2Forty Posted June 6, 2002 Share Posted June 6, 2002 I am in the process of rebirthing my 72 Z and am kicking around the idea of a 350 swap. What is a ballpark figure of $ needed minus the engine and transmission? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pop N Wood Posted June 6, 2002 Share Posted June 6, 2002 The Jaguars That Run V8 swap manual (the "bible") claims you can do the complete swap, including the price of the motor and trans, for less than $1500. On the other hand, a few of the guys on this board probably have over $15,000 into their non-running cars Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danj Posted June 6, 2002 Share Posted June 6, 2002 There is an inverse relationship between cost and time on these projects. Some guys do it all themselves, use donor cars, shop the boneyards, swap stuff, and do all their own fabricating to keep the out-of-pocket cost down. But then you would need to ask them how much time they have spent on the project, which could be the hundreds of hours. Others buy new parts, hire fabricators and specialists, and pay thousands of dollars, but don't invest nearly as much of their own time. So, you have to 1st decide how much money do you have to spend, and how much time, tools and know-how do you have to do it yourself. Somewhere between spending all your time or spending all your money there will be the right combination for you. I suspect the guys that do it on the cheap devote the most personal time to the project and don't count their labor in the cost. The guys that spend the most money count the cost, but have more time to do other things. That's why we see cost figures that vary between $1,500 and $20,000. Just my .02 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Craig280z Posted June 6, 2002 Share Posted June 6, 2002 It depends greatly on what you buy, what you build, what you do and what you hire out. Some things to consider JTR mounting kit including reluctor ring and speedo gears - approximately $500 Exhaust system - $200-300? GM motor and trans mounts if you buy from your friendly neighborhood GM dealer - $200 Radiator - $50-200 Radiator Fan - $50-150 Driveshaft - $50-150 Is your new engine already running perfectly or do you need to "tune it up"? Do you need a fuel pump? Do you need to replace the fuel lines? Do you need to replace the brake lines? While your at it, are you going to put in a LSD Diff, new wheels, tires, gauges? Probably at least another $200 worth of junk just to make things work. I'm forgeting something but I can't remember right now. I'm in the middle of doing the swap and I found a guy locally who is an ASE mechanic and has worked at GM dealerships and is going to put my LT1 in and wire it up for approximately $600. Craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLKMGK Posted June 6, 2002 Share Posted June 6, 2002 Forget the speedo gear stuff, use the Autometer 5inch in-dash speedo and tach. Buy the electronic one and put a sender in the trans - problem solved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Craig280z Posted June 7, 2002 Share Posted June 7, 2002 I think that's what I"m going to do on the speedo BLKMGK, sometime. Can you tie it in to the engine computer or do you need a separate VSS? Add another $200 to my numbers for the speedo. Oh, I bought spark plugs and wires for my LT1 today, $120 for those. Craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.