Just curious and I would like to poll my fellow Chevy enthusiasts. I have just recently purchased a 89' RS V-6 auto. I want to put a good ole 350 with a 6 spd. in it. Just how much trouble am I getting myself into? Any input would be much appreciated. Thanks

 

There's a fair amount of trouble involved. It's not bad, but lots of labor; it's mostly a bolt in operation. The T56 requires a special flywheel and clutch setup which is not cheap. I hear you're best off with an 87 or newer 350 so that you can run the LT1 flywheel. You can at least get them used - sometimes. Read the sticky on V6 to V8 swaps at the top of the engine swap section to get a good idea of where you're headed...

 

In the long run will this swap take away from the over all reliability of my ride. Or would that all depend upon how well I perform the swap i.e. no short cuts and so on.

 

Since it is almost all bolt on factory stuff, you could end up being much MORE reliable than the factory setup. There is no substitute for taking your time.

Like I said, read that sticky at the top of this forum. There are a lot of little things to be done, such as front springs, and wiring of different lengths but you can get it done nicely if you just take your time.

Your absolute best bet is to find an 89 Camaro V8 that has been wrecked or abandoned to do your swap. Then every bolt on part you need is right there. All of the little bolts and brackets are the things that kill you slowly...

If you don't have an 89, anything 82-92 Camaro or Firebird with a V8 will still help immensely. You will have odd things that you need such as the accessory drive on the front, the power steering lines, etc.. that just frustrate the heck out of you when you are doing this. And then there are the fuel lines and fuel pump...

You see what I am saying, right? Sometimes it's better to buy something closer to your goal than what you have now. I would suggest buying a manual transmission equipped 82-92 Camaro and then just doing the 6 speed swap.

In the end, it's your car...

Have fun!!

 

Im just looking for a reliable naturally aspirated 400 HP street thumper. Thats really my goal. Nothing overly amazing just some muscle with reliability.

 

Reliability = standard parts that are easy to troubleshoot and replace.

To me, that means what I said before about finding a wrecked V8 car. You can put a full Firebird/Camaro front accessory drive on your new V8 and you will be able to go to NAPA to get your belts and hoses!! Add to that a well tuned carburetor and an HEI distributor with vacuum advance and no computer, you should be good to go. You just need a hot cam/intake/head/exhaust combo to get your horsepower goal.

Reliable and fast... gotta love it!!