Could somebody please help me out by either explaining to me, pointing me to a thread, pointing me to a website, e-mailing me, or by any means inform me on the exact procedure of swapping a 350 crate engine into a 1986 Trans Am that currently has a 305 TPI, to someone who is not a mechanic or done anything like this before but is willing to learn and has friends that can help?

Thanks

 

Well, I've got lots of free time.
0) Disconnect batter terminals

1) Remove hood. Two person job. Hold the hood by placing your arm on top, grabbing the back and supporting underneath with your shoulder. With your free hand undo the three bolts on each side that hold the bottom of the hinge.

2) Remove distrubutor. It's no fun breaking this when it hits the firewall. There is a hold down bolt and a clamp on the pass side. You need a 9/16 dual 90* wrench that can be bought at any auto parts store.

3) Remove spark plugs as these tend to get caught on things.

4) Remove all ground straps from the engine to the chassis.

5) Disconnect the Throttle bracket from the throttle body

6) Disconnect the fuel feed and return lines from the engine.

7) Disconnect the exhaust. If this is stock, you will break off the bolt that connect the manifolds to the y-pipe. Plan on replacing the manifolds with headers anyway.

8) Unbolt the Power Steeing bracket and pump from the engine. and carefully set it aside.

9) Remove the smog pump and related items.

10) Disconnect the AC lines after purging the system.

11) Remove the radiator and condensor after draining the coolant system.

12) Disconnect and document all wiring from chassis to engine. It is very very important that you label everything, because you won't remember where it goes.

13) Remove the nuts from the through bolts in the motor mounts.

14) Remove the bellhousing bolts from the tranny. There are 6. The top two should be removed from the top of the engine. The bottom 4 have to be removed from underneath. You'll have to be creative here as there is not much room.

15) Remove the starter from the engine. There are two bolts. Be carefule because the starter weighs about 15 lbs and hurts when it falls on your head.

16) Remove the dust shield from between the engine and tranny.

17) Remove the three bolts holding the converter to the flexplate. They have locktite on them and are relatively impossible to remove. Remember to clean them and put locktite back on when installing. If you haven't removed the starter yet, use that to bump the engine over, or if you have, turn the engine by the crank bolt. You'll have to use a breaker bar to hold the crank bolt while you take off the torque converter bolts.

18) Thread a 5/16ths? bolt through the chain hoist into the accessory hole in the front of the head, and the identical hole on the back side of the opposite head. You should have a leveler along withe the cherry picker. Make sure the chains aren't hitting the TPI. If they are, remove the TPI so you don't ruin it.

19) Use a floor jack and a piece of wood, or your worthless Haynes manual to support the tranny under the pan.

20) Begin to lift the engine. As you lift, remove the through bolts in the engine mounts. Lift slowly checking for wire or hoses that may be attached and in the way, such as the heater hoses that I forgot to mention. Pull the engine toward the front of the car as you lift. The engine and tranny may be stuck together a little and require some convincing with the 10 lbs. Fine adjustment hammer and pry bar. Do not hit the tranny, it's aluminum and will break easy. Lots of shaking works good too.

21) Remove the engine and admire your work. Then remember that you still have to put an engine in and it's going to be a huge pain.

22) Now is a good time to replace the engine mounts with poly replacements, and replace the tranny mount as well. Replacing engine mounts is a hole different story. Huge pain, but doable.

The order doesn't really matter very much, just make sure to think things through and above all be careful.

Please feel free to add in or edit anything I missed.

 

Wow, thanks for the info.

Doing all this would make me nervous though, I'd be afraid I'd get my car half taken apart and never get it back together or something. Do you know what a shop would charge to do a swap just in case?

 

I'd guess about $500. I don't know. Probably charge you labor 40-60/hr plus whatever parts they brake/replace. I think it would be an 8 hr job. Go down to the local Chevy dealer and ask. They'll try and bull$hit around an actual number, but insist that you want some kind of ballpark figure. Ask what labor charge per hour is, and how long a normal engine swap takes.

It's really not that hard, but I don't think it's something I'd feel comfortable doing for the first time w/ no experienced help either.

 

u forgot one step. set up a video camera and tape the removal so u remember ehre that mystery stuff goes and ps great post

 

$400 to 800 is what I have been quoted by various shops in northern NJ.

 

That price actually probably wouldn't be TOO bad.. especially since I wouldn't have to worry about breaking something or not being able to get the thing back together...

 

if u have some friends that know what they r doing it can help alot or if u have the extra money and dont mind spending it. u also have recouse if something goes wrong.

 

You really shouldn't have very many problems doing the swap. Marking the wires is a good idea but not completely necessary. Almost all the plugs are unique and it's kinda (not totally) hard to get them mixed up. Taking it out is easy, putting it in again is just time consuming. Take it very slowly, and before you do something, stop and think "ok if I put this on will it be in the way of anything else?" and thoroughly check every part. Check it top to bottom, left to right, for bolt holes, and plug ports. But seriously almost all the plugs are shaped differently, and if you look at the group it's in it's fairly self explanatory. If you've got 2 sets of wires with 4 plugs on each, 2 halfway down, 2 at the ends, they're obviously your fuel injector wires. Try not to remove any parts of the wiring harness either because just the fact that the groups of wires are in their general location of where they were originally helps a lot. Don't take it to a shop to have them do the swap unless you're really pressed for time because frankly I wouldn't trust anyone working on my car unless I can sit there and watch what they are doing. Just my peice of advice.

 

wait up, $400-800 for the whole swap? man, thats nice, i went to 3 shops where ilive in south east PA. I wish i could get it for that prie, maby i have to get another estimate. I am going to take all the parts needed ther and they will do the swap and wireing, and removal of old engine. I guess i am getting ripped off.

 

I think you need to have alot of patience for all the things that could/couldn't happen. I didn't have alot of experience either but we decided to swap a v6 for a v8. It took awhile, but now I can honestly say that I know what everything under the hood is for and how it works. It was a great feeling when we finally turned the key and it started and we could say "We did that" (my husband and me) But believe me, along the way, there were times during the swap that I would have given it away.

 

So true. Seems like everyone gets to that point at some time or another, usually when you're first starting out. I think it's worth it though. It depends on how much you really like your car. I love mine. I wouldn't sell it unless I had absolutely no other choice. By the time I'm completely done with it (new engine, exhaust system, ignition system, radiator, automatic to manual transmission swap, interior restoration <headliner, center console, etc> new paint job, ram air II hood, airbox for the hood, new rims) I'll have spent more than twice the amount I've paid for it. Ok yeah to some people it sounds stupid, but ya know what? It's my car, it's my money, and when I'm done not only will it be one of the nicest cars around here, I'll feel proud of myself because I'll know that I WORKED HARD and earned what I've got. And to me, that's like no other feeling in the world.

 

I understand people being nervous about letting people work on their cars, but then again, I'm nervous working on my own car. I'm trying to learn little by little, but I've never tackled something that big before.

My friend and I are working on changing the clutch in his 92 Mazda Protege. Boy are we having fun figuring that one out.

 

A chiltons manual gives step by step instructions. Small investment.

 

One piece of advice. put something between hood and windshield before taking the hood off. Even with best of care it can drop on it, mine did, now need a new windshield... A little chip in the corner and spreads the intire length of glass.
Bob

 

Don't think of it as that big job, think of it as a lot of little jobs in a row. At some point you will get discouraged. Take a break, read the Chiltons. Don't get overwelmed. It will be worth it when you fire it up for the first time and fine tune it. Step back and say," I did that." You will be alot smarter for it and will know just what's under the hood. You are already in a good place. This forum is great for the tough parts. If you at a point that you don't know, there is someone here that has been there.ALSO....A six-pack of shop towels and a half gallon of GO-JO.

 

And a LOT of oil dry. If you pull the transmission with the engine be prepared for several quarts of tranny fluid on the garage floor

 

Were you trying to take the hood off by yourself? How did you drop it on the windshield?

 

before you remove the hood make sure you have glass coverage lol. I had to use it once when my wife was helping me put my hood back on and she thought I wouldn't notice the little 6 inch crack, needless to say I am glad I had glass coverage.
ATOMonkey, GREAT POST!!! usually most people are not that detailed. I have done enough engines swaps myself and am asked what is involved. you wouldn't happen to know what the steps would be for converting from a small block to big block would you lol. if so I would love to read up on that one b/c lets face it, there is no replacement for displacement.

 

I almost forgot to say that right after my last engine swap I saw something that would have been a great tool but didn't see it till it was to late and the job was done. Classic Industries has a sort of a plug that you put in the end of the tranny and it prevents any fluid from making a huge mess all over your freshly painted garage floor. it kind of look like the end of a drive shaft in a way but it is plastic I think. I'll look at my book at work monday if I remember and post the page and part number if anyone would be interested in it.
one of you guys said use your Hanes manual on top of your jack to protect your tranny pan lol, I would do that with the Chilton manual to. both manuals I found can lead you in the right direction but may not always give you the info on what to do when you get to the location of sorts (make sense lol)
FYRELANCE above all when swapping out a motor especally for the first time, don't expect to get it done in a wkend b/c lets face it sh#$ happens and things come up that you may not have anticipated.it saves so much time and headache to do it right 3 times longer the first time than to have to do the same job several times b/c someone was in a hurry and cut corners. then when it is all done nothing can compare to the pride of doing it all yourself!!! awesome feeling of accomplishment.

 

A 12 pack of beer is helpful too.

 

Damn beat me to it. Well your right Just get a couple of freinds some beer and start pulling stuff apart

 

<=== almost 19.

Wow, this thread is great... thanks for all the encouraging words and the mounds of info. I'm thinking maybe I could do a swap over winter (if I ever get my garage cleaned out....), but I was planning on doing bodywork through the winter.... Aaah, decisions, decisions....

We got the clutch done in the Protege, and let me tell you, yes it was a pain in the butt, but I agree on the feeling of accomplishment thing. "Look what we did!" It was a lot of trouble though, we had to take the majority of the car apart. So at least I have a tad bit of experience now...lol. Only thing is that was a 1.8L engine, mine's a 5.0L. But we did have to remove the intake manifold, wheels, axles, starter, a few engine mounts, support the engine with a jack, take essentially the transmission out, took the gearbox and stuff to the carwash and blasted it off and scrubbed it down, removed the clutch, put the new one back on, and then put it all back together. So at least I have a starting point, I'm learning, and I'm getting a lil' braver...

 

Oh, and, if the engine's gonna be out anyway... is it gonna be like 10x easier to change the transmission? Like, if I want a manual (6-speed?? ) would now be the time to do it? Or is this still a massive project in itself?

 

Hey Fyrelance...
Your right next door, Alpha is right next to Beavercreek.

 

If it's you're first time swapping a tranny, then it'll be a little bit of a project, but otherwise it's not a big deal. Having the engine out will make it a little easier since the bellhousing will be unbolted already.

 

if you want to swap out the tranny at the same time as the motor just unbolt the tranny mount, disconnect the drive shaft and torq brace, disconnect the tranny lines and last but not least the linkage. sounds like alot maybe but really isn't much at all. one tip is if you have an extra floor jack put that under the tranny and instead of unbolting the tranny mount just unbolt the cross member, makes for an easier removal and install. HAVE A DRAIN PAIN OR CAR LITTLE BOX HANDY OR YOU WILL MAKE A HUGE OILY MESS ALL OVER THE FLOOR.

 

should have read drain pan or cat litter pan.

 

I have a nice 3' red spot in the pole barn from when I pulled my tranny. It took a lot of absorbant to clean that up...

 

hey guys I have the part number on that tool you can get at Classic Industries that will prevent you from creating your own Valdeaz oil spill on your garag floor. I have never used it before but it looks like it would work great. the tool is called "Transmission Stop Off Tool" and the part number is X2547 and the cost for this nifty little mess saver is a mere $5.95!!!it is on page 381 in the catalog I have but that catalog is not the most recent one. I have to get myself one of these things !!!!!
it looks from the picture for sure it would fit 700R4, 350 400 Turbo for sure. but not for sure on a man tranny. I am going to try and have my wife post a pic of this thing for me. I am to clueless with a computer

 

Hey wow. I work in Beavercreek. There right now actually. How come I've never heard of Alpha...?

 

yeah it'd definitely be my first time...

 

You can usually get that transmission tailshaft plug at AutoZone, Pep Boys, whatever. Less than $5, IIRC. Ask for it at the parts counter. Don't give Classic Industries any more money than you have to, their stuff is all overpriced.

 

Hey FyreLance
I work at Elano in Beavercreek. Alpha is between Factory Rd and Phillips Sand and Gravel... Actually live in walking distance to Langs Chevy dealer on I-35. Thanks to the guy with the tranny plug idea... didnt know they made that.

 

http://www.parts123.com/PartFrame.as...sic_Industries

 

Oooh, cool, I work at SAIC on Colonel Glenn Hwy next to National and between the on-ramps to 675, diagonally across the street from Hardee's . Whaddya drive, bob8748?

 

If I decide to take this on, I hope I have enough room in my single-car, slightly extended garage to work with. :: sigh ::

 

At least you got a garage... doin my work on a concrete slab, garage with no walls. (Good ventilation). I just have two beater Cavaliers right now. Enough money in project car to have a nice ride. 87 Camaro back halved with ladders, narrowed Chevy 12 bolt with 4.56 gears and 32x16x15 slicks. Powered by 412 Pontiac. Been 2 years on it and going slow.

 

i would like ot revive this topic because it has been a great help to me seeing i am swaping an engine this weekend (hopefully)

 

Well if you need any help let us know, and good luck with the swap!

 

I just did a motor swap in my car actually. I went from a 305 crossfire to a 350. What kind of crate motor are you going to get? I got a long block and had to swap over a lot to the new motor. If you're getting a long block, I would suggest investing in an engine stand (i didnt). Get a chiltons and read it. Follow the previous post, TAKE NOTES, PICTURES, VIDEO, anyting you can to remind yourself what went where. Another handy thing to have is a distributor wrench you can pick up at NAPA, that think makes it sooooo much easier to tighten/loosen that bolt. I had to use my sisters small hands to do it. If you have to put on the oil pan, take your time and be thorough, cuz i have a few leaks i have to deal with right now. When pulling/replacing your engine, WATCH OUT FOR THE TRANS DIPSTICK, especially if youre putting the engine in with headers on allready. That was a motherpucker to put back in, and i still leak a bit of trans fluid. Get a length of threaded rod ( i forget what size but its the same as the crank pully bolt..do a search) to put your harmonic balancer back on...you will need a puller to get it off too. Do not replace your balancer with the crank pully bolt, you may strip the crankshaft snout. Make sure if you get a new timing chain cover that the timing tab lines up with your balancer (mine doesnt, its a PAIN). LABEL ALL YOUR WIRES. I cant stress that enough, i have soo many spliced wires that i cut and shouldnt have. Are you retaining your TPI or are you going to a different induction? If you cant figure out why your oil filter wont screw on, check to see that your crate engine came with the male end that the oil filter screws onto. If it doesnt, just take it out of your old one. New plugs, wires are all a must. If your crate motor doesnt come with a pan, get a new oil pump and pickup, and take your time setting the depth on them. Get a pair of nice mechanics gloves, cuz you'll need them. Especially when spinning the flywheel/flexplate to get at the TC bolts, those are a pain and the teeth on that wheel will cut up your hands even through gloves. Invest in a high torque ministarter if you're using headers. I just bought a new replacement delco one and it SUCKS, heatsoak and whatnot. Clean your engine bay with the motor out, now is a perfect time. If you have a trailer or AAA, tow it to a high pressure wash to clean out that crap, then paint it. A nice thing to have is a creeper if youre doing it under jackstands, cuz you'll be sliding in and out from under your car for wrenches, sockets, etc. Use only high quality (eg american made like craftsman) 12pt sockets for your flexplate/flywheel and TC bolts, otherwise you'll just strip the sockets. It may be easier to unbolt your starter and leave the wires connected if you're reusing it or to remind you what wires go on what post. Also, when working on your starter, ALWAYS DISCONNECT THE BATTERY. Oh yeah, i figured since this was an american made car, I had all the sockets i needed (standard sizes). I was wrong, invest in a good set of complete metric sockets and wrenches. A deep socket 14 mm is REALLY useful. Some other deep socket sizes would have been nice, but i dont remember what sizes. I know i forgot a lot, i'll try to remember some. I learned all of this the hard way, mostly because i had never so much as turned a bolt before I attempted this swap, but it was fun and I learned a lot, tho, so good luck.
Matt

 

black83z,
wow, thanks a lot. that helped. well, today i started taking everything off. im having a problem with the alternator but thats about it. did u pull the motor with the trans? was it hard? why do i need a new bolt fo4r the balancer? how long did the whole thing take you? how big of a difference was there?

 

I always take the tranny out seperately, but that's just me. Alot of people like to pull them together rather than taking out the hard to reach bolts. Nothing that a universal and some extensions can't take care of though. You need a long piece of stock to use as a stud to press the damper back on.

 

im pretty sure i know what u mean, instead of itting it with a hammer, use the dampner screw to pull it on by putting washers on the bolt. once its on, remove the washers and put just the bolt in. ill be doing that today most likely

 

you need to use an installer...not the balancer bolt! you can make one..instead of buying one..search Vaders post on balancer install..he gives you a list of what you need!

 

That "harmonic balancer installer" consists of a 7/16-20 threaded rod, 5" long or longer, a 7/16-20 nut, a washer, and a large drift (socket or the thick washer from your balancer bolt) to spread the load. If you can't find a dedicated "installer", you can assemble one from those parts, which should be available from any good hardware store.

Don't hammer it on, please. And don't try to use the original bolt to install the hub. I'm not ready for another one of those "Oh, Crap! I stripped my crankshaft!" type threads on the Tech board.

Before installing the balancer, rub some clean petroleum jelly (Vaseline) on the outer hub that will contact the seal so that the new seal doesn't get damaged on installation or from running dry on start up.
Vader quoted>>>>>>>

 

sounds easy enough. thanks

not, i have a holly carb and hei distributor. im removing the ac. so what wires will i actually have to use once the new engine is put in? ill only label the ones i need, hopefully its not to late.

 

Youre going to want to label the two wires that went to your distributor. I lost the clip that connected them to the distributor, so i just fabbed some spade clips to attach them to the distributor. If you still have yours they should work on the new HEI. Label all of your starter wires as well. DO NOT CUT your wiring harness untill your engine is running, no matter how tempted you are to get it out of the way. Its a bad idea. Its not a bad idea to get a new set of gauges to monitor your new engine, however. You really only need water temp and oil pressure, which are cheap and easy to mount. I got a set of autogages and mounted them on the windsheild pillar (a pillar?). If you want to retain your in dash gauges, however, dont forget to label the wires that run from your oil pressure sending unit, and your water temperature sending unit. Before you cut your wiring harness down by the fender when everything is done, cut it with some length left on the wires. Then take a voltmeter and switch your ignition on, and check every single wire to see what has power. Then switch your ignition off and see which of those that had power loses power. Label those and set them aside. Theyre your switched power lines, and are pretty useful to have. Dont cut any of the wires coming from your windsheild wiper motor, or any wires going into your drivers side fender. If you're using headers and get new plug wires, get all 90* boots. Most packages that come with "all" 90* boots still have one that's straight. Toss it and buy one of similar lenght with a 90* boot. On your new motor, be sure that BOTH water jackets on the heads are plugged up (one with a temperature sending unit, and hte other with a plug). I removed the engine alone, left a big block of wood under the trans. Putting the engine back in is going to take some time and effort, just getting the bellhousing to line up with the motor. I think i got it close and then used the TC bolts to bring them closer together. I also tossed my AC; to give yourself more room on the swap, pull out the condenser as well. That would have saved me some room if i had thought about it. Watch out for the hard lines that run from your radiator past the oil pan and to the trans. I cut the y pipe and wound up almost pulling those hard lines out with the motor. What crate motor are you using? Do you know what comes with it (ie pan, oil pump, balancer, etc)? Instead of saving all the bolts from the old oil pan, oil pump, etc. i would suggest buying a set from Jegs or the like. Theyre harder to lose that way and would have made things cleaner and better looking. And if you have an extra bolt, maybe you would have noticed that extra hole in the timing chain cover...d'oh. Because they're cheap, now would be a good time to get a new water pump, if only cuz the old one is ugly as hell and probly should be replaced anyway. Another thing i learned is that studs are much better than bolts. I spent a pretty penny at the machine shop getting a valve cover bolt out of the head. Oh yeah, take it to a machine shop first, EZ outs are pieces of crap that just make the machine shop more expensive when you finally take it there. Again, studs instead of bolts would have prevented that. If youre getting all new bolt sets, why not try to get all studs instead? Invest in a pound bag of rags, and a gallon of go-jo or the like. You will use it all, i promise. Besides, go-jo is just a handy thing to have, just like rags. Hope it helps.
Matt
ps: you started the swap yet, or just researching?

 

i have the 350 ho crate engine. oil pan to valve covers. where is the oil pressure sending unit and water temperture sending unit. why did u buy new ones instead of usin gthe stock ones? wouldnt i need the wires that plug into the alternator. what about the charcoal canistor? thanks

 

wutever u do, do NOT do this swap on grass.... like me and my friends did. i swapped out my 350 tpi for a built up 350 carbed motor.we used one of my friends dads engine hoist, it was a beast of a hoist. u could probably take out semi motors with it, and it didnt turn or anything so lining things up took a bit of effort since everything sank into the grass.

we did it on the grass though because we couldnt do it any other place so, kinda stuck