ok i drove past an old camaro in a yard with weeds all around it and decided maybe i should stop by. just to see if it had anything i could use, and if the lady would be willing to part it out to me. well it's an 84 camaro with the V8 engine, the 5.0L and it's carbed. she said to make her an offer and i said 300 for just the engine and she said i must be crazy, so what is a good offer to make? how hard would this swap be? can i use the same tranny or do i need to get that also? thanks

 

come on, i know someone knows about this engine, help me please!!!!!

 

Maybe she was looking to sell the whole thing, not part it out?

What do you drive now (year, engine, trans, etc)? I know that myself and others have swapped from sixes and could help given some more info. We've also listed the parts/issues that come up during swaps as well.

 

she said for the right amount she would just give me the entire car cuz she wants it out of her yard. i drive a 1990 3.1l firebird, 700r4 tranny. anything else you need to know?even if i get the whole car, i'm takin the engine out and putting in my bird cuz the body of the maro is just ugly

 

The main reason I asked what you had now was to find out what transmission you had and how old your car was. You will have to change your transmission. Being a 1990, you'll have an electric fuel pump, so would have to either disable it in favor of a manual pump, or have to use a three port pressure regulator. Something else that you may want to think about is emissions. Is there any sort of testing where you live?

 

Buy the whole car. You need more than just the engine to do the swap. You'll need suspension components and other misc hardware.

 

I hate to be the one to bring this up, but yet another head scratcher...

At what price do you decide it is not worth it for a 305?

note: you don't have to change any suspension parts. Some swap to stiffer front springs, some do not. I, for the record, stuck with my stock springs.

 

1) She's right, $300 for just the engine is crazy. Should be $300 for the whole car.

2) '84 drivetrain into a '90 chassis - not a good idea. Too many things that won't "work", and from a technical standpoint, isn't legal, anyway.

Keep your money, let her sell the car to someone else. If you want to do a V8 swap, look for a '90-'92 'Bird donor car that has the engine/induction/transmission combo you want.

P.S.: I always thought 'Birds were ugly.

 

Ouch. I figured the 'maro comment was due to age taking its toll.

Agreed with the rest of it though. Looking back, I enjoyed swapping, and learned a lot, but would have gone the more complex route of EFI if doing it again.

 

Oh. Didn't think about that. Heard so many comments about 'Birds being better looking than 'Maros, I figured that was the case here.

If it's ugly because it's age-worn, then $300 is probably too much.

 

I agree. A car with weeds growing around it and a 305 isn't worth squat. You'd be doing her a favor to take the whole car for $500.

 

five7kid is right on the money when he said this. If you keep the years similar, the parts will interchange a little easier. (meaning you'll have less headaches) One thing I think, is stay with the induction you already have for a fun daily driver. If your car is carb, keep it carb, if it's EFI, Keep it EFI. I did the swap in my '90 firebird with a '91 L98 engine, and believe me the swap was so clean it almost scared me.

My bird is not ugly, thank you very much.

 

i paid $150 for a decent running 350 with a 4 bolt block


food for thought

 

Berlinetta's are ugly.

I like pie.

Thank you very much.