I have a 1992 Camaro Convertible, which is my daily driver. It's got the puny 5.0L 305ci throttle body injected V8, put out something like 140hp to the wheels or something embarrassing like that. Needless to say, I'm looking to upgrade.

Like the title states, this is my daily driver - I want something that can keep up with the best on the street, sound powerful, but also get reasonable gas mileage. I would like to put on a roots blower and scoop to give it a little more power and the old school muscle car look.

I want a smallish blower that will fit under a small cowl with just the scoop exposed...unless I'm mistaken, I'll have to rebuild with forged components. Car is in need of paint and such, so I would like to keep the entire cost of the engine, rebuilding (and probably boring, etc.) the blower and scoop under $2,500 if possible. Will my stock rear end hold up if it's just for DD street use? I want to upgrade eventually, but I'd like to do the motor first if possible.

First of all, is this even practical for a DD, and what kind of performance should I see? I know pretty much anything is better than my current 305 TBI.

Now for the big debate: LS1, LT1, or 3rd gen 350? I know the LS1 is superior of the three, but how easy/cost effective is it to put on a roots blower with a scoop? How would a rebuilt LT1 with a blower compare to a stock or modified LS1? Would I be better off staying old school with an older sbc 350?

On a side note, I know for the most part a roots blower with a scoop is a carbed setup...can it be done with fuel injection? Would that provide better power/mileage?


Any opinions, advice, etc. will be greatly appreciated. I'm not completely incompetent when it comes to cars, but I'm certainly no expert.

 

I know your looking for the forced induction solution but for 2500 your best bet would be to buy a 5.3 out of a junk yard and do a cam swap and maybe convert it over to carburated to cut down on cost and trouble. it"ll be a huge improvement over your current 305 and have the old school muscle car sound your looking for.

Good look on the swap man!

 

I guess I should have specified, I know there's no way I can get the engine, rebuild it, AND buy the blower for $2,500. But I'd like to be in the $2,500 range for just the engine swap and forged components, if possible. The 305 sounds great with exhaust the PO put on (he removed the cat), but it's just so puny in terms of power.

 

roots blower and gas mileage shouldnt be used in the same sentence.

of course you can fuel inject a blown motor, and yes it'll help with MPG...

https://ls1tech.com/forums/forced-in...wer-build.html

i agree with the post above..

as for building the bottom end, thats up to you and how much power you want to make...

 

Repost this on TGO, personally Id go LSx. 5.3 on a budget, 6.0 for a more serious build

$2500 for a roots setup is not going to happen unless you fab everything yourself

Junkyard 5.3's and LQ4's are very common and durable under moderate boost. no reason to forge them unless you want power levels above what would be useful as a DD

Unless you score one hell of a deal on a dropout, $2500 for a swap will get you a mostly stock 5.3/4L60E. Forget boost

This isnt 1970. Modern blowers are extremely efficient, some people dont even notice a change unless they're beating on it

To the OP, I swapped my 305 TBI/700R4 for a mostly stock 5.3/4L60E. It nearly doubled the power and the car was 10x more fun to drive. You dont have to put a blower on to have a fun little DD

 

you DO realize he's talking about a 6/8/10-71 blower, right?

"I know for the most part a roots blower with a scoop is a carbed setup...can it be done with fuel injection?"

 

I'm not looking for prius mileage, just something comparable to what I'm getting now, or better if possible (about 17/25, just like the sticker says)

In terms of power...It'll be a daily driver, so I'm not looking to burn out at every light. I'd just like it to keep up with most cars on the road, like the newer mustangs



I did post something asking for advice on TGO a while ago and got some advice, but I figured around here people could answer specific questions about the best motor to start with, etc better than at TGO.

I know I'm not going to be adding the blower any time soon, but I'd like to purchase a motor with that in mind as an end result somewhere down the line. Car still needs paint and such too, and I'm paying for college. My $2,500 budget is pretty much just to cover everything I need to get the new engine swapped in then when I get the cash I can add the blower.

My car before this was a '98 Regal my grandparents gave me. I already have a heck of a lot more fun in the Camaro. I just love the old school look of the blower setup - something I've wanted since I was like 5.

That is WAY bigger than anything I've been looking at. I was looking at something like the Weiand 144. From what I've heard on TGO, it'll fit under a 2" cowl, with just the scoop sticking through which is what I'm going for.

 

like several have stated $2500 is not a reasonable budget for what you stated you want. I would follow the advise you recieved a few posts up, find a 5.3 or lq4 from a salvage yard, find a blower cam kit you like and save a few more dollars for a roots style blower. As long as you keep the boost numbers moderate forging is not necessary. Good luck my friend, boost is not cheap...

 

By 5.3 are you referring to the ones described here: https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikiped...S_engine#5.3_L
or here:
https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikiped...engine#5.3_L_2

I've seen LS1s on craigslist for $800-950, so just the engine itself should be too bad, right? I know the actual blower will be a lot more than that but like I said, I'm just trying to choose the platform to add it to in the future.

 

Wait, you want a "blown" engine in your daily driver... I'd suggest something with a blue oval on it, they're a lot easier to blow up.

 

Like stated above you should look into swapping a LS platform into the car in stock form that alone will give you 2-3 times more power and later on if you want to go FI it will be much easier. Find a good used LQ4 you will be amazed at the performance of the car with just a cam and converter. The budget you have set will make it tough especially if you can't do the swap yourself it will not be a weekend project.

 

If I don't need forged components for the blower setup I'm interested in then swapping in a stock LS is exactly what I'd want to do. If I do need to rebuild the engine however, I'd like to do so before I start the swap, so I can keep driving the car as long as possible. I'll probably at least have some machine work done before the swap.

Right now I have access to a second car, which is why it would be a good time to do the swap. This winter would be perfect for actually putting the motor in. I was planning on doing the swap with my dad. Unfortunately, my grandparents got rid of the swing set he used the last time he did an engine swap, so I'll have to rent a hoist.

 

What do you guys think about this engine:

http://www.mifbody.com/vbulletin/sho...ine-4l80-trans

 

Anyone? If it would be good for the swap I'd like to try to grab it for $600-700 (without the trans of course)

 

Very little of that is useful for a 3rd gen swap besides the shortblock and since its a very early year, it has all of the old issues, like piston slap, oil consumption etc

Id pass

 

Exactly the feedback I was looking for, thanks. Very much appreciated.

 

You have a lot of options. You can put together a old style 383 SBC for a reasonable cost and make decent power. SBC parts cost less than LS and you can save even more by really going old school and running solid flat tappet cam. Advantage of this build is all the little things still fit, headers, accessory drives etc. Run a carb and when funds become available add a centri blower and intercooler. More efficient than the roots design and won't poke through the hood. (not a good thing in the rain for a DD)

A 6.0 LS swap has more potential and with fuel injection provide better drivability and mileage. It is also more work installing and finding all the little stuff to complete the swap. Again, a centril blower can be added later. You could do the 5.3 swap for less dollars and power if cash is an issue.

Last option that is not on your list is BBC. There are always a bunch of these on Craigs list that have good components and for some reason are for sale pretty cheap. Get a good core, rebuild it and have some fun. They are reliable and only downside on a DD is they eat a lot of gas. Probably an easier swap into Gen III than a LS. Make sure you budget a new rear end with this option.

 

look around for LS-swap parts...read the forum.

Grab a 5.3 do the normal crap to it, put a 400 behind it, and a Manga on top. Add a cowl. Done. 400/400 EASY and instant torque.