im thinking of swapping the 3.1L for a 5.0 TBI with 180K on it.
i was thinking of before putting it in, rebuilding it, and doin the works on it. whats required to do the swap?

 

for the parts that you are going to need for the 305 TBI swap and the money you will spend to rebuild it, you might as well do a 350 TBI swap so that you dont regret it later.

most of the stuff you can pick up on ebay, like the computer, TBI, injectors, sensors, wiring harness, etc.

 

if your going through all the effort you might as well step up to an l98 w/TPI. Better induction system to start off with.

 

how many miles does the 3.1 have on it? 20$ says the 3.1 is faster anyways...i wouldnt go through the swap Ive heard the swap from v6 to v8 is pretty rough.

 

If you are going to go through with this swap you might as well get a low-mileage 350 instead of the 305......

It will be better down the road....

 

cant a 305 overbore to 355? cuz if i get it, im gonna bore it out to rebuild it. any idea where i can get a low milage 5.7L?
id love to get a 5.7L but not to many junk yards around here have them, not only that, like how can i be sure that the engine still runs etc etc. will ANY 5.7L fit in there? cuz the yard by me dont have to many camaros, but they got suburbans and $hit.
also, is a new computer needed? my v6 has 120K on it, but ya guys dont understand....i NEED more ponies.

 

you cannot overbore a 305 to a 355. with a .60 over bore a 305 would only be a 315. so i wouldnt do that.

Any 350 will work but the older models may take alittle extra work if your gonna run TBI or TPI. Your probably better off finding a 350 in something else besides a camaro anyways... trucks throughout the years have had 350s, caprices, vans, all kinds of GM cars have had 350s. You shouldnt have to much trouble fining a 350 engine. how much money you have to spend? I spent about 2700$ for everything brand new...brand new GM 9c1 lo5, holley SA carb, holley intake, hedman longtubes, dual exhaust....and all the odds and ends for about 2700$. i like the idea of having brand new stuff and not rebuilt or used stuff but thats just me.

switching to that 305 isnt going to give you any more ponies unless you rebuild it and put new heads, intake, and cam in there. The 3.1 cars have been known to outrun 305 tbi cars both bone stock.

also is your car stick or auto?

 

I bought my 350 out of a junked 92 Buick RoadMaster for $300. I took everything from that car I thought I could use. From the ECM to the oil pan. I then tore it down and rebuilt it, cost me about $1200 for the rebuild, and another $250 for gaskets and misc. parts.

I didn't swap from a v6, I swapped from a 305. But it went very smooth for me. The only problem you might have it placing your motor mounts properly.

 

I don't want to discourage you from swapping V6 to V8. But you should reconsider changing from a 130hp V6 to only a 170hp V8. The wiring is totally different between the two and then the engine mounting and front springs on top of that. If your going to swap to a fuel injected V8 you might as well go LT1. You can get a decent price on one with transmission on ebay for reasonable price (around $1500 for the auto) with reasonable mileage (60-70k) and complete with engine wiring harness and computer (get 94 or 95 obd1). Then you at least have a 275hp stock V8 to mess with. There are plenty of bolt ons and such for the LT1 and will look cool under the hood too. You would have to do way too much work to the 305 to make it fast. You have several options in engine swapping but I don't recommend the TBI 305. At least go TBI 350 from a truck or something or go with a 90+ TPI engine/trans from http://www.thirdgenresource.com/ The 90+ uses the same 1227730 ECM as the later V6 cars and would make the wiring easier. But get the 1227730 ECM from the V8 car for the proper memcal.

 

well, i got an auto


thanks for helping me out so much, all the info you guys are givin me is a great help, i think im gonna go with a 350, and keep it for a year or so, and build it up while its out of the car

you guys are great, keep em comin

 

Or you could skip the wiring issue completely and go carb...just a suggestion.

 

skip wiring? how do you not wire an engine?

 

3.1's won't keep up with L03's stock to stock.

 

In that case your doubly screwed. The auto for the 6's wont bolt up to a V8. Youll need another tranny as well... Since the hole is already getting really deep, might as well put in a T56 while your at it.

 

Any SBC Chevy will fit. There are different issues from year to year, but you can work that out once you figure out which SBC from which car you're puttin in. There's ways around everything.

Consider this though. Figure out now which intake system you want to run in the long haul. The block doesn't matter at all right now, that's the easy part of the swap.

 

Do not do that swap unless you get a 350. I have a 305 stock TBI in my RS, and it puts out a weak 170Hp. I discovered that recently, and realized its just

 

Yeah really, if you are going to rebuild the 305 before you put in it. You might as well try to find a LT1/tranny combo for sale at a good price.