hey all, i found a guy in dallas here that is selling a 4 bolt main 350 w/ a th350 from a 73 caprice classic for $250.

he said it was running fine when it came out of the car, and looked like it had been an aftermarket install, due to the fact the block was painted blue, and the numbers didnt all match.

first of all, is this a good idea to get rid of my crossfire injected setup, and second of all, what mods will entail to do this swap.


here is the email that he sent me......"Hi Nick, engine was pulled out of a 1973 Caprice Classic convertible but was not a matching numbers motor. It was painted with a non- factory blue color which suggests that the motor was privately built. It also has 4 bolt mains which were not available in that car model year. The motor sounds like it has a mild cam in it but I'm not sure."

 

Get casting numbers, block and heads.

Most likely it's a smog-era dog or made-in-Mexico replacement engine. The 350 shortblock is therefore the most "valuable" part.

It would probably be safest to assume the stuff attached to your 305 should go on the 350. Whether to remove the crossfire really depends upon what else is available.

And, for the record, 4-bolt main 350's were available in '73 Caprices.

 

Hey, Nick. Definitely run the numbers on that motor/trans combo. You never know what you're going to get on stuff that cheap.

Do you have any pics of your car? I'm always interested to see cars like ours, especially in this area. Nearly everyone hates CFI so there aren't many left in old 3rd gens.

As far as keeping the CFI goes, it really depends on what you want. The most performance efficient option would be bolting a 4 barrel carb on top. However, I would stick with the CFI because of its uniqueness, fuel economy, and I just love the sound of the hood louvers opening up at WOT. You can do many different things to make a CFI system really perform but it all depends on the money you want to spend. There's a guy here in Plano who knows CFI inside out and can do stuff like TB mods, and manifold mods to make the CFI flow better. He's not cheap but he does incredibly precise work. He ported my manifold, re-bushed my TB linkage, and balanced them.

In the end the decision's yours, but I would keep the CFI. It will bolt right up to any pre-86 (or 85?) 350 small block, and there are many different mods you can do for better performance. It all depends on your budget and willingness to learn. If you haven't already, go check out http://www.crossfire.homeip.net/ for more info on CFI.

 

sweet thanks for the info man. honestly, i dont think its the cfi i hate, its the fact that previous owner ripped the wiring to shreds. for instance..i just reconnected the freaking wiper motor yesterday. honestly, who disconnects that....i mean, he CUT them right in the middle. ugh...also, the wires to the a/c comp are just cut about 15" down....ummm, my hood louvers dont work....i think its just a blown fuse. my injectors dont squirt, my freaking car doesnt run right now, and its my only ride. sooo...im a little frustrated thus far.

where in D are located? im up in flower mound...and there is a pic of my car in my profile. i've only had her 3 weeks, so she's not even close to there yet. i havent even named her yet!!

 

I'm out in the suburban hell hole known as Rowlett. That's about 30 miles east of Dallas on I-30 if you've never heard of it.

I don't see the pic in your profile. Think you can post it in this thread? I really want to see your car. Here's some pics of mine if you're interested. https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/cama...tml?highlight=

Sorry to hear about your problems. I'm not even gonna pretend to know what to tell you on fixing your ride. Go to that site I linked you to last post. Most of those guys have 82 or 84 vettes but the CFI is almost exactly the same. They can tell you what you need to do to get her running again. If you ever need any help from pics of my engine bay to figure out the routing of wires and hoses or whatever, just pm me and I'll see what I can do. Most everything under my hood is in the stock location aside from the heater hoses that I had to replace when I ported the intake manifold. I couldn't find the pre-bent ones. I also have the official GM shop manual for '83 camaros that I could probably photocopy a couple of pages and send to you if that will help. You can buy one at ecklers.com for like $70. At least I think that's the site. My dad bought mine for Christmas last year.

Good luck with your 'maro! Get her back on the road and save another CFI third gen! Let me know when you make some progress. I try to check my pms every couple of days.

Also if you don't end up buying that other 350 block and tranny, I know some grease monkeys that occasionally have an extra 350 laying around their garage. You want me to keep my eyes open for a good deal? PM me if you're interested.