George Melo's Camaro hanging with its older brothers.

The third generation Camaro is in a unique spot in its aging process. It is at that point where it isn’t quite a collectible yet, but it isn’t brand new either. Prices on the cars are nearing an all time low and getting ready to make a u-turn. All of these factors combined make this generation an exciting opportunity for an engine swap. When George Melo, the owner of the 1989 IROC-Z shown here purchased his car, it needed a little bit of TLC. For starters, it didn’t have an engine or transmission. Given that the car originated with a 305 pushing a meager 230 horsepower, this was a welcome fact. This also meant that the car was ready for the engine of George’s choice.

Before landing on the current combination, George went through multiple other setups until he figured out just what direction he wanted to take with his Z. He originally decided that a supercharged 383 small block Chevy would fit the bill nicely. When maxing out the Weiand 142 supercharger and adding 125 HP worth of nitrous wasn’t enough, the supercharger was ditched in favor of a turbo setup. When oil pump failure struck shortly after the turbo swap, the main bearings went out with it. While the power of the turbo was short lived, George could do nothing but move onward. Instead of rebuilding his turbo 383, George decided on the setup which he is currently running.

George’s current combination consists of a LQ9 bored to a 402 cubic inch displacement and paired with an 88mm turbo. So far a 4-inch stroke steel crank, Eagle H beam rods, and Wiseco forged pistons have held the boost well. Sitting on top are a pair of L92 heads, a GMMP carb intake manifold, and a Quick Flow QFT-750-BAN blow through carburetor. George chose an Aeromotive A1000 fuel pump temporarily until he can step up to triple Walbro 255s. For exhaust, he is running 4-inch back to a 3-inch Borla cat-back with cutouts for when he really wants to turn heads. On the dyno, this setup was able to muster 650 to the wheels.

The best part of the whole build is that George and his brother Manny “bag o tricks” Melo built the entire car, fabrication and all, in their two-car garage. It’s amazing, the quality of work that can be achieved with a little hard work and ingenuity, even if space is limited. George says that when he’s done, he wants to have an all around killer street car. Due to the well rounded nature of the LS motor he chose, the Camaro is just that; it has no problem making lengthy road trips.

Even though George wishes to keep the car on the street, he still has a few lofty goals in mind, which seem to be within reach. In the near future, you can expect to see him ditch the current carburetor setup and step into the 21^st century with a fuel injection system. A bit of suspension work is scheduled to be in the mix as well. After all, the 80s wasn’t the best of times for General Motors, or any manufacturer for that matter when it comes to handling. George’s eventual goal is to get the car to a streetable 800 HP to the wheels and see times in the 9-second range. With the progress that he has made so far, it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch of the imagination to say that you may soon see George in his 9-second Camaro at a track near you.