Chevy 350/290 install

[T-Roy]

Im new here. I'm 2 inches away from pulling the trigger on Chevy crate engine 350/290 going into my 1971 240z. Done with all the fixins, New Radiator, Water Pump, Fuel line, everything that would make this swap turn key. Sorry I don't speak mechanic yet. This is a new hobby for me. Cost around $10,000 to $11,000.00. Thats everything new under the hood. Nope, I can;t do it myself. Is there any question I should ask the shop? I'm in the San Francisco bay area.

 

Oh and one more thing. I don't mind driving a stick but I dont do it often. Would it be totally cheesy going automatic, this also effects the price? Its a restore job, maybe sunday driving, no racing, unless with my brothers or other family members but nothing serious. Looking for reliability and fun more than anything.

 

Thanks

 

T-roy

[T-Roy]

I guess a bunch of people get on here and say they're going to do a swap knowing it's only a dream. Well I'm serious and here's my baby. It will be a full restore modification from front to back. I will start with the engine,exhuast and gas tank. I believe there is a leak somewhere. When I put gas in it the smell of gas is on my clothes when I get out the car. When in the garage the smell of gas is all through my house. Dangerous!!

 

A 71 Z only a mother (this case father) can love.

[roro4g63]

Good luck with your swap. There is a lot of useful resources here regarding your swap.

 

I too have done a complete sbc swap and went with a gm 700r4. Never regreted the auto. 10k was about where I stood but I did all the work. That was to include gm crate, hughes tranny, suspension replacement, n new metal for the car.

 

She is my daily driver now, so I added ac. Gets pretty hot in houston.

[Moltar]

You could always try Z Car Garage in San Jose.

[T-Roy]

Yeah I called Z car garage. He wanted to look over my whole car deal, but didn't have the time to do it. So I'm talkeing to East Bay Muscle Car in Brentwood. They are primary Mustangs, Challenger, GTO etc. But knew exactly what to do about the Z from a Chevy V8 point of view.

[GOTHALOSISM]

So far I am about $1500 into my swap so far. I still need headers and exhaust/drive line done then it shoud be ready to go.

[z2go]

Since you said this is a new hobby to you, here's my advice based on personal experience.

 

In my opinion, you can probably get away with the straight swap for that price range, and do a nice job. If you are looking for a complete resto-job, ESPECIALLY if you are farming out the work, you might want to quadruple your budget. The problem with sending the car off for a complete restoration/mod project is that the labor involved usually costs way more than the materials.

 

You should research chassis reinforcement, especially if you are planning on breaking 300hp.

 

I don't think putting an automatic in it would decrease the value, it's more of a personal preference, I feel.

 

As for the fuel smell, that is a classic problem. You can search for solutions on here and the other sites, but in a nutshell, it will probably involve replacing a lot of door/hatch/etc weatherstripping, DEFINITELY replacing the taillight seals, and most likely replacing the fuel tank vent hoses and fuel filler neck. You will also probably want to look at replacing the soft rubber fuel lines going from the fuel tank to the hard lines, and in the engine bay as well. (After re-reading your post, I would lay money on it that your fuel filler neck needs to be replaced, and probably the vent lines too).

 

I'm knee-deep in my SBC resto mod project, and the only thing I'm farming out is the paint and body work... which is running me around 12k for custom bodywork, fiberglass MSA bumper work, paint etc. So far, not including the paint, I am about $10k in parts into it, and expect to spend at least another $5k in the next eight months or so. Granted, I am doing a complete frame-off (or whatever you want to call it) restoration, where I am replacing all the rubber, shocks, springs, hard lines, and various pieces of hardware.

 

What is your end goal? How anal-retentive do you feel you are going to be with the project? The problem with starting a project like this is when you go to fix one thing, you find three more things that were hidden that you now want to fix, and three more things under each of those, until you have the car completely stripped with not a bolt left on it, and it's going to the sandblaster to be completely blasted/primed for $2k (yes, that is what I did).

 

I could go on and on, as the spectrum of possibilities is endless.

[Pyro]

if you haven't bought the 350 (290 crate) then don't do it. Pure crap. low compression engine with terrible heads and a very old school dog cam. This engine also makes low torque (less than 300ftlbs)

 

you would be much better off with a later model vortec 350 (96 to 98 truck engine with roller cam and vortec heads). You can get a used, complete, low mile engine (craigs list, e-bay,....) and just swap the cam This engine already makes 275hp in stock form and would be at 300hp with a RPM intake, holley 3310, and set of block huggers. Then add a cam and get 325 to 375 depending on how big you want to go. Plus the torque would be in the 350 ftlb range.

 

use a T5 out of a camaro. The trans needs to come out of a V8 car. (fine tooth input shaft). world class (later model) or non-world class (earlier model) doesn't matter. you need the bell housing and flywheel also. I used an automatic in my V8 z for a awhile and didn't like it.

 

for exhaust plan on running a single pipe out the back. use 2-1/4" pipe off the block huggers, use a H-pipe after the transmission, then use some 12 inch dynomax bullets on each side, then go into a Y-pipe (2-1/4 in, 3 inch out) before the diff, then use mandrel bent 3 inch pipe to a big case dynomax turbo muffler. If you don't use the H pipe and bullets, the exhaust system will drone you out of the car.

 

good luck with your swap.

 

have you considered a turbo swap? I have done both V8 and turbo conversions and the power from the turbo can surprise you while remaining a good daily driver. Plus the turbo conversion is much cheaper and bolts right in (no custom work).

[T-Roy]

Z2go: You must have been reading my mail. This started out as buying a car and maybe an upholtery and paint. Then maybe rebuilding the L28 or maybe headers and new radiator. Then I said that's it, lets do it for real, V8.

 

Pyro: Good advice as well, I'm leaning on Phoenix Engines performance rebuild Chevy 350-350. Cost is the same ast the crate, I'm even thinking of going to 410hp. But I'm not trying to kill myself.

 

I've already crossed over to the $10k but not by much. The total restore is way above my right now budget but little by little. Funny thing is I could have bought a used Lotus by now but hey its fun.

[z2go]

Careful with buying an engine from Phoenix, I've heard some horror stories. I personally don't have any experience with them, but I have heard of either people ending up with a motor that is nothing like it was advertised (performance-wise) or worse, a motor that has horrible craftsmanship. If you are going to spend the money on it, you should find a good local race shop that can build you what you want and will back up their product.

[Pyro]

I would avoid crate engines.

 

here you go.

 

http://stockton.craigslist.org/pts/1967017474.html

 

in your area. and complete. you would need to get a power steering delete kit and maybe an ac delete (if you don't want ac).

 

would cost about 1000.00 to rebuild it at your local machine shop. Then add a regular rpm intake, 3310 holley 750, msd distributor, block hugger headers, and a little cam. (another 1000 from summit racing).

 

or run the engine as is. 98K miles isn't a lot for a late model vortec.

 

You can make 300 to 400 hp depending on the cam you choose (stock to 280 degrees advertised). However, the bigger the cam the worst the idle will be, along with worst mpg and worst daily drivability.

[Pyro]

read this.

 

http://www.superchevy.com/technical/engines_drivetrain/completebuilds_testing/sucp_0910_chevy_350_engine_build/index.html

[Pyro]

check out this t5 in you area.

 

http://stockton.craigslist.org/pts/1930193650.html

 

if it has the 26 spline input shaft then it will work.

[GOTHALOSISM]

Here in Vegas there is an 06 Z06 engine going for $1900. If I had the cash I would have gone this route instead of the LT1.

[T-Roy]

Wow, I thought phoenix Engine had a nice deal. Has anybody heard neg stuff about www.enginefactory.com, or Proformanceunlimited.com? They're expensive and way over my budget but incase Christmas comes early.

 

I know this is a headache already, I'm almost tempted to walk away. I made so many phone calls, talked, had meetings, sat in hot garages, muscle car operations with big quotes. So far......nothing. Now I see why people just look for a car that's for sale.

 

Sorry to vent. Now this is a challenge, more than a project. Can I do it, am I up for it? Hmmm, We will see.

 

 

T-roy

[Michael]

A few semi-random thoughts:

 

- As others have said, a “world class†T5 is a great option for a manual transmission, but there is nothing degrading about going the 700R4 route. You will likely save around $1K in the bellhousing, flywheel, clutch kit and hydraulics.

 

- Consider delaying your swap until you have driven the stocker for several months, and have performed rudimentary upgrades (suspension, for example) yourself. Why? Because even if you lack the time/tools/space/skills to do the swap yourself, any increase in experience as owner/mechanic will increase your savvy as an educated customer. And for a reputable shop, that is all to the better.

 

- Crate engine vs. self-built engine vs. engine pulled from a donor car…. That is a huge debate and there is no one correct solution. A crate engine is a “black boxâ€, but sometimes is backed by a warranty. A donor-car or Craigslist finding could be a screaming deal, or a nightmare – buyer beware. Consider the GM Performance Parts crate engines – but something more aggressive than what you specified earlier, such as something with aluminum heads, reaching the <350 hp level.

 

- It is wise to address issues of rust and overall bodywork, before doing the swap.

 

- Your posted photographs are very large and result in slow download. It would be more convenient if you could please reduce their size (say by a factor of 10) in future posts.

[John Scott]

 

You should research chassis reinforcement, especially if you are planning on breaking 300hp.

 

 

Just curious, why recommend 300 hp the breaking point and require chassis reinforcement? I'd guess plenty here with considerably more hp, maybe more relevantly 500++ ftlbs with nil problems.