As I was saying before, I would recommend going for the cubes unless your dad is trying to hold back the power. Are you sure he's the one that wants the 500 streetable horsepower?
Vetted BoxQ I have a TH700-R4 trans from an '88 Vette that I want to swap into my '84 Camaro Z28.The engine is a noncomputerized 350 cid. What, if anything, can I do to make the speedo work? I believe the Vette speedo was electronic. What about the rear mount and torque arm? Are they bolt-in? Do I need a new tailhousing or a conversion kit of some kind? Dean MartinOliver, BC, Canada
A A Vette trans swap into your Camaro is great. The Vette trans has a larger Second-gear servo for increased Second gear durability, a special valvebody which allows for WOT 3-4 gear changes, and higher line pressure for better durability and firmer shifts.
No, the Vette tailhousing does not have the Camaro torque arm mounting flange. It's a very easy four-bolt swap to install the Camaro tailhousing; the length is exactly the same. As for your speedo, yes, the Corvette had an electronic speedo. It had a signal generator that was driven just like a speedo gear for your Camaro. You just need to swap out your stock Camaro tailhousing with the speedo-driven gear and housing and install it. We would also take the drive gear from your Camaro trans and swap it in to the Vette trans. As for the trans mount, the Vette trans usually has the holes in the case, but they are not tapped. It's a very simple job to tap them out to either 10 mm metric or 71/416 USS thread. Good luck with your swap.
EFI NovaQ I have a '64 Chevy II which I have been working on for about a year. It has a Gear Vendors TH400, a Strange S60 rear with 4.33:1 gears, a Competition Engineering Mini Tub, and a TCI front subframe, plus all the other standard goodies that make American Muscle fun to drive. I am looking at the Ram Jet 502 as a powerplant. I really like the idea of fuel injection but am concerned that this engine is at its peak performance. I haven't seen any articles on upgrading or tuning this engine past the advertised 502 hp. Any info will be greatly appreciated.Jeff MortonSt. Petersburg, FL
A I've dyno'd several of the Ram Jet 502s, and its advertised power output is slightly optimistic. You haven't seen many articles on hopping up these engines because of the MEFI 4 controller. This is the controller for the fuel injection and it is a flash-only programmer. You must have GM proprietary software and hardware to tune it. Being that it is a speed-density EFI system, you have a very small window to hop it up.
Now, the ZZ502 engine is a very good foundation to start your engine combination. Many aftermarket EFI systems give you the tuning ability and flexibility to make major changes in the engine's personality.
Edelbrock offers its Performer RPM Pro-Flo EFI system (PN 3550). This is a complete EFI system from the inlet manifold to the very last sensor and wiring harness. The manifold is a single-plane Victor Jr. oval-port manifold, and a 1,000-cfm four-barrel air valve that gives you horsepower headroom up to 625 hp! Edelbrock has dyno'd this system on a ZZ502 engine with its Performer RPM big-block camshaft installed, and it produced 547 hp. One of the system's best features is the Calibration Module, which allows tuning without a laptop computer. For more information, call Edelbrock at 800.416.8628, or go online at edelbrock.com
This EFI system should round out your really trick Chevy II. Good luck with your project and send us pictures for CHP Rides when you're done.