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-   -   [[Father & Son V6 to V8 383 Stroker Swap]] (https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/engine-swap/564057-father-son-v6-v8.html)

Verhagen82 03-16-2010 04:48 PM

[[Father & Son V6 to V8 383 Stroker Swap]]
 
[[Father & Son V6 to V8 383 Stroker Swap]]

So I guess I should start off by how I got my 1982 Firebird. My father is a body man (has been for 17 years now); he completely redid a firebird for a customer. Its a lot more than just an average restore. The customers son bought a V6 firebird back in the day ($4000) with the vision to restore it in the future. But then the kid got in a terrible motorcycle accident, losing his life. The father of the kid brought the car to my father who, like I already said, was a body man. He wanted the car restored and done up just how his son would have wanted it to be. My father did tons of work, turning the car from a metallic silver to a Chevy Bahama blue. The body work is absolutely perfect. The original v6 got all redone and even got a little cam! Everything in the car is new, and I mean everything! It still to this day, smells like a new car. So the restoration job was completed and the beautiful car just sat in the garage. Every time the mother came out in the garage she would break down in tears crying.

At this time, I was just getting my temps and getting ready to get a car. The guy contacted my father and gave him first dibs on the car as he was selling it and my father was the one who did all the work on it. His wife made him sell the car because she couldnt stand walking into the garage everyday, seeing the car, thinking of her son, and break down into tears. I knew nothing of this car at the time either. My parents took me out looking for a car and we ended up going to this guys house. We pulled in and he opened the garage door, I busted out a huge smile. The wife seem me smile and totally loving up the car and she broke into tears. She told me later, that that was all she wanted to see. She was waiting for a response on the car once it was all done; something that she never got to see from her son. I thought the car was awesome. Little to know, my parents bought it for me! I ended the night driving it home with my mom. We got the car for 4 grand, what the son paid for the car when he first got it.

Verhagen82 03-16-2010 05:17 PM

Re: [[Father & Son V6 to V8 383 Stroker Swap]]
 
3 Attachment(s)
As my father and the guy who was restoring the car went through the process of restoring it, they kept every receipt. The whole restoration was documented and pictures were taken.

Attachment 416900

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The last picture here shows a tally of the cost that he has into the restoration. It comes to $24000 with the cost of the car, but like I said already the kid paid 4 grand for the car itself.

Verhagen82 03-16-2010 09:33 PM

Re: [[Father & Son V6 to V8 383 Stroker Swap]]
 
3 Attachment(s)
Attachment 416873

So I had this car when I got my license but it was basically too nice to drive everyday. It was to nice to drive a lot of the times actually! And I always thought that it would be such a sweet cruiser if it had a decent motor in it. The seasons went by and it just collected dust in the shop; I had to wash it every now and then, not because I was driving it and it got dirty but because the dust! A year went by, it got a little intake oil leak, and that just gave me another reason not to drive it. Winter rolled around and I got the ambition to do a V8 swap! I started looking around for parts and everything and the project took off. My dad wouldn't let me pull the old motor until I had a fully ready motor on a stand next to the car.

I bought a old 350 with everything on it, looking like most motors do.


Attachment 416874

I disassembled it all myself and definitely learned a lot along the way. Once the block was basically down to...the block, I went to all the local motor shops and asked for pricing. At the time I was just looking to get a mild cam 350, stock heads, some decent pistons, bored out, high volume oil pump, etc. After a few quotes rolled in I went back to what I personally thought was one of the better shops around. He had a bunch of motors sitting there that people never showed up with the rest of the money for. I got the prices on them just being curious. Only one of them caught my eye, it was a 383 stroker bored 60 over mildly built. The guy gave me a rebuild quote on my 350 of about 1500. He wanted 2000 for the stroker motor. I am 17 years old and didn't have the cash on hand at the time so I just kept saving cash. One day as I was checking out my local craigslist and I noticed he had the stroker motor on there for 1500. I called and asked to come check it out. That week I sold a racing quad of mine, got a bunch of cash, and went to the shop with 1100 cash in hand. Actually ended up driving home with the motor. It was just air bombed orange and the paint was basically flaking off. But I didn’t care, all I wanted was a trustworthy built motor.

Attachment 416875

I started sanding it all down, besides the valve covers, oil pan, and timing cover. A wire wheel and cordless drill did wonders by the way. Some areas of the block I just took a air blower and blew the paint right off! I had dreams of having a all black and chrome motor, so my first move was to buy some high temp engine paint. I taped up all the ports and whatnot and prepped it for paint.
http://i697.photobucket.com/albums/v...900_195100.jpg

Verhagen82 03-16-2010 09:50 PM

Re: [[Father & Son V6 to V8 383 Stroker Swap]]
 
5 Attachment(s)
In the mean time parts from Summit that I ordered arrived in the mail.

I got a set of Edelbrock Elite valve covers, stock height. I like them alot and they are actually pretty heavy duty.

Attachment 416868

To go with the Elite valve covers I got a Edelbrock Elite air cleaner.

Attachment 416869

To really get the shine under the hood I chose to go with a Edelbrock Performer intake (Polished) And of course I had to throw on a chrome water neck

Attachment 416870

And to add a little "Never seen before" touch to a 3rd gen I ordered a Clear 65000 Clear HEI distributor

Attachment 416871

I went with an Edelbrock Performer Series carb, 600 cfm. And I also got an Edelbrock Performer Series fuel pump.

Attachment 416872

And of course a bunch of chrome lil goodies :D

Verhagen82 03-16-2010 10:04 PM

Re: [[Father & Son V6 to V8 383 Stroker Swap]]
 
4 Attachment(s)
Got the motor all painted and the water pump while I was at it. Started bolting up parts and its starting to come together fast. Chose to go with all stainless bolts, and I mean ALL. Ive been keeping all the receipts on this little swap as well as im just going to add them to the book of original resto receipts.

Attachment 416863

I continued to buy parts...all the little things add up! Fel-Pro gaskets are a must as well! As its coming together I realized I needed an oil pan and timing cover. I wanted to just get some chrome ones but my dad wouldnt allow it as he heard they tend to leak. I stripped the oil pan off of the original 350 I bought along with the timing cover; it was time to visit the local powder coating guy. He had a color that turns out just like chrome (it dulls a little once he puts a clear on but a clear gives it durability) so I had him shoot those parts with that. While he was doing those I also got him my alternator brackets, power steering brackets, all the pulleys off of my original 350, a distributor hold down, and the alternator fan. I hit up the local hardware store and cleaned them out of stainless bolts as well! It was just a matter of bolting it together once I got the parts back from him.

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Verhagen82 03-16-2010 10:09 PM

Re: [[Father & Son V6 to V8 383 Stroker Swap]]
 
2 Attachment(s)
The next thing I ordered was a set of headers. I kind of am still stuck on this but here is a picture of what I ended up getting. They are cheapish ebay headers but they are pretty heavy duty and they are stainless steel to add to it.

Attachment 416860

Attachment 416861

They are giving me a few issues with spark plug clearance the way it is already and I dont even have plug wires yet. So basically im putting this problem on the back burner for now. I also have a few threads out about these beasts.

Verhagen82 03-16-2010 10:18 PM

Re: [[Father & Son V6 to V8 383 Stroker Swap]]
 
3 Attachment(s)
Decided what I wanted to do for a tranny (the car is auto). Found a decently priced th400 on craigslist and picked it up, the guy guarantees it will work great (got a guarantee in writing as well) It too was greasy and painted orange when we first got it. I took it right outside, poured a ton of degreaser on it, let it sit for a while and then took the pressure washer to it. Alot of the paint came right off with the grease and dirt. What was left for paint I took a wire wheel on a cordless drill to. It cleaned up pretty nicely.

http://i697.photobucket.com/albums/v...p/DSCN2017.jpg

Attachment 416853

I then prepped the tranny for paint and shot it with the same high temp paint as the motor. I know it doesnt get that hot but the paint is just really heavy duty! And when we painted it we didnt bother shooting the pan as I have a chrome finned one picked out for it.

Attachment 416854

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Verhagen82 03-16-2010 10:23 PM

Re: [[Father & Son V6 to V8 383 Stroker Swap]]
 
1 Attachment(s)
Ran into a little speed bump with the motor. The motor mounts turned out nice from the powder coater and I finally got stainless bolts for them. We bolted them up and they seemed really close to the fuel pump. I looked at it for a few minutes and then realized that that inlet line was directly infront of the motor mount bolt hole. So I then did a little research and ended up turning the fuel pump base one notch. Everything should work now :D

Attachment 416852

bradley23150 03-16-2010 11:56 PM

Re: [[Father & Son V6 to V8 383 Stroker Swap]]
 
Awesome swap, and cool story. I may have beaten you to that clear cap distributor, though. :P

Keep up the good work!

toxik IROC 03-17-2010 02:01 AM

Re: [[Father & Son V6 to V8 383 Stroker Swap]]
 
good job so far and good luck!

Weffy 03-17-2010 04:40 AM

Re: [[Father & Son V6 to V8 383 Stroker Swap]]
 
Don't forget the chrome dipstick, it just tops it off :D

Verhagen82 03-17-2010 04:47 PM

Re: [[Father & Son V6 to V8 383 Stroker Swap]]
 

Originally Posted by Weffy (Post 4474751)
Don't forget the chrome dipstick, it just tops it off :D

O yeh man, for sure. I already got a chrome dipstick and tranny stick.

Btw while that came up; how exactly should I secure them into the block and tranny? Throw a little RTV on them or what?

Weffy 03-17-2010 05:32 PM

Re: [[Father & Son V6 to V8 383 Stroker Swap]]
 
I think rtv should be fine, I didn't put anything on mine, but then again, mine leaks a little from who knows where. My tranny dipstick just had rtv on it though and it was leak free.

Verhagen82 03-17-2010 11:55 PM

Re: [[Father & Son V6 to V8 383 Stroker Swap]]
 
9 Attachment(s)
So as the swap continued my father wanted me to keep documenting it all and everything. We plan on keeping the v6 as much together as we can and keep it as long as we got the car. I haven't seen many carbd v6's so maybe its a bit of a rarity? But anyways, before we thought of pulling the old motor I took a ton of pictures of the old v6. The more I looked at it the more i noticed that it was just a mess of vacuum lines and smog junk!

Attachment 416746


Attachment 416747

Once I had a ton of pictures for documentation and reference we started ripping her apart; The hood came off and we started with the air cleaner and the vacuum junk.

Attachment 416748

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We covered the fenders and nose with soft towels and blankets so nothing got scratched or damaged during any of the swap process as well...

Attachment 416750

While it was up in the air, we drained the coolant and fluids and pulled the radiator, fan shroud, fan, etc...

We then filled lunch baggies with bolts; we labeled everything with a sharpie as well. Tape and labels went around every plug in as they got disconnected too. The engine bay began opening up! With all the room we popped out the motor mount bolts and dropped the y pipe. The only thing holding the v6 in now was the tranny. So we tackled that right away as well. The tranny cross member came out and the motor was loose as could be. We then lifted the motor and tranny out as one; the weight of the tranny pivoted the motor and everything cleared easily and the pull went awesome.

Attachment 416751


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More to come as the swap progresses!

ShMaCk2004 03-18-2010 12:50 AM

Re: [[Father & Son V6 to V8 383 Stroker Swap]]
 
man I never realized those V6's are that small.

Verhagen82 03-18-2010 10:56 AM

Re: [[Father & Son V6 to V8 383 Stroker Swap]]
 

Originally Posted by ShMaCk2004 (Post 4475877)
man I never realized those V6's are that small.

Yeh it was tiny, especially with all the vacuum lines and smog stuff pulled to the side.
I never knew that they offset the heads on them either, one sits about 2 inches farther ahead than the other.

ShMaCk2004 03-18-2010 11:18 AM

Re: [[Father & Son V6 to V8 383 Stroker Swap]]
 

Originally Posted by Verhagen82 (Post 4476130)
Yeh it was tiny, especially with all the vacuum lines and smog stuff pulled to the side.
I never knew that they offset the heads on them either, one sits about 2 inches farther ahead than the other.

pretty much all V6 and V8 heads are like that

Verhagen82 03-18-2010 01:58 PM

Re: [[Father & Son V6 to V8 383 Stroker Swap]]
 
Thanks alot guys, more to come tonight!

Keep the feedback coming.

MrPhotographer0 04-21-2010 07:59 AM

Re: [[Father & Son V6 to V8 383 Stroker Swap]]
 
ah this is just what i needed to read.. I'm about to start mine :nod:

PowerHour84 04-22-2010 07:58 AM

Re: [[Father & Son V6 to V8 383 Stroker Swap]]
 
Nice thread, will be swapping my 383 in soon.

ghettocruiser 04-22-2010 09:15 AM

Re: [[Father & Son V6 to V8 383 Stroker Swap]]
 
GREAT story! And a really great looking car! I cant wait to see how it turns out! That motor is going to make that such a sweet ride.

Good luck finishing it!

J.

KNBlazer 04-22-2010 10:30 AM

Re: [[Father & Son V6 to V8 383 Stroker Swap]]
 
there wasn't a question in there, was there? Nice story btw... :D ... now words of wisdom, once you get it back on the road and tuned to your satisfaction, don't go off doing something stupid like street racing... keep it on the track or closed streets... :thumbsup:

Verhagen82 01-31-2011 06:09 PM

Re: [[Father & Son V6 to V8 383 Stroker Swap]]
 
Wow Ive had the car done and ive let this thread die! ...Time to finish the story off I guess? :D

Verhagen82 01-31-2011 06:21 PM

Re: [[Father & Son V6 to V8 383 Stroker Swap]]
 
4 Attachment(s)
With the V6 out we cleared out the engine bay a little bit...got rid of a mess of wiring, got rid of the charcoal vacuum canister, moved the motor mounts, and even did a little painting.

Attachment 399512

Attachment 399513

I then made up a plate that mounted on the intake and lifted the motor (383) up and dropped it in for a test fit.

Attachment 399514

Attachment 399515

(BTW the spark plug/header issue was taken care of by Accel Shorty Header plugs and a universal MSD street fire wire set)

Verhagen82 01-31-2011 06:29 PM

Re: [[Father & Son V6 to V8 383 Stroker Swap]]
 
2 Attachment(s)
The headers were a tight fit but they look great and were a great deal!

Attachment 399510

And a picture with the air cleaner thrown ontop just to tease me of what it would look like...

Attachment 399511

Verhagen82 01-31-2011 06:44 PM

Re: [[Father & Son V6 to V8 383 Stroker Swap]]
 
2 Attachment(s)
Skippin a few steps but pictures are worth a thousand words...

http://file:///C:/Users/Cody/Picture...3/DSCN2126.JPG

Verhagen82 01-31-2011 06:49 PM

Re: [[Father & Son V6 to V8 383 Stroker Swap]]
 
3 Attachment(s)
Our next issue was the tranny...I ordered a th400 transmission crossmember and some heavy duty subframe connectors from UMI performance (saved a little on shipping)

We then through the bird up on the hoist and lifted the tranny up and got her all bolted up :D

Verhagen82 01-31-2011 07:00 PM

Re: [[Father & Son V6 to V8 383 Stroker Swap]]
 
3 Attachment(s)
With the motor and tranny in all the small stuff started piling up. My father and I managed to take care of the wiring harness(we detached it from the computer inside by the passenger foot area) We upgraded from a 600 cfm carb manual choke carb to a 750 cfm electronic. I acquired a 3rd gen v8 radiator from the local junkyard and I also rigged up a huge single fan which I also pulled at the junkyard. A friend gave me some v8 power steering hoses. I got the plug wires cut and installed. The tranny kickdown was wired up along with the carb, fan, and dizzy...it was ready for fluids and an initial startup. She turned over and started right up. The open headers screamed! A few more things and id be cruisin:driving:

Verhagen82 01-31-2011 07:11 PM

Re: [[Father & Son V6 to V8 383 Stroker Swap]]
 
3 Attachment(s)
Stainless heater hoses and powder coated hood hindges topped it all off! A y pipe was made and a magnaflow muffler was added behind it all. Not only does she look good, she can run for her money too!

I ran it without the subframe connectors installed for a month or so and the body noticeably twisted. I am also having problems with the tranny mount; the threads seem to be ripping right out of the th400 casing! :help:

I have a few more plans for her over this winter but right now the money tree is lookin empty...

Verhagen82 01-31-2011 07:22 PM

Re: [[Father & Son V6 to V8 383 Stroker Swap]]
 
2 Attachment(s)
To Do List

  1. Get tranny mount figured out
  2. Get SFC welded in
  3. Electronic Exhaust cutout
  4. Drilled/Slotted Rotors and fresh calipers
  5. Full engine tune
  6. :burnout:

Stangski09 01-31-2011 07:34 PM

Re: [[Father & Son V6 to V8 383 Stroker Swap]]
 
Very clean motor

Verhagen82 01-31-2011 07:36 PM

Re: [[Father & Son V6 to V8 383 Stroker Swap]]
 
Let me know what you all think!!!

bradley23150 01-31-2011 07:37 PM

Re: [[Father & Son V6 to V8 383 Stroker Swap]]
 
You did an excellent job, very clean and the black/silver theme really works. :D

Verhagen82 01-31-2011 07:58 PM

Re: [[Father & Son V6 to V8 383 Stroker Swap]]
 
Thanks alot for the compliments!

1ADan 02-03-2011 09:35 AM

Re: [[Father & Son V6 to V8 383 Stroker Swap]]
 
really good looking setup, keep the photos coming!


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