I'm new to this board and was wondering what you would all think/suggest. I have a 91 firebird base model v6 and I want to swap the engine. Just getting some ideas put together. Ive heard the chevy 305 and 350 both bolt right up to the automatic transmission thats in it now, so thats a money saver it sounds like. I'm a senior in high school now so budget is key. I got the car for $800 with a blown head gasket about a year and a half ago and ive constantly had to add water to it after fixing it. first thought it was a lower radiator hose, then the water pump, then the timing cover gasket etc. all were replaced and about a month ago i found a crack in the block just above the exhaust manifold. so the engine in it is done. I'm just curious about what would work, and for how much. What else would I need to replace/upgrade?

 

Everything essentially. Check out the V8 swap sticky

On a high school budget, you'd be hard pressed to pull this off unless someone gave you a V8 car to strip

If I were in your shoes, Id retire the old bird and find something else to get through school with then find another toy

 

No, the crack is in the block. Ive seen it plus i got the heads checked and planed at a machine shop when I did the gasket. I make about $500 a month so like $400 after gas. I wouldnt be doing it right away, I'm just thinking big plans. I threw a can of stop leak at the crack and its stopped for now. going to put some JB Weld on and a depressurized radiator cap for good measure.

 

Ive got a complete 305 TPI with harness, ECM and accessories for $500, but youre on the opposite side of the country. Id throw in the exhaust and fuel lines so all youd need is a trans

Just gotta come get it all

 

Thanks for the offer man, but I have no realistic way of getting down there and back.

 

It's an easy swap to do but like everything it takes money, time and skill.

The 6cyl trans will not work with the V8.

If you shop around and buy smart then it can be done cheap. If your cool with doing a carb'ed engine swap it can be done even cheaper and easier/faster.

If you are going through the effort to do an engine swap, do not use a 305. Swap in a 350.

You can find used 350's running for $300-800. Myself I would opt for a '96-00 L31 vortec 350 from a truck.
I looked on your local CL and found these
$500 http://seattle.craigslist.org/tac/ptd/4706043889.html
$750 http://seattle.craigslist.org/tac/pts/4719918689.html
$750 http://seattle.craigslist.org/sno/ptd/4706068429.html

Also keep an eye out on CL for wrecked 1996-2000 chevy/gmc full size truck, van, SUV. If you can get one that has a good engine for $1500 or less, then you take engine for your self (maybe even transmission), part out the rest of the truck, take whats left to a crusher and get some money back. By keeping engine, parting out, and crushing, you could fun your swap.

Then with the vortec engine find used or buy new an aftermarket vortec carb intake, 600 cfm carb, and 74-early 80's or aftermarket HEI dist.

For transmission.. You can uses a 700r4, or long shaft TH-350, or you can even swap in the 4L60E or 4L80E from one of the vortec trucks but this one will need a $600 stand alone computer control for the trans, plus mods to the torque arm mount, etc.

Buy new third gen F body v8 engine mounts at part store for $30 or less. They bolt right to your V6 car.

If using a carb, you would need a good adjustable fuel pressure reg that would let you turn pressure down to 5 psi.

Your stock rear end is fine, stock wiring will work with slight mods to it.

 

Thanks for the advice! It sounds like you've done this before lol. Yeah I have no problem with carbing it. Maybe the expensive new engine a couple years down the road

 

Your welcome. Yeah I have done more V6 to V8 third gen swaps than I have fingers and toes I'm an "old school" type so all of the ones I done for myself have been carb'ed, but done a few for customers that was EFI and helped a buddy do a V6 to TPI V8.

Like I said, keep saving your money, maybe even talk with friends, dad, mom, uncle about a loan to buy a car to part out. There is alot of money in parting one out. You could fund your build swap/build with 1 car.

I mentioned parting out the trucks before, but even better if you could find a cheap third gen with V8, yank engine and trans out for yours, part rest of car out... You can make a lot of money on third gen parts.

Here you go
$350 http://seattle.craigslist.org/tac/cto/4721113271.html
$600 http://seattle.craigslist.org/tac/cto/4718022799.html
$750 http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/4715241072.html
$850 http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/4714028602.html

Out of one of the above third gens. You could get your engine, trans, acc. drive system, cooling system.. Then sell rest of parts for probably close to $2,500, maybe more. Put adds on CL for each major part, also list them on here, etc.

I fund a lot of my builds this away. Buy a parts car for some parts that I need, then sell rest of parts, make my money back, cheap the parts I needed for free and have enough money left to buy other aftermarket parts I need for my build.

 

Yeah I can definitely see how parting out a car would make some cash, but my parents say no because they dont want to have it parked here.

 

Yeah I can see how that would be a problem then.. I never had that to worry about as my family has always been gear heads so we had parts and parts cars all through the yard. One time back when I was a teenager, we had like 9 non running/parts cars out in the yard and 3 running cars lol.

Here is an idea. I hate to say this, but still $350 is cheap for a good running engine/trans. You could buy that 1st one, pull engine and trans out in a weekend, take car to local car crusher/scrap metal yard and get most of your $350 back and end up with an almost free engine/trans.

In my area scrap metal is bringing $11 per 100 lbs. These cars weighs 3500 lbs. Engine and trans and all the parts you would need to save is about 1,000. So 2500 lbs at $11 per 100 lbs = $275.

If you don't have a car trailer a lot of the crushers will come pick up a car and charge you like $30-50 for doing so.. So you might end up with $225 out of it. With that it would be like you paid $125 for a V8 engine, transmission, and all the parts to install it with, and have the "parts car" gone in a weekend so no car parked there for a long term.

Just an idea.

 

The link to the 91 is your easiest route. Buy that car, pull the radiator support strait and put your front clip on it. Done

For someone whos never done a swap before, I wouldnt recommend diving into something like that in your parents driveway with a car you need to get you to school. A replacement car fits the bill better