may be about to buy an '81 truck as a project truck. internet research says this engine was rated for 160hp. is this really all it's got stock? or is it one of those things that the "real" HP is actually more than what it says it has.

depends on how "stock" it is...

up the compression a little bit and you'll get a lot more out of it. I want to say they were running something like 8.3:1 stock back then...

That's it. My '85 K10 w/ 305 & qudrajet was rated at 165, I believe. The '85s had ESC which let them bump the timing up a bit w/o fear of detonation.

My first car was a '79 Camaro w/ 305 & dualjet, and it was rated at 135. Those were the dog days, my friend.

it's definitely stock. if it does become my project though, i'm certainly going to change that number.

Drop a 454 in there and you'll be good to go!

Keep in mind that anything you do to that 305 will likely be a complete waste of effort and money. First order of business will be transplanting a 350 unless you desire something wilder. TBI 350 swaps from an '87-91 donor aren't too difficult, and increase drivability and power by lightyears. Of course you can go more exotic/modern too.

^

A big block will net you more than it has stock, but get a used LQ9 from one of the newer trucks, an iron block 6.0l Vortech (MAXX) engine. You can get upwards of 400hp out of one of those with a decent cam and headers, etc. They're cheap, and pretty bulletproof. Or, even an LQ4.

LQ4/9 engines

sure, i have no idea what route i want to take yet since i'm still pondering if i want to take this on or not.

in all likelihood, i would probably go the 350 route because of parts availability. i don't think i want this to be anything except a clean, simple, daily driver quality truck.

with the possibility for speed, of course

If the 350 in the 1978 Camaro Z28 in the other post only has 175hp, 160hp for a 305 doesn't sound too far off at all.

A stock 454 in 1982 with a Q-jet only had 210hp.

Hell, a stock 454 SS in 1990 had only 230hp, but 385ft lbs of tq.

here are a few examples of the style i'd like to do:

don't like the grill or the bumper, but overall pretty sweet looking.


like this one even better, with the white letter tires.


this one's not bad too, except for the paint scheme:



not necessarily set on lowering it either, may decide to go with a 2-3" lift/level it out instead.

I like this one but would get new wheels and tires on the way home...



link for red one

This one has it's share of "ghetto" touches too, but semi-cool...



link for black one

[This message has been edited by slschultz02 (edited 4/7/2009 3:01p).]

I like the blue one a lot. I'm usually not much for lowered pickups, but I do like the hunkered down look with an otherwise factory-appearance, complete with the original moldings and all.

Shaved handles and trim, phantom grills, non-factory paint schemes, they all end up dating the customization within a few years. You can just look at some of those trucks and tell when they were hacked up (early 90s, mid 90s, early 00s, etc). I even shy away from custom wheels unless they're subtle and correct for the period of the car. The factory appearance is timeless, and if you can keep it while adding a slightly more aggressive stance, then I'm all for that.

Stacy David's GEARZ did a restyle of that exact look of a truck. New wheels, brakes and suspensions stuff (nothing too wild), some new internal gadgets and a new engine/trans and it was a whole new beast.

FWIW the blue one isn't lowered...

it is a beautiful stock C-10

I remember one night around 2002-03 sometime I was out at the Navasota raceway... there was a guy there with an early 80's C10 that was smoking EVERYONE. The truck was light blue (actually more rust than anything) but it sounded and ran like an absolute beast. Wish I had asked him what he had under the hood. Talk about ultimate sleeper...

There's a sick C10 in N. Texas, blue at that, that I think is running a single turbo and spray. It's fast as hell and rapes cars in "Mexico" during street races, which are 100% legal in Mexico.

[This message has been edited by BigRobSA (edited 4/7/2009 4:48p).]

oh yeah, the blue one is the best of the three for sure.

5.3L vortecs are a dime a dozen at wrecking yards, plus you can get an overdrive trans....I would consider that route for a cheap upgrade.

I smell a 383 stroker in your future.

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FWIW the blue one isn't lowered...

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On second glance, you might be right. Something about the angle kinda made it look like it had at least a longer shackle in back to bring down the factory rake and make it sit level.

I drove a cross between the blue and red one through college. I wish I still had that truck.

Paint was blue wrapped around silver, chrome rims and grill. The 305 crapped out on it and had a 350 put in to replace it.

One sweet ride.

F W Ag: I'm with you on that almost entirely stock look with maybe oversized tires on stock rims. That '87 you sold was exactly how I'd set one up.

^
I've got a picture of my wife standing in front of it here on my desk. I hope someday I'll be able to get another one.

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I've got a picture of my wife standing in front of it here on my desk. I hope someday I'll be able to get another one.

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Wife?

Another vote for the blue one. That is sweet!

I had a 1980 model shortbed. I like the 81-87s better with the freshened front end, but my 80 was good ride that I wish I still had.

I'll sick with these:

I would either go get a 350 TBI from an '87 to '91 donor or see about getting a Vortec 350 from a '96 to '98 donor. You can also get a brand new Vortec 350 from that same era via crate. Those will link up with the old R700 transmissins that came with those trucks.

160HP on a 305 from that era is about right. I think they put a high output version of this engine in some Trans Ams, Camaros, Monte Carlos (SS), and possibly trucks and El Camino SS's. Wasn't there an SS 1500 of some sort? The HP rating was closer to 190 on the HO version, but they were ripped off like crazy. I knew 2 guys with the same engine (in a Trans Am and Monte) that got their car stolen and got the car back sans the engine. The insurance companies had to replace them with stock 305s.

I *think* my parent's '79 or '80 El Camino had a standard 305 in it. I never thought a lot of that engine. I heard they had some camshaft problems, plus I don't think the gas mileage drop from a 350 was all that great. On the other hand, the Ford 302 was a really great engine.

Back then, 160 was not that bad. My '76 Impala with a 350 probably only had 170-175. For stock engines, anything over 150 was pretty good. V8 Mustangs only had about 180 until around 1984.

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Wasn't there an SS 1500 of some sort

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truck and SS didn't meet until 1990

there was a C-10 with a 454, but there was nothing "sport" about it

The SS El Camino in '84 was made by Choo-Choo customs, not GM. The H.O engine in the Z28 and TA had 190 HP, while the SS Monte Carlo had 185 HP. The difference in HP was that the Z28 and the TA had the electric fan, while the SS Monte Carlo did not.
GM put the Corvette L82 camshaft, the Corvette catalytic converter, dual snorkle air cleaner and the 4 barrel carb to make the H.O. 5spd cars had 3.73 ratio rears and the automatics had 3.42 gears.
I had a Z28 H.O. that I ordered in '83.

[This message has been edited by Rufus T. Aggie (edited 4/10/2009 9:16p).]

>>The SS El Camino in '84 was made by Choo-Choo customs, not GM.<<

There WAS an El Camino prior to '84 that was performance based and I think was labeled SS. A neighbor had one the same time we had our plain jane EC.

The SS line of GM cars has been around for decades.

the blue one is indeed sweet. i miss mine

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There WAS an El Camino prior to '84 that was performance based and I think was labeled SS

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First Official year for the SS El Camino was 1968, last year for the SS package was 1977 for the El Camino.
http://www.chevelles.com/shop/ss_ident.html

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1968 was also the first year you could get an El Camino SS, and it is the only year for a separate El Camino SS model.

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Around 1974 the "Laguna S-3" package was introduced. It was similar to the '73 Chevelle SS package. The "S-3" package was available only on the Chevelle, not the El Camino or Sprint (they still had the SS and SP packages).

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1978-1987

When the El Camino was completely redesigned in 1978, the GMC version was renamed the "Caballero".

The El Camino SS package was resurrected, but by now it was basically just a "Super Sport" decal. Choo-Choo Customs in Tennessee built their El Camino SS in conjunction with Chevrolet. It could be ordered through a Chevrolet dealer, and consisted mostly of ground-effects body panels.

Other models of current interest include the '78 El Camino with the 350 V8 and 4-speed manual, the diesel El Camino, the "Royal Knight" El Camino, and the "Diablo" Caballero.

The Malibus of this era are almost completely devoid of any performance opions, although a '78 350/4-speed Malibu was available.

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[This message has been edited by Rufus T. Aggie (edited 4/11/2009 10:58a).]

my first car was an '81. it was a good ol truck.