Adventuredude1

My son and I bought this car with some rusty floor pans and a blown crossfire 305. The car seems worthy , since it has 4 wheel disc brakes , hoping its a ws6 , reminds us of course of one of out favorite tv shows that was based on a similar car. We are in Delaware so emissions is an issue with the inspection lane. We are trying to stay on a budget and want to swap a 350 into the car. We have some scrap vehicles laying around with engines , 91+92 conversion vans also 86 small class c rv plus 98 5.7 Tahoe vortec which is kind of my choice but has 200,000 and a recent engine miss. My son wants to build a 350 bore it 40 over exc. I would kind of like to find a motor that will pass Delaware emissions and gitter done.like 300 hp nothing to crazy, since He s 17 and we don't have tons of money to put into the project .

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

350 roller cam block w flat-top pistons and ZERO DECK CLEARANCE, not "what's that" or "I'm estimating"; Comp XE264 or similar; Vortec heads off of a 96-2000 truck, check for cracks; LS6 valve springs, Comp 787 retainers, "positive" valve seals (NOT "umbrella", NOT O-rings); headers & single 3" exhaust w cat; then you'll need ABUNCHA work on traction.

Adventuredude1

That sounds like a good build , thanks for the tips. The trend seems to be ls truck motors. I get the crazy potential , but for this swap I'm thinking vortec heads exc. Some nice motors are comming up for sale as people pull them out to go with the ls , but My son wants to build our own.

Adventuredude1

So are those 91, 92 and 86 truck 350 blocks okay to start with or find something else the 98 vortec Tahoe had 200000 and a miss but I guess it may be the best bet unless I sell some junk cars and buy another motor

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

91 & 92; NOT 86. Roller provisions came along starting in 87.

200k on a motor isn't near as much of an issue as it once was... an AMAZING amount of wear, on the cyl walls especially but also other parts, was evidently due to poor fuel control of carbs relative to EFI.

Adventuredude1

Pull the crossfire off and look at how restrictive it is. It looks like they obviously made the opening smaller on purpose as I'm sure they did. You will want to pull your dremal out and start grinding when you see it .,Though a machine shop would do a,nicer job. Best option I came up with since I'm in your same boat, is eBay the crossfire to offset your expenses. Look at what these babies are going for on ebay. The ls route does look more and more tempting. Is there a sticky or how to do all the steps when putting an ls 5.3 truck block in.How much harder is it ?

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

I agree, I wouldn't put a crossfire on anything I expected to creat extra fun out of. Only for purposes of pure originality. (which IMO is misguided anyway... nobody really wants to remember that stuff, at least not in large #s of potential future buyers)

Not really a sticky or any of that for the LSx swap; but it's not too tough.

Gotta do something about exhaust of course: but that's one of the things you'd probably want to do to a 350 anyway, so it's just a matter of picking a different part # of headers.

The truck oil pan doesn't fit, gotta get a F-body or Corvette one.

Truck accessories & intake won't work in some cars, esp Firebirds, and F-body ones don't quite either. As I understand it the Vette setup does.

You'd need the extension housing from a 4th gen F body if you used the truck transmission.

Wiring isn't too bad, if you get the whole harness and ECM from the truck.

If you start out with a larger motor, your fun factor will be multiplied. Given that the cost of the motor itself is less than half of the total cost, might as well not cheeeeeep out too bad on that. Might as well get a 6.0 or larger, they're usually only $4 - 500 or so different, not all that much in the grand scheme.

Adventuredude1

Wiring looks pretty complicated to me , I'm on the fence. Traditional smallblock or ls ?

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

Electrons go in one end of a wire, come out the other... what's "complicated" about that? Anything specific you're having trouble with?

Adventuredude1

Just looking at some info , the electronics looked the hardest . How much about is the total with accessories that fit under the hood adapter piece for the trans ect .

Adventuredude1

Now my son has found an Lt1 motor he thinks would be a good candidate, Sounds easier then the ls but more involved then a 1st gen smallblock . We still haven't decided . Can anyone give a little summary of the pros and cons or I guess expenses of each choice?

IROC G

eBay the crossfire stuff, sell some of your "parts" cars, then call Jegs or Summit for a 350/300 crate motor, delivered. it will drop in, plumb and wire easily, and be a reasonable driver for an 18 year old. Most brackets, etc., from your car should fit. Low buck, simple, reliable, minimal mods. quick fun. Let him put in the LS or whatever when he is 30.

My two cents.

Adventuredude1

I'm thinking the 5.7 vortec , with some upgrades will be easy and cruising while its still spring time . The one I have in the Tahoe has 200,000 which I'm not real concerned with , has recently developed a,miss which worries me. Also stinks when u turn on the blower motor , i guess thats those plastic gaskets. I'm thinking compression test and if its nothing internal , pull it and drop it in .