junkyard thirdgen?

[SwiftDrift]

i was considering building a camaro mostly from junkyard parts, that may seem very stupid but i would inspect the parts thoroughly. aside from rust and completeness, what should i be worried about? if i saw a chassis that did not have much rust, needed wheels and a drivetrain, would it be cheaper to build than buying a craigslist car??

[caffeine]

V6 thirdgenn aren't worth that much. I think you'd be ahead by starting with a running car.

[SwiftDrift]

well i'm pretty much broke, and i would be swapping out the whole drivetrain anyways. i just assume find the chassis and build it up however i want. the cheapest 'maro i have seen was 600, they go for like 800-1500 where i am.

[baktrak]

You would probably have that into a junkyard car before you ever got to do any real work on it anyway. Between finding wheels and whatever else is missing from the car, like interior pieces, driveshaft, brakes and suspension parts that are missing, etc etc...

[Superdave]

Save up and buy something running/driving... it's well worth the wait. Your prices sound about right, I paid $1K for my '89RS.. I drove it home but gave the engine/trans back to the old owner.


it may sound cheaper to part something together but it's not.. plus some junkyards don't keep titles and then you'd be stuck with a salvage title.

[SwiftDrift]

okay fair enough. but can i still trust parts from a junkyard such as an lsd and tranny? (t-5)

[Superdave]

trick question... you can never trust a T5.

LSD should be fine if inspected, take the whole rear end though. and make sure it's not a 2 series Auburn. I shattered mine at the strip. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J23awRGU7iM

[SwiftDrift]

what is the most common thing that breaks on t5s, and wow did u switch to a spool after that?

[caffeine]

If you're drifting you probably just want a spool since a factory LSD will wear out rather quickly with abuse from drifting. A friend of mine runs a welded 10-bolt in his truck on the street and it's been fine. Just have to be a bit more careful in the rain.

If you really want an LSD take a look at some aftermarket options. I believe for drifting you also want to stay away from helical LSDs (like 4th gen Torsen diffs) as they can behave like open diffs in some circumstances.

Supposedly the 2-3 shift fork is one of the 1st weak links; then if you have a T5 with a short 1st gear that will be another one. And if you are making enough torque the case will be yet another.

If you want to try a W58 or R154 it would probably be a good choice as they are geared for 6-cylinder engines and seem to be pretty strong. Lots if guys use those transmissions with the 7mgte and the 2jzgte.

[SwiftDrift]

i wouldnt make over 400hp, not sure about torque probs 420lbs-ish would the t5 explode with that lol

[caffeine]

junkyard thirdgen?

I think the T5 starts reaching its limit at 300-350 ft lbs.

Should be fine for an N/A 3500 build but not boosted.

[Superdave]

Yep, T5's are rated for 300 ft-lbs but if you abuse it they just don't last.


great for a daily driver but not for anything more than that. T56 would be the answer but at $2K+ for a used one... not cheap.

That's why I ran a built 700R4 in my Camaro... Which I still have if you are close to Eastern Iowa

[SwiftDrift]

i am going to start with an auto to get comfortable with the car, but i really want a 5 speed down the road. and im not close to Iowa :/. chances are the car will have a 700r4 in there anyways.

[SwiftDrift]

How would i use a 3400/3500 or any other fwd engine with the supra trannies? I think i would have to cut and grind the bellhousing. Maybe i will just do a top swap. I know the oiling system is not as good as the 3500s. But im sure there is something i can do. The cam options and high compression make it seem like a decent idea.

[caffeine]

You need to use a bellhousing from a jeep or a dodge with the 2.5L and the right trans-bellhousing bolt pattern.