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keep 5.3 and get machine work or trade for running carbed 350? |
keep 5.3 |
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trade for carbed 350 |
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Total Votes : 6 |
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91camaro_rs Member
Joined: 03 Dec 2008 Posts: 1712 Location: Fox Island, Wa
1991 Chevrolet Camaro RS
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Posted: Mon Feb 24, 2014 7:16 pm Post subject: keep 5.3 or trade |
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Okay guys here's the deal...this 5.3 the rings are rusted and its pretty much seized. Needs to be bored due to rust pits....should I spend the $1000 or so to rebuild the short block and machine the heads. Or my buddy offered to trade a perfect running carbed 350 for the 5.3 and all of its components. At this point im leaning towards traded just cause I dont make enough money for a project like this and ill have a running motor and we'll have another thirdgen on the road sooner and I can do lsx down the road _________________
'91 Camaro RS 5.7 TPI- 700r4- 3.27 posi- headers- chambered exhaust- |
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Alphius Peanut
Joined: 05 Sep 2006 Posts: 2429 Location: Grand Mound
1984 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28
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Posted: Tue Feb 25, 2014 8:43 am Post subject: |
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Step 1: Trade for carbed 350
Step 2: Sell carbed 350
Step 3: Buy running 5.3 from junkyard
Step 4: ???
Step 5: Profit!
That rusted up 5.3 block is not worth anything more than scrap price when there's millions of good LS engines just sitting in junkyards waiting to be hot-rodded.
I say you're getting a hell of a deal in a trade for a running 350, but only if you don't actually put it in a car. As long as you can afford the necessary parts to swap the 5.3 in, go for it. It'll get twice the gas mileage and have twice the power. What's not to love? _________________ 84 Camaro Z28 - LS1/T56
85 Silverado - Low and Slow |
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91camaro_rs Member
Joined: 03 Dec 2008 Posts: 1712 Location: Fox Island, Wa
1991 Chevrolet Camaro RS
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Posted: Tue Feb 25, 2014 8:49 am Post subject: |
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Lol after call in the machine shop no way I can afford it at this time haha. _________________
'91 Camaro RS 5.7 TPI- 700r4- 3.27 posi- headers- chambered exhaust- |
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Alphius Peanut
Joined: 05 Sep 2006 Posts: 2429 Location: Grand Mound
1984 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28
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Posted: Tue Feb 25, 2014 11:13 am Post subject: |
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No machine shop needed if you get a whole running 5.3.
Trade for 350, sell 350, use that money to buy running 5.3. Done. _________________ 84 Camaro Z28 - LS1/T56
85 Silverado - Low and Slow |
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aaron_sK Member
Joined: 23 Jan 2006 Posts: 8834 Location: Back in beautiful Tacompton
1987 Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z
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Posted: Tue Feb 25, 2014 5:04 pm Post subject: |
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No offense intended, just an honest question: if you cannot afford a thousand dollar machine shop bill then why did you buy a project car? You already have one SBC sucking you dry with fuel bills and maintenance, why have a second one?
This whole thing makes no sense.
That said, Gabe is technically correct. The logical solution is to trade up and then sell the SBC to someone. |
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91camaro_rs Member
Joined: 03 Dec 2008 Posts: 1712 Location: Fox Island, Wa
1991 Chevrolet Camaro RS
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Posted: Tue Feb 25, 2014 7:14 pm Post subject: |
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Fuel and maintenance isn't a problem I live 5 miles from work and there really is no maintenance now other than oil changes _________________
'91 Camaro RS 5.7 TPI- 700r4- 3.27 posi- headers- chambered exhaust- |
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91camaro_rs Member
Joined: 03 Dec 2008 Posts: 1712 Location: Fox Island, Wa
1991 Chevrolet Camaro RS
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Posted: Tue Feb 25, 2014 7:17 pm Post subject: |
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I have to find out now if I even wanna keep the car. On driver side where impact bar bolts to the frame tube. The tube is smashed in _________________
'91 Camaro RS 5.7 TPI- 700r4- 3.27 posi- headers- chambered exhaust- |
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aaron_sK Member
Joined: 23 Jan 2006 Posts: 8834 Location: Back in beautiful Tacompton
1987 Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z
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Posted: Tue Feb 25, 2014 7:35 pm Post subject: |
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How smashed? Pictures?
Might be salvageable. |
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turbo_jimi Member
Joined: 23 Feb 2004 Posts: 1206 Location: Tacoma
1985 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28
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Posted: Tue Feb 25, 2014 8:15 pm Post subject: |
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A carbed 350 in an 84 would be cool and less expensive in the long run...just my opinion. _________________
1985 Z28 Crate 350, Hurst T-5, 3.23s, Flowmaster Under previous set-up: 143.82 rwhp 216.98 lbs. torque @4390 rpms 3/12/11 |
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aaron_sK Member
Joined: 23 Jan 2006 Posts: 8834 Location: Back in beautiful Tacompton
1987 Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z
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Posted: Tue Feb 25, 2014 9:00 pm Post subject: |
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I disagree, James. SBC is cheaper in the short term (reuse mounts, exhaust, cheap parts, ect.) but when you want to make it faster cheap the SBC will start to falter. If the goal is to throw this thing back on the road ASAP then an SBC would be the quickest way to do it. However that leads to my greater point...
I still don't see the sense in having two street SBC thirdgens. Why not have something interesting? Get a wheeler for your project, or a drag car. Build an endless turbo project maybe, I dunno.
FWIW, don't think of a project car as having money to finish it now, think of it as a long painful bleeding out. A slow decline in sanity and funds over many years followed by abandoning it in favor or buying your wife curtains for the house. |
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Twilightoptics Hardcore (12sec Club)
Joined: 13 Jan 2004 Posts: 9191 Location: Auburn , WA
1987 Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z
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Posted: Wed Feb 26, 2014 12:36 am Post subject: |
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No GEN1 SBC for me ever again unless they are roller cam blocks.
I vote trade and sell. Sell the good runner would get your darn close to a JY 5.3 and the necessary conversion parts. _________________ A redline a day keeps the carbon away! |
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RSFreak The other "John"
Joined: 23 Jan 2004 Posts: 2946 Location: Renton
1989 Chevrolet Camaro RS
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Posted: Wed Feb 26, 2014 10:26 pm Post subject: |
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I want to do a 5.3 build also. I want to get a whole donor truck though so this will have to wait 'til we get our house. _________________ '86 Trans Am - 5.0L TPI - LT1 cam - 700R4 - WS6
'85 Camaro Berlinetta - IROC clone
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aaron_sK Member
Joined: 23 Jan 2006 Posts: 8834 Location: Back in beautiful Tacompton
1987 Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z
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Posted: Thu Feb 27, 2014 6:56 am Post subject: |
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Why buy a doner truck? The only useful thing out of it is the longblock and maybe the ECM. |
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Alphius Peanut
Joined: 05 Sep 2006 Posts: 2429 Location: Grand Mound
1984 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28
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Posted: Thu Feb 27, 2014 9:03 am Post subject: |
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Like Aaron said, the only parts you can use are the longblock, ECM, wiring harness with a ton of work and maybe the 4L60E if you're that sort of guy.
Can't use the intake, front accessories, oilpan, manifolds, motor mounts or anything else.
Really, that's why I bought a whole F-Body swap. It ended up being cheaper in the long run because I didn't have to piece together all the parts needed for a swap. All I had to do was acquire conversion mounts, bolt everything in and do a bit of wiring. _________________ 84 Camaro Z28 - LS1/T56
85 Silverado - Low and Slow |
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QwkTrip 11sec Club
Joined: 17 Feb 2004 Posts: 3942 Location: Peoria, IL
1989 Pontiac Firebird
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Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2014 5:21 am Post subject: |
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This is a no brainer indeed but you all got it backwards.
If he was a complete stranger then you take the 350 and sell it. That's the no brainer part. But since he is your friend you have to slap him across the head a tell him he's stupid and not pass along your disaster to him. The exception is if your friend is knowingly bailing you out, and that is a heck of a friend! |
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IROCDave Member
Joined: 16 Jan 2010 Posts: 957 Location: Snohomish WA
1987 Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z
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Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2014 6:22 pm Post subject: |
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If all your looking for is a daily driver and cant scrape together the funds for a LSx swap just go with the trade and install the 350 in your car. I don't understand this though. Why use a pieced together 3rd gen when you can pick something no one cares about to rack up the trip to work miles on? If your looking for performance and fuel economy out of your 3rd gen then the path is via an LSx engine. Going with an old school 5.7 roller block or not dictates aftermarket heads, valve train, tuning a ancient computer etc to get similar power. Headers, cat back etc. cost the same for a LSx swap.
If your really trying to go fast cheap buy a 4th gen Camaro with a ton of miles on it. Yea, everything will need to be rebuilt but you get a much more efficient drive train that gets good fuel economy. It's cheaper than trying to convert a 3rd gen to a LSx engine. |
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