Old school 350 swaps info

[FiveLitreHeeter]

Hi guys, I was wondering if anyone who has any links or info on old school 350/350 swaps. Ideally I would like to dump and LS motor & 6 speed in my 280 but thats not realistic for my budget so I'm looking at taking the 350/350 combo out of my truck, buying a JTR kit, and swappin it in there. So a few of my questions would be

 

-realistic gas mileage with 3.54:1 rearend & no OD

 

-what is your impression of how it drives day to day, freeway speeds, ect

 

-if anyone has swapped it in without the JTR kit I.E. bought a bit of metal and put it in themselves, info on that

 

-any advice for someone doing the swap

 

-links to pages with cars with this setup so I can check it out

 

I have looked around on here but now-a-days it seems people are steering away from the low-tech way I'm describing...

 

Thanks- John(here is my car as it sits now, picked it up for $550 with a bad engine)

[T-Bone028]

As far as building the JTR Kit yourself, the manual gives you the dimensions and information needed for that as well.

Edited May 12, 2010 by T-Bone028

[kelltainer]

the search button on the top right helps a lot! There are pages upon pages of information answering all your questions! The number one key on this forum is to use that and sift through 12 search pages full of information =D. I know it sucks but you will find what you are looking for 85% of the time. I found this out the hard way.

 

Most people on here do it your way , they buy the kit and drop it in or they weld there own mounting in place. This is a HYBRID website i.e any and everything goes and the guys on here (for the most part) do a fabulous job with there Z's. Go to the top of the screen click on the Gen I & II Chevy V8 Tech Board and then go through 20 pages of articles if you need to find what your looking for.

 

Good luck with your build! and take some pictures/post them up for us!

[FiveLitreHeeter]

Cool, I'll sift thru it some more. I guess what it boils down to is really the th350 tranny. Most everyone is using an OD setup of some kind. Still, I'll serch & look more and I'm sure I'll get it figured out lol

 

I'm thinking it will be running around 3K-RPM down the freeway, I'll have to get a GR calculator & check. Hope it don't get TOO bad of fuel mileage hahaha

 

Thanks guys & I'll post up pics as progress comes- John

[SUNNY Z]

This is the exact setup that I'm currently running. However, I'll be getting rid of all my SBC stuff soon, as I have an LS1 sitting in the garage, waiting for a 6 speed .

 

I'll have to check for sure, but my RPMs are roughly 3K going 60 down the highway. Granted this is on a 24" tire. When I get my 26's on there, it will help a bit. The car is a blast to drive though. If you HAVE to have overdrive, (would be nice), you can always go for a 700R4, which is the older, non-electronic version of the 4L60e. These aren't quite as tough as TH350, but they are reliable, and fairly cheap to rebuild, if need be.

 

The thing I love the most about SBC stuff is it is DIRT cheap. Cams and valvetrain cost literally 1/5 of what LS based stuff is, which is where I came from. However, the LS is very reliable, and they can be had for very little $$. I know that locally I can pick up a 5.3 from a junkyard for $400 with accessories, intake to pan, that will make just as good of power as an ol 350, and be 10x as reliable. Then there is the issue of tuning, and wiring.

 

If you have any more questions, LMK!