessory drive and 5 speed. (I know you aren't anywhere near me, but maybe someone else is who needs cheap motor.)

If you have the L98 TPI parts, may be easiest to just buy the Holley Stealth ram. After acquiring an LT1 intake and having it modified for cooling and distributor you'll be about even, but done already.

Positive crankcase ventilation can also improve ring sealing at high rpm by removing negative pressure below the pistons. (same effect drag racers get with crankcase evac plumbed into the exhaust) All in all I'd keep it. On the vehicles I had where I removed it I have subsequently replaced it.

I know the 1st gen 300zx was available with an L series motor in Japan and possibly Europe. If you can get the frame stands, the same mounts used in a 280 ZX conversion MIGHT work, but you are going to have to plow ahead on your own mostly.

The Z06 is the same as the LS1 swap, but the 'vette has a transaxle and not a transmisison per se. The rear end and transmission are a unit. While it could be done, if you are having to ask about this conversion it may be beyond your scope...

(I was going to post this in the Chevy V8 section, but you locked the thread!)The tried and true 4 bolt GM block is more than sufficient for 600 hp. I'd seriously consider a 383 for the street if you want more displacement. Too many of them out there making 500 hp on the street reliably. 400 cost more up front, more for pistons plus the $100 to drill the angled steam holes (obviously you can do the straight ones yourself) All Actually, I'm sold on 355's for the street. A sportscar is more fun with a wider power band and the 355 turns 6500 smoothly and easily with with a cam ~240 deg at .050. My opinion is 355" motor using the Northern auto parts forged piston kit, SCAT rods, and spend the extra money on a mechanical roller cam. $500 for the rebuild kit, $225 ($250 6")for the rods, local machine work on a 350 block and you should be ~$1100. Norhtern MIGHT substitue pistons for 6" rods, and might credit you for the cam and lifters that come with the kit, otherwise, eBay! All of the money saved on the short block can be spent on a wicked set of cylinder heaes. I'd love to take you for a ride in my Camaro sometime. It pulls from 1500 rpm in 4th gear and makes way more torque than the McCreary G60 dirt track tires can hope to contend with. Judging from the mph of my 3500# car, it makes ~375 rear wheel hp. I shift at 6500 in first and about 62-63 after that. There are a lot of cars on the street that run 12's now, but when I built the car in '88 (I've done nothing but put a new carb on since then!)very few cars ran 12's on pump gas and steet tires.

This is one of those "depends" kind of questions. At least around my neck of the woods, it is much cheaper to get a 68-82 Corvette than a 67-69 camaro. Complete rust buckets bring $4k or so. A decent late 70's 'vette can be had for $6500. Small block is a small block in a camaro or a vette. Mustangs seem cheaper than camaros I guess just since they made so many unless you talk fast backs, highly optioned cars or convertibles. Afterall, there were a million mustangs on the road before the 1st camaro was produced... 6 cylinder mustangs are 4 lug while v8 cars are 5 lug, but 6 cylinder camaros are 5 lug already. A good 240 can be had around here for about $3500 or so, and swap costs have been well documented on this board. My advice, unless you can find a CLEAN, complete car cheap, by one that is nice already. I paid $2500 for my convetible with no engine or trans, hit in the front but came with used fenders, new GM upper and lower valances and a new cowl hood. I sold off about $500 in parts ('67 tach, console and seats that were in the car). I bought a '67 camaro parts car for $500 and sold over $3k worth of parts ( and still have the 4 bolt 350, ac parts and a bunch of odds and ends)I have spent another $3k or so on '96 Camaro SS LT1, '86 TH700, rare options(fold down rear seat, deluxe belts, tic-toc tach, console gauges, drivers remote mirror, speed warning, woodgrain wheel, custom cloth interior, power windows, speed warning), custom duplicate of HD rear axle assembly (similar to JL-8 12" brakes but with larger big car wheel bearings)the car is still apart, still not painted, and I need the front rotors and brackets ($400 for the JL-8 repro brackets alone), DFI, fuel system, dash pad and carpet, paint and assembly. I have been collectin parts for 7 years and have gotten smokin' deals on just about all of it. I figure $5k in the car running and painted. It may take 5 more years, but wheeling and dealing and waiting on the good deal can get it down. If you don't want to wait, IMO you'll be money ahead making payments and driving it. (sorry to ramble like that...)

Looks good to me! What did you start with for flanges/head pipe?

Only $5700 right now, one cancellation and one retraction. Seems fishy, might be trying to drive the price up... Reserve still not met.

Seems like a good deal if it is a TBI 305 motor, but a GREAT deal if it is a TPI motor, unbelieveable if it's a 350. Motor, trans, driveshaft (have it shortened with Neapco adpater)POSSIBLLY the radiator, cooling fans (the dual fan setup from the '87 up cars is excellent if not too wide)

There has been a lot of discussion about minimizing low gear multiplication in Z's, which I find counterintuitive. The more low gear multiplication you have, the more torque. The added torque is more easily modulated with the power potentiometer (accelerator pedal) than a car with less gear multiplication. (this is why offroaders run so much gear in the rocks, it allows for very smooth application of power.)Traction is about torque vs. tire and with lower gears you can back off the gas and still put the same torque to the ground, just enough to not bust the tires loose. 3.54 gears and the 3.27 first of the Richmond give an 11.58 first gear ratio, compared to the 4.10s and 2.62 in my Camaro which is a 10.7 overall first. The biggest concern I would have is making sure the ratios stay in a range that keeps your particular combination from falling out of the torque curve when shifting gears. It seems that most people I know with a later model 6 speed F body winds up with 4.10 gears in there car anyhow, which makes the final overdrive of the 6 speed about the same as the Tremec or Richmond overdrive with a 3.54 gearset. The overall 1st of this combo is 12.177. The 2.97 of the T56 and the most often used 3.7 of the LSD gives a 10.989 overall first. The newer T56 with .62 OD yields an effective ration of 2.29 in 6th. The Tremec and its .68 overdrive is almost the same as the T56 and the slightly wider gear ratios make a better use of the high torque of a v8. A lot of speculation I suppose, but I still believe in an overall first gear of 10.5-11.5 to one being optimum for a street car and no lower than a 2.3-2.5 final effective ratio for a carbureted car. The "redundant" 6th gear of a T56 is designed for emissions and not performance for performance, at least with the stock 3.23 gears. With 4.10 it is useable, but 5th is basically redundant at this point, and obviously cruising in 4th provides for maximum transmission life since power is diverted from the cluster gears.

LOL! Fortunately, you don't have to listen to a 2.8 GM sing for very long... POP!

Thanks Tomahawk Z. I saw it after I posted this. I start at the top and work down.

I would hazard it is mostly expense, although the Richmond case is larger than the T56. Plus of the richmond, more gear ratio options and only a single overdrive. (I think the concept of two overdrives misses the boat in a high torque application, actually any application.) The T56 is readily available for about $1500 while the Richmond is nearly double that. Another plus to the T56 is the low maintenance internal rail shifter. I think that a set of 3.36 or 3.54 and the Tremec is just about the best combo available. Plenty of gear down low as well as an acceptable overdrive.

How's the car running now? I hope you got a better set of points. Let me now if you want to put it on the dwell meter.

Go to ebay and do a search. Buy a reproduction air cleaner for a 67-69 Z/28 or a Big Block Corvette with a Holley carb. This air cleaner has a 2 1/8" drop. The ONLY drawback is the price. The reproduction base is about $50 pick and choose a matching top for your valve covers, and the complete setup is about $90. Ricks First Gen., Classic Camaro, Year One, Ecklers all have this assembly at varying prices. Compared to the aftermarket assemblies, much better made and MUCH lower. The base is the same drop that my cowl induction air cleaner has on my '69 Camaro as well, so if you were putting a scooped hood on your car, you could enclose the scoop with a pan and used the cowl induction setup. Here is a link to a complete assembly as well as just a base, good prices if you can get it for that: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1862237925 http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1862243735

An early jeep (up until ~75) will have the Dana 44. Mail jeeps maybe longer. 76 and up CJs have the AMC model 20. The only Jeep a 60 might have come in factory is a 3/4 ton J series pick up. In 1980 they added about 4" to the width for more stabililty. IH Travelall is the Internationl version of a Suburban last made in the late 70's. Not all will have the 60 I don't think, just the 3/4 tons, meaning 8 lugs and full floating hubs. It will have to be narrowed, have new housing ends installed for integral flange axles, and you will have to pony up for the custom axles, all brake parts will have to be replaced as well including backing plates and drums. A 60 is also MASSIVE compared to a 44. FYI, the C4 Corvettes with manual trans (except '84) and the Dodge Viper both have modified Dana 44 center sections. I built a jig for an 8.5" 10 bolt to narrow the housing. We chopped 3 1/2" off either side of a '79 Trans Am rear and installed it in my buddies '93 S10 with a 427 small block. Still under construction, but the 8.5" 10 bolt is stout. I put gears and a spool in another TA 8.5" in my friends '68 Firebird. It runs 10.40's on the motor and has over 100 passes on it. It does have 33 spline Strange axles and c-clip eliminators. The 10 bolts can be had for about $150 in the bondyard, $250 if you want a posi with decent gears, and $350 for a '79-'81 with disc brakes. Typically costs $150 to narrow a housing, $300 for axles, and if you need gears and a limited slip it goes up. Figure $1000 for a budget narrowed rear axle.