Base 68 Camaro

[SmokinS13SR20]

Anyone know what the motor is that came in the base 68 Camaro, just wondering my dad said he yanked it out since it ran like a turd when he was 17, and dropped in the L79. Anyone?

[Suicidal Racing]

probley a 307

[Frankie]

Base in a '68 was the L6 as far as I know. They were like 100hp, so yeah, turd for sure. If you're thinking about swapping it back in to make it original, don't. L6 Camaros are more worthless than RS/SS/Z28 clones, so you'll get more enjoyment and more value out of a V8 in that car no matter how you look at it.

[Suicidal Racing]

def put a 327 and up in that bitch mildy or highly built to..if u dont some one should smack u and the car should be given to some one that would make that bitch a mean street strip car.

[SmokinS13SR20]

Umm I said that it has a 327 (L79) in it... Anywho, thanks guys im taking it that it was the 307, not sure what L6 stands for Frankie

[Frankie]

No way it had a 307. The '68 coupe, non SS of course, either had the L6 (Long 6) inline 6 cylinder engine or the 327. The 307 was a '69-only option that replaced the 327 since GM stopped casting them in '68.

Check this out:
http://www.camaros.org/engine.shtml

[Frankie]

Here, if you really wanna know what the stock motor is, decode the VIN:

http://www.chevy-camaro.com/chevy-camaro-VIN-decode.asp

Digit 3 should tell you whether or not it was a V8 (4) or an L6 (3).

[SmokinS13SR20]

According to Chevy Hi Performance, May 2006 Issue
"For '68 Chevrolet released a larger low-performance 307 engine as a replacement for the 283. The 307 used a 283 bore and 327 stroke (3.875-inch bore and a 3.25-inch stroke). Production of the 307 ran until '73. By the mid- 70's, the automotive market began to change drastically and GM sought to raise fuel economy and reduce emissions"

So it is a possibility...

[Frankie]

Camaros never came with a 283 option. That '68 307 was probably made for normal passenger cars and/or trucks. Check the links I posted, check your VIN, and go from there. If the VIN said V8, you most likely had a 327, but the base model coupe was an L6.

[2kSnakeater]

^ what he said, he know what hes talking about.

[SmokinS13SR20]

I checked my VIN, it originaly was a 8. Seems as if it was a 327, originaly but may've had a different motor in when he purchased it. O-well, its ok we have a L79 in it so, no biggie

[Frankie]

The base 327 was a turd, so he probably yanked it. Pics of the car or ban!

[riverviewnative]

Originally Posted by Frankie

Camaros never came with a 283 option. That '68 307 was probably made for normal passenger cars and/or trucks. Check the links I posted, check your VIN, and go from there. If the VIN said V8, you most likely had a 327, but the base model coupe was an L6.

That's pretty funny. I was out of high school in 75 and had several 283 cars. One was a 67 RS 283 factory car bought from the back line of a chevy dealers lot in Illinois. It was a four speed car with all the gauges tach and hide away lights. Still happen to have the tail lights and back up lights. Sorry to say that it became a drag car with a 454 and a Nash five speed. But running 10.50's in the quarter back in 79 was worth it since it spent most of the time on the steet.

[Suicidal Racing]

nice setup

[Frankie]

Originally Posted by riverviewnative

That's pretty funny. I was out of high school in 75 and had several 283 cars. One was a 67 RS 283 factory car bought from the back line of a chevy dealers lot in Illinois. It was a four speed car with all the gauges tach and hide away lights. Still happen to have the tail lights and back up lights. Sorry to say that it became a drag car with a 454 and a Nash five speed. But running 10.50's in the quarter back in 79 was worth it since it spent most of the time on the steet.

Never once have I seen a '67 Camaro with a 283 nor any literature that mentions it. Are you sure it wasn't some kinda special dealer swap? Shoot me a link to some literature on the 283 Camaro, cause as far as I know, they didn't exist.

Edit - To quote camaros.org

Q: What engines were available for the Camaro?

A: Part of the success of the Camaro was the wide variety of engine options that were available. Here's a summary of the available factory domestic engines (other engines were used in export models and some dealer-modified Camaros):

L26 230ci/140HP L6 1BC - non-SS
L22 250ci/155HP L6 1BC - non-SS
Z28 302ci/290HP V8 4BC - Z-28 only (HP underrated!)
L14 307ci/200HP V8 2BC - non-SS, 1969 only
LF7 327ci/210HP V8 2BC - non-SS, eliminated during 1969
L30 327ci/275HP V8 4BC - non-SS, 1967-68 only
L65 350ci/250HP V8 2BC - non-SS, 1969 only
LM1 350ci/255HP V8 4BC - non-SS, regular fuel, 1969 only
L48 350ci/295HP V8 4BC - SS only, rated 300HP in 1969
L35 396ci/325HP V8 4BC - SS only, Q-Jet
L34 396ci/350HP V8 4BC - SS only, Q-Jet
L78 396ci/375HP V8 4BC - SS only, Holley
L78/L89 396ci/375HP V8 4BC - SS only, Holley, Al head
L72 427ci/425HP V8 4BC - COPO 9561, cast iron
ZL1 427ci/430HP V8 4BC - COPO 9560, Al block/heads