1989 Camaro RS

[Video]

Hey everyone. Starting a project log. So i had a 2001 Camaro SLP RS which i loved and would still have now however after my son was born I wanted my girlfriend to have a safe car to transport him in, especially since they would be making frequent trips to boston for his heart tumor (hes perfectly fine now btw). We had no money so I was forced to trade in my Camaro and I drove her shit box to work.

Well I finally got a Camaro again. Its my first v8 but it definitely isnt winning any races:

LO3 305ci (5.0l) V8 - 170hp 260tq
700r4 Automatic
2.73 Limited Slip

Its in great shape, only 100k on it (95k when i bought it). The interior is like brand new, however the exterior needs a little help. Its overall in good condition and shines up great but its suffering from some clear coat failure. First thing i did was wet sand and buff the entire car. This was over the course of a couple months doing a panel at a time.

Only mods ive done are edelbrock air cleaner, AC delete, smog delete, cat delete, and had a Flowmaster 80 Series muffler cut in with some polished tips. Its got some get up, and it certainly can do one mean brake stand without breaking a sweat.

Future mods are possibly headers (havnt decided if its worth the money), MSD cap, rotor, wires, new delco plugs, and just some chrome valve covers to match the air cleaner.


http://i1289.photobucket.com/albums/b515/tbonito/0831141820_zpsde8321ad.jpg (http://s1289.photobucket.com/user/tbonito/media/0831141820_zpsde8321ad.jpg.html)

http://i1289.photobucket.com/albums/b515/tbonito/0901141359b_zps6a943e11.jpg (http://s1289.photobucket.com/user/tbonito/media/0901141359b_zps6a943e11.jpg.html)

http://i1289.photobucket.com/albums/b515/tbonito/0822140836a_zps596a3755.jpg (http://s1289.photobucket.com/user/tbonito/media/0822140836a_zps596a3755.jpg.html)

http://i1289.photobucket.com/albums/b515/tbonito/615134_306272492878905_3682280537272911969_o_zps4e 258596.jpg (http://s1289.photobucket.com/user/tbonito/media/615134_306272492878905_3682280537272911969_o_zps4e 258596.jpg.html)

http://i1289.photobucket.com/albums/b515/tbonito/5_zpscff64b3e.jpg (http://s1289.photobucket.com/user/tbonito/media/5_zpscff64b3e.jpg.html)

[ZFreie]

Nice looking third gen!

[frankzlt1]

Looks great. it's in great shape. Is the engine throttle body injection? I had a 305 engine out of a 86 z28 that was givein to me and I had put a bigger cam in it for a 350 I also had to change the valve springs. It woke the engine up big time. The only thing you have to watch out for is the lobes on the cam so they don't hit inside engine.

[Video]

Thanks guys. Yes it is TBI. Pretty simple setup. It seems to be like an electronic carburater. I cleaned it up good and put new gaskets on it for the air cleaner/mounting plate. So far the cat delete and air cleaner havnt done much. I was suprised i thought removing the cat would make a big difference but instead it just feels smoother throughout the rpms. I feel like i lost a bit int he lower end but maybe gained a bit in the upper end.

I know for sure the cam in this thing is like a joke, and i guess the heads have pretty small ports. It certainly feels like a v8 around town, but have fun trying to pass someone on the highway haha.

[smokinss]

Nice ride!!! I had mint 90RS with TBI. I did edelbrock headers high flow cat and a exhaust. Also did some suspension and trans work. Car was fun! Seems like a sweet project.

[KB93z28]

Nice man! She looks clean!

[jimmy21480]

Nice 3rd gen! I've always loved that style Camaro! I had 2, but now I have the bird.

[ls6monte]

Looks nice. Good luck with your project.

[Formula413]

That looks good, nice to see a 3rd gen that isn't beat. What year is it?

[Video]

It's a 89 like it says in the title ;)

Yeah they seem to be few and far between up north in good condition. They're just now starting to gain some respect now that most are classic status.

I'm hoping to be able to afford a beater for the winter. Otherwise I'm gonna have fun doing under carriage cleanings all winter. Other option is to do some undercoating.

[jimmy21480]

Nooooo! Don't drive it in the winter!!!

[SLP IROC-Z]

Wow that car is mint, definitely dont winter drive it. I have some black 17x9 Z06 wheels that would look awesome on that car.

[Video]

Wow that car is mint, definitely dont winter drive it. I have some black 17x9 Z06 wheels that would look awesome on that car.

How much? :D

[KLAB]

Don't drive that car in the winter man. I might sell my winter beater Saturn SL1 in a couple weeks if you're interested. 30+ mpg

[ZFreie]

Seriously, Id sell you my winter beater as well just so you don't drive it in the snow lol But klabs would be better then my grand marque that's for sure.

[KLAB]

I might get a Legacy Spec B :klab:

[Grovlet]

I'll probably have my 98 Legacy up for sale before winter - first $1500 takes it.

No major issues - just 135K, typical oil leaks, needs and A/C seal replaced plus recharge, and of course rust but runs fine and is a beast in winter....

But yeah - don't drive this car in the winter - It will definitely rust apart with the liquid salt mixture they use, as well as not really being the best car for traction....

[Z28]

Why is everyone trying to sell their shit here? Lmao

[Video]

Lmao it's cool. My budget for a beater is like $500.

[KLAB]

That seems like a pretty bad budget hahaha

[ZFreie]

Why is everyone trying to sell their shit here? LmaoMuch easier then finding a clean 3rd gen.

[Video]

That seems like a pretty bad budget hahaha

Lmao i know its pathetic. youd be suprised whats out there. As long as it gets me from a to b, i dont care. even if it lasts me through 1 winter im good.

[Video]

Well can i just say last night was miserable...i spent about 3 EFFIN hours trying to get a heat shield off my manifold...i took half off only to find out it was pretty much impossible to remove the half wedged between the head and manifold...i did NOT want to attempt to take out 25 year old rusty manifold bolts...i was sure to snap them...

Well i was so damn determined to take off the rest of the heat shield that was now a crumbled mess from trying to rip it out with pliers...so i started taking out the manifold bolts and HOLY GOD! They came out incredibly easy...i was shocked...two of them were finger tight actually...not good but hell...you know what that means! No problem upgrading to headers baby!

Anyway i ended up[ having to rush painting my valve covers, didnt get anything else done that i wanted to...it was a bad experience and i suddenly got sick that morning and it hit me hard half way through taking everything apart...anyway heres a couple pics. you cant tell but the valve covers are a fail. Going to sand them a bit and paint over them again. The paint didnt bond very weel because of my rush prep job.

http://i1289.photobucket.com/albums/b515/tbonito/0927141803b_zpsf978e007.jpg (http://s1289.photobucket.com/user/tbonito/media/0927141803b_zpsf978e007.jpg.html)

http://i1289.photobucket.com/albums/b515/tbonito/0928140812_zps4571c139.jpg (http://s1289.photobucket.com/user/tbonito/media/0928140812_zps4571c139.jpg.html)

[frankzlt1]

Well it at least looks good in the picture. The rockers look really clean.

[Video]

Thanks man. I redid them today, much better. I wont bother with a pic because like you said it looks good in the picture, you wouldnt notice a difference anyway.

[Video]

I know what you guys are gonna think, why waste money on a 305? Well, its not always about the power, it's about having fun. And I am most certainly having fun modding my car.

So far I have received in the mail hedman headers, matching y pipe which is a much improved design over stock which should dramatically help with flow. Also in this category I got a throttle body spacer and an injector spacer. The injectors sit almost inside the throttle openings, raising them up allows more unobstructed air in. Along with that I bought a custom tuned chip that's already installed and made a noticeable difference already and I'm now using 93 octane. And lastly I got a jet adjustable fuel pressure regulator to increase a couple psi.

Tune up wise I bought an MSD blaster coil, I was going to go with MSD cap and rotor but read numerous complaints with corrosion. I went with a Mallory cap and rotor instead. Summit wires because of price and great reviews, and stock ac delco plugs which is recommended by MSD because of the increase of heat with the coil. Regular copper plugs handle heat better vs platinum etc.

New fuel filter and lastly a new harmonic balancer by summit. Mine has a slight wobble so I'd like to replace it before it gets too bad and kills my seal and crank shaft.

I'll post pics when everything is installed. Oh yeah and for more horse power I bought chrome valve covers. Guaranteed 100hp.