ok guys im rockin the little 2.8 right now but im looking for a swap in the future. 2 things have been holding me back. first of all i drive this thing to and from work every day so i need to decide if the power benifits out weigh the loss in MPG between the 305 and the 350. and second i need to find one in good running condition as cheap as i can find it . My money is really tight right now so i need to make sure i do this right. it wont help me any to buy a new engine and spend all my money on that and not have enough money to fix it if it breaks down in 2 weeks. so if ayone could give me some insight, and/or tell me where i can find either of these pretty cheap. Thanks Guys

--Also ... im pretty new to this engine swapping thing ... is there anything else that would HAVE to be changed out if i droped in a new engine ??

 

a transmission with a v8 bolt pattern comes to mind

 

Look through the posts on this forum for the past few weeks. You'll see the V6 to V8 discussion has come up several times.

The best way to do this is to find a donor factory V8 car. Why? Basically, because anything that attaches to or feeds the engine, needs to be changed.

Take a look under your hood. Count the number of things that attach to or feed the engine. Pretty big number, huh?

It's involved, takes a lot of parts, takes a lot of time. Typically, it makes more sense money-wise to sell the V6 car and buy a V8 car, unless the V6 car has some particular amount of sentimental value.

 

yeah i had imagined that this would be much more difficult than i had origanally planned. i would just leave the 2.8 in there (drive this around with just a couple of mods till i can sell it and buy a new one) but the engine is starting to have some big time problems. but i have another couple of questions for you then... theres a post on the site in the classifieds for brand new engines, the post is from manny, and he says that he can hook up a brand new 350 for $1000. would i be better off saving for that one with a warranty and then making sure i save up enough for a tranny too ? or would i be better off spending less money on a used engine and tranny ? Also ... since i wouldnt know what the hell im doing how much do you think that it would cost to put the engine in , at a shop in NY? or is there some one that lives near the albany area that would be willing to teach me (ill buy a few cases beer and then try it , LOL)

 

Whether you go new/rebuilt with warranty or used is basically a dollars question. Don't forget you need a whole bunch more parts other than the engine and transmission.

This is a hobbiest-type of job, not an on-the-clock shop-type of job. The labor will cost more than the parts, and the parts alone make it cost-effective-marginal.

If you don't do this yourself (or with free help), you shouldn't consider it. You should be able to find a used 2.8 for a reasonable price, though, and switching it out is a job even the inexperienced can do with a Haynes manual and a few rented pieces of equipment (and maybe a little help).