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1988 Camaro RS engine compatibility


tuesday787
02-22-2022, 01:29 PM
Hi there, I have a 1988 Camaro RS (V6, 5sp man) that has been sitting in my parents garage since about 2005. I let some random friend of a friend drive it and I was initially told by a gearhead friend that the dudes driving probably blew an engine rod.. The guy shifted from 3rd to 2nd while accelerating - I don't remember how fast, but RPMs were high and the engine stalled immediately and kicked the trans out of gear.


All that being said, I want to revive it (it was my first car). So my question;
Is there an engine swap compatibility guide? (I've tried doing an initial surface search, but I don't really know what I'm looking at or for. I've never done anything this complicated to a vehicle (swapping suspension is probably the most advanced thing I've done).)
What else should I take into consideration with renovating after having sat for so long? (I figure I'll have to drain/flush/refill everything that holds a fluid.)


Thanks for the answers and I look forward to getting my baby back out on the road.

Stealthee
02-22-2022, 05:28 PM
I'm assuming it's the 2.8 v6. If you to keep things simple you could swap a 3.4 from a later Camero in its place. I'm not super familiar with the 3rd gens but if you're carbed you could just swap the intake from your 2.8 onto the 3.4 and it will give you a slight bump in power.

You could always go the LS swap route too. Thousands of parts out there to make that happen

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