Well, it finally happened . . .my V-6 Blew a head gasket ( ouch ) after a year of faithful driving. Rather than repair it, I want to replace the engine. I have a 1983 Sport Coupe w/ Auto Trans & A/C. The body and interior are perfect. I would like to put a brand new V-8 in it. The V-8's will fit in that, right ? I am pretty sure with an Engine upgrade I will have to replace the car's computer, too. I also would like to get A/C ( since I live in Texas and all ) What other things must I take into consideration ? Can you dudes help me out here ? Thanks !

-Dallas

 

here's the low down on this shindig,I'm not sure of your level of expertise or funding for out side help,so I'll give some general recomendations.

first of all you don't have a V8 to trade in for core....so your gonna get burned if you have one put in.although some 3rdgen junk yards will do custom installations of low milage 350TPI for around $5000

I am assuming your staying electronic and smog leagal.you need the electronic control module all of it's accompanied wires/harnesses for the engine electrical controls,new radiator, basically nothing from the 2.8 is reuseable.

you should go for a 350 if your going V8 TPI is the best inj system for 3rdgens,anything after '88 will have the rollercam.your best bet is to gut out a wrecked IROC or GTA with the engine still running,down in Texas,you should be able to find a decently running 5.7 for $500 out of a 40k mile twisted wrecked 3rdgen.

 

to put in AC in a non AC car...I'm not sure,aquire all the underhood parts:condenser,compressor,hoses,evaporator,wiring,classic industries sells the climate control panel for '82-'84 firebirds for around $50 or just ****** one out of a JY,you should pick up a haynes manual for your bird ($12),good schematic diagrams (wiring diagram) in there, wire it up.see if the clutch activates on the compressor,if it does then you hooked it up right!check your hoses and charge it up,oh yea...buy all your componnets new to use 134a,you may get a good deal on old school AC units,but not a good deal to fill with outdated refridgerant.

 

JunkyardDog -

Thanks man - Looks like my best bet is to find a thirdgen that has been rearended. One that had A/C, I'll take it's computer, and probably order a new wire harness. My tranny should blot up okay, right ? Will it be to much power for that tranny, having a 305 or 350 on it ? I will end up having a shop do the work for me & I'll just locate the parts myself. Thanks for takin' the time to tell me.

Thanks again, Junkyard -

Peace,

Dallas

 

Welcome to the board, but you need to look through similar posts on this forum.

1st off, no, a V8 will not bolt to your V6 transmission, so the power yours can take is moot. 2nd, as dog hints, this is a big project. Getting a rearended V8 car is the right way to go TO DO A V6 TO V8 SWAP (it's what I did): But, it is probably not the best way to get a V8 air conditioned car! You'll have the car torn apart from the console to the grill and everything inbetween to do what you're planning - what shop is going to want to do that?

The best way to have a V8 air conditioned car is to buy one that came from the factory that way. Sorry, but that's the plain truth. Like I said, look through recent posts with this topic in just the last 10 days to get a better idea what is involved in this swap. If you're going to have a shop do it, no way is it cost effective. Replace your V6 with a used engine, sell that car, and buy your V8 car.

------------------
82 Berlinetta, orig V-6 car, now w/86 LG4/TH700R. 2.73 unlimited slip. Cat-back from '91 GTA, Accel HEI SuperCoil. AMSOIL syn lubes bumper-to-bumper. Daily driver, work-in-progress (LB9 w/ZZ3 cam, TBD heads, exhaust, paint, etc.).
57 Bel Air, my 1st car. 0.030 over 396, Weiand Action+, Edelbrock 1901 Q-Jet, Jacobs Omnipack, 1-3/4" headers, TH400 w/TCI Sat Night Special conv & shift kit, 3.08 10-bolt, AMSOIL syn lubes bumper-to-bumper. Best 15.1 @ 5800' Bandimere. Daily driver while Camaro was being put together.

 

fives right about the rediculous cost of having the conversion done at a shop.yes I did forget to mention that v6 is a 60* block and v8 is a 90* block,I'm assuming that your not interested in getting a new car,I'd just take it apart myself,invest in an engine lift tools ect. harbor frieght tools is an exellent bargain tool co. and you might even have a local supplier being in texas. don't try to do every thing at once,it would be too overwhelming with no sense of accomplishment.

don't be afraid to get your hands dirty,you'll learn alot and it's fun.

I would do it in this order:

first, dash wiring,read the haynes and get as much instruction as you can,do your climate controls,most likely you can just change the control panel,the wiring is probably allready there and you can reference the color coded wires to the haynes manual scats. so you don't have to deal with a mystery bundle of wires.theres probably only 5 wires for the AC control.
as far as iI know, there is a heavy duty harness interface at the fire wall for the ECM, the computer is inside the right kickpanel,this way you can do the ECM exchange up to the fire wall.
I would recomend a multimeter($25-500)you don't need a good one for automotive use,I use a $65 sears one,fluke is the best brand,this can be used to test for voltage,contiuity,current,a must for any kind of electrical work it will always come in handy around the house,you don't have to be a genious to use one.most screws in the dash area are 9/32" hex heads and a power screwdriver will speed up the proccess quit a bit. the ECM is ESD sensitive (electrostatic discharge) in other words don't wear a wool sweater and walk across a carpet on a cold dry day and bring your cat with you,and then release a 40,000 volt .00005amp static shock to one of the circuit plugs,this will not help the delicate ICs inside very much,and you can get some money for the v6 computer if it's working.use a grounded wrist strap and constanly touch an electrical ground as you handle computer equipment. even if you have no clue what you are doing this shouldn't take more than a day or two from start to finish.

second, remove the engine and tranny all together as a whole,take the wires and every thing out with it.don't go taking apart things non-engine related unless you really need to,hang the PS pump on the sway bar so you don't have to disconnect the hoses.

third,setup your 350/tranny combo one peice outside the car,those will be ready to drop in after the preliminary preparation,if your using an auto make sure the TCC(torque converter clutch) wire is hooked up when you put it in

fourth,inspect an intact engine bay at a scrapyard friend or a fellow third genner here most likely has already posted pics of an empty TPI bay with just the wiring setup,you don't need it perfect,but clean wiring is paramount in proper electrical installations.you shouldn't have to do a great deal of wiring as it's pretty much one big octopus of bundled wire ,connectors ect. plug in the other side of the harness at the firewall interface and the rest of the stuff just has to be spead around the bay,wire tied and electrical tape as neccessary,in position but tied out of the way to drop the engine/tranny in.once the engine is in ,the wiring is easy,plan your attack and do it in logical steps,it's like hooking up your computer,you can't really plug something together wrong because one plug is a 4-pin ones an 8-pin..you get the picture,a few standard single wires may require special attention.

It is alot of work,but very rewarding,nothing like saying "I did this myself" it's not rocket science at all,just a car

 

Junkyard and 57kid -

Thanks Dudez -

Wowzer, I have a lot of work to do . . my summer project, eh ? Thanks for taking the time and effort to help me. Totally way cool -

-Dallas

 

with the warm weather there?? I'd make it a winter project,and a summer driver ,my first time getting into a car project. I was 17,I borrowed my friends jack and he brought his tool box (I had limited tools at the time),we discovered a whole new realm of insanity.

quality tools and the RIGHT tools are important,craftsman is good bang for the buck if bought in sets.

don't get your hands all chewed up like I did,I was proud of my busted knuckles at the time, but chicks really don't dig "nasy mechanic hands" ,latex gloves and the cloth work gloves over them will win the approval of your girlfriend. your going to have fun shov'n past other cars with a v6 body style sleeper!!,but race on occasion and just say no to brake stands w/o line locking, so you can enjoy the durable life of a chevy 8cyl.