I bought a 68 last year and it had a stock 327 in it. Well before I get started let me explain I always have loved the 68 camaro and I have no experience in auto. at all... Basically I'm a dummy when it comes to cars but I have a basic working knowlege...(so i'm not an igmaramous)

I just had a new 350 dropped in with a 700cfm carb. I just don't have the power that I want. What can I do to get more power? I think right now I'm at about 305hp.

Please help!!

I want to learn more and I pick things up pretty quickly. This is my first classic car and I'm very excited.

Ok, will need specs of the motor....stat.
LOL
What can you tell us about the motor? Tranny? Rear? Tire size? Exhaust? Ignition?
The more you can tell us the more we..er..they can help you. I am an ignoramous.
HEHE...

It has a 2 speed power glide, 17" low profile tires with torq thrust rims a little wider in the rear than the front,

I believe just a stock rear end, I just spent 6000.00 to have the 350 dropped in I believe it is all pretty much stock. It may have a larger cam then stock

Now I'm kind of thinking I should have went with an LS1. Oh.. exhaust is hooker headers with flow masters

It has a 2 speed power glide,
Ah hah!

And Welcome to Team Camaro!

That powerglide 2 speed is killing you. The first gear is roughly equal in ratio to second in a 3 speed automatic! You need a 4 speed automatic, a 700r4 or 2004r overdrive box. The low gear in these is around 3:1 O(vs ~1.7:1 in the powerglide!) They'll get you moving in a hurry, and the overdrive is nice on the highway.

Thats a start. where did you allocate the motor from?

Motor came from Grooms engines out of Nashville, TN. Have you heard of them? Would it be better to sell this engine and install a LS1? I want a lot of power but I don't want idle problems.

Your car. Do as you wish. Sell it or find another car-install current engine in another car...
Why do you think LS1 will give you idle problems? LS1 are easiest to make run on a stand-alone system. I just put one in a rock-crawler jeep. took 2 days for full swap.

I don't know what to do that is why I'm asking advice. I don't want to have idle problems with the 350 carb engine. I have heard that the LS1 doesn't have idle problems because it is fuel injected.

Can you make a carb engine idle and run great as a daily driver and have a lot of power?

You need a 4 speed automatic, a 700r4 or 2004r overdrive box

Where is good place to locate that transmission?

http://www.bowtieoverdrives.com/index.shtml

Thanks Jim, Is there anything else I can do to the engine to make it have more power and idle smoothly?

It idels fine but I want to maximize power without the use of NOS

We need to know what the specs are on the engine...
We want to know:
-What heads
-What pistons
-What cam
-What intake
-What distributor

We can't tell you how to make more power til we know what you have.
The two single things you can do to improve performance is an OD transmission and improved gears. You probably have 2.73 or 3.08 rear gears. A jump to 3.55 or lower (numerically higher) will give you more "umph" off the line.

Steve, I will find out what I have and get back to you. Thanks that will be the first things I change.

Then tell us:

headers yea or nay, and exh system info

Timing

Vac advance and where it's landed (a picture of the passenger side of the engine will help)

Why you think you now have about 305 horsepower?

Then tell us:

headers yea or nay, and exh system info

Timing

Vac advance and where it's landed (a picture of the passenger side of the engine will help)

Why you think you now have about 305 horsepower?
All good questions, for sure.

I get the impression (no offense and correct me if I'm wrong) that at least right now you're not really a "hands on car guy" (to the extent that some of us are...) so you'll be relying on paid professionals, right?

Gearing multiplies torque, and torque is what makes a car "feel fast." Lower overall gearing will make a huge difference in both the real performance and the feel of the car. Do the trans first.

You'll need the trans, crossmember, shifter mods, possible driveshaft mods, a TV cable kit, and a torque converter. If you stay with a lockup torque converter, you'll ned something to control it. All this is available at BTO.

You'll also need a professionsal trans or rod shop who is familiar with doing stuff like this, ie, putting a different type of tran into an older car, rather than just replacing with identical or pulling, rebuilding, and reinstalling.

The next thing on the list will be "tuning." Proper tuning goes WAY beyond just adjustong the timing to some arbitrary published spec and tweeking the screw on the carb so it idles smoothly.

Proper tuning will involve rejetting the carb, and changing the distributors advanc curve. Ideally, this stuff needs to be backed up by testing on a chassis dyno.

A search thru your phone book, plus some calls, should reveal a good dyno shop in your area. Many thse days deal mostly with EFI cars, either ricers or late model mustangs. Ask and make sure they know their way around an older carbed car, know how to properly tune your Q-jet, and have a good stock of things like jets, metering rods, distributor springs and wieghts, and stuff like that.

One friend, after thinking for a couple of years that his 290hp 350 crate motor justdidn't have the power that it should, bought some jets and rods and started messing with his carb. He found the car responded VERY well to some richer jets, improving both power and economy tremendously.

I absolutely agree on torque multiplication Jim. Ray Charles can see that more gears and lower gears is beneficial to torque multiplication.:D
All I am suggesting is that trannies and driveshafts and crossmembers don't happen overnight or at minimal cost.
Whereas we don't know if his timing is at 4 or 40, ported advance/full manifold/ or none. Might pay him an overnight dividend and help him make his decision with his LS-1 quandary if he found he already has power on the table.

And yes it does feel he will be leaning (and in fact did for the engine install)on outsourcing the work, which will get us replies like "Hey we set the timing right when we put that engine in(8 or 10° in the book is 'right' and so is ported advance)". And I don't blame them, it'll take some diplomacy from lappybuyer (edit: Rick) to not create hostility if he returns to the shop that did his install and wants to know something about the timing. So he may be better off buying a $100 timing light and letting us walk him through checking his timing before doing a $2000 tranny conversion. I know if it was a car new to sitting in my driveway I would check the timing on day 1 minute 1.

And not to denounce more/lower gears nor rooting for 2 speed glides but I remember as a kid we had a 327/glide in an Impala that would light em up and outrun it's headlights. At least that's the way I want to remember it:). Anyway it definitely wasn't a dawg.

Yeah, Im not sure telling him he needs a new tranny was the first thing that shoulda been said now that I have reread the post. OOPS. Lets tune this thing and see what we got, He'll be back....

you can have a really snotty efi car that idles like crap too lappy...tuning is where its at...fact is without your specs, we cant really tell you anything but speculation...i agree with jim 100 percent that the od should be a top choice, along with a set of gears...but it depends on your goal...if you plan on 800 hp, then stick with the glide, cuz you would have the hp to overcome the glides downfall of a loooong first gear...however, if you want to stay at a reliable hp level (under 500 or so)i`d go od...my first choice is the 2004r...it`ll take a beating, and its ratio for first is better suited for my needs...(1st gear is 2.73 i believe) the 700r4 is a good choice for your car also, but the first gear is kinda short at 3.06, and the final drive is .75 whereas the 2004r has a final of .64 if memory serves...look into a converter for your motor...the converter should flash to the beginning/middle of your torque curve depending on your driving habits...finally, either trans will respond very well to 3.73 or so gears in the rear...this combo will set you back some loot,for sure, but after installed on your current engine with current tune, it will be like going from a yugo to your current power level...lol...night and day for sure!!!keep in mind that tim is absolutely correct in saying that you could have a lot more power already there just waiting to be tuned out of the motor, but with a glide, you wont feel 20 hp like you would with a 700r4 or 2004r because of gear reduction and torque multiplication...hope this helps...

"All good questions, for sure.

I get the impression (no offense and correct me if I'm wrong) that at least right now you're not really a "hands on car guy" (to the extent that some of us are...) so you'll be relying on paid professionals, right?"


You are correct. However, I really want to learn how to become more of a hands on guy. I understand some of what your saying but some is greek to me.

The guy who installed my engine said it was a 305 hp capable engine. Now I assume that means I need to adjust some things to get it to that. He also said it had a larger cam in it than stock. However, It just doesn't have any go power. Sometimes I push the gas and it feels like it is going to stall before it goes. I have already put about 12,000 in engine, tires, exhaust, ac, and various other things.

Once and engine has been tuned does it require a lot of constant retuning? What is the 350 capable in terms of horse power?

I will call the mech. on Monday and get all the specs of the engine and exhaust. Do I need timing specs? It has a new msd distributor:D.

Guys I'm sorry if I need to be spoon fed :secret:but I really am very appreciate of your time.

One more question since talking with you guys I'm looking to upgrade the rear end to the 12 bolt posi with the 373 gears and purchase the better tranny that you guys recommended. But I was wanting to get the car repainted should I wait until after installing new tranny and drive shaft or before??

Didn't know if it was better to do it before or after?

Thanks for all your great comments and help.

Are there any good sites or books on tuning these carb. cars??

Jim checked out your website... Man I need a whole front end rebuild also. I have at least half turn in steering wheel play. If I go to fast over a hump I think I could lose control.

Okay Price not being the option what should I do?? I bought this 1969 327 camaro all original from the original owner last year. Paint is decent has some surface rust beginning to bubble up very minimal. I want a screaming fast car beat anything off the line and corners well.

SO far everything I have done has just brought me more and more frustration. I purchased new engine and two weeks later they had to replace it kept burning oil (about a quart every 200 miles)... Put a another in and I can't seem to get any power out of it. Bought new 17" torq thrust II rims and sweet low profile tires and they rubbed the top and cut my tires all up. I put air shocks to raise the car up so they wouldnt rub also put corvette spacers in it.

I just don't know where to start? I want it to be a good daily driver with a lot of power. I almost gave up and purchased one on ebay already done but I really want to figure this out and take a lot of pride in my car. I hope with your help and a lot of research I can come to appreciate and love this car.

I read David Pozzi website WOW VERY GOOD...AND INTERESTING.

google or amazon for engine books. watch for the name Vizard. You should do tranny and rear then paint. I dont like taking chances.
Once you tune a good 350, its tuned. Steady maintenance schedule, which the hands on car guys like-including me, and the motor will last long enuff youll get tired of it and want more.
Well built 350's can push upwards of 500hp at the crank....BTW...I.E.
350 .030 overbore- 350 =4.0 bore; 383= 4.03 + 3.75 stroke:D = torque monster!
3.75 stroke from a good crank (vice stock 3.5 from stock 350)
decent cam, heads, intake
and compression around 10-10.5:1 and youll be close
I may be off alittle its late and the wife is still at work, but I know Im close..:p

Wow Rick, you raised so many issues I don't know which to hit first. And when that happens your first order of business is a plan. You have demonstrated enough green to your car to discover what we know to be true ... these cars are money grubbing ho's. They will let you lay on your back and take everything in your wallet and **** in your eye. It's why we love them. :D

Did your first 350 oil burner have better power than the warranty engine does?
I'm thinking warranty #2 and an upgrade to a ZZ383 torque monster. Concurrent with Jim's tranny swap and rear end gearing enhancements.
To fit your bill of beating anything off the line, a 300 horse 350 will never make you happy even with the best tune on earth.

Rick, we can and will help you to make your car right, and teach you everything you need to know about it in the process, if that's how you want to do this. We've done it before...lol.

My first clue was the 6k for a motor... that's a bunch of coin, and I'd expect such a thing to be a major tire roaster.

I really need to update / finish my website, it's nearly 3 years old at this point.

Can you post some pics of your car?

Would you tell us what you want it to be?

The best thing is to come up with a plan. What needs fixing, what needs changing, and what do you want to change? How will you use the car? How "stock" do you want it to stay, or are you willing to modify / change it to better meet your goals?

Generally, it's best to tackle safety items first... Brakes, steering, suspension are vital.

Paint and body can be a "black hole." Many can't/don't do this themselves. Many cars people buy look good on the outside, but under the skin they turn out to be a lot of trouble... patches pop riveted on, bondo and fiberglass where strong steel needs to be, stuff like that. Cars have been known to disappear into body and paint prison for years!

"performance" is the easiest. Time, money, and either a willingness to learn or more money will get some performance going pretty quickly, but of course the basics need to be solid first.

Here is a link of pictures of the 68

http://picasaweb.google.com/coleen26/Camaro2

Tell me what you think

Okay, Here is basically what I want. I want as much horse power without giving up driveablilty (daily driver). I want to get body work and interior redone. I already talked with the top shop with in 200 mile and they said it would run about 10-12k. That is for paint and interior.

I want the car to handle curves well. I'm not afraid of any modification as this car is not an SS Original or anything of high value other than what i will put into it. So any modifications that you guys recommend are a go.

I would like to do as much of the work as possible but if I'm not capable i'm not afraid to outsource or get some help ie. DAD haha (I only say that because i'm 28 and dad knows a lot about old cars)

So I'm assuming I need a complete overhaul suspension, tranny, brakes, rear end, front end, the works. Where should I start? I already have the engine, tires, exhaust, carb, dist., but i'm willing to change any of these.

From the previous post if i'm able to get 400 hp out of this 350 i will be happy.

So where do I start...I'm ready. I found a 12 posi with 373 gears on ebay i could give the item number if you want it.

I also found the tranny on ebay. okay if you haven't figured it out yet I do ebay for a living.

Rick, search in ebay for a 'camaro chassis', 'camaro frame', or 'camaro suspension'. Youll find 4 link setups for rear(wait on 12 bolt til you get suspension setup for out-cornering vettes), subframe for front end should pop up it should have disc bakes and better handling capabilities. then get drivetrain setup. A search on here for 350/355/377/383 builds will help you decide what you want. 1 year with a 400HP 350 and youll wnat more trust me. IMHO, do a 383 and be done with it 500HP in a street car is tons of fun. car looks good as is...get all this done then body work/paint.
I love the grass in your pic. Oh, the car is nice too. j/K, LOL!
p.s. Im 30. So really you can just dive in! Like me, if you screw it up, its metal. We'll get it fixed. Its all part of the learning process. ALOT of guys on here will like that RED.."D

I also found the tranny on ebay. okay if you haven't figured it out yet I do ebay for a living.
call me crazy, but you buy/sell on ebay and you make a living doing this? Man I should have paid attention in school...fill me in on how this works. can do it here or send me a PM....PLZ?:D

ok then, Harley's 4 links aside...

The car looks pretty nice in the pics. A lot better than many. No gaping holes, and it will move under it's own power.

Go to a dyno shop, for a dyno TUNE. There will be a ton of power to be found by tuning the carb and advance curve. Edelbrock carbs are notoriously lean out of the box.

You will have an absolute GAS watching your car on a chassis dyno. They'll need to do 4-6 full throttle puls to get everything right. Most shops will let you stay right there and watch and kibutz while your cars is on the rollers. Most fun I've had without a race track, no doubt. It will cost $100-130/hr for half a day. Worth it.

It looks like you're dealing with a pretty original car, older repaint, pretty well untouched underneath.

You'll want to get going on the suspension rebuild, both ends. Go off to the suspension forum, do some searching, start a new post or 2 there, collect some parts and get going. I'd recommend you spend considerable time making what you can reach look nice while you're under there. A wire wheel in a die grinder, and some rust bullit or por15, and a can or 2 of spray paint will work wonders.

What about brakes? Disk in front, or drums? Power? How do they work? Does the car stop straight?

If it were mine, I'd deal with the mechanicals first, one project at a time, driving her in between. Helps keep the love flowing that way. Once the mechanicals are done, it's paint prison time.

If the car drives as "loose" as you say, work on suspension and brakes first. No need to go fast if you stop SLOW. lol.

In my opinion, here's where to start:

1) sub frame bushings (solid or poly)
2) front end rebuild (control arm bushings, ball joints, idler arm, pitman arm) you might even want to do the steering box at this point
3) brakes (disc up front at a minimum)
4) decide on and install springs and shocks (hotchkis, dse, global west (use these terms in search) sway bars
5) OD transmission
6) rear end gear upgrade
7) tires and wheels
8) build a KILLER motor.
9) paint and body
4)

One more observation: My 350 makes enough power to completely blow off my 275 wide street tires. At our local 100' drags last week, a Neon walked me. (It was a pretty hot Neon, but still...) Needless to say, I am planning on immediate upgrades to my rear suspension and tire package to hook my 450-500 horses, drag race style. At the track I threw as much weight as possible in the trunk and aired down the BFG's to 15 psi. It did a little better but still didn't hook. The point being that your 350 has enough potential to go beyond any cornering tire made, at least off the line. Stick with your 350. I like what you're being told here about dyno tuning. Many would not consider my engine a "daily driver" engine, but I drive it all the time. It pulls hard, and I mean HARD, all the way to 7200 RPM, and I love that. I will put my engine up against most 383s. The difference is you have to wind a 350 a little higher to make the same power, but that's what I like about it and I think that is what you want. A larger engine will make more power at lower RPM, exactly what you don't want if you're trying to beat anything off the line on low profile tires. I hate to complicate the issue more, but it's something to think about...

Good advice Kevin but keep the Neon thing a secret.