Assuming you had the money, a new engine, and all the necessary parts needed to install it, will specialists like speed shops do a engine/transmission swap for you? Or are you kind of on your own in that respect?

Any experience in this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Jason

 

People will do anything for you...."Assuming you had the money"

Tom

 

all i have to say is $$$$$$$$$$

 

Yup, $$$$$$$$$$ is the key.

No shop is going to do that sort of thing for some kind of flat-rate; it's going to be strictly time and materials. However long it takes, and whatever parts they have to use, you'll pay for. There are people everywhere that do that sort of thing on a T&M basis. Be prepared to bring wheelbarrows full of $$$$$$$$ though; people who know what they're doing charge more per hour than those who don't (usually), and a good job takes longer than a sloppy one.

This is why most of us on this board do this sort of thing ourselves, and leave the clean-hands pay-somebody-else-to-do-it stuff to the stereotype Vette owners with lots of money and no mechanical knowledge or inclination of their own.

I used to do stuff like that, but got real tired of people nickel-and-diming me to death, and wanting to drive their car into my garage and pick it back up the same afternoon with 50 more CID and 250 more HP, perfectly tuned, no leaks, better gas mileage than before, for less than an Auto Zone short block would cost them, etc. etc. etc. There can be a real big disconnect between customer expectations (fantasy) and the reality of what is actually deliverable in the real world at any given price point (or for any price at all), which people who haven't attempted to mod cars themselves often don't understand. That risk, of the whiny dissatisfied customer that won't give up trying to get more than he paid for no matter how much you do for free, is yet another thing that drives up the price of having somebody else build a playtoy.

 

good example, we had some ***** kid bring in a saturn coupe in which he made a horrid attempt to convert to rear discs

well, one lucky tech got the job and had to convert it back to drums

nearly $1000 just for that






yeah, some vette owners arent very mechanically inclined, i agree with that 100%

 

We are poor so we do it ourselves.
It's actually not hard to swap a motor and tranny, just takes time, some tools, and a space to work in. We did 2 engine swaps at my house earlier this year, an LT1 into an 82 T/A and into my 86 T/A.

 

Hi Zepher,

What kind of tools would I need to do a engine + tranny swap? Also, what would you say is the hardest part of the engine + tranny swap? I've read that doing the research and figuring out what you want to do is the hardest part.

Jason

 

The hardest part is putting the engine in and lining up the motor mounts.

Engine hoist is a must, using one of those tilting attachments also makes it easier to maneuver the engine and tranny into the bay. Tools we used were basic ratchets, sockets, wrenches, and some big hammers .

 

Hi Guys
Nice if you have the tools and a space!!! I'm in the middle of tidying up the bodywork on my Camaro, and if it stops raining in Fl long enough, i'll get the primer on.

I got quoted $1200 to drop in an LT1 and trans in my 305 3rd gen.

Take care, be good...
Sara Lou

 

Yea... once you really kinda understand the mechanics of an engine swap, its not all that hard. Putting the 350 into my car was the first swap I've been part of, and it seemed like a daunting task at first. I figured though that since my dad had done it a few times before with a '66 Chevy II, a '73 Z/28 and a '76 Camaro, it wouldn't be a big deal. Turned out though that my uncle and cousin came to the rescue and saved our asses a few times. I think me and my dad probably could have done it, but stuff like my uncle drilling and tapping a new starter hole, etc... is what saved us alot of headaches

Ok, i'm rambling now... anyway, now that i've been part of one, its really not too hard to do, just takes a good place to work, a decent supply of tools and drinks, and some pateice.

Me and my cousin, later on after my swap, tore apart his '52 Ford. Pulling out his flathead and putting it back in took no time at all really. It was about a week before the engine went back in, but thats because of us grinding down the engine, frame and some body for re-painting.

 

Air_Adam...
We, we, we? no, no, no... it was mostly me, me, me You missed all the fender pulling, bed removal, engine disassembly, and A LOT of cleaning.... as well as the whole clean and paint process of the flatty.