Lady Needs Your Help- Camaro

I have a 1981 Chevy Camaro, which was giving to me by my older brother
who is in the Army and doesn't have time to take care of the car
anymore. It has a small 267 ( 4.4L ) V8 with almost 150,000 miles on it.
The car has been garaged for the last 5 years, and needs work done to
it. My brother already told me that it needs a new rear main seal,
because the car leaks about 4 quarts of oil a week!!!

I had it towed to a local mechanic to have them look it over, and they
confirmed that yes, it does need a new rear main seal it that would cost
$550 dollars. It also needs a complete, full tune up which they wanted
$250 for, plus they said the carburetor needs to be rebuilt and that
would be another $200 to $300 dollars.

As I stated above, the engine is a 4.4L 267 V8. It was the small
gas-saver 8 cylinder that they came out with in 1981. I also checked the
Vin numbers, and it is the original factory engine.

Now my question is, I would like to keep the original engine in the car
because I hear that its worth more that way, but is it possible to get
more horsepower out of this engine?? I have driven the car, but its so
damn slow!! It has no power at all. It seems like it takes forever going
uphill!! So my question is, can you get 300 to 400 horsepower from a
267?? If not, what do you experts think would be the MAX horsepower you
could get from a 267 engine using the best quality parts??

Also, is it possible to convert the single exhaust to a dual exhaust??
I would like the original, numbers matching, factory engine to remain in
the car, but I want it to have the horsepower of a strong 350. Is this
at all possible, and if so how??

Also, can you tell me if the transmission would have to be changed if
you were able to increase the horsepower n the car??

I would like to know if you guys think any of this is possible, and how
much a rough estimate of a job like this would cost?? I would like to
hear from you experts here first instead of just going to a repair shop
and having them give me some outrageous price because they see a woman
walking in and jack the price up on me.

Any info. would greatly be appreciated!!
Thank you!!!

(MICHELLE H.) wrote in
:

> I have a 1981 Chevy Camaro, which was giving to me by my older
> brother
> who is in the Army and doesn't have time to take care of the car
> anymore. It has a small 267 ( 4.4L ) V8 with almost 150,000 miles on
> it. The car has been garaged for the last 5 years, and needs work done
> to it. My brother already told me that it needs a new rear main seal,
> because the car leaks about 4 quarts of oil a week!!!
>
> I had it towed to a local mechanic to have them look it over, and they
> confirmed that yes, it does need a new rear main seal it that would
> cost $550 dollars. It also needs a complete, full tune up which they
> wanted $250 for, plus they said the carburetor needs to be rebuilt and
> that would be another $200 to $300 dollars.

The $550 is not TOOO bad for the rear seal. The full tune-up for $250
seems a bit high, and the $2-300 for the carb rebuild seems WAY out of
line, you could probably buy a NEW carb for that or a touch more.


>
> As I stated above, the engine is a 4.4L 267 V8. It was the small
> gas-saver 8 cylinder that they came out with in 1981. I also checked
> the Vin numbers, and it is the original factory engine.
>
> Now my question is, I would like to keep the original engine in the
> car because I hear that its worth more that way, but is it possible to
> get more horsepower out of this engine?? I have driven the car, but
> its so damn slow!! It has no power at all. It seems like it takes
> forever going uphill!! So my question is, can you get 300 to 400
> horsepower from a 267?? If not, what do you experts think would be the
> MAX horsepower you could get from a 267 engine using the best quality
> parts??
>

300-400 hp or a lot more (probably up to the neighborhood of 600) is
possible, depending on how you go about it and how driveable you want
it. You will have to upgrade the pistons to handle the extra power,
along with possibly the crankshaft and connecting rods (not sure what
Chevy used in those motors). Some port/valve work would most likely be
needed on the heads. You will need to upgrade the fuel system. A
supercharger would be a definate help in this quest. A new performance
cam, lifters and valve springs would be required for sure, and roller
rocker arms and a roller cam design will free up quite a bit of
horsepower.



> Also, is it possible to convert the single exhaust to a dual exhaust??
> I would like the original, numbers matching, factory engine to remain
> in the car, but I want it to have the horsepower of a strong 350. Is
> this at all possible, and if so how??
>
> Also, can you tell me if the transmission would have to be changed if
> you were able to increase the horsepower n the car??

I bet definately yes on this one. May not have to be 'changed' but I
would be high-performance internals would be needed (Automatic).

>
> I would like to know if you guys think any of this is possible, and
> how much a rough estimate of a job like this would cost?? I would like
> to hear from you experts here first instead of just going to a repair
> shop and having them give me some outrageous price because they see a
> woman walking in and jack the price up on me.
>

If you do it, about $6-7k with the supercharger added in (~$3500)
If you have someone do it all, probably $1-2k more.
Could be a lot cheaper, depending on what you put in the motor.
Performance isn't cheap.
How fast you go, depends on how much you want to spend.


> Any info. would greatly be appreciated!!
> Thank you!!!
>
>





--
Anthony

You can't 'idiot proof' anything....every time you try, they just make
better idiots.

Remove sp to reply via email

"MICHELLE H." > wrote in message
...
> I have a 1981 Chevy Camaro, which was giving to me by my older brother
> who is in the Army and doesn't have time to take care of the car
> anymore. It has a small 267 ( 4.4L ) V8 with almost 150,000 miles on it.
> The car has been garaged for the last 5 years, and needs work done to
> it. My brother already told me that it needs a new rear main seal,
> because the car leaks about 4 quarts of oil a week!!!
>
> I had it towed to a local mechanic to have them look it over, and they
> confirmed that yes, it does need a new rear main seal it that would cost
> $550 dollars. It also needs a complete, full tune up which they wanted
> $250 for, plus they said the carburetor needs to be rebuilt and that
> would be another $200 to $300 dollars.
>
> As I stated above, the engine is a 4.4L 267 V8. It was the small
> gas-saver 8 cylinder that they came out with in 1981. I also checked the
> Vin numbers, and it is the original factory engine.
>
> Now my question is, I would like to keep the original engine in the car
> because I hear that its worth more that way,

If this is an automatic, not stick shift, it's worthless. You would spend
more
to get the car running well even dropping in a 350. And for people like me
wanting a weekend toy of that vintage, we would be going for the factory
stick shift and a good body, and we wouldn't give a crap about how well
the engine works. Even if the engine was brand new, without that stick
shift it's nothing more than a grocery getter.

The best advice anyone can give you is to have some place steam-clean the
engine, then fill it with oil and sell it quick.

Ted

I think it could all be done for around $1000.

First off, I would like to thank everyone for all their great advice, I
really do appreciate it. After doing a search on the web, I came across
the engine specs. for the 1981 Camaro. The 267 engine was listed as
having 115 hp, while the 350 was listed at having 175 hp. This is
something I would probably be happy with. I don't know what I was
thinking when I said I wanted 300-400 horsepower out of this 267.

I would be willing to keep the original 267 numbers matching engine in
the car if I could get the power of a factory 350. Anywhere close to at
least 200 hp would be nice so that I don't have to be worried about
being passed by my friend in her 1989 4 cylinder Chevy Cavalier!!!!!
Which was a true story!!! When I drove the car a few years ago, I took
it to work with me, and on the way home I was racing my friend home,
because we both were going the sane way, and she past me in her 4
cylinder, 4 door Cavalier!!!
The 267 is weak and has no power at all, so I woud love for it to have
the power of the 350 engine.

Here is a link to the 1981 Camaros engine specs:

http://www.nastyz28.com/camaro/camaro81.html

(MICHELLE H.) wrote in news:16561-41E244FA-339
@storefull-3137.bay.webtv.net:

> First off, I would like to thank everyone for all their great advice, I
> really do appreciate it. After doing a search on the web, I came across
> the engine specs. for the 1981 Camaro. The 267 engine was listed as
> having 115 hp, while the 350 was listed at having 175 hp. This is
> something I would probably be happy with. I don't know what I was
> thinking when I said I wanted 300-400 horsepower out of this 267.
>
> I would be willing to keep the original 267 numbers matching engine in
> the car if I could get the power of a factory 350. Anywhere close to at
> least 200 hp would be nice so that I don't have to be worried about
> being passed by my friend in her 1989 4 cylinder Chevy Cavalier!!!!!
> Which was a true story!!! When I drove the car a few years ago, I took
> it to work with me, and on the way home I was racing my friend home,
> because we both were going the sane way, and she past me in her 4
> cylinder, 4 door Cavalier!!!
> The 267 is weak and has no power at all, so I woud love for it to have
> the power of the 350 engine.
>
> Here is a link to the 1981 Camaros engine specs:
>
> http://www.nastyz28.com/camaro/camaro81.html
>
>
>

A large dose of help for that situation would be to dump the 2.56 rear gear
in favor of something less airplane-like. Say..the 3.08 or better yet, the
3.42 out of a 350 car. You will see an immediate drop in 0-60 times.
That is a large part of the reason the 350 feels so much stronger than the
267 since the horsepower and torque numbers aren't that much improved from
the 267 to the 350.
On the engine side, a mild upgrade to the cam (go roller), a set of roller
rocker arms, some headers, an aftermarket Ignition system (MSD is my
preferred choice), dump the 2V in favor of a small cfm 4-bbl and you will
probably be above the stock 350 numbers. The 8.3:1 compression ratio is
going to hurt you some, but should you choose to invest some significant
cash, it is perfect for an engine running a little forced induction
(boost).
All of the above should be able to be done without removing the engine from
the car. (The cam may be difficult....but can be done while in the car.)

Then again, on an engine with that many miles, a little 'freshen up'
wouldn't hurt, and if you are not going to run boost, upping the c/r to
around 9:1 will make a decent improvement. I would not run much above 9:1
with the older electronics on todays gas.
Cars today are running upwards of 10:1 stock, BUT, the monitoring/control
electronics are no comparison to what was available when your car was
built, and can detune the engine automatically to make up for crappy gas.



--
Anthony

You can't 'idiot proof' anything....every time you try, they just make
better idiots.

Remove sp to reply via email

> I have a 1981 Chevy Camaro, which was giving to me by my older brother
> who is in the Army and doesn't have time to take care of the car
> anymore. It has a small 267 ( 4.4L ) V8 with almost 150,000 miles on it.
> The car has been garaged for the last 5 years, and needs work done to
> it. My brother already told me that it needs a new rear main seal,
> because the car leaks about 4 quarts of oil a week!!!

at 150,000 on a 267 vehicles engine is about ready for and overhaul!

> I had it towed to a local mechanic to have them look it over, and they
> confirmed that yes, it does need a new rear main seal it that would cost
> $550 dollars. It also needs a complete, full tune up which they wanted
> $250 for, plus they said the carburetor needs to be rebuilt and that
> would be another $200 to $300 dollars.

an 81 gm should have a - I believe the carb is a

>
> As I stated above, the engine is a 4.4L 267 V8. It was the small
> gas-saver 8 cylinder that they came out with in 1981. I also checked the
> Vin numbers, and it is the original factory engine.



> Now my question is, I would like to keep the original engine in the car
> because I hear that its worth more that way, but is it possible to get
> more horsepower out of this engine?? I have driven the car, but its so
> damn slow!! It has no power at all. It seems like it takes forever going
> uphill!! So my question is, can you get 300 to 400 horsepower from a

Sure - for around $4000.00


> 267?? If not, what do you experts think would be the MAX horsepower you
> could get from a 267 engine using the best quality parts??



Need a little bit more power - a rebuilt engine!= a noticeably large hp
improvement.



cost you $1500 - $2500.00


> Also, is it possible to convert the single exhaust to a dual exhaust??



sure


> I would like the original, numbers matching, factory engine to remain in
> the car, but I want it to have the horsepower of a strong 350. Is this
> at all possible, and if so how??



possible! - I would not recommend this, as this would cost the big $$$ - you
want to keep it stock right? - really not worth it!


> Also, can you tell me if the transmission would have to be changed if
> you were able to increase the horsepower n the car??



possibly


> I would like to know if you guys think any of this is possible, and how
> much a rough estimate of a job like this would cost?? I would like to
> hear from you experts here first instead of just going to a repair shop
> and having them give me some outrageous price because they see a woman
> walking in and jack the price up on me.



Only happens if you're a blond! <kidding> That just does NOT happen - possibly
in small towns or 3rd world countries - not here in the us <grin>

BBA

.....carb is a 2 barrel computer controlled POS

And replace the restrictive stock pelletized catalytic converter with a
high-flow monolithic type.

On Mon, 10 Jan 2005, Anthony wrote:

> (MICHELLE H.) wrote in news:16561-41E244FA-339
> @storefull-3137.bay.webtv.net:
>
> > First off, I would like to thank everyone for all their great advice, I
> > really do appreciate it. After doing a search on the web, I came across
> > the engine specs. for the 1981 Camaro. The 267 engine was listed as
> > having 115 hp, while the 350 was listed at having 175 hp. This is
> > something I would probably be happy with. I don't know what I was
> > thinking when I said I wanted 300-400 horsepower out of this 267.
> >
> > I would be willing to keep the original 267 numbers matching engine in
> > the car if I could get the power of a factory 350. Anywhere close to at
> > least 200 hp would be nice so that I don't have to be worried about
> > being passed by my friend in her 1989 4 cylinder Chevy Cavalier!!!!!
> > Which was a true story!!! When I drove the car a few years ago, I took
> > it to work with me, and on the way home I was racing my friend home,
> > because we both were going the sane way, and she past me in her 4
> > cylinder, 4 door Cavalier!!!
> > The 267 is weak and has no power at all, so I woud love for it to have
> > the power of the 350 engine.
> >
> > Here is a link to the 1981 Camaros engine specs:
> >
> > http://www.nastyz28.com/camaro/camaro81.html
> >
> >
> >
>
> A large dose of help for that situation would be to dump the 2.56 rear gear
> in favor of something less airplane-like. Say..the 3.08 or better yet, the
> 3.42 out of a 350 car. You will see an immediate drop in 0-60 times.
> That is a large part of the reason the 350 feels so much stronger than the
> 267 since the horsepower and torque numbers aren't that much improved from
> the 267 to the 350.
> On the engine side, a mild upgrade to the cam (go roller), a set of roller
> rocker arms, some headers, an aftermarket Ignition system (MSD is my
> preferred choice), dump the 2V in favor of a small cfm 4-bbl and you will
> probably be above the stock 350 numbers. The 8.3:1 compression ratio is
> going to hurt you some, but should you choose to invest some significant
> cash, it is perfect for an engine running a little forced induction
> (boost).
> All of the above should be able to be done without removing the engine from
> the car. (The cam may be difficult....but can be done while in the car.)
>
> Then again, on an engine with that many miles, a little 'freshen up'
> wouldn't hurt, and if you are not going to run boost, upping the c/r to
> around 9:1 will make a decent improvement. I would not run much above 9:1
> with the older electronics on todays gas.
> Cars today are running upwards of 10:1 stock, BUT, the monitoring/control
> electronics are no comparison to what was available when your car was
> built, and can detune the engine automatically to make up for crappy gas.
>
>
>
> --
> Anthony
>
> You can't 'idiot proof' anything....every time you try, they just make
> better idiots.
>
> Remove sp to reply via email
>