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The drivetrain in this context is the engine and it's related systems. These include fuel, cooling and exhaust systems. Also included is the transmission, driveshaft and rear end.
Your drivetrain is critical to the functioning of your car. How well it looks is also important, not just if you intend on showing the car, but it makes it easier to work on and maintain if everything is clean.
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Please note: There are several different articles and a lot of specific information in the message board
about swapping Big Block chevy engines, fuel injected engines (LT1, LS1) and modern drivetrains (T56, 700R4).
See the related topics on the message board for more information or to ask specific questions.
EFI GUIDE Installing EFI in a Second Gen - PDF format, by ULTM8Z
Camaro Engine Information
Many Camaro engines were used during the course of the second generations existance.
The general engine (or powerteam) combinations are identified in the yearly Camaro information.
The below table itemizes the various engines by component. Some engines (the Z28 and SS) have
more specific pages.
Carburetor, Distributor, Alternator, Exhaust & Cooling System have specific sections as well.
This table helps with not only identifying what components make up what engines, but to compare
how the engines evolved over time.
These engines are:
1970 - 1972 396 - LS3, L34 & L78 - Super Sport
1970 - 1972 LT1 - 350ci/275-360HP V8 4BC - Z-28 only
1973 - 1974 L82 - 350ci/245 HP V8 4BC - Z-28 only
1974 - 1981 LM1
RPO | Block | Heads | Cam | Intake | Carburetor | Exhaust (LH) | Exhaust (RH) | |
1970 | 307/200 | 3970020 | 3927185 | 3896930 | 3958622 | 3989043 | 3973432 | |
350/L65 | 3970010 | 3932441 | 3896930 | 3958626 | 3989043 | 3973432 | ||
L48 | 3970010 | 3947041 | 3896930 | 3987361 | 3989043 | 3973432 | ||
Z28 | 3970010 | 3927186 | 3972182 | 3972110 | *note* | 3942527 | 3946826 | |
396 - L34 | 3969854 | 3964290 | 3904364 | 3955287 | *note* | 3909879 | 3916178 | |
396 - L78 | 3969854 | 3964291 | 3904366 | 3963569 | *note* | 3909879 | 3916178 | |
1971 | 307/200 | 3970020 | 3997417 | 3896930 | 3991005 | 3989043 | 3973432 | |
350/L65 | 3970010 | 3973487 | 3896930 | 3990948 | 3989043 | 3973432 | ||
L48 | 3970010 | 3973487 | 3896930 | 6262932 | 3989043 | 3973432 | ||
Z28 | 3970010 | 3973487 | 3972182 | 3959594 | *note* | 3989041 | 3986330 | |
396 - LS3 | 3969854 | 3993820 | 3863545 | 3955287 | *note* | 3989343 | 3989310 | |
1972 | 307/130 | 3970020 | 3998991 | 3896930 | 6262928 | 3989043 | 3973432 | |
350/L65 | 3970010 | 6272070 | 3896930 | 6262930 | 3989043 | 3973432 | ||
L48 | 3970010 | 3973487X | 3896930 | 6262932 | 3989043 | 3959562 | ||
Z28 | 3970010 | 3998916 | 3972182 | 3959594 | *note* | 3989041 | 3986330 | |
396 - LS3 | 3999290 | 3999241 | 3863545 | 6263753 | *note* | 3989343 | 3989310 | |
1973 | 307/115 | 3970020 | 3998991 | 3896930 | 6271060 | 3989043 | 3973432 | |
350/L65 | 3970010 | 6272070 | 3896930 | 3997772 | 3989043 | 3959562 | ||
175hp | 3970010 | 6272070 | 3896930 | 3997770 | 3989043 | 3959562 | ||
Z28 | 3970010 | 330545 | 3896964 | 3997771 | *note* | 3989041 | 3986330 | |
1974 | ||||||||
350/L65 | 3970010 | 6272070 | 3896930 | 3997772 | 3989043 | 3959562 | ||
175hp | 3970010 | 6272070 | 3896930 | 3997770 | 3989043 | 3959562 | ||
Z28 | 3970010 | 333881 | 3896964 | 340261 | *note* | 3989041 | 3986330 | |
1975 | ||||||||
350/L65 | 3970010 | 6272070 | 3896930 | 3997772 | 3989043 | 3959562 | ||
350/155hp | 3970010 | 6272070 | 3896930 | 3997770 | 3989043 | 3959562 | ||
1976 | ||||||||
305 | ||||||||
350/165hp | 3970010 | 6272070 | 3896930 | 3997770 | 3989043 | 3959562 | ||
1977 | 250 | |||||||
305 | ||||||||
350 | 3970010 | 6272070 | 3896930 | 3997770 | 3989043 | 3959562 | ||
1980 | 229 | |||||||
267 | ||||||||
350 |
Engine Restoration
Define the scope of the project
Step 1 in your drivetrain restoration effort is to make sure everything is functional,
structurally sound and in good condition. If your engine smokes, has a bazillion miles on it,
is disassembled or otherwise doesn't work, you'll need to rebuild it.
If the transmission isn't shifting correctly or hasn't made a car go down the road in a couple years, you might need to rebuild it as well. In fact, if you start pulling major components (engine) out of the car you might want to have the transmission rebuilt at this time just so it's nice and fresh. It's a major PITA to have a nice car and have an old finicky item constantly prevent you from having fun with it. This is called being penny-wise but pound foolish. Also, it'll help you avoid the "You can pay me now - or pay me later" syndrome. However, you need to be very careful of the "slipery slope" - which is to unnecessarily expand the scope of your project by tearing everything apart and rebuilding it when all you really wanted to do was clean something up. You can also fall into the trap of replacing everything (alternator, starter, waterpump, coil, radiator....) so it's new, rather than simply cleaning it up and reusing it.
Rebuilding these components are major projects in themselves and outside of the scope of this document. You can find additional information on these tasks here:
Cleaning everything up
Step 2 -
Assuming these items are structurally sound, you can simply clean them up. Here's where the
amount of effort expended and attention to detail pays off.
If you do a Quick cleaning job - Sometimes called a spray-can restoration - it'll look like it.
While it's not necessary to remove the engine & trans, it'll give you the best results.
Pulling engine: You can pull the engine & trans together, or disconnect the transmission from the engine and pull the engine by itself, then remove the transmission from under the car. Both methods have pros/cons.
Generally when components are rebuilt they come back nice & clean. Paint them. If you're not going to rebuild the engine or trans, degrease them and paint them. This work is called "detailing". Some folks go to great lengths to detail their cars and make them spotless. That's not really necessary unless you're really interested in that level of detail or if you will show your car. The majority of owners won't have a heart-attack if they drive through a puddle. It's easy to clean the engine bay when everything is removed. You can also inspect and replace the motor mounts if necessary. The best thing you can do is make & keep everything nice, clean & detailed. The level of detail depends on how you intend on using the car. Some folks wipe dust off immediately and are afraid to char the paint on thier exhaust manifolds. Some folks can live with degreasing their engine every once in a while.
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Detailing: Camaro Engine & Underhood colors FAQ | Transmission & Drivetrain colors.
Author: MadMike Maciolek
North Georgia Classic Camaro All rights reserved |