project cars

[DiabloGT]

im thinking of getting 2 project cars, a 2nd gen camaro 74(i think), and a 79 pontiac trans am 6.6 liters. is the 74(with the round light then a smaller light next to it) even fast? and what about the pontiac?
thanks

[mn80228]

Any car can be fast or slow.
It depends on the set-up.

I once had an 82' firebird with a 2.5L 4-cylinder and it was SLOW.

Mostly it would depend on the engine.

The 79' 6.6 has a lot of potential, but was kinda dogged from the factory.
Heads, intake, cam, and exhaust would go a long ways for a start.

The 74 has good potential too, depending on options.

Do you know the engine size or anything like that for the 74?
An SS would be pretty quick, same thing with a Z28, but you are going to pay more for those because of the options they came with.

So, again, any car can be fast. It is a matter of putting the right parts into the project.
Fast from the factory, is a matter of the options the car came with.

Hope that helps.

[MarxZ/28]

Originally Posted by mn80228

Any car can be fast or slow.
It depends on the set-up.

I once had an 82' firebird with a 2.5L 4-cylinder and it was SLOW.

Do you know the engine size or anything like that for the 74?
An SS would be pretty quick

a 2.5l 4 banger stock...slow? no way haha just playin
im pretty sure there wasnt an SS option in 74?

[tacoma man]

This is an awsome engine, they are very fast if you have
a 79 restore it. i have a buddy that has one and it was last
appraised for $30,000 whats the mileage on the one
ypou have?

[mn80228]

MarxZ/28

You were right.
No SS option for 1974. They did have the LT though.

One more thing to consider when rebuilding is the cost of parts.

Some Pontiac parts are more expensive than Chevy parts. Just the way the market is.
I walked away from a 69 AMX 390 when I found out what some of the engine parts were going to cost.

[DiabloGT]

camaro is ss or z28w/ t-tops i dont remember and the 79 pontiac is 6.6 liter v8. if i make the engine rebuilt on em both what would be the stock timings on them they both have a good body, only interior built from scratch and engine is the thing i have to worry about.so what are the stock times and hp, thanks

[mn80228]

A 1974 Z28 would have the following, STOCK


350 V-8, 245hp @ 5200 280fpt @ 4000 9.0:1compression and a 4bbl carb.

The 1979 Firbird with a 6.6L made 220 hp stock.

I few notes.
1979 was the last year for the "big" 6.6L engine, after that, only the 301cid was available. Not sure what options were available.

The 1974 z28 was still kind of a performer, though emission laws were starting to strangle all the performance out of the engine.

Both are great options for a project car.
Me personally I would prefer the 79' TA to the 74' Z28.
Now if it was a 73' Z28 that would be a whole other story.

If you want I can dig up some more facts about both cars.

again, hope this helps.

later,

[crapmaster4000]

This is just in my own opinion but if I were to do a project car, it would be a 69 camaro and putting fuel injection in it. It would be the classic car with the modern power and I think that would be awesome.

[Chevyracincamaro]

many people have done it, and it has worked well for those many people....

[crapmaster4000]

I think it should be done more, only if their origional stuff is junk or engine is blown or something.

[Twin89s]

I skipped reading this whole thread. But I have 2 project cars.
1988 Mitsubishi cordia L (think Eclipse)
1989 Mustang LX 2.3 (turbo 2.3 swap in progress)

[DiabloGT]

how come so little hp!? im so pissed that its so little hp can you tell me the times they do and here can you find a video or dvd of hthe instructions how to build project cars from scratch?

[mn80228]

There are lots of book out you can get on how to build a small block, or even a big block engine.

The reason for so little HP is that the factory and government were really cutting into the performance of the engines. New clean air laws, and the demand for higher mileage cars after the gas crisis casused the factory to decrease compression, put on smaller carbs, and add anti-smog devices like catalytic converters.

1973 was about the last year before they really took a hit.

From 1971 to 1974 a Z28 camaro took a hit of about 75 rated horsepower, if my math is right this morning.

But that doesn't mean you can't solve this problem with headers, a bigger carb, high flow heads, and a bigger cam.

All should give you good results.

Check out amazon.com and look for a book on building small blocks.

Or try the local bookstore. You may be able to check it out and get an idea of what you are in for with an engine build.

Again, either engine has great potential, but it is going to cost some money....

[DiabloGT]

Originally Posted by tacoma man

This is an awsome engine, they are very fast if you have
a 79 restore it. i have a buddy that has one and it was last
appraised for $30,000 whats the mileage on the one
ypou have?

i dont remember what was the milage, because im going to start it from scratch so ill have it say "0" Guys, how much is it if i put in a z06 engine?
and mn80228 I HATE BOOKS, I ASKED FOR A VIDEO...do you know where to find a video?

[mn80228]

Yeah, I hate books too, but they are easier than dragging a TV into the garage, and putting it on pause for 10 minutes while you torque all the bolts down.....
Of course videos don't (usually) get coated with grease and gasket material.

I would have to check for a place that sells the videos.
sorry