Guest Anonymous Posted March 14, 2002 Share Posted March 14, 2002 i want to put a v8 in my 78 280 z its my first car and i really want to do the swap to it.problem is i live in california and with all the smog stuff i cant put an engine in it unless its a 78 or newer.what i want to know is if the 78 chevy 350 can be built to around 300 to 325 hp and still pass smog.some people say to put one of those new motors what is it an ls1 or lt1 something like that im not sure.the thing is im not into those new engines computers and all that fuel injection stuff just dont like the whole idea of the new motors.i love carberated engines thats how they should of always been but thats my opinion.anyways i guess my question is this are there any good carberated engines from 78 until whenever they started making those new engines with computers and fuel injection crap.and if so what year engine would be best for a daily driver 300 to 325 hp range and still be able to pass smog.and also can a 78 or newer carberated engine be built up to 300 325 hp and still pass smog.any advice would be greatly appricated thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greimann Posted March 14, 2002 Share Posted March 14, 2002 You can do everything you want to do. '79 was the last year that Chevrolet offered a purely carb'ed motor. So an engine installation modeled after a '78 or '79 Camaro will put you in the legal zone. 300 - 325 HP no problem with CARB certified after market parts. A cam and intake is all you will really need for that power level. My ride is a '79ZX that has about 350 hp and is CA certified. I use a Holley carb, Crane cam, TFS heads, Edelbrock intake - all CARB approved. Your best bet is to find a salvage engine with all of the accessories - Smog pump, vacuum fittings, aircleaner, etc.., otherwise you will go crazy trying to run all of this stuff down. Also get a factory service manual so you can get all of the hoses connected right. There are about a million of them. Ok ,I exaggerate, 900,000. Once you get it all together, you go see a referee. He looks over the installation with a microscope, and if all is good, he will put a sticker on your door jamb that certifies your installation. After that, you can go to a regular smog check station for your two year inspection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavyZ Posted March 14, 2002 Share Posted March 14, 2002 Two good places to start: 1) The JTR manual. Buy it and read it--it has great information on smog related swaps. 2) The HybridZ search function. All of the smog legality has been covered a dozen (or more) times and has really been explained well by some of our most knowledgeable members. 3) CARB website. You can always read about what is legal and what's not straight from the horses mouth. At the moment, the laws are quite reasonable for the Bay Area IMO, although that could change. Keep reading posts on the related subjects and you'll educate yourself--make sure you take notes. Davy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted March 15, 2002 Share Posted March 15, 2002 thanks a whole bunch for the advice guys very helpful stuff.im going to start looking for a 78 79 camero engine.ill let you guys know how its coming along.i will probabley have a million more questions that i know can get ansered in here.thanks againg fellas for the advice it is greatley appricated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greimann Posted March 15, 2002 Share Posted March 15, 2002 You can also look for motors out of other passenger cars too. Monte Carlo, Nova, Corvette, El Camino, etc. They are all pretty much the same, engine and accessory configuration wise. You are going to rebuild it anyway right? That may open up your chioces a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted March 16, 2002 Share Posted March 16, 2002 greimann thanks again for the advice. yea im going to rebuild the engine.im not exactley sure what parts would be good what would you or anyone else recommend.and also what engine do you think would be my best bet.nova,camero,el camino,monte carlo and what year would be better 78 or 79 or does it even matter.also i have an r200 rear ive read in hear that i lot of guys use the r200 and ive heard it is totally solid up to like 500 hp.is this true and if so is there any modifications i would have to do to the rear end?oh yea one more question i want a manual tranny what would you recomend.i hear that a t5 tranny will come up right through the stock hole.is this true?thanks again for any advice it is greatley appricated.one more thing this is the best website in the whole world it is so cool that there are people all over the country that love z'sbut also love the all american power from the sbc.you guys are very helpful and ive learned a whole lot in this website in the last 6 months or so.thanks again fellas for all the help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greimann Posted March 16, 2002 Share Posted March 16, 2002 The year (78-79) or model doesn't really matter. Maybe the Nova had a funky oil pan. I'm not sure. They will all be pretty much the same. For the power level you are looking for the R200 is just fine and a T5 will work great too. I have close to 400 ft-lbs of torque in my rig and the T5 has held up for 40,000 miles now. You can get up graded u-joints for the half shafts if you want, but not necessary for mild power. Lots to cover on a rebuild. For a basic rebuild, you can get a complete kit from Summit or PAW that has everything you will need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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