IBrockZ

iTrader: (3)

So I have a quick question. I have an original manual 305 TPI engine in my 87 Irocz. My dad mentioned to me that one of his third gen parts cars has a manual 350 in it not sure which one off the top of my head but he said we could swap the engines and the TPI would fit on the 350. Should I do this or not? I know 350 TPI only came in automatic in 1987 and if we did the swap I would have a manual 350 TPI. So my question is should I try and keep the car original how they came in that year or should I do the switch and have more power? I know in the end it comes down to what I want to do but I was curious what you guys thought? What do you guys think I should do?

IBrockZ

iTrader: (3)

Sine no one has any input how do I go about deleting this thread?

ASE doc

Is the car in good condition? If it's near mint condition, you might want to keep it original as these cars are beginning to gain in collector value. Myself, I built my car several years ago when these cars were less appreciated. Ive always loved the third gens because they were designed to be the ultimate performance car. In the end, do what you want. If you do a clean job, as I believe I have on my beast, you will not negatively affect the car's value anyway.

IBrockZ

iTrader: (3)

I think it is good condition. Not in pristine condition as its been repainted not the best paint job but looks good from a far. Everyone says it looks nice but I am a perfectionist and notice little flaws chips and blisters in the door jams. Has 130xxx original miles on the car. 9xxx on the original rebuilt 305 Tpi. Body is straight interior is in fair condition. Transmission feels like its going to need to be rebuilt soon. My dad works for one of the state prisons and can have my transmission rebuilt for next to nothing thru his work as the inmates do these things for work in there. Maybe like $ 200. It is sitting on the original rims that have been chromed. So its fairly original. And I am going to have it repainted soon and put the old decals back on it. As of right now I think I am going to keep the 305. I have been thinking about this for the past few days and I think I'm gonna try and stick with originality for now plus I can barely afford gas as it is being a college student making minimum wage. If anything changes tho and I decide to go 350 I will definately share my progress and what not with the board. Thanks for your input tho really appreciate you taking the time to help me weigh the options.

ASE doc

Yeah, fuel efficiency is not at the top of my priority list. Horsepower and handling are the keystone points of my 87 IROCZ. Of course my Beasty only sees about 4,000 miles a year and only on sunny days in the warm season of the year. The rest of the time I drive a little Suzuki Swift beater that I bought for $1,050 and that gets 33 miles per gallon.

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

If so, it didn't come from the factory with a 350 and a manual transmission. The factory simply never did that.

I doubt these cars will ever have much collector value, with the possible exception of the turbo Trans Ams.

Be careful what you do to the car with respect to emissions, since I see "Location: California".

IBrockZ

iTrader: (3)

Good point. Ya I think I'm going to stay 305 for now. And my car is a gross polluter as of right now. Had it pre tested the other day bc I had to smog it to put it in my name since I didn't have the last owner do it for me like he was supposed to before he sold it to me. But me and my dad just changed the spark plugs, fixed the timing, changed the wires, changed the distributor cap, and rotor. So I have to pre test it again to see where we're at. I'm on a mission to get it smogged. Another reason for me to move outta here (CA).

IBrockZ

iTrader: (3)

@ASEdoc- I think I am going to have to get my self a beater soon as well once I start commuting to the state college in my area bc its quite a few miles from where I live either that or I will have to move closer. Got about another year or so til I'll be there but I will definitely be in need of some more MPGs when that time comes.

ASE doc

Too many people drive cars like ours for the ego boost. They drive them rain or shine and run the wheels off of them because they won't be caught dead in a car that doen't make them look good. If you can rise above this, you can enjoy owning a fine car and have the freedom to work on it without having to have it back on the road for work or school transportation come Monday. My original build of the Beast, in 1999, took 4 months as I took painstaking care to do every part of the job the very best I could. Meanwhile I drove an old beater around town.

I started up the Beast today to keep the cobwebs out of her. She sounds so intense with all that power just waiting for me come spring. In the meantime I'll drive my pile o' Suzuki while the Beast rests safely in her dry garage.

RSCAMAROGUY91

I can completely see where you're coming from on this one. I've had my '91 RS since I was 15, and all through high school and most of college I drove it everyday, until my Senior year of college when I got my truck. Having a 2nd vehicle has allowed me to do a lot more to my '91 including yanking out the ol' 305 and replacing it with a 4 bolt main 355, which is still a work in progress.

ASE doc

Oh yeah, staying on task becomes the issue on these projects. It helps if you compile all the parts you will need before hand, even then you will always run into things you didn't think of or mid project upgrades. Money is generally the limiting factor. I must admit, I mortgaged my home to carry out my first major build. The parts and machine shop bill for the first stage which only included engine, chassis and suspension was over $12,000, and I do all my own work except for trans and machine work. I have friends, who are some of the very best in the business, who handle these tasks for me.

Since then, each year I set aside a fund for continued work. My parts total after 12 years is around $30,000. It may sound like alot to invest in an old 3rd gen but I love this car. I work on newer performance cars all the time. I find them boring and slow when compared with my Beast.

Now I'm thinking about a 620hp 377cid engine and a rear axle that will survive it. Talking my wife into letting me spend several thousand to make my car more dangerous than it already is becomes the challenge.

RSCAMAROGUY91

Yeah it's always the small pieces that you didn't think of getting that end up putting you the furthest behind, HAHA. I've also found that even though you think you've done all of you "homework" prior to starting, you should probably do a little bit more, HAHA, hence the reason I'm switching to a 4-BBL carb instead of running EFI like I originally planned.