i bought a 82 t/a rust free, t-tops, someone took out the heater/ac box , i assume they had trouble fitting a motor in. i wish i knew what engine they had in it, they left the frame pads(motor mounts) in it. i took my 350 olds out of my 79 formula, and i'm gonna try and drop it in the 82, with the 350 turbo tranny. once i get my digital camera, i'll take pics of my process. quick question, what are the chances of my factory gauges working with this?

 

Your gauges will work.

Which motor mounts will you use? I used a set similar to yours, I think. They were upper steel shells that sat over lower mounts like small block chevys use. I had to put a flat strap accross the engine mount pads and re-drill the holes to get them to bolt in where the factory chevy lowers go. Let me know how that went.

Did your 82 have a factory 4 speed automatic? I guess I just hate to see three speeds go in anymore. You need the overdrive tranny to realize the full potential of your combination. You can get a 2004R from a GM car pretty cheap and you can run a 700R4 with an adapter with no trouble as well. It is really advantageous to have that deep first gear AND overdrive for the highway!!

Lots of pictures, please!!

 

yup, i've got the same motor mounts , with the flat steel strap. they were needed to put the same motor in my formula. i was gonna use the 3spd thats bolted to the motor,but now you've got me thinkin. the overdrive tranny is really that much better? more low end power? the t/a is supposed to have 373's in it, thats what i was told when i bought it, so the overdrive probably would be benificial, but savin a few pennies and keepin the 3 spd would be nice also. depends on the driveshaft issue. the car didn't come with one so i need to find one anyhow, unless the driveshaft from my 91 v6 will fit

 

if not, ususally a welding or machine shop can easily/cheaply lengthen or shorten a driveshaft. The tourqe arm could pose issues.

 

I have a 307 olds in my 87 bird...

I did not do the swap but some "Issues" i have seen is the driveline...HOWEVER, it may have been the person doing the swap ghetto and stuff, may not be an issue if done "right"

But the tq arm does rub against the driveshaft, the trans mount they used is awkward, not sure what vehicle it came out of...I can get some pics sometime for you, 350 and 307 = same ****

 

Your V6 driveshaft will be fine with a 2004R or 700r4.

The best way to swap it over is to get a 700R4 with a crossmember and torque arm from the junkyard. That way all of your stuff is just bolt on. This is what I did; I put the transmission onto a junked 307 block that was stripped down and used it as a jig for the motor mount setup. Once your engine block and transmission are bolted together, slide them into the car and bolt the tranny to the mount in the rear (with the appropriate 700r4 crossmember) so that the driveshaft and torque arm will bolt on just like factory.

Now, with the tranny bolted in and the engine crane supporting the block in the front, you can take your motor mounts off of your 350. Use a set of factory chevy V8 lowers (they are probably bolted in your car still) and bolt your upper shells to the lowers. Gently lower your engine block down until your shells line up with that metal strap on the engine block. Use some spray paint to shoot through the bolt holes so that you can drill your flat straps to bolt the mounts on securely. You may need a small flat spacer but it won't take much. Once you have your motor mounts fixed where your junk 307 jig block bolts in you can pull everything and put your 350 in, ready to go. It takes longer but when everything lines up you don't have weird vibration issues or motor mount breakage problems. Don't forget to install new engine mounts before you put the engine in!

As for the 307 bad influence machine, You are in custom world for your 2004r. I made a mount out of flat plate that I welded to the crossmember and then put a gusset on each side after a test fit. If I had to do it over again I would buy a Spohn mount and be done with it. Look at it this way; you can always take that part off if you junk the car!

 

i see Jegs sells a b&m th 350 changeover kit for 3rd gens. no more then 100 bucks. says it can be used w/original 200-4r driveshaft. Hurst makes one too. the hurst looks like the better of the 2. anyone seen them? I'm just trying to justify useing the 350 turbo that i have (cheaper than buying another) but if it proves easier i'll go w/the chevy trans and the adapter plate for the olds motor. that cangeover kit also has the adapter for the torque arm

 

Re-uses 200 driveshaft, yes. Technically these kits are to replace the TH200 3-speed that early 3rd gens sometimes came with. I think you need a different crossmember to use that kit unless you maybe have the original 82 TH200 crossmember...

I'm not trying to stop what you're doing; I'm the king of the "use what you have" philosophy. I just can't justify using three speeds anymore unless they are already in the car when I bought it. If it ever comes out, it's history. The money you save in gas will pay for a junkyard take out transmission. Your trans adapter should also run less than a hundred bucks.

Just something to chew on...

 

My 87 bird w/ 307 & 200 has an 84 S10 Driveshaft...idk if the stock one would have worked but that is what is in there now

 

Well, if it works...

I guess if you fix your torque arm mount it doesn't really matter...

84 S10? Long wheel base or short?

 

The 200 does use a different crossmember, but with some work to the crossmember they are somewhat swapable:

I used a 200 crossmember in my 89 700r4 car for some time.

It may not go the other way though.

 

Just to be clear, the original transmission was a TH200C, not a TH200-4R (except for TTA's).
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Not from the factory. Wasn't available until '83.