Hi guys, this is my first post.
I have been searching around a lot lately, and have decided that I want to put a 350 in my car. I own a 1982 Camaro with the stock 305 4 Barrel. I have decided that with my low budget, building my 305 would make no sense. I just need some expert viewpoints here. What mods would need to be done for this swap? I want a carbed engine. Can I use my stock 700r4 Tranny? It has 63k on it, and shifts great. What electronic components would need to be swapped? Can I use my stock engine accessories? I know many of these questions are simple ...but I need some help!
Thanks,
Matt

 

Just change the shortblock. There may be a few minor things required, depending on what year the 350 block you use is from.

 

If your transmission is stock it's not a 700R4. That didn't come in the Camaro until 84 I think.


Mark.

 

83

 

Yep, should have done my homework.

Mark.

 

Do you have a distinct HP goal? The 305 may be an ok choice depending on what kind of power you want to make. If it were me I would do "pre swap" things before I did a full on swap. These include a full exhaust, an intake and possibly gears. Not only will these help you enjoy your 305 more they will also make your 350 work that much better. Most of these parts would work well on the 350 as well within sanity (the headers for an 800hp N/A 350 CID engine are going to be a bit different than the set you'd run on your 350 horse street car for instance.)

 

Ok, I'm dumb, it's a three speed. I want about 300 hp, but am on a low budget. I would rather buy a 350, tweak it, and drop it in done. Will all the wiring work?

 

Everything will work perfectly.

 

I would still buy the stuff I mentioned first, then go for 300hp. It will be a lot easier to do without a set of smog manifolds and highly restrictive exhaust. Buying a good engine and trying to feed it through a junk exhaust is a poor way to make power. If you want a fairly simple swap get a Vortec 350, throw a cam and some valvetrain parts in it and that should get you to 300hp without too much trouble with a decent intake manifold.

There is also some info on the boards for tuning the electronic Q-jet you have, you will probably want to read through it if you intend on keeping it. If you use it and the stock CC dist you shouldn't need any electrical changes however if you go to a different (read:non CC) carb and dist then you will need to change your wiring some to match.

 

Thanks for the info guys, i highly appreciate it! I am thinking of getting a 350, doing some valve train work, and changing out the stock intake manifold also. I also plan on some long tube headers, and a cat back exhaust system. Is this a reasonable setup?

 

Your long tubes and catback won't be compatible.

 

The stock 3-speed automatic transmission was the TH200C. It isn't known as a very stout transmission. You may get by with 300 HP in front of it, but don't count on it.

A TH350 transmission will fit in its place with a torque arm mount kit.

 

200-4R has better ratios, while still letting you keep your current driveshaft. But it requires custom mounting. I hate TH350s, so I do ANYTHING to avoid them, no matter the cost.