hey guys....i have an 82 cam sc v6 carbed w/ 4 speed. well i wanna swap it out for a maybe 350.... anything 8 cyl will actually do cuz it cant get much worse than it is.... i would like to put a 5 speed behind it but i would go with a 4 speed. well, im on a budget with this build.... should i go ahead and buy a rebuilt engine to drop in? cuz i dont have the time to do one myself..it would prollie be to complicated to try to swap v6 carbed for a v8 tpi wouldnt it? well.. anyone gimme some advice, opinions, where i can get some used stuff... what whould it do if i didnt switch the springs since i wanna drop anyway...thas prob a pretty bad way to do it isnt it???
thanx
john

 

also... if you were doing this, what other mods (suspension, brakes, ANYTHING) would you do?? jus so i dont forget sumthin..
john

 

Well I'm currently doing the same thing... I'm leaving the v6 springs in... another guy here did it and the weight of the v8 dropped his front suspension by about an inch. As far as TPI goes... you are going to be pretty involved if the car is Carbed...
you will need electric fuel pump setup to start with... truthfully I would look for a donor car with TPI and swap it out, it will have everything that you need. If you can't find a donor car, then try to find a TPI as COMPLETE as possible. If you are looking for something a little more compatible, I would stay with a carb setup. It's going to be a little less involved, considering that the car is already a carb setup... If you have any questions, feel free to ask me I'll be glad to help you.

 

Oh, BTW you WILL have to change your trans to match the V8 in case you didn't know.

 

Complete donor car is the correct way to go about this, even if you don't use the engine from it. There are a bunch of things that won't work from your car, some aren't available new.

My V6 car had new springs all around when I got it. I figured they should be okay with the weight of the V8, compared to old V8 springs. The thing bottomed out constantly and sagged in corners. I finally put the old V8 springs in from the donor car, and the ride height was about the same. However, the bottoming and sagging ended (spring rates are different, as well as loaded height).

If you never go over speed bumps, through dips, or around corners, V6 springs will be fine with a V8 in the car. Otherwise, get the proper springs.

 

Thanks, I was unaware of what would happen as well.

 

I've yet to bottom out or any of the above mentioned things except maybe a little diving in fast corners...and I was running 50 series tires.....maybe my springs are in better shape than your " new" ones.....

 

That's possible. I never drove the car with the V6 in it because the block was cracked.

I also retained all accessories, AC, emissions, etc. (to say nothing of the subframe connectors which were added later). If you lightened the engine compartment, then the V6 springs might be more viable.

 

I think that is a good point about the springs. I hardly kept anything like AC and emissions, and my V6 springs have held up just fine...granted i dont know how old they are(dont look very old). but when i put SFC on in a few weeks i think its a good idea to put V8 springs in.

 

If you want to lower your car PROPERLY,

I would suggest getting the lowering springs for the V8
Camaro. It will sit up higher, of course. Even V8 lowering
springs will sit up slightly higher than stock V6 springs,
cause they are for a V8, not a V6! V6 motor weights
about 200 lbs. less than a V8. Once you have the motor
in, it should drop to the proper height. If not, then you
may have suspension problems. Usually worn out springs
will cause the car to be lower than normal, or uneven
height.

If you want the best quality ride height, stable steering
and cornering, get the right springs for the right size motor!
Whether it's stock height or not.

Besides, lowering springs are cheap anyways. You can
get like Eibach or Hotchkis springs that can lower your
Camaro about 1 to 1.5" from stock for like $200.

 

Not trying to start an argument here, just stating MY experience....who knows how long they will hold up....and they arent the BEST ride...and my project isnt even half done yet.....at the moment the motor is out and Im trying to decide what to put back into...I may just rebuild the 327..and upgrade the cam and go with some Sportsman II heads...just got some money from an insurance settlement and I have some fun money....Hmmm maybe I will change out those front springs while I have the motor out...no better time...just some of us have to get by with what we have at the time.
see what I mean?