Guest IanPeterGrohse Posted December 7, 2004 Share Posted December 7, 2004 Can someone give a list of Gm doner vehichles that are correct for the simple, straight foward SBC swap, what vehichles come with 350s, their range of hp and tune. It seems hard to find one complete doner vehichle, with both carbed 350, and 5 speed. Id prefer that, just one doner, than sourcing parts. Can anyone give suggestions? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 77vegasz Posted December 7, 2004 Share Posted December 7, 2004 Take it from me, instead of using junk yard crap, go to http://www.jegs.com, or http://www.summitracing and buy a base 330 hp 350 crate engine for around 3k, go to your local transmission shop and get the trans. You will have new stuff with a warranty. It will be clean to work with, and you will get off cheaper in the long run. If you can find a donor Camaro that you know the history on it might be worth while, but almost any GM performance vehicle with any miles on it has been run hard, and will need some refreshment. Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bartman Posted December 7, 2004 Share Posted December 7, 2004 I was searching for a donor car with the same requirements. I finally figured out it doesn't really exist. The closest thing I could find was some late 80's early 90's camaro/firebird's with a H.O. 305 with a 5-speed. Not much HP Unless you want a later model with fuel injection, you will probably have to source your engine and transmission separately in order to get a carb and a 5-speed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Magnum Rockwilder Posted December 8, 2004 Share Posted December 8, 2004 You can sometimes find 82-92 Camaro/Firebirds with a 350 and a retrofitted T5 or T56. It's a pretty popular swap. You can also buy ANYTHING with a 350, then get a T5 on the side. The local junkyard sells them for $35. You can probably sell the 700r4 or whatever other tranny you have to pay for the T5. Just make SURE you're getting a 350 and not a 305. There are a LOT of vehicles with 350 emblems/stickers that actually have 305's, so always check the engine. Last month I found 3 cars with "350's" that turned out to be 305's. One of them even had a factory appearing engine and had a 5.7L sticker under the hood, and it turned out it was a 305. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest IanPeterGrohse Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 Hey, thanks for the replys. Idealy, I would buy a crate engine or reman....But funds would only make that possible later down the road. but I also know that a doner car can provide so much stuff I will end up needing later, wires, hoses, belts, and correct fitting bolts, accesories, etc. I would have to search around for flywheels, driveshaft, etc... Whats the procedure for putting on a T5 to the back of a 350 formally fitted to an auto? Take stock flexplate(?) off and torque converter....bolt on flywheel(I hope this is universal), then new clutch set, and just bolt on the T5? Also, if I was silly enough to buy a 305, does it effect the instalation procedure, I mean, is it a differnt size, shape, or anything like that? I might look for a busted 5 speed Camaro just for all the stuff, then buy a remaned engine to put in when I get it all tied down. Anyways, thanks for the reply. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spdsk8r Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 Back when I did my swap, I too tried to find an ideal donor vehicle. I finally settled on the first vehicle I found with a good 350. I purchased a 91 G-30 one ton van from a local electrician company. It had a rebuilt 350 with about 30k miles on it and a GM remanufactured trans. I paid $550 for it. I pulled the motor/trans and found I didn't want to use the trans, 4L80E. But I did get a lot of bracketry and parts. I sold the van body for $150 and the trans for $500. That gave me a good 350 with many parts and $100 in my pocket. Also, Grumpyvette got the aluminum driveshaft from the van. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 77vegasz Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 The 305 is externally identical to a 350, so the installation would be unaffected. If you are not looking for a max HP Z a 305 would make a nice daily driver, and later down the road you could do a crate engine, or there is a 305 to 341 stroker kit on the market as well. Go to MORTEC.com and check block and head casting numbers before going to the junk yard. This will help you ID the motor. If you go with a 305, be sure to check the heads and get the high performance ones used in late model Z28 Camaros. The flow a little better than the others. Be aware, that aftermarket heads for a 305 are pretty much limited by valve size. 1.94 and 1.50 are the largest you can put on a 305 due to bore size. Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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