82transm

Hi all,
I had good luck on this forum getting help on a past project so I'm back
I recently aquired an 88 pontiac firebird hardtop, powered by an 'Olds 350 rocket engine (don't ask)
And the respective th350 I'm assuming (haven't even checked, don't care). Purchased for what I assume was a good deal.
The olds seems to really be hacked in there, interior is like a 7/10 and the thing is 100% rust free it's MINT
That all said, the Oldsmobile boat anchor has to come out. Supposedly was rebuilt 40k ago, but at this point it doesn't matter to me. Has the occasional backfire (timing too advanced I assume), and I hear a slight lifter tick. Needs some serious tuning done to make it drivable, too. The trans parking pawl is sheared and it shifts at like 2500 rpm but shifts like it has a shift kit. (Trans is junk)...

After bypassing the clogged fuel system and running a line into a gas can on the passenger floor pan just to get it home, it occurred to me that my original plan of swapping in a 5.3 iron LS engine is no longer a viable option. I would run a carb and only carb, and I see the spark controller and intake is $600 alone, already surpassing my measly college teenager budget. Not to mention car oil pan, engine mount situation, and other craziness...

After an intense 5 minutes of Craigslist shopping, I found that to keep it on the cheap, a vortech 350 (5.7) is a better option, as it shares parts interchangeability with small block chevy stuff with which I am familiar.

If you made it this far, my question is: what do I (minamally) need to put a 5.7 vortech into it?

Oil pan- are they all the same and will one from a truck fit? I assume not. Which would fit?

Transmission options- would really like a stick in this thing for fun purposes, can I relocate the torque arm to a homade trans crossmember, and run any trans that will bolt to a small block chevy? 4 speeds? T5?

Engine mounts- willing to fabricate. Are they different? (From 305/v6 to vortec 5.7) I assume changes will need to he made thanks to the olds engine.

If you haven't already noticed, this thread is a mess. I am aware. This swap will be done on the cheap. Corners will be cut, booger welds will be made, differentials will be welded, and I will be doing this in my 3 car suburban garage, not the heated lighted boeing shop. But I WILL make this thing fast. You're intitled to your opinion, but realize, I'm in it for FUN with friends, not a show car restoration. Our goal is to destroy the baby 10 bolt (will be inevitably be welded) on launch at the local drag strip, which we now frequent. I'm thinking mega cam, intake, custom vortec head porting, long tubes, ect.
Mabye I will start a build thread for dirt cheap power in a 3rd gen.

Thanks, any input will be greatly appreciated

Drew

iTrader: (58)

Hmmmm..... The cheapest way to go would be to find a running V8 thirdgen, with lots of rust or really ugly paint, interior trashed and literally full of refuse... Get it cheap. Then use it for parts. You'll spend more than the cost of a beater trying to hack it together a piece at a time. With the mess it sounds like you have right now, you'd probably be into the Vortec for the same money you would spend on the 5.3.

V6 to V8, everything is different. 305-350 it's mostly stupid stuff, injectors, chip, etc but if you're going with a carb it won't matter.

Better get used to spending money. Thirdgens aren't really "cheap" cars. They haven't made good cheap beaters in a decade. Kinda sounds like what you want to build is something cobbled together like what you already have...

82transm

Update/bragging: The car received a mildly built 350 goodwrench crate motor from a wrecked Corvette. Not a vortec, but because the architecture is the same, I'll record it (brag) in this thread.
I aquired a T5 trans from a third gen at a local swap meet that I thought I wanted, but after opening it up, ended up trading it for the goodwrench. Best deal of the whole build. It has an irresponsibly large cam, PINNED rocker studs (I didn't do it but it's free and I'm running it) a fresh bottom end, stock heads with exhaust port matching, leaky valve stem seals, an Edelbrock performer intake and 1406 carb, an HEI distributor out of a junkyard landscaping truck that I rebuilt, Accel ignition components, eBay stainless long tubes, a chrome dress up kit (came on the motor; you bet I'm using it), and belt-destroying junkyard front accessories (On belt #3).
For a trans, I traded the useless late-model TH350 for a 4 speed Saginaw at a local shop. I used a hydraulic throwout bearing in conjunction with stock third gen hydraulic clutch master. Works great. $60 eBay clutch. Th350 driveshaft was custom made for the olds 350/th350 but fits with Chevy 350/Saginaw, The stock trans crossmember worked as well. I had a friend fabricate a torque arm mount. Mini Spool in the 10 bolt.
I might get lit up for this build here, but before the hating begins, consider this:

Between my friends, we have had 5 third gens. One is a mint 83 Iroc Z making stock power. It's an immaculate kept in the family type of car. It runs great, and is comfortable, quiet, and still keeps up with all the boosted ricers around town. Its obviously worth quite a bit, too. We're all jealous.
One is a 350 swapped, 4 speed, stripped interior car on stock suspension that was built entirely out of recycled parts for ~$2k. It absolutely melts tires, requires headphones on trips, makes many unnerving noises while driving, and continues to happily rake through gears with a dab of the clutch.
Oddly enough, which one does everyone want to drive, race, or ride in?
It ain't the IROC.

This thing is a blast, and it's becoming more obvious that slightly better heads, tire, and suspension could bring thing into the 13s overnight.
Will that ever happen? Probably not, because I can't afford to fix all the things those upgrades would break. What will grenade first? The mini-spooled rear end? The iron saginaw 4 speed? (still as strong or stronger than a T5) The 350 while screaming at 5500rpm? The entertainment value is endless because if and when something breaks, it won't be a big deal because everthing was cheap or essentially free. For now its a street rocket, and gets daily driven about half the time.
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