ok so ive searched around a little but not sure whats best. i will probably source my motor from pull a part....so given that im looking for a buget swap, really dont want a 350, also prefer a motor that just drops in and bolts up to a 700r4 or whatever my tranny is.
whats the differance from a lt1 and a ls1?
also what about 454 truck motors?
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or should i try to do something with my 305???

 

'84, right?

LT1 is a "Gen II" SBC - externally block and heads are similar to Gen I, mounts similar to Gen I, reverse direction cooling, distributor and water pump driven by the cam. Decent EFI system, if you swap one in, do it right and swap in the whole thing (i.e., don't convert to carb). LS1 is "Gen III" - completely different, actually 4 cubic inches smaller, all aluminum "SBC". Great engines, again use the EFI. Different externally, basically nothing like Gen I.

You can do something with your 305. See the 305 thread on the FAQ forum for upgrades to power. Basically, if you have to do anything to the block/rotating assembly (rings, bearings, or pistons), don't bother. The power difference between the 305 and 350 is amazing, but the economy difference is insignificant. A 350 will fit with your 305 operating system (carb, distributor) with no modification.

 

LS1's go in third gens fairly easily if you know what you are doing. i don't but i know some people that do.

this is an 83 Z-28 with an LS1 in it, a road-racing car. engine is out of this vehicle and in another one now, i sold the car sans driveline. It was pretty easy for a couple guys at a speed shop to install the LS1 and T56. easy is a relative term there, i could not have done it. I got all the stuff for the swap from Spohn.

 

whats a good boneyard long block 350 to get? or a 454 in a suburban? will that be worth it on a budget build?ill be building the motor my self, so its just parts and my time

 

Budget swap and 454 don't belong in the same paragraph because although it will fit, it's not a simple drop in swap. It'll be a lot easier and cheaper to just install a 350.

 

well i wasnt sure, really only know mustangs, got interested in this since bigger motors can fit in f bodies easier than mustang foxbodies. or so im told, but know a 351w doesnt just drop in with out a special pan in a fox but a 350 drops in a f bodyso what do you need a special oil pan to clear the k member with a 454?special exaust manifolds im geussing..

 

a 350 (or 383, or 400 sbc) fit in the same as any factory v8 engine as they are all physically the same on the outside except for things like excessory holes and such depending on the heads used.. a big block (454) is a whole new can of worms, I've never done it so I'm far from the best source of information on the swap, though its been done so many times if you did a search you'd find everything you'd ever want to know.

 

what came stock with a 383 or 400 and what kind of power do the generally make, are they better than a 350 or is it all the same block with a differant stroke?simple is better, cheaper is is even better

 

383 is a 4.0 inch bore and 3.75 or 3.8 inch stroke
400 is a 4.125 inch bore and 3.75 inch stroke

383's and 400's were never a stock engine in a 3rd gen fbody. 383's are not a factory engine in anything, and 400's were available in 2nd gen fbodies. You can get more power out of a 400 than you can a 350, but the 400 engines have there own problems. I've had several engine building shops recomend a 350 over a 400 due to the 400 block being weaker and more prone to stress cracking with high horsepower applications, especially with NOS or forced induction. Plus nothing can beat the cheap parts available for a chevy 350. Its the best engine to build as far as parts cost and availability.

So if your just looking to do a stock engine swap without building a monster then the 400 would be an excellent swap. In fact I'm buying a 400 block here in the next week or so to build a mildly modified 406 as a side project to put in something later down the road.

From the sounds of it, I think your best bet would be a 400 if you want the cubes for bragging rights, and a 350 if you wanna build it to the max later on.

While the 350 is definitely the most common V8 swap, the 400 is also very common. Putting anything bigger than a 400 into a 3rd gen would be foolish unless you want it just for drag racing. The huge weight gain that a big block would cause would require lots of suspension mods. And the torque would mandate some serious chassis mods. Your car wouldnt handle very good anymore either. The front to rear weight ratio would be absolutely terrible as if the stock ratio werent bad enough.

 

thanks alot of helpfull info there, i geuss it comes down to what can i find a 400 in, and the differance with pontiac, chevy and olds if they all made a 400, and what is easier/cheaper to get a block out of at a boneyard. if you know what vehicles had the 400 let me know, thanks a bunch

 

not 100% sure on this but I think only poncho and chevy made a 400 sb. And for what your wanting you will be best off sticking with a chevy 400. Lots of people love pontiac 400's but the parts are harder to find, and will cost more. parts selection will be somewhat limited. And modifying it later is definitely gonna cost ya more.

If you go to a yard looking for a 400, dont worry about what they are in, just ask if they have any chevy small block 400 engines. If its a yard where you gotta find your own parts then start lookin for the 2nd gen Camaro's, I'm not sure what else it was available in off hand. And dont let them stick you with a big block, there are 400 variants that are bigblock engines. I think they are a 403, or 402 or something like that.

 

400 Poncho isn't a "small block". It isn't a "big block", either. 350-455 Pontiac engines were all the same size block.

383 is either 4.030" bore x 3.75" stroke, or 4.000" bore x 3.80" stroke. The former is by far the most common, the latter being the way the factory made a 383 crate engine.

Olds made a 401. Again, not big or small block, all were the same "size".

I don't believe 2nd gen Camaros ever got 400 SBCs (could be wrong about that). They were 307 or 350, or big blocks. 400 SBCs were most common in trucks and full size sedans.

If you are considering anything other than a SBC, you've got a lot of work ahead of you.

 

The SBC 400 hasn't been produced since 1979. I think they stopped installing them in cars in the early 70's. Although you might find them in the older larger cars such as Impala, Caprice or any full size station wagon, it's easier to find them in pickup trucks and vans.

The 400 BBC isn't really 400 cid. The factory took a 396 BBC and bored it out .030". Some of the early 70's trucks have 400 badges on the fenders which confused a lot of people but it's really a 402 CID.

The distinction between a big block and a small block isn't displacement as mentioned above. It's about bore spacing. The distance between the center of the bores in a BBC is more than a SBC. Engines like Pontiac and Olds all have the same bore spacing so the difference in displacement was in the stroke. That doesn't always mean you can put a Pontiac 455 crank into a Pontiac 350 block. The block casting is usually different to accommodate the extra stroke. Even the Caddy engine is the same. A 425 and 500 Caddy uses the exact same block. The difference is the crankshaft.

Ford on the other hand has a wide range of engine types. I never got into understanding each one. Dodge stopped with the small block 360. The 383 started with a big block with more bore spacing.

Just about everyone made a 400 engine but they're not all the same. Different bore and strokes can make the same displacement. A 302 SBC is far superior to a 305 SBC which has a couple more cubic inches due to the 302's larger bore and shorter stroke.

Dropping a BBC into a third gen isn't that hard but some planning is required. Read the sticky at the top of the forum on what's required. The biggest challenge is headers. The cheapest swap headers are also the worst fitting.

 

cool cool, lots of info for me to digest there, thanks. sounds like a 350 will be far simpilar to get ahold of for a good price. any differance in a truck 350 and a car 350? im going to avoid all muscle cars with 350s as the are in my opinion far more likely to have been abused harder than a truck one. its like getting a 5.0 out of a mustang, not a good idea, they are all beeat on, but get a lincoln long block and put 5.0 HO stuff in it and youre golden

 

Depending what you plan on doing with it, a 350 is a 350. A truck engine is a better chance of finding a 4 bolt main block. Trucks usually have a different grind on the camshaft because they're normally low rpm torque pulling. Nothing else except maybe compression ratios over the years and models. Truck engines are probably worked harder than any car engine. Once it's cleaned up, bored out and rebuilt, you'll never know the difference.

Typically the most sought after 350 casting is the 010 block. That casting was used in the 302, 327 and 350 4" bore engines so there's still a lot out there even though they haven't been made in many years.

As with most junkyard engines, don't expect it to be in great condition. Any number of things could be worn out. Years ago when I still used an large cap HEI, I was hunting around for different weights and springs out of junkyard distributors to fine tune mine. I found a second gen f-body that had a distributor so worn out, the last owner probably never knew why the car wouldn't run properly.

Before you go out and find a junkyard engine, look at prices for a factory replacement 350. By the time you rebuild a junkyard engine, the new engine could be cheaper. Pick up a long block. Replace the cam with something better and install an aluminum intake then drop it in. A short block means you'll also need some new heads if you want to install aluminum heads on it.

 

Honestly dude....your best bet would be to go to jegs and buy a 350 shortblock.....they cost like $1800 for a two bolt.....get a set of vortec heads....and go from there

 

thats more than i will spend at once. i could get a wrecking yard complete lt1 or something similar for less with a 6 month waranty at a reg yard, not a u pull it, one where they sell stuff they know runs out of wrecked cars. im going to build a motor myself, want one that doesnt need reboring, just get it dipped and stripped and see what i got. infact my friend has a 350 block i just have to talk to him, along with 2 kinds of heads.when i said buget i meant it,lol. of course ill re ring it and get all new seals and stuff and get the crank done if needed. the machine shop down the street from me will let me know what i can get away with and what i cant

 

Not tryin to pry, but where about do you live? are you far from Jackson, MI? I may be selling an iron head LT1 in the next couple of weeks.

 

no not very close to you. i live outside of SEATTLE, WASHINGTON in a town called EVERETT.lots of junkyards around here

 

Will a 1975 400 SBC bolt up to a 1989 700R4?
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And if not, will the 400 SBC and the 400 Turbo fit?

 

Yes the 400 SBC will bolt up to a 700R4 as will a 454 BBC, just be carefull about how much power you put through the trans. stock build are only good for about 350 - 400 hp max.(later units only, earlier ones are a lot less) My 84 305 has blown the sprags out of my trans several times.(then swapped to a 4L60 unit)