So as the title suggestions, I'm looking at eventually swapping a 350 into my Firebird. It currently has a 305 TBI, with an automatic transmission.

I wouldn't be doing the swap anytime soon, I'm more so looking at what kind of 350 I should put in it. I'd like to pick up a beat up engine, and rebuild it over time. The current engine has somewhere around 170k miles on it, and I'd like to have an engine ready when that day comes. I feel I would enjoy rebuilding the engine, and it'd help me learn a little more about them.

If anyone has any suggestions on what type of 350 I should put in it, feel free to post. Off the top of my head I was thinking of just trying to find the 350 that they put in my year, just to make the swap a bit easier down the road. I appreciate any help.

I'd also like to add in, if it is possible to convert an auto to a manual, and about how hard it is to do so.

 

All fit the same; depends on your budget.
What induction are you going to run on the 350.
That is the harder part ; TPI for example you need a TPI computer and wiring; for a carb very little

 

If all fit the same what is the difference between one 350 and the next? So the physical block's are all the same, same mounting points, and everything?

 

Spend enough $$ and you can get a 454ci SBC that is same size as a 305 on the outside
Click here
http://www.hotrod.com/techarticles/e...e/viewall.html

What is inside the engine,what it was originally intended for.
A truck motor will be different to a Hp engine
But once you rebuild it,what it was has no bearing on what it will be if you change internal parts
You can buy any 350 engine and make it into anything you want;$$$ permitting

 

^^^ What he said

Be aware though, if you use a newer 350, you can get one with the factory roller cam setup; which is MUCH cheaper to build than the original roller system with link bars, and both more reliable and better running than a non-roller. A 96-up truck motor would be a great core to start out with for that reason, as well as having the best stock heads that 350s have ever come with.

I would not recommend swapping "TPI" into a car. EFI of various other sorts, yes; TPI, no. Not only is it a handicap to the motor's potential, but also, pretty tough to get a swap right, because you will basically need a complete donor car to get all the parts off of. Not the best possible path.

 

Why is TPI a handicap to the motors potential? I thought it was considered a staple in performance engines, if not then what would be better to put in it? Like I said I'd be rebuilding this over time, so if I can pick up a quality part over a junk part and have to spend a little bit more, that's ok. I'm just not looking to spend $600 that will gain me 1hp, I'm not building this to see just how much I can pull out of it. More or so I'm looking to build the best for the cheapest.

 

Read this
http://xtremecarzone.com.au/index.php?showtopic=386

Forget what engine or the Hp numbers in the writeup.
Just focus on the rev range and torque curve of each intake in the graphs and where it runs out of steam

Long tube runner intakes like TPI all flat line about 5K with awesome bottom end torque
Short runner intakes run at higher revs but give up some bottom end
Pick your poison.

 

What would be my cheapest route? I figured I would try my best to throw a stock 350 in the car, since it came with TPI on my year. I literally figured I'd just find an old junker 350, tear it apart, and buy one of those rebuild kits you can find on ebay or somewhere else, then buy those dvd's that tell you how to do it step by step.

Can the auto transmission be swapped to a stick without that much modification?

 

Cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeepest?

Keep the TBI; upgrade to 350 injectors, knock sensor, ESC module, and chip.

You want cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep, or you want GOOD? Not at all the same thing.

You get, AT BEST, what you pay for. Pay the least, you get ..... ,,,,, you do the math.



Depends on your definition of "that much".

Is brain surgery "that much" work for a brain surgeon? Maybe, maybe not. Do you want ME rattling around inside your skull with a scalpel? Also, probably not.

Personally I find it MUCH easier (there's that elusive "much" again) to buy a stick shift car and put the motor I want in it, than to buy an auto car and swap it to stick. But that's just me.... but you gotta remember, I'm far from the sharpest knife in the drawer.

 

Dont let him fool you. He's 100% right, and he's pretty damned sharp. My car would be a nightmare right now with his advice.

 

As far as cheap goes, I'd like to just get my firebird up to a stock level. If you bought 92 firebird with a 350, it came stock with TPI.

As for the stick, I was just wondering. I traded my bike for the car just to get out of the cold, and saw the car and wanted it. I would have liked stick obviously, but its not too much of a big deal. If I could swap stick in, and it wasn't outrageously expensive then I'd consider it. Then again, I'd also like to have t-tops but not really wanting to chop the top up. Either way I can still build the 350 I want, and down the road throw it in a bird or camaro with stick, and t-tops.