I’m not selling or shooting my car for nothing

223 Views 11 Replies 7 Participants Last post by mob_seven, 4 d ago

Sammyreed1980

Discussion Starter · 5 d ago

Hello.. my dad bought me a 1986 firebird, with the 2.8 litter v6. It’s got a 5 speed manual transmission and 12 bolt posi. And it has 52,000 original miles.I wanted to make it faster so he and I can build a car before he dies.

would we be smart in spending the 7000 in a 383 striker or trying to put twin turbos on the exsisting motor

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Sammyreed1980

Discussion Starter · #2 · 5 d ago

Need advises the 383 comes with transmission, not a manual 😩

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Sammyreed1980

Discussion Starter · #3 · 5 d ago

Sammyreed1980 said:
Hello.. my dad bought me a 1986 firebird, with the 2.8 litter v6. It’s got a 5 speed manual transmission and 12 bolt posi. And it has 52,000 original miles.I wanted to make it faster so he and I can build a car before he dies.

would we be smart in spending the 7000 in a 383 striker or trying to put twin turbos on the exsisting motor

And it’s a striker not striker

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Sammyreed1980

Discussion Starter · #4 · 5 d ago

Stroker….

stupid fat fingers and spell check

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slothman

· #5 · 5 d ago

Sammyreed1980 said:
Hello.. my dad bought me a 1986 firebird, with the 2.8 litter v6. It’s got a 5 speed manual transmission and 12 bolt posi. And it has 52,000 original miles.I wanted to make it faster so he and I can build a car before he dies.

would we be smart in spending the 7000 in a 383 striker or trying to put twin turbos on the exsisting motor

I would search for the biggest motor that fits in that engine bay, and slap that in there. Keep it simple and carb'd. get rid of the computer and all the smog crap.

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Injuneer

· #6 · 5 d ago

The existing motor is not suitable for twin turbos.

A 383 stroker SBC crate engine does not come with a transmission. It can be coupled with the manual or automatic transmission of your choice. However your current T5 manual transmission is not good for the HP or torque of a well-built 383. The GM 700R4 would be a good automatic behind a 383.

Are you sure the car has a 12-bolt rear axle assembly? They were not the standard rear axle on the 3rd Gens. More likely a 7.5” 10-bolt, unless someone transplanted a beefy 12-bolt behind a mild V6 engine, total overkill.

An interesting engine transplant would be a 347ci LS1 V8, with the 4L60E automatic, PCM and wiring harness out of a wrecked 4th Gen Camaro or Firebird. Easy to make big HP. $7,000-8,000 would get you a good engine and trans. Examples:

Used Drivetrains - LS1 Drivetrains - Page 1 - Hawks Third Generation

www.hawksmotorsports.com

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roorancher

· #7 · 5 d ago

Too much work and modifications to put a V8 into an original V6 car. It gets real expensive real fast.

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ZumpTA

· #8 · 5 d ago

Welcome aboard!

Depending on your budget and time constraints, it might be interesting to build the 2.8L. Lots of custom work though, and that means time sitting.

Could be just as much fun to slap a huge turbo on it short term. You and dad can turn it up each weekend at the track to see how spectacularly it fails, then do your engine swap and carry the turbo over. ...proper turbo setup's aren't cheap. Get that purchase out of the way first and you can blow up junkyard engines every few months and have a load of fun without going too much deeper into it than the turbo. Of the $7k you're talking about spending, $5k into a turbo kit and aftermarket ECU gets you 2 to 4 junkyard 350's with the remaining $2k.

The 383 is the quick and easy way out for sure, but an LT1 or LS1 conversion and the T56 might work out the same too. There's salvage sources like Hawks Motorsports where you can pick up a "totaled" but running 6-spd LT1/LS1 4th Gen. Grab what you need, even the seats if they're nicer, and scrap it.

You could just throw an obscene gear in the rear like 4.55+. You'll probably never get over 80MPH flat out, but you'd get there really quick, and that's where the fun is to me. Low speed drifting might even be possible with the right rear gear.

Best of luck with whatever you decide on, but more importantly, have a lot of fun!

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1993TransAm

· #9 · 5 d ago

I know the original poster's desire is to build a "faster car," but I side with Tony...building a 2.8L V6 would be interesting indeed.

I still say those engines are really underrated... 🤷‍♂️

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roorancher

· #10 · 4 d ago

1993TransAm said:
I know the original poster's desire is to build a "faster car," but I side with Tony...building a 2.8L V6 would be interesting indeed.

I still say those engines are really underrated... 🤷‍♂️

Thought y'all might enjoy this....It's from Scoggins-Dickey Chevrolet's Performance Center in Lubbock, Texas.
(They have a website full of performance parts and engines too!!!)

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Injuneer

· #11 · 4 d ago

Unfortunately, the thread starter only has a 2.8 litter v6 (135 HP/160 lb-ft).

The 4.3L LV3 is a modern, beefy (285 HP/305 lb-ft), "performance" engine. It's essentially an LSx engine with 2 cylinders missing.

Might be possible to double the HP on the 4.3L LV3, but you aren't going to more than quadruple the power on the 2.8L V6.

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mob_seven

· #12 · 4 d ago

ZumpTA said:
Welcome aboard!

Depending on your budget and time constraints, it might be interesting to build the 2.8L. Lots of custom work though, and that means time sitting.

Could be just as much fun to slap a huge turbo on it short term. You and dad can turn it up each weekend at the track to see how spectacularly it fails, then do your engine swap and carry the turbo over. ...proper turbo setup's aren't cheap. Get that purchase out of the way first and you can blow up junkyard engines every few months and have a load of fun without going too much deeper into it than the turbo. Of the $7k you're talking about spending, $5k into a turbo kit and aftermarket ECU gets you 2 to 4 junkyard 350's with the remaining $2k.

The 383 is the quick and easy way out for sure, but an LT1 or LS1 conversion and the T56 might work out the same too. There's salvage sources like Hawks Motorsports where you can pick up a "totaled" but running 6-spd LT1/LS1 4th Gen. Grab what you need, even the seats if they're nicer, and scrap it.

You could just throw an obscene gear in the rear like 4.55+. You'll probably never get over 80MPH flat out, but you'd get there really quick, and that's where the fun is to me. Low speed drifting might even be possible with the right rear gear.

Best of luck with whatever you decide on, but more importantly, have a lot of fun!

I just want to say this is the best idea I’ve ever heard. Getting a big ol turbo and putting on a junker 350 with the expectation that it’s gonna pop, sounds like racing to me.
Turn the boost all the way up and get those front tires off the ground and then boom! Everyone cheers and you get to do it all over again.
I want to do this with my kids. Hahahaha

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