The Camaro Club (UK)

It was/is, I guess, a figure I just pulled out of thin air !!! I think I might have just wanted to have something MORE, having had the Firebird, which was pretty mental, revving 6 litres like a 4-pot to 8000+, I thought I could have the nice, comfortable, easy to drive Camaro but with MORE!!! ie. combination of mental but nice too when required ...
Seeing all these comments I am slowly being convinced that my initial thoughts were very definitely wrong !!!
So thank you all for your help ... reality check is working !!!!
So .. the question I guess is .. is it worth re-building and charging or just buying a crate motor (possibly with a charger too because I'm obsessed with having a supercharger !!) ? Bearing in mind I want a car that is pleasurable to go for a drive with the misses on a sunny Sunday afternoon but that will also give me a major smile when I go out on my own for a laugh !!! (which is what the Firebird was for ... but I can only have one now and it's going to be the Camaro as she loves it so much)...
Questions questions questions ... no easy answer ... please help !!!!!!
As for the wide-body, there is some progress - I've found a fabricator/painter who can do whatever I want, but I need to get the design done in detail first, lots of realistic pictures etc, to get the approval of the boss (her!!).
Cheers everyone so far ....
Tom

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Hell Hath No Fury Like a Blown Chevy !!!

PS - I've been out of this for a while .. so what has happened to the American Carriage Company, American Imports and RealSteel ? Have they all gone bust, really ?

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Hell Hath No Fury Like a Blown Chevy !!!

You're revving the 400 cu in to 8000 rpm plus???? It's a wonder you haven't taken it home in a cardboard box before now then That's a ticking time bomb, how on earth did you get it to rev to that high?? you sure your rev counter's working properly?? .

You'd be better off rebuilding an engine to the spec you need for a supercharger, as a crate motor may well have the wrong compression, pistons, cam etc etc. For the sake of strength if you intend to abuse it as you have the 400, you'd best look for a steel crank, H beam rods, 4 bolt mains block, some good aftermarket heads & a strong valve train. Make sure you get some decent pistons & rings (I've got some brand new 30 over, blower pistons & rings for a Chevy 400 if you need them).

Be realistic about what you really want the car for, other wise your drive on a sunny afternoon with the missus will turn into a day to forget. Anything over 450 plus hp is gonna start to get a bit unpleasureable if you're not careful. That's not to say it can't work, but the whole thing needs to be built to a point where all of the parts compliment each other & are set up to get the maximum driveability.

Real Steel are still in business, but I don't know the other two. hth

cheers...Nige

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Too much power...not enough hands!!

Don't worry about the Firebird's engine ... You said "For the sake of strength if you intend to abuse it as you have the 400, you'd best look for a steel crank, H beam rods, 4 bolt mains block, some good aftermarket heads & a strong valve train"
Well, it had/has a steel crank, H beams, 4 Bolt etc - it really was quite a special motor !!!! I spent about £8000 on that engine ... there were some problems as I ran out of money before finishing it properly but it was quite a monster, would have had over 650hp normally aspirated if I'd actually fitted the heads it needed, but that's another story !!! That one's going to a better home, if I can find the right home who will do it up properly ....but now seeing what you're saying I may have to take that motor and the Dana and manual box and fully adjustable suspension and mint interior and fit it in the Camaro ....
Oh my God ... you are so screwing my head up with ideas ... I thought this was going to be easy !!!!
I need Valium !!! Getting quite excited about this !!!!

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Hell Hath No Fury Like a Blown Chevy !!!

Sounds as though all you need to do is buy those heads, and you've got yourself a very special motor

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'68 Camaro

What was the full spec on this engine ie cam, compression etc etc. You really have to have something very special to get 650 hp from a 400 Pontiac without nitrous. If it's got 440 hp at the rear wheels then thats just over 500 hp at the fly, I wouldn't have thought that putting on a set of heads would free up another 150hp. How did you get it to rev to 8000 rpm plus?? what sort of valve train did it have ie spring rates, rockers, guides etc etc?? Any dyno read outs?? Really interested to know how you did it,

cheers...Nige

EDIT;-

Just spoken to someone that might be interested in buying the Firebird. Could you give me the rundown on what it's got & how much you want for it? What year & any pics? ta

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Too much power...not enough hands!!

Ok I'll let you know what I know, this could take a while !!! The engine was rebuilt late 2000/early 2001 by a mechanic in Portsmouth who was just starting his own full-time engine building business, having been doing it part-time for years. The spec for what was required basically came from him and a friend of his who built hot-rods but worked for the company making the engines for the Mercedes DTM team at the time.
They basically told me what was needed and I ordered it, so apart from the work they carried out and got done elsewhere, which was mostly for cash, I have receipts for most of the bits. Just had a quick look through my folder of 'stuff' so I'll list it .... (Eagle I-Beams by the way, NOT H-Beams, sorry for that)...
1983 Pontiac Firebird SE T-Top - A597 AHB
1983 350 cu.in 4-bolt main Chevy Block over-bored 60thou to 360 cu.in (5.9 litre)
Badger diamond-machined and weight-matched flat-top Pistons
Eagle I-Beam forged Con-Rods, ARP high tensile Bolts
Steel Crank re-ground 10thou, Clevite 77 Shells
‘Competition Cams’ 280⁰ Hydraulic Cam, springs & retainers
Rhoads Sealed Power Hi-Rev Lifters
Cloyes Roller Timing Set
Modified GM cast heads - the heads, valves and valve-train were taken away and 'modified' by the guy working for the Mercedes DTM team, I know he did some gas-flowing & porting of the heads and also some valve and train mods but not exactly sure what !!!
Manley Stainless Performance Valves
Fel-Pro Gaskets throughout
Sealed Power High Volume/Pressure Oil Pump
Inglese Weber Induction System (4 x Weber 48 IDA’s)
Mallory Dual Point Ignition, MSD 6AL Ignition Control
McLeod Hy-Tork Mini Starter Motor (Hitachi Race Starter)
Dual Free-Flow Exhaust System : Tubular Headers into 2 Collectors, dual pipes to centre of car, then one large pipe to rear box (no internals) with twin outlet exhaust pipes
5 Speed Manual T5 Gearbox (re-built by American Motor or Carriage Co, Kingston around 2000), McLeod Heavy Duty Clutch
Trick Dana 44 (3.92) Limited Slip Differential
Bilstein Shocks with custom bushes
Uprated Disk Brakes all-round (Original GM Racing Performance addition)
Flex-a-Lite 1650 cfpm Electric Fan, Kenlowe Hot Start
8000 rpm Tacho, 160 mph Speedo, walnut dash inserts, built-in front/rear/overhead radar detection (old US Escort system)
Electric Windows & Mirrors, fibre-glass Bonnet with very large bulge to accommodate Weber carbs
3 inch 4-point Willans harnesses fitted, rear seats removed
Currently fitted with 225/60/15 fronts, 255/60/14 rears on retro multi-spoke alloys (TurboVec-like)
24k miles from new – I have ALL documentation for this car, including original purchase receipt in the US, the GM Racing modifications carried out straight from purchase, receipts for the engine re-build in 2000/2001 (has only done < 1000 miles since re-build), all other modification and servicing receipts and all MOT’s since importation to the UK.
After the re-build I took it to a guy with a rolling road who re-jetted and balanced the 4 Weber IDAs - I did get a little print-out but can't find it just now so cannot confirm the 440hp or 8000 rpm - this is just from memory until I can find it. However, having listened to the video of 'Butch' I do seem to remember the Firebird reached higher revs than that, from the sound only, but it was a while ago I last heard it as it's been off the road since 2005.
For info - I had to modify the bulge in the bonnet after this re-build as on full chat the carbs were sucking the bonnet down and choking the engine ! It's quite a large bulge now ! Will get some photos and post them.Has a little scab on the left rear lower quarter but apart from that is in VGC although needs a damn good T-cut !! T-Tops are perfect and don't leak, still have the bags in the back for them.
I have pinched a couple of liitle bits for the Camaro over the years, steering wheel and a belt or 2.
Am open to offers as long as it's going to a good home and is going to get done up properly !! Plus, when it's finished, the new owner has to promise to take me out in it for a blast ! I do miss it's screaming engine - as I said, it seemed to rev like a little 16 valve 4 pot !
I think that might be about it - unless there's any more specifics you need - I will try to get some photos posted soon ...
Tom

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Hell Hath No Fury Like a Blown Chevy !!!

PS - it was the engine guys who said that replacing the heads with some race aluminium ones, that they showed me in a catalogue, should be able to release another 100 - 150 hp with those carbs.

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Hell Hath No Fury Like a Blown Chevy !!!

PPS - Having been talking about the Firebird I just went to have a look at it for the first time in a few years !! D'Oh - I left the covers off, WHY ???? and it has had a little leak in the T-Tops ... the headlining is hanging down a bit on the drivers side and there's some damp in the car... the covers, which are still in the car, are perfect - how's that for irony !!!!
There is also a little surface rust on the top of the right hand front wing and some git has kicked in the grills either side of the number plate ... poor old girl ... moving her back to in front of the house now so she's safer, and when dried out I'll clean her up a bit, get some photos and put the covers on !!!! Double D'oh !!!

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Hell Hath No Fury Like a Blown Chevy !!!

Ah, now that changes everything

I got a bank loan and got a ZZ4 put in my last IROC just before I got Married. Was paying the darn thing off for 2 years but boy did she fly See that was 400bhp with the HOT cam. Perfect compromise in performance and driveability.

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