'91 firebird...

so my cousin-in-law has a '91 firebird with the crappy 5.0 in it... it's UGLY... mostly the paint (it had the light blue/green thats flaked off... he's had it sence HS (1st car) and they finaly got their own car (looking for something newer as he doesn't work on cars and better MGP) ... due to the low trade in he didn't let em have it though (think they offered $300 or so)

i'm thinking of buying it from him if the price is right... figure a krylon or roller paint job and i'd be ok with the looks... i know there are more parts on summit for these things then any other place... but are they worth owning?... the 170hp is dismal and auto isn't very fun... but i'd like some v8 grunt :)

will i just get myself into trouble... will i just be at a loss from the suspension?

how are they as far as insurance?

just thinking out loud... mark

bolt on GTA or Z28 suspension stuff and have fun going around corners.

305 may be a boat anchor, but 350s are cheap and bolt right in :D

ReverendDexter wrote: 305 may be a boat anchor, but 350s are *cheap* and bolt right in :D

+1

Ive been seeing a surprising number of sub $500 LT1s on CL lately

Right, boat anchor..

Maybe it's just an economy motor that is like every other SBC out there.

Put decent heads, headers and a cam in it and you'll be happy.

If you want to step up to more cubes those parts fit a 350 too.

I bet 283s and 327s suck too because they're not a 350. Don't forget the Chev 302, those things suck hard.

Shawn

Trans_Maro wrote: Right, boat anchor.. Maybe it's just an economy motor that is like every other SBC out there. Put decent heads, headers and a cam in it and you'll be happy. If you want to step up to more cubes those parts fit a 350 too. I bet 283s and 327s suck too because they're not a 350. Don't forget the Chev 302, those things suck hard. Shawn

Nope, 283s and 327s are awesome, and the Chevy 302 is demigodlike. It's just the 305 that sucks.

Agreed. 305s have teeny tiny bores. They limit breathing. For they money you would waste trying to get it to breathe and get any decent power, you could have bought 3 Vortec 350s.

I'm not a fan of the F-body, but they have potential. The problems to overcome - power, super weak 7.5" rear axle with no direct swaps, and limp-noodle unibody.

Some grassroots subframe connectors, a 12-bolt with a custom torque-arm mount, and an LS1 will make it a competent performer. stock 11" Brakes are adequate, and if you want to upgrade to 1LE parts, prepare to open the big wallet. Junkyards get stripped of that kinda stuff really fast. If you don't mind switching to 5 on 5 bolt pattern, get front rotors from an Impala SS or a cop car. Same exact 12" rotor found on the 1LE cars, just drilled for the big car wheel pattern. Half the price.

sway bars are plentiful in the junkyards. Most guys who are serious about handling go with Herb Adams or Hotchkiss bars and leave the 1LE bars in the car. They don't realize that the 1LE bar is almost as good.

Cut the springs or use some cheap used Eibachs. Fab up a front strut brace that ties in with the firewall.

There you go... GRM style. Do it.

Yet like the Mustang there are MILLIONS of them out there running at every level of motorsports.

Mark, buy it and if you don't like it I will buy it from you. and you know I will not let you lose money ;)

lol whats with the new SN?... apparently i missed the change lol...

congratz on the new space alien... bet it's nice to know your wife is no longer a hermaphrodite lol...

still gota see how much $$$... but i'm sure it couldn't be much... it's just sitting at the moment... needs a new battery now from what he told me yesterday over lunch

donalson wrote: lol whats with the new SN?... apparently i missed the change lol...

Since they give us free reign of our identities I have switched it up a few times.

My .02

Unless you are planning to drag race PASS. It'll be a pain in the butt to convert to stick, and then you'd want to upgrade the darn thing. If you go old school a T-5 trans is really limited to about 300hp. If you convert to a T-56 you've got more head room (and visions of LSx will dance in your head) but you will have to replace to 10-bolt rear. Then there's the brakes, and the torque arm, and the interior...

A stick Camaro shouldn't be that hard to come by for no more money.

As a starter reference check out thirdgen.org.

Jason

In reply to jrg77:

He's right about the T-5 and the 10-bolt. You can get a T-56 relatively inexpensively if you look around the junkyards or find a used one somewhere. Then there's subframe stuff to deal with, but it's all bolt-on. Find a good rearend to handle the power; it's probably the toughest thing to find on the cheap. A 350 would be easy and cheap to swap in, unless you want to spring for an LSx or LT1 (still pretty affordable). Personally, I like the interior on the 3rd gens. Brakes won't cost much to upgrade, you can find some good, cheap brakes from later Corvettes that will work great. A lot of work, but not a whole lot of money. Thirdgen.org is a great place to check this stuff out. Probably the best on the internet.