ok, here's my situation. i have a 91 v6 firebird. it has 115k miles. the body is solid and interior is mint but underneath the car is all rust and like,the firewall is rusted out. so it really isn't a solid all around car. the only thing is it is my first car!!! sorta want to keep it, ya know?!? well, here is the swap part, today atmy dads work, this guy that modifies trucks toldme he has a 350 at his house that he'd sell to me for 100$. now, that sounds like a good deal considering it ran fine. so, i'm planning on totally rebuilding the engine first. but howmuch does this usually run? and mylast question, is it worth it for my car or wouldi be better of buying a more solid car. sorry its so long,i just need an idea of the prices and stuff. i'll keep on browsing these articles too. thanx

 

Mechanical parts are cheap but putting them in a worthless foundation is useless. Find a good car as a base first. I paid more money than I should have on my car but the body was virtually rust free so I figured it was worth it. By the time you spend the money to fix up a rusted body, it'll be cheaper to buy a better car. Third gens are unibody cars and practically the entire underside is considered framework. If it's rusted out, ie. holes, it's junk unless you spend a lot of money to replace the sections.

If you can get it for cheap then it would make a good daily driver but don't invest a lot of money into it.

I doubt you could do a resonable rebuild for less than $1500. It really depends on how far the rebuild goes. Re-ringing, re-bearing and valve job might keep it under $1000. If the engine ran fine then why not just drop it in?

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Follow my racing progress on Stephen's racing page
and check out the race car

87 IROC-Z Pro ET Bracket Race Car
383 stroker (carbed) with double hump cast iron heads and pump gas
454 Big Block almost ready for the 2001 racing season

Best results before the 383 blew up
Best ET on a time slip: 11.857 altitude corrected to 11.163
Best MPH on a time slip: 117.87 altitude corrected to 126.10
Altitude corrected rear wheel HP based on power to weight ratio: 476.5
Best 60 foot: 1.662

Racing at 3500 feet elevation but most race days it's over 5000 feet density altitude!
Member of the Calgary Drag Racing Association

87 IROC bracket car, 91 454SS daily driver, 95 Homebuilt Harley

 

I'd have to agree with Stephen. Here's my suggestion: Find a sound body with a poor interior and blown factory V8. Put your interior and the V8 you have the bead on into that car.

Save yourself the pain a rusted out foundation is bound to bring you (mentally and likely physically).

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82 Berlinetta, orig V-6 car, now w/86 LG4/TH700R. 2.93 limited slip. Cat-back from '91 GTA, Accel HEI SuperCoil. AMSOIL syn lubes bumper-to-bumper. Daily driver, work-in-progress (LG4 w/LB9 block, ZZ3 cam and intake, WP 305 heads ported & polished, Hooker headers & y-pipe, hi-flow cat).
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.

 

ok, sohow much do you think it would cost for a solid firebird? without the engine and stuff like you said. and then another thing. if i were to just drop it in, how much is that gonna run me?

 

Blown motor, good body, crap for interior.
I would pay at most $500( i actually paid 490 for mine)

Thats pretty much what my car is, only its a running V6 with a 5 speed.

The thing about doing engine swaps is that there is so much you dont expect to have to do. Going from V6->V8 is going to cost me around 3 grand. Thats including engine rebuild. Make sure whatever car you do buy for a good solid base is a V8 car, preferably with a good transmission and you save money right there.
examples:

v8 frame and motor mounts: $40

driveshaft(od and non od are different length): $50

summit torque arm kit $80(may not apply)

good luck.

 

where can i get a good car like that. bone yard?

 

watch your local paper. there was one in my paper for $300 a few days ago blown motor nice body and interior. also maybe check used car lots, sometimes they accept cars like that as trade ins and might have them at a warehouse in storage waiting to get rid of them. especially jd byrider since they had 1000 trade in on anything, whether you towed pushed or pulled it onto their lot.

good luck, just dont rush out and buy the first one you come across, shop aroun.