The ULTRA RARE Turbocharged Camaro GM Was Too Scared To Make - The 1981 Yenko Turbo Z
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- Опубликовано: 23 июн 2023
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In this Rare Cars documentary, we go into the history of the RAREST Yenko Camaro ever made, a car that history has seemed to have forgotten, the Yenko Turbo Z.
The Yenko Turbo Z was a turbocharged version of the 1981 Camaro Z28 that aimed to bring back high performance to the GM lineup, in a time when every car was severely down on power. Don Yenko and his dealership team created the ultimate Camaro that GM was too scared to build.
This video aims to provide a short history of these unique and rare cars so you can learn about them in a quick, easy to digest video.
*Note, we are not historians. If you see an error in our research then please mention it in the comments!
For business inquiries or other inquiries, reach out to: rarecarsmedia@gmail.com 
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The 79-81 Camaros are my favorites.
My dream car!
My favorite same years for the Firebird
The 78 had cooler looking dash boards. They changed them in 79 to more of a square boring look.
78 to 81 is the body style
@@kevin2960 78 is the same body style but the dashboard is way cooler looking than 79-81
My first performance car was a red 1981 Z28, I loved the car. I rebuilt a 350 with flat top pistons, eddy 4bbl a mild cam, eddy intake, headers through flowmasters. Backed that with a thm 350 with a shift kit and 3.73 gears. I never ran it at the drag strip but it ran well on the street. That was back in 2001, I had some super fun times!
That was the beauty of those cars: getting rid of the emissions controls, going to better heads, better cam profile, intake, and exhaust, and 350hp is very obtainable. A lot of people think that's a lot of work, but it really isn't.
In 1970 the CORVETTE LT1 350 was making 370hp & 380 Torque with a cam around .450 lift and 242 duration, so it's not hard for a Chevy 350 to make 400hp and well over 400 torque, with the right parts combo, a .500 lift hydraulic roller cam, 1.6 rockers, 116 lobe separation angle, 64cc vortec heads & ported vortec intake, flat top pistons, forged rods, beehive valve springs, headers, True Dual 3" exhaust, and 3.73 posi gears in the rear end.
Hammer down and Try to keep it between the ditches.
@@PhenomProductions23 my 70 chevelle has a 350 built to similar specs you mentioned, its a little under .500 lift roller cam and I backed it with the tremec tkx 5 speed. it runs and drives amazing. vortec heads are probably the best daily driver cost friendly street head ever produced.
Longtime car guy….You got me with a previously unknown car! I had thought Yenko had stopped modifying / marketing cars like these well before 1981. Bravo & Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed the video, I also thought that!
They also made a
Mucho T/A . 1979-81 ?
My sister bought a used 1978 Z-28 from Yenko in 1981. There were all of the to-be turboed Z-28s parked in the storage lot. The used Z-28 had a set of 4 blue wheels and Uniroyal radial take offs from one of the converted cars. There were stacks of stock wheels and tires in the parts department. There was a brown one with gold lettering on the floor.
2nd gen F-bodies are super fun cars. I had a couple in my late teens/early 20's. So did numerous people I knew.
Actually probably the most units of a particular platform I've ever been in. They bring back so many memories.
3rd gens are fun too.
All F-Bodies are super fun, I've always loved F-Bodies and since september I own a 88 Firebird with a 2.8, I'm from europe so these cars are a lot more expensive over here. Its my first cool car at the age of 20 now and even with the small engine its such a blast to drive, its slow as hell but fun
Oh yeah they are fun! I've been working on my 81z, off and on for 16 bloody years! Time to cruise!
im a mopar guy, but bought a 78 y88 trans am last year. ive always loved he late second gen f bodies.
@@frigglebiscuit7484 the rise in sales year by year was somethin' for the TA & whole Firebird line thru '79, 117,000 211,000, saw a guy on Cspan talking to his college students about the trucker & car culture of the '70s & early '80s, & all those movies, about how big a part of the culture it was back then(almost forgot CB radios), and how popular these cars were & how well they sold. I've been a Pontiac guy my whole life, but all of us wanted the General Lee too
GM built 288,000 Camaro's in 1979
I've actually kind of driven a Yenko TurboZ! My friend has one, and he let me pull it up into the service bay at the end of the day, (it stayed at the shop) only I couldn't keep it running because the carburetor needed rebuilt. Pretty sure it's a Stage 1.
IIRC if you ordered the stereo from Yenko, you got an Alpine! Don Yenko was a piano player, and into music. I saw a radio delete in the first Yenko featured here @6:01, and a later digital Pioneer Super Tuner in the second one @6:20.
(I've actually kind of driven a Yenko TurboZ!)?
I actually kinda of don't care
@@shawnsatterlee6035 Then GFY.
My daily driver in mid 1960's was a '62 Jetfire with stock turbo:
ruclips.net/video/Jzw5W1rRMog/видео.html
@@shawnsatterlee6035 I see some little punk made a comment. If you're too stupid to see what I meant. Let me help you, illiterate sh!t............How do you kind of drive a Yenko. Do you understand?
The "gross" vs "SAE" horsepower rating change in 1972 made things look a lot worse. Throw in catalytic converters and the fuel embargo and things were rough until fuel injection and modern engine controls starting getting phased in during the mid-80's.
My dad had a Plymouth roadrunner with a 440 sixpack, 2 electric fuel pumps, cams ,balanced and blueprinted from the factory , they only made 2000 of em , and when the inflation & then the fuel embargo hit , and you could only get gas when the numbers on your license plate was up for that week, he finally had to sell it
Yep. I had a 1980 z-28. The 350cid dropped 150 HP simply by going from gross to net (SAE) rating. Going from 350 down to a realistic 200 HP, made the Z28 a more docile car without touching the engine. That's why most of those muscle or pony cars could barely break 6.0 to 60. And 5.5 sec times were staggering. Today, a base Mustang is faster than a 1970 Mustang Mach 1, 428cj.
@johnjames5842 how many cams did it have?
As soon as I see somebody ignore the change from gross to net and start talking about emissions regs, I know they aren't to be taken seriously.
Gross vs SAE ? Could you please explain the difference?
This kind old crossing guard in our neighborhood owned a black Z28 with the blue stripes, not a Yanko as far as I know. He used to park it in a driveway across the street from his post. He kept it pristine and glossy clean. Getting a look at that car was a great motivator for waking up in the morning on schooldays.
My neighbor had a ‘79 RS that he hopped up. 350 bored .030 over, a sweet Crane cam, hooker headers, Holley carb, electronic ignition, th400 transmission, 3.73 posi rear, among other added features. The car was a beast. He knew how to wrench a car and it showed. I went with him to Lebanon valley racetrack, where he ran low 12’s-high 11’s at 110 mph or so. The car was his pride and joy. He sold it about 20 years ago and has regretted it, but needed the $$$.
small correction
GM (and the worlds) first turbocharched production car was actually the Oldsmobile Jetfire. The car was crazy because it still kept a relativly high compression v8 so it had methanol water injection stock called "Turbo-Rocket Fluid" the problem was your average owner didnt bother keeping it topped off.
Yeah iam sure u seen that on here while back n just spewing same shit over again. But good for you, u deserve a glass of milk n some cookies 😂
In other words Windshield washer fluid...😂😅😂
First turbo charged car, I do believe was the 12 cylinder duesenberg, nevermind, that was a supercharger. My bad.
@@h8troodoh it had a tiny bit of oil in it if I remember correctly. Years ago I was part of an Oldsmobile restoration group and there was a homebrew recipe for it that used a bit of Marvel Mystery Oil if I remember correctly
Corvair was GM's first production turbo car, a year or two before the Olds Jetfire.
My first car was a 1978 Type LT. Years later I bought my brother's 1972 RS. Wish I still had them both. I sold them just before prices went out of this world.
I too has a 78 type lt. metallic blue. My favorite car I've ever owned (and i'm 51 years old) felt mlike you was sitting in a cock pit,great memories.
I had a 1976 type LT.
That sure brought back some memories. I recall reading about these when Yenko started making them. Well, and those Centerline wheels - those were the rage back then. Couple of small points - GM actually started with turbos at Oldsmobile, before the Corvair and Buick started turbocharging the 3.8 in 1978. Minor points - just trying to add some clarity. Thanks for sharing this.
You're talking about the jetfire, right? If you are, it got a turbo the same year the corvair did.. not before. I think it was in 63. Don't quote me on that.
@@thomasmcdaniel4336 - we won't... turbo Corvair announced first, turbo Jetfire out first... my daily driver back then was the fabulous 1962 Jetfire (mine had red interior):
ruclips.net/video/Jzw5W1rRMog/видео.html
0:30 "In 1970 the Z28 made a respectable 360 horsepower... By 1981 though, power from the same size 350 cubic inch small block was down to just 175 horsepower"
While power was down significantly, the two engines were also measured very differently. The 1970 LT-1's 360 hp was measured in SAE gross hp(zero driven accessories and through dyno headers with a velocity stack on the carb) but in 1981 the engine was measured in SAE net hp(all driven accessories, an air cleaner and a full exhaust as it would be installed in the car).
The '71 corvette was advertised in both gross and net hp with the following numbers:
engine gross/net
Base 270/210
LT-1 330 /275
LS-5 365/285
LS-6 425/325
Quarter mile times were negatively effected even more by a large reduction in rear axle gear ratios to improve fuel mileage. Standard gearing in a 1970 Z28 was 3.73:1 vs 2.73:1 or 3.08:1 in 1981.
All excellent points very few people ever point out about the so called malaise era. While certainly not as fast as cars from the muscle era, they weren’t nearly as bad as people make them out to be. As you pointed out, most “malaise” era cars are just a cam change, compression bump, cat elimination, dual exhaust and rear gear change from a muscle car.
@@mikee2923 My dad bought a brand new Nova in 1976. I can't think of a more boring time for American cars. The only 350 officially available was rated at 165hp but Chevy and the dealers had workarounds to hide better engine combos from GM. My dad's car was sold with a 'Tow package' that consisted of what was essentially the Corvette L82 with a single exhaust, 4 on the floor and 3.73 posi rear. It even have a little hitch on the back.
Compared to the original 200(gross) hp 307 in my 'muscle car era' 1969 Nova with a th350 and 3.08 rear, that '76 was a rocket. More so after my uncle got under the hood of it.
A set of rebuilt 64cc junkyard 'double hump' heads(plentiful into the 80's), cam, intake, carb and dual exhaust bumped the '76 to at least the same 330 gross/275 net horsepower as a '71 LT-1.
@@CzechSixTv Pretty much what I said in my above reply. I don’t agree this was the worst time for American cars. In the 80s things got worse as the cars and the engines that pulled them got smaller. Starting in 1980 a 350 was about as big as you could get from GM except the Olds 403 hung around for another year or so but that was it. Usually In its place went a V6 to haul around a full sized luxury car. I think it got even worse when the already downsized G body mid size cars dropped RWD all together and were converted to FWD commuter pods. I’ll take a mid 70s Pontiac with a 400 or 455 even if it’s only making 200HP. It’s still a 400 or 455 capable of a lot more. And at least it’s RWD.
@@mikee2923 The 80's weren't all bad. The 5.0 Fox body caused a serious resurgence in hot-rodding and GM F or G bodies would still take nearly any engine swap as a simple bolt in. Stock vs stock, the late 80's 5.7L F bodies were as quick in the 1/4 as a '71 396 Camaro with but better fuel mileage and they handled far better as well.
I do loathe the G-bodies being replaced with FWD's though. I laugh when people say GM killed the GN/GNX because it was faster than the Corvette and not because they moved all 'mid-sized' cars to FWD.
I had the 1981 Turbo T/A black with tan interior and T-Tops in 1983 after high school. Thing was a pig but a beautiful car. It had the WS6 suspension. Fun car to just cruise around in.
Those were Turbo Turds 💩
The lipstick on that pig looked damn good! Loved my 80 Turbo T/A, miss it a lot.
I had a Chevelle with SS 396 badge on fenders. I was making 1/4 mile runs and missed a power shift. It went past redline a lot. Heard a bang, then engine began to run really rough complete with some white smoke out exhaust. Lesson learned don't rev a BBC past 9,000 RPM or be prepared for serious engine problems.
Limped home and pulled valve covers. I had a broken screw in rocker arm stud on intake side. High vacuum in that cylinder pulled a little oil from crankcase and blew it out the exhaust. What a relief to not have to rebuild entire engine.
Took parts and Vin to local speed shop. They looked at it then went on computer. They were babbling about some super rare cars with BBC by some super famous builder. They had a part and said this is equivalent to broken part.
Car was a complete sleeper. Plain beige and small fender logos, nothing fancy or visual clue what car could actually do. When I bought it, I just assumed all Chevelles had Headers with large exhaust system, big Holley sitting on top a big intake manifold. It was pretty quiet until you smashed the go button, then all Hell broke loose. For some reason I had to replace rear tires more times before having to change front ones. It could burn rubber in all 4 gears while power shift. That chirp was rear tires looking for some traction relief. Can't remember if 4:11 or 4:56 rear end and lousy mpg. Gas was cheap and it was leaded.
To this day I wish I knew about Yenko before speed shop and broken part.
There were so many of this gen Camaro/Firebird built. They were great cars, wishing now I would have picked up a couple or kept my 80 Z28. They were just so plentiful, it didn’t seem there would ever be a lack of them. I saw so many cut up for amateur stock cars.
You're exactly right. So many of those cars ended up on dirt tracks.
Had an 81 Camaro, with a built nascar (pick up truck nascar) engine and a 3 speed in 2000. I miss that car greatly.
I would get one for nostalgua, but fuel is out of price today. I would not be able to sustain that. Or not willing instead.
@@celuiquipeut6527 I had an 80 Z28, 4spd, well built small block, frame connectors, traction bars, 3:42 posi. Handled like a go-cart. Had a 68 Chevelle before that and people always asked if I missed the Chevelle. The answer was no, the Camaro was so much more fun and pleasurable to drive. Steering, brakes, everything was head and shoulders above.
@@peterl2017 Nice! Thx for sharing! Funny story, i bought the subary legacy of my then gf grand mother. I excganged it for a black chevelle. I then 3xchanged the chevelle for a built transmission and the z28. Since i already had the engine....it made for an interesting story!
@@celuiquipeut6527 Fun times. The motor that was in my Z came out of my Chevelle. The Chevelle was sold with a stock small block that came out of a 69 Camaro - Z28 badged but never confirmed. The 69 was bought to get the motor and then almost given away! It was very restorable, and would love to have it now. Different time, no storage etc. Kick myself just the same!
My ex-brother in law had A gold -black 79 and a blue -black 81... I was about 10-12 yrs old and I loved those cars.
They are great looking cars!
The price is what prevented big sales...Why does that sound familiar?
I had not heard of this particular Yenko car. I’m surprised so few were made. Great video.
Thanks for watching! Glad you enjoyed!
I have been around performance cars my whole life, my dad owned a speed shop, and we build drag cars... I have only seen one of these Yenko Camaros in my life. Rare is an understatement.
They where actually draw thru, not blow thru. The carb sat on top of the adapter that was fed below it by the turbo there by creating a suction on the bottom of the carb to draw the fuel down with the boost.
The turbo pictured is a draw through like the pontiacs used, the turbo has air/fuel drawn through it. a blow trough would require an air filter before the turbo and an enclosure or hat on the carb.
Wow...as a Chevy guy who in 1975 my sister bought a Camaro new....I never heard of this version. The Z28 was out and popular in the early 70's but this one got by me. Great story.
I had no idea! Thanks for the share!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Man, that's cool. I've never heard of one. 14s was very good performance for the day.
Yeah 14s for a new car in the 80s was cruising!
Well done sir. My oldest friend bought a base 1979 Z28 and it was a blast to ride in.
First car I ever drove was a 79 Z28. I was 11 and did one hell of a burnout. :) It was 1987 and the car had headers, real dual exhaust and a B&M shifter - at least that's what I saw. I was still too young to really understand what, if anything else it had. It was probably stock with a couple bolt ons.
I've owned a few of them over the years and people love the split bumper but for me the later cars are it... They're NOT fast stock but they handle great and are fun.
In the early 2000’s I found a 79 Z-28 factory 4-speed 4:11 posi, with air conditioner delete. PS/PB were the only options. The original engine was already long gone. Dropped a 383 strokes in it and daily drove it for a few years!
Dont know how I've never heard of the Yenko stinger wagon, but I have a new favorite Yenko.
My first car was a 1976 Camaro. A previous owner had installed "Sky Trackers" they let you pump the rear tubes up another 8 inches from stock ride height. The 76 had the wheezy 305 in it but another owner had put a bunch of spacer plates between the carb and intake. The old 76 was actually perfectly reliable. Never even had a hiccup in it. The interior was the cleanest still un unmolested , I hope one day to get another one.
We talking about Air Shocks?
They were actually called sky jackers. I had a set on my ‘70 skylark.
@@THRASHMETALFUNRIFFS yes, air shocks.
@@maxhenry1977 OHHH, very cool. I had a 71 Monte Carlo with air shocks but my 70 SS had some factory leveling gizmo set up! I don't remember hearing the name before but makes sense in that era of raked out street machines!
Umm no! N I assume u believe ur pecker is a foot long also huh? Lol...
Thanks for another interesting and informative video
In 1985 I had a 1985 Camaro with the Fuel Injected 2.8L V6 and BW T5 5 speed. It had no AC, no Power Windows, No power Locks, 4 Speaker sound system, and very little options. It did have rally wheels and suspension and full gauges. It was ordered on purpose this way and then the buyer backed out of the deal while the car was on it's way to the dealer. Only thing power was the steering and the brakes. So it was really light. The thing was AWESOME in the twisties after I got a hold of a set of Z28 Wheels and Tires. I blew the doors off an Alpha Romeo GTV6 coming back from Lime Rock thru the back roads. A friend of mine had a FULLY and I mean FULLY loaded 1985 Z28 and it was a PIG. I used to regularly beat Mustang 5.0Slow's with it. The FI 2.8 made really good HP for the day. It was quite little sleeper. If I still had it it would be perfect for a twin turbo setup.
A cool story !Thank you
The second he mentioned dealer-built I KNEW he was talking about Don Yenko.
hahah thats a true enthusiast right there
Imma tell my friends about this channel, you covered a mustang and camaro I've never heard of in a great format
Thanks David, thats what this channel is about!
Great video!
I had a 1980 Z-28 right out of High School 4 speed on the floor , great times ! Thanks !
Right on that would have been a sweet ride to have in HS!
Great vid, keep it up 🤘
Thank you, glad you enjoyed!
Thank you! I've been stuck in a bit of a rut, watching what turned out to be lame RUclips videos full of misinformation and basic stupidity, often with computer generated narrations. It was refreshing to view this well made, well narrated video that contained good, solid and interesting info.
Glad you enjoyed it! I try and make my videos as accurate as possible!
I OWNED A
73' TURBOCHARGED(RAY-JAY) CHEVY VEGA WHICH RAN 12 SECOND QUARTER MILES... SIMPLY AWESOME 👍😎
I like the silver sparkle one at the end of the video; its the only one I can afford.
@@PBFoote-mo2zr Dash didn't seem right either!
Whoa!! We learn something new everyday! I knew about the Turbo V6 Firebird GTA but not this Camaro
Oldsmobile also experimented with turbocharging in the early 60's, as well..
THANK YOU SO MUCH. I WOULD LOVE TO BUILD A CLONE!!!! TOTALLY AWSOME EDUCATION. THANKS FOR SHARING.
If you own a Yenko Vega you sir are a God among men
The silver model at the end was awesome.
Talking about scar needle in the hay stack. Thx for the info.i can imagine one would cost to buy if for sale.priceless in my book
Interesting Video, I've talked with car guys and a few were unaware that Chevrolet produced a 302 CI small block, 1967, 68 and 69, a friend of mine had a 1968 Z-28 Camaro 4 speed close ratio, with the 302, It was short stroke bigger bore {Over square} and revved quickly and I couldn't believe it was 302 cubes. subbed. 👊 😎
My good friend with a garage is putting a 373 Detroit posi into My 94 Z-28. I detonated the 308 limited slip lol. Previous owner put some work into the 350, I'd really like to get it Dynoed, guess im taking to the track to find out. Might use 6th gear now with the lower gearing. Lol. Great video, keep on posting that Chevy greatness . Thanks.
Those 80’s Camaros are beautiful
I found out about these from MadMikes \ NastyZ28 \2GCOG back in the early 2000s. It was THE resource for all things 2G Camaro. Every engine, trans, axle code there ever was. Production numbers by model \ engine etc. I think it may still be up.
I use to work at advanced auto parts as a second job away from the dealership. Someone had me look up parts for a 1981 camaro and I saw a turbo option on the list. I looked at my older co worker. Old guy. I said, "I've been a camaro crazy person my whole life. I've never seen a turbo camaro." He said he remembered them and there weren't many. It was confirmed by another Old guy friend lol. Now I see why I've never seen one. Not many were made. lol I bet that 17k is now work 6 digits. I will stick with my 1980 camaro with 69 camaro motor. All new suspension, brakes, lines, hose and more for way less. Lol very cool detailed history on these.
Yeah I honestly have no idea what the value of these cars would be today, definitely a six figure car in my opinion though for a stage 2
My 70 and a half and my 81 z were my favourite outta all of my camaros and transams I’ve owned thru the years…amazing machines..
I saw one years ago in the wild. It had the staging lights out on the hood. So freaking cool.
That is awesome! there are so few of these its crazy that you saw one!
The late 1970s and early 1980s aftermarket turbocharging of vehicles where interesting times. My father did a couple of turbocharged kits on BMWs.
That's awesome!
My friend bought a brand new KZ1300 six cylinder Kawasaki in 1979 and took it home and immediately took the engine off and shipped it to a guy who built it to turbo specs, after getting it back he installed a kit on it from Mr Turbo, and if that wasn't silly enough he put a little Nitrous bottle on it that just gave it a little shot at WOT to compensate for turbo lag.
That thing remains to this day the scariest motorcycle I've ever ridden.
1979 suspension
1979 brakes
1979 tires and that kind of power equals the most evil motorcycle you could imagine, that thing was just dying to put you in a hospital or morgue.
Is this an AI response?
@@chrismilton5300 it is in fact not lol
I did a huge rolling smoky burnout through 3 gears in my brothers 80' Mustang Turbo 4 banger one time.
LEGIT CONTENT FAM
Thanks man!
Had an 80 Z28,swapped a LT1 ……miss that car!
Aaahhh, the golden age of she'll jump a soda can at a red light; bet you can't grab a dollar bill off the dash. Such a beautiful, beautifully designed car.
awesomesauce TY for the content great channel.
Glad you enjoyed the video!
You mean videos
wow , never heard of it till this video , thx
Thanks for watching! Glad you enjoyed!
My oldest brother bought one of these in white what someone had wreked, frame was good engin still good so he did the front clip and all the dings repainted after 6 months he had it running and looking new but dropped in a 4 speed. First turbo car i rode in, i was 8 but ill never forget the pull when the boost came in and my brother just laughing. My dad had a L-71 Corvette(700hp) and he said the turbo Z was super fun.
Cool video. There was also an early 60s turbo Buick V8. Had a glass bottle for a special concoction (likely same or similar to meth) that you would need to refill. If not bad detonation. So they got a bad wrap for having to fill the fluid and what happened if you didn’t and most people didn’t understand. Thought I’d throw that out there if anyone got a kick out of it.
You mean my daily driver in the mid 1960's, the 1962 Jetfire with turbo of Olds version of 215" V8":
ruclips.net/video/Jzw5W1rRMog/видео.html
No turbo fluid, then you didn't get boost, either...
In medford Oregon there was a '78 or '79 z28 with the same front spoiler. It had a 427 in it and no Yenko decals.
My Hi Skool car my senior year 1984 was a 1978 gold Ttop Z28 that I paid $2000 for! I had a car magazine back then with an article about that Z ✌💖☮
We built a 1980 Camaro Z28 w turbo international turbo kit like in yenko prior to them coming out. We put in a Doug nash 5 speed etc. won best car in the camaro nationals that year
Wow no way that is an awesome story!
Horsepower measurement changed in 1972 from gross to net. Manufacturers had to start measuring it like the car was delivered. So the 1970 car probably only made 320 something net.
But that's still a lot more than 170. EFI was necessary to start bringing compression back with new unleaded fuel.
Actually probably well under 300 net hp.
@@bradhazard4118 Should have made at least 300HP. A TPI 350 made 245HP stock and adding a Paxton supercharger that only provided about 6lbs of boost kicked it up to 360HP and 480FT/LB of torque. Also the 79 T/A with the W72 Pontiac 400 was grossly underrated at 220HP. The NHRA rated that engine at like 270HP because a properly equipped 79 T/A with a 4 speed and 3.42 gears could run mid to low 14s off the showroom floor in a 3800lb car. The W72 was really nothing more than a smog 400 with production 350 heads to boost compression from the standard 7.6:1 to 8.2:1 and a slightly more aggressive camshaft over the standard 185HP smog 400.
@@mikee2923 you are way overthinking things. A TPI would have been a much better starting point especially with fuel injection and a higher compression ratio but that was still years off. This was smack in the middle of some of the darkest years for horsepower.
This turbo setup generated 7 lbs of boost and a widely accepted general (very general) rule of thumb is that 7.35 lbs of boost will add 50% more power. So for a stock 175hp engine that would make it 262.5hp. Obviously there are many variables that would determine that but remember this is a carb turbo setup that was meant to be factory reliable so conservative tuning was key.
@@bradhazard4118 The TPI actually gave the small block Chevy what it has always lacked, torque. Unfortunately it came at the expense of high rpm breathing, especially the 350. I know cause I got one. Seems after the muscle car era, GM just made mistake after mistake that eventually caused them a large portion of the American market share. Instead of retiring the TPI after 92, they should have moved it into truck duty and really taken advantage of the torque monster they created.
Manufacturers fibbed on the horsepower back then. The 440 Six Pack that my cars came with only had 15 horsepower difference. 390 vs. 375 for the 4 bbl. Yeah right! 😆
I've never herd or seen one of these turbo Z/28 rides.
That is exactly why we make these videos!
@@rarecars3336 Heck yeah! This ride needs MORE horsepower.
With less than twenty built,they were not seen too often.
I had a 1981 Camaro and I eventually dropped a more upgraded 350 into it that included real fuel injection and wished I had the money for turbos but it still ran great. A year after I put in the motor a friend of mine who I served with offered me stupid money and two weeks after that he totaled that beautiful Camaro breaking my heart.
:(
That was well done👌
✅Liked
✅Subbed
What a cool and great car from the 80’s another reason why I love the 80’s who ever has them they are their garage Queens as what I would do if I owned something like this masterpiece.
thank you
All it took to make my 1973 El Camino into a 300+ horsepower street monster was a 4 bbl Weiand intake, 600 Holley Street Warrior carb, 10 inch torque converter & 3 inch side pipes (stock manifolds). Has over 150,000 miles and still runs great.
had a 1978 z28 that was ordered by the dealer's son but he did not take. Was loaded with a 4 speed and came with 3.73 gears. Was also a Cadillac white instead of Chevy white. Not the kind of strings that dealer's could pull back in the day but it ran ok considering the late 70's choked engines.
I've had the privilege to sit in a few of those Yenkos as my father was friend with Mark Hassett
Fit and finish of the later gray model kit is on par with GM product assembly of the era.
I never heard of that one.. No wonder my '79 Z-28 Camaro with mods blew away the 1981 Pacecar Turbo Trans AM
It wasn't a blow through Turbo but a blow under the carb like the 4.9 Pontiac.
This would be a draw through
Loving the classic American car videos recently
Thank you! Got another one dropping very soon!
Refreshed my memory on these Turbo Zs. You may want to look up Joe DVorchak who was the wrench behind these Yenko creations. Joe was very private and passed away over a decade ago. So many secrets to grave. Stories of his work with Chevy Performance.
The saddest thing ever was when my friend bought a 1984 Camaro Berlinetta that had a stock 4-cylinder in it.
:(
Technology has come a long way since '81. I own a 3 cylinder 1.6L Toyota that has 25lbs of boost with 10-1 compression (300hp). That said I would rather have my 67 Camaro back. Excellent bit of auto history.
My dad had a 79 Camaro.
I loved that car so much!
Hopefully one day I can get one!😁😁
Absolutely you should definitely get one! Only going to go up in value!
While 1967 through 1969 is the coolest they kind of overplayed. My favorite body styles are 70 to 72 or 73 and the mid to late 80s models. Also really enjoy the later 90s and early 2000s shark face that most people don't like.
The 70-73 camaros are also great looking I agree!
Growing up in Miami during the 80s, a good friend of mine bought a 1981 4 speed Z28 with a turbocharger..we all freaked out as I had my trans am turbo ,but never seen a turbo mounted behind the ac compressor on a chevy V8..It still used the factory air tub for the "air induction" flaps on the hood..it was a black car with red interior and red graphics....I lost contact with the person who owned this car years ago.but i know here traded it for a GTX440 back then, he only owned it for less than a year.
I know a guy in Cincinnati that has one of these cars. The last time I saw it, in the 90s, it was very close to its original condition.
Loved all those Camaros.
Nice
The Yenko turbo setup, like the original Turbo Buick, Turbo T/A and even Turbo Corvair were all draw through systems, not blow through.
first car was an 80 camaro ;) it was a rust bucket for 200$ but i got it road ready at age14 had many many transams afterwards 89 transam an 86 and a 1995 with an LT1 it was 1 of 15 made with corvette motor which became WS6 package in 1996
I like this video, and appreciate you making these. The footage at the end of the diecast confuses me, though. I understand the Yenko Turbo Zs are ultra rare at 19 units. Just sayin.
These cars would have been a VERY TOUGH sell at those prices. As a kid who was in high school in the 1970s we all knew why the new cars were so slow vs what came before them. We also knew how to fix the relatively small problem and sure as hell didn't cost 2x the price of the car when new. I spent a lot of weekends in the early 1980s at the local drag strip. Getting an emissions era '75-'81 Camaro or Firebird to run as hard as the earlier versions required some creative thinking in the late 1970s but by the early 1980s you had a bunch of aftermarket suppliers taking all the guess work out of it. Top end kits that included better heads, a cam, aluminum intake and recommended the appropriately sized Holley or (new at the time) Edlebrock carb you could quickly and very easily configure an engine out of the emissions choked 350 that easily made 1HP per cubic inch through headers. I remember these kits advertised at just about $500. Plenty of late 1970s Camaros at the drag strip were running low 14s and even mid to high 13s with these upgrades. Doesn't sound especially quick today but it's very hard to overstate the difference it made if you'd been driving your new car in the late 1970s with all the stock pieces while waiting for your new car warranty to expire. I had a 1979 Corvette at the time and for me this all happened 2 years later in 1981. Still own the car today. These days it's all about Blueprint crate engines I'm on my second one at this point. A 400" engine with a pump gas friendly 10:1 compression, big flow aluminum heads, roller cam and an old school 850 Holley and it's makes power that would have seemed all but impossible achieve back in the day out of a small block. The moral of the story: Time stops for no car and no-one is "STUCK" with 170HP emissions era power. Not now and honestly.......not back in the middle of the era either.
They are priceless.
Never knew this about the turbo Camaro Z28s. I had a 78 Camaro LT. I also had an 81 turbo Trans Am, when i had the exhaust system modified with headers and real dual exhaust (no converters), the engine came alive and could breathe. I would suspect the Hp jumped to the 250-275Hp range. Those smog motors sure were a pain and the first generation converters were not much better than stuffing potatoes on your exhaust pipes. Those items really hurt mpg, Hp and engine response. Thanks for doing the video it was great !!
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing the info on how you boosted power in your Turbo TA!
Unlikely the HP jumped that far. You're probably looking at a 25-30hp jump. So, probably more like about 230 gross horsepower. With an engine that low in horsepower, though, a 25-30hp increase can feel huge.
There were only 3 stage ii’s produced a red one a white one and a black one , the black one yenko intended to keep for himself but it was sold and I know it’s entire history from 1981 to 1984 for any auto historians that are interested
That 70 camaro is so nice looking......
the early 70s ones are so sexy!
Im surprised they never did a turbo second gen Z or a 3rd gen seeing as they did a trans am
I think GM decided to leave the turbo experimentation thing to Buick from the late 70's and beyond. Had they've wanted Pontiac to stay a hot performance brand, they would've gotten the chance. But Pontiac had to make only Iron Dukes, only Olds and Chevy had their v8's. I'm saying if things were different they probably would've improved on the carburetted 301 v8 design they'd likely make a monster if they had access to apply what Buick did to their V6, It would've been the turbo V8 car of the 80's that would be a step above the Grand National if everything was well developed. The 89 anniversary Trans Am used the Grand National engine, but imo I would've been happy with a Regal T-Type of the same vintage.
Originally the 3rd gen T/A was supposed to have the Pontiac 301 turbo. But like most good ideas Pontiac had, GM stopped it. If you notice, 3rd gen T/As and Formulas had the driver’s side power bulge similar to the 2nd gen turbo T/As of 1980-81. That was for clearance for the turbo engine. They kept the bulge for looks but the engine was nixed. I’m a big Pontiac fan but not one of the 301. I would have liked to seen the 301 make production simply because it would have made a 400 or 455 upgrade an easy bolt in mod. How much fun would a 3rd gen Formula or T/A have been with a 400 Poncho like a Ram Air IV in a 3300 lb car? The stump pulling torque of the 455 probably would have been overkill and twisted the flimsy 3rd gen like a drill bit.
@@mikee2923 that would have been great, and i agree the 455 might have been much unless you stiffened the chassis somehow. I had a 450 horse 383 in an old trans am 3rd gen and leaving my house in a fight with the old lady i clapped second gear and you could feel the torque move through the car and off went the passenger side t top! I watched in horror as it shattered all over the road in my rear view
@@thecommodoredecker I could see that. I have had a Formula 350 since 91. I could feel the body on it flex and it’s a solid roof car. Back in the day when 3rd gens were everywhere I remember someone with an IROC that launched his T Top car one too many times and the T Top got wedged in permanently. Also remember some of them flexing enough in stock form that the seams where the quarters are welded on started to crack and even some that were only a couple years old that the doors didn’t close right. I raced mine a lot back in the day but fortunately none of that happened to mine. It now sports pretty much every bolt on including a Paxton supercharger. I wouldn’t dream of launching it now like I did back in the day.
Pontiac would've been forced to utilize the 301 for the 80's given the requirements. Much like Chevy with the 305. Olds with the 307.
Wow, almost forgot about these. I remember reading a review of one of these, I forget which magazine it was, but it was 30+ years ago. Two things I remember in the article, horsepower was rated at 330, I dont remember their source of that number. And the other thing I remember was the turbo had no wastegate. As stated in the article, was the only way to prevent blowing your engine was paying attention to the boost gauge. Now I want to find that magazine. I probably still have it, buried in a box somewhere...
I would think that 330 horsepower might be a pretty accurate guess, the long rear gears didn't help the quarter mile times!
I used to work with a guy that had a old turbo Camano. I had no idea how rare the car was at the time.
There was never a turbo Camaro.
@@1gbayfisher may have been a Trans Am.
I have seen one of these before about 10 years ago, though I don't know if you could consider it "in the wild" it was in this traveling car museum car show thing that seemed to have mostly GM and early "non big 3" american cars(tucker, studebaker, packard etc). it was white and gold. I had heard of Yenko modified GM cars before so I didn't pay it much attention I thought it was really neat and remember commenting on how odd I thought the turbo placement was but had no idea it was so rare.
Wow it is awesome that you actually saw one given just how few there are!
All those vacuum lines needed with using a carb look so funny! Tons of 1in vacuum lines lmao
There are so many of them haha
0:45 - First, there is SAE Gross vs. SAE Net hp. Second, the '70 was the high performance high compression LT1 while 1981 was the end of the pitiful emission disaster. Multiple reasons, the first being Emissions and the second that the 1970 Z28 was fitted for homologation in Trans Am racing with that engine. In 1981, that requirement was no more.
3:39 - This is NOT a blow-through setup shown. A blow-through setup would have pressurized the air going into the carb, which required a sealed intake cap over the top of the carb, and runs into problems pressurizing the vents on a carb. This one is a draw through system. This is common to the type of kit that was popular for Corvettes, Camaros, and Novas in the late '70s aftermarket, using a two chamber intake. One issue with turbocharging was the turbos had a tendency to burn up. This was because the oil ceased to the turbo bearing when the engine shut off and the oil would cook and harden in the bearings. On startup, this could gall the bearing and interfere with lubrication that would lead to severe bearing wear and failure. I solved this on a friend's turbo Capri by using an Accusump and a metered oil line to feed a slow stream of oil across the bearing after shut off to prevent oil cooking until the bearing had cooled enough to not burn the oil. Most turbos of this era suffered this same problem.Some solved it with an electric oil pump that ran on a timer to allow the turbo to cool.
Had a 72,man what a good handling car.
Yeah I had a 1972 Camaro SuperSport/Ralley Sport/Z-28 with a 383 Holley hirise Turanchula with Holley 950 cfm and Rock Crusher 4 speed bolted through a 3.42 posi. 15" LR50 rear & 345/60 14" front, Cragar 5 spokes. And a 1979 Z/28 Rottenchester 4bbl. W 350 turbo automatic, lowered widened and suspension to the wall. Koni's heavy duty aluminum sway bars, and Teflon bushings.
14" wheels with 245/45zr50 BFG'S
STEAMROLLER Tires...Low Pro Before it was kool to go low pro!!!