Okay I cant decide so I need help. 88GT vs 85GT

dubbsix · Jun 17, 2011

85_SS_302_Coupe said:
Well, it may be possible with a stock cam but i personally haven't seen it done. If i had to guess i would say my 302 was making around 300 at the wheels with my C9 heads, X303 cam, Stealth intake and 650 Holley and all the other usual stuff. That guess is judging by how much power my 347 makes with the same heads/intake/carb, but slightly more cam.

Thanks. I think i'll just enjoy the car and build the 351W later that way I am not doing to major engine jobs.. just one and thats swapping in the 351.

dubbsix · Jun 17, 2011

verdict is in. bought the 85. Happy I did.

smokin joe · Jun 17, 2011

Nice, love the 4 eye cars with the 85-86 GT's being my favorite. I sold my 86 GT t-top in February of this year and it was hard for me to watch it drive away. The problem was that I brought my 93 LX home (bought new) and got another project car that I have wanted for a long time. If only I had a shop.

Good luck on this project, looks like a nice car to start with.

jgarrard · Jun 17, 2011

May the fun begin.......

NIKwoaC · Jun 18, 2011

Nice! Is that a junkyard score?

85_SS_302_Coupe · Jun 18, 2011

Looks pretty straight at least. Is the whole interior swapped or just the seats? I hate interior swaps

Boosted92LX · Jun 18, 2011

Nice staring point! Probably a good decision. I don't know what the laws are where you live, but here an 85 is old enough to be emissions exempt. The 88 would still have to pass before you could drive it, which could be expensive.

I'm actually 50/50 on the aero/4 eye thing, but I'd say you picked one of the best looking 4 eye models. On top of that it looks pretty straight. Prep it for paint!

dubbsix · Jun 18, 2011

Thanks all for the help! Yes it was for sale at my local junkyard. The clutch is about toast but it starts right up and moves lol. Im already planning mods...intake and carb swap and exhaust.

85_SS_302_Coupe · Jun 18, 2011

The stock carb, if it's in good working order, is actually a fantastic carb. You can do a LOT with it if you don't mind learning and putting in the work. It has annular boosters which can make it extremely responsive and a little better on gas. Otherwise the first thing i would do with a stock carbed 302 is put a Stealth intake on it and a 650dp Holley. The Holley will be a little on the big side but it gives you lots of room to grow.

citmov · Jun 18, 2011

I like it a lot! I'm late in the vote but I like the 85GT over the 88GT. I've always like the 4eye. I'd lose them ugly seats though

dubbsix · Jun 18, 2011

85_SS_302_Coupe said:
Looks pretty straight at least. Is the whole interior swapped or just the seats? I hate interior swaps

Interior is whole. The seats have been swapped im guessing? It does have a cracked dashpad though but everything else seems to be there.

dubbsix · Jun 18, 2011

85_SS_302_Coupe said:
The stock carb, if it's in good working order, is actually a fantastic carb. You can do a LOT with it if you don't mind learning and putting in the work. It has annular boosters which can make it extremely responsive and a little better on gas. Otherwise the first thing i would do with a stock carbed 302 is put a Stealth intake on it and a 650dp Holley. The Holley will be a little on the big side but it gives you lots of room to grow.

Thanks, after reading other posts it seems the stealth intake and the holley DP seems to be the way to go. Just a side question, can i remove the cam shaft without tearing down the entire front half of the motor? i would love to put a performance cam in it too.

85_SS_302_Coupe · Jun 18, 2011

You have to take off power steering and alternator and their brackets, the water pump and timing chain cover...so not really, you'll be down to the block and heads at that point and then you still have to take the intake off to get the lifters out. Besides all that, it's not much benefit to swap the cam as long as you still have stock heads.

dubbsix · Jun 18, 2011

85_SS_302_Coupe said:
You have to take off power steering and alternator and their brackets, the water pump and timing chain cover...so not really, you'll be down to the block and heads at that point and then you still have to take the intake off to get the lifters out. Besides all that, it's not much benefit to swap the cam as long as you still have stock heads.

I hear ya. According to the odo there is about 13K on the car which means its rolled so its more like 90+k. Of course i have no idea if its the stock motor or not. I think instead of putting performance parts on a motor with some miles on it I will just rebuild a 351w

95BlueStallion · Jun 18, 2011

dubbsix said:
I hear ya. According to the odo there is about 13K on the car which means its rolled so its more like 90+k. Of course i have no idea if its the stock motor or not. I think instead of putting performance parts on a motor with some miles on it I will just rebuild a 351w

I think thats the right idea, but keep in mind there are a lot of other things that need to be changed to throw in a 351. Depending on your overall goal for the car, you may be able to achieve it with the 302. I wanted a 500 rwhp car, but then thought about how much I actually drive it, and what kind of driving I do, and it just doesnt make sense. It would be like building a drag car to drive to starbucks... Its hard not to jump into things with these cars.

dubbsix · Jun 19, 2011

Very good point. I have 400hp in mind but that may be beyond my budget lol. I want a great handling car with an exhaust note that I dream about and torque that puts me in the back of my seat.

85_SS_302_Coupe · Jun 19, 2011

dubbsix said:
I hear ya. According to the odo there is about 13K on the car which means its rolled so its more like 90+k. Of course i have no idea if its the stock motor or not. I think instead of putting performance parts on a motor with some miles on it I will just rebuild a 351w

I agree and disagree....if your 302 isn't smoking or knocking, don't put much concern into miles. As far as i could tell from pulling it apart, my old 302 was the original factory engine, and you know being a police car it saw hours and hours of idle time let alone wide open throttle chases on a routine basis, and then when it was retired it went straight into drag racing duty and was beat on the entire time i owned it. In the end it was going mid 12s, and the cylinder walls were as smooth as glass but it only smoked at 6k when racing it. That engine came out and went straight into a '95 Cobra, and it's still around town today.

Still though, if you have your mind made up on building a 351, you may as well not buy parts twice and focus your money on the 351.

dubbsix · Jun 19, 2011

Honestly I don't know what I will do with the motor. The one that's in my newly purchased four eye is strong doesn't smoke knock or ping. Like I said this will be a street car. Handle nice, stop nice and have a great exhaust note is really what im after. Top speed or spinning it to death for peak hp isn't my goal with the car.

85_SS_302_Coupe · Jun 19, 2011

In that case, put a nicely matched head/intake/cam combo on it, nice exhaust and suspension, and enjoy it. You don't need a 351 for that. If you buy "big" when you get your heads and cam, you can use them on a 351 later if you build it and only buy those parts once.

Okay I cant decide so I need help. 88GT vs 85GT

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