just joined up, looking at some options

[simplemind7]

i sent a few emails to local wreckers (because i'm at work the whole time anything is open) and i have only heard back from one of them so far, they have a 95 camaro 3.4 with 120,000km for $950can and its a pretty reputable place, i know a few people that have got engines from them and they worked perfectly (logel's if your in the area)

couple questions:

is that a good price, or should i keep looking?

will this work with the W-body ECM and TGP PROM? The_Raven suggested those and an earlier iron head engine in the second post in this thread, but i like the 200 lb ft of torque these have, i wouldn't really have the need for the turbos in a 2000lb car... but since when was this about needs?

[Guest]

i sent a few emails to local wreckers (because i'm at work the whole time anything is open) and i have only heard back from one of them so far, they have a 95 camaro 3.4 with 120,000km for $950can and its a pretty reputable place, i know a few people that have got engines from them and they worked perfectly (logel's if your in the area)

couple questions:

is that a good price, or should i keep looking?

will this work with the W-body ECM and TGP PROM? The_Raven suggested those and an earlier iron head engine in the second post in this thread, but i like the 200 lb ft of torque these have, i wouldn't really have the need for the turbos in a 2000lb car... but since when was this about needs?

Yes, that engine (the 3.4) will run on the W-body ECM and TGP PROM.

$950 is more than I would spend personally, but then again all I need from the 3.4 is the block and main caps, everything else would be sourced from other engines/aftermarket.

The price is actually decent for a running long block, most ot the time I hear $1000+ CDN.

[simplemind7]

well i was thinking i'd just keep it stock and run low boost (under 10psi) for the time being until i get all the kinks sorted out and get it reliable, then build up all the internals with aftermarket when i have some cash... and turn up the boost

[simplemind7]

so i bought the car...

yesterday i purchased the car that will be the base for the project, going to pick it up next weekend as its 5 hours away in michigan...

its the perfect starting point, well under my price range (paid $600 canadian), the frame & floor are still 100% origional and have no rust at all, except one jackpoint which can be fabricated from some sheet metal without much difficulty. body has its fair share of dings and scratches, one one of the quarters has about 6" rotted out of the bottom of it, but its not really a big deal since body work is what i'm best at. here are some pics, i'll get some better ones once its home

now its time to find myself a 3.4...

[Guest]

That's pretty sweet looking.

[simplemind7]

thanks, but its one of those cars that only looks good from a distance, when you get up close it has parking lot dents all over it, scratches, some slightly off coloured blue spray paint... things like that. but i'm still really happy with it

not very happy with insurance companies though... its damn near impossible to get insurance on it, everyone wants an appraisal since its considered a classic... but its worth so little that if i did crash it up i wouldn't even bother taking it through insurance.... the ones i've talked to so far won't even let me off with just liability to drive it home so i can get it appraised, its very frustrating

[BMC]

Pretty interesting development.. I have a (few) MGBs with V6 3.4L Camaro motors as well as an S10 or two, so i understand a bit of what your going through. The Opel Gt has a smaller motor bay then the MGB, not sure about the Manta, but it looks a little larger. There used to be a Opal GT converted 3.1L MPFI car out there that the fellow had cut the top off- nice little car when done from the pics i saw.
I can tell you that the conversion cost is going to be higher then you currently are looking at though.
-BMC.

[simplemind7]

haven't been doing much on this project for a bit, busy with other things like helping my dad finish his shop so i can work on it there... i've started a little bit of body work, just some surface sanding is all i've really had time for so far.

i found out something that seems promising though, a guy i work with has an '86 (around there) 2.8L camaro, complete car in decent shape... needs a tune up and the usual, he stopped driving it to work cause he couldn't afford insurance payments. he said he'd sell me the whole car for $800... so my thinking is, since alot of the parts i'm going to end up needing are already in that car i would probably save some money by buying the car, taking the rear end and suspension out of it, along with the engine, tranny (auto ) and their cross members, find a camaro forum and see if anyone there wants to buy any of the parts that are left on the car, then scrap it. i can frankenstein the opel and chevy engine crossmembers together, which seems easier than building a whole new one. then depending on how the money supply is looking, i'll hopefully get a 3.4 and T-5, fab the tranny crossmember and put that in, if not... the 2.8 will have to do for a while.

so 2 questions: does the 3.4 and the 2.8 share the same motor mounts? and will the camaro rear end be able to handle 200+ wtq?

[BMC]

I would not reccommend it. The intake on the 86-92 MPFI Camaros are the tallest manifold placed on any 60 degree motor in the whole series- possibly only being beaten by the DOHC motors, and i question that.
Also, you have a car that will need a manual.2.8L autos are not that popular of an item- its market value is less then the cost of fetilizer or close.
The Camaro rear axle is what i use in our MGB conversions, but you have alot of money to spend to make it work for your car- its about a foot wider!! Also, what are the gear ratios in your current rear axle and what were avail? I thought there were some decent ratios around for those- our standard rear axles ONLY came with 3.909 rear ends, which is terrible for the conversion.
The wiring between the 2.8/3.1 is the same, but when you get into the 3.4L, they became SFI with DIS. Different computers, better system.
Start looking at the bits and pieces. I generally say its going to run about $4 to $5K in bits and pieces of which the motor is $700 and the gearbox is another $500- the rest is all that litle stuff that most people dont believe exists or its free because "everyone has one of those just laying around". Hoses, lines, fittings, tachometer, speedometer and so on. For anything you get into, you will find plenty that needs retrofit. I have the records to prove costs where they remain inside the shop. On the LOW end, you can do a conversion for about $2K if you do it all yourself and spend LOTS of gas junk-yard-hopping... Plan to spend alot more time and you can save money.
-BMC.

[simplemind7]

yeah, i'm doing it all myself to keep the cost down since i have the space and tools to do it. its not gear ratios that i'm concered about with the rear end, its how pathetic the power handling is, once you get around 150hp its not a question of if the diff will give out, its when... and i already decided not to buy the car, got in an accident with the daily driver and need to cough up some avoiding-insurance repair money so buying parts is on hold again, i think the cars going to see some serious strippage this weekend or next to finally get the project kick started.