1989 firebird

[tspoon]

hey guys this is my first time here and my dad has given me his 1989 pontiac firebird that has been sitting behind the house for at least a year now :/ anyway i come to you guys to introduce myself and hopefully become an avid member of this forum and to ask for your assistance as to the car... well im 18 and ive been raised in the garage i dont know much but i know more than the average person if thats the best that i could explain it lol anywho enough of my rambling the bird has got the 2.8L V6 LB8 engine and it starts fine but it knocks it doesnt knock hard at idle but the more i rev the engine the louder the knock becomes so any suggestions? im kinda hoping into turning it into my little hotrod but i wanna slap maybe a turbo in it or should i do something else? im here for advice positive and negative lol so GO! and thanks

[tspoon]

here is a picture of it i know its a little dirty

[Superdave]

A fellow Iowan!

Welcome!



You have a ton of options but it all boils down to how much cash you want to throw at it. How is the rust situation?


I'm fighting that right now in my '89 Camaro..

[tspoon]

there are a few spots of visible rust and im sure there is some rust underneath but its still a pretty good frame and its been bundled up for the winter and as the money situation i guess i need to know how much would what cost lol cause i am willing to put all my paychecks into it

[ForcedFirebird]

WOOT!

More Mullet-mobiles!

[tspoon]

lol well i want to make this "mullet mobile" quick enough off the start to smoke all these retards in hondas here were they think theyre I-4 is the fastest thing in the world with their fart cannon mufflers that sound like a lawnmower going thru water ha

[bszopi]

1989 must be a good year for 60V6 powered RWD cars...

[tspoon]

well in 89 they came out with the special edition firebird lol luckly i dont have that

[Superdave]

Well.. i guess you should figure out how fast you wanna go...


I'm shooting for 12.99 with my '89 Camaro, built 3.5 V6 with a 700R4, 3500 stall, shift kit, 3.42 rear on drag radials. Right now, without the price of the car and the engine i'm a little over 2 grand in the hole, factor in the car, engine and everything i'm in it for about 7.

[tspoon]

alright well the car is already payed for and i was talking to my dad the car guru in the family and he says the rod bearings are bad and thats what causes the knock im kinda looking into putting a turbo in it i dont necessarily want to turn it into a drag car i still wanna drive it around town and give these des moines police a run for their money haha jk but how much and where should i go for looking into putting a turbo into it and what other mods should i do witht the engine to handle the turbo other than basic upgrade brakes, tires, air intake, exhaust system... what else? and thanks so much guys for the input its really helpin!

[zoideraserb]

Welcome to the forum! i myself am fairly new here too, but i do have alot of experience with s10s that also have the 2.8 in them.. The fairly common think to do with a tired 2.8 is to pull it and put a 3.4 from a slightly newer f-body in it. If your wanting to keep the 2.8 in there then pull the crank, get it checked/turned, put it back in with new bearings and while your at it throw a new oil pump in there for good measure . GOOD LUCK, f-bodys tend to be money pits when trying to go fast

[Superdave]

alright well the car is already payed for and i was talking to my dad the car guru in the family and he says the rod bearings are bad and thats what causes the knock im kinda looking into putting a turbo in it i dont necessarily want to turn it into a drag car i still wanna drive it around town and give these des moines police a run for their money haha jk but how much and where should i go for looking into putting a turbo into it and what other mods should i do witht the engine to handle the turbo other than basic upgrade brakes, tires, air intake, exhaust system... what else? and thanks so much guys for the input its really helpin!

well.. you need a new engine first.


I'd go to the junk yards and start looking for a 3.4 from a 93-95 Camaro/Firebird. That will get you rolling in the right direction.

[tspoon]

a whole new engine? alrighty i can prolly get one for about how much? i was looking around online and i was reading about people just taking their 2.8s and boreing them into 3.1s would that be cheaper? or would it just be easier to find me a 3.4 from a 4th gen bird/camero?

[Superdave]

You could probably rebuild the 2.8 or stroke it to a 3.1 for $500 or so. 3.4's can usually be found for $300-$600 at the yards and will bolt right in.

The advantage to the 3.4 is about 30 more HP out of the box, There were also some internal changes that make it a better platform to upgrade down the road.

[tspoon]

alrighty sounds like im gunna be shopping for that 3.4 would there be any changes in the computer wiring or anything like that with this new 3.4? ive read that the stock transmission will handle all these upgrades is this true?