Hi all. I posted here awhile back about performing a drivetrain swap in my wifes 74 Camaro. We had some indecision about whether or not to do that on her i6/auto car or just sell it and buy an original V8 car. It does have some sentimental value to her, so we finally opted to upgrade the little i6. The end goal is just a fun car for her to cruise around in, rather than an actual restoration project. To that end, we decided to set the budget at $3k, so that we can enjoy the car without knowing we spent way more than its worth .

Here is what Im looking at right now for the swap:

1) Used/Rebuilt, low miles 350 - Any good sources of donor engines I should look for? We are going to stay carbureted.

2) Used/Rebuilt, low miles 700R4 - Will any 2wd, non 4x4 700R4 fit the bill or should I be looking for specific gear ratios? Does the stock rear need to be upgraded? Any issues with using this as a column shift?

3) Transmission mount - Is there a bolt on solution to this, or do I need to order a specialty part/adapter?

4) Radiator - Ill probably buy a new 3-core radiator, but Im open to suggestions. Electric or mechanical fan?

5) Front Springs - Id like it to handle the weight well, but not be overly harsh. Are progressive rate springs available? What spring rate would you recommend?

6) Sway bar - 1"? 1.25"?

7) Driveshaft - Will the stock driveshaft be reusable with the 700R4? Does it need to be shorter/longer?

8) Full Exhaust - Undecided on this. Id like it to have a nice muscle car sound, but not be overly loud. Should be suitable for driving through a neighborhood as well as WOT on the highway [8D]

Is there anything Im missing? Im new to the Chevy world, so I dont know what I dont know really. I appreciate any advice the experts here can offer. Id like to get started as early as this weekend with prepping the i6/auto for removal. I have a decent garage full of tools, pneumatic and electric, and plan to do this swap myself.

 

Hi, I remember your original post. I think you made a wise decision swapping out the 6.
In regards to items 1, 2 and 4, if you shop for a complete vehicle to use as a donor there are
a number of advantages. First, you can get a better deal buying the package rather than
buying individual pieces. Second, if you were to go to a swap meet or salvage yard to get an engine or trans you have to take their word that it is good. If you find a complete vehicle you can usually
test drive it to make certain everything works to your satisfaction. The one drawback I see is that you do not want fuel injection, but you can always swap that out. Or you could take the money you saved by getting the whole vehicle and buy an electrical harness and keep the injection. Don't overlook pickups in your search, there are a lot of them for sale cheap and many will have 350 engine, 700R4 and a radiator you can use. If you are staying with a stock 350 and on a budget just run the mechanical fan, you can always upgrade later.

Your trans cross member will work with THM 350/400 or manual but if you get an R4 you need to modify (easy).

Front springs should be easy to get if you check the salvage yards or Ebay. I would however leave them until the end, you might like the stance of the car with the old ones.

Driveshaft will need to be shortened for use with a 700R4. Find a reputable shop that can weld & balance.

Exhaust, there are none better in my book than Flowmaster. I picked up mine for under $400,
complete from headers to tailpipe, sounds great.

Good luck with your project and the budget. I think most veterans here will agree that it is never
really done. There's always that next little upgrade or shiny part to get and bolt on and budgets
are usually better referred to as "guidelines". BTW that is a good line to use with the wife, I set my budget on my current project at 12k, but that was only a guideline so 17k is still acceptable!
My wife understands, she's a keeper even if she won't change my oil!

 

Thanks for the response JR.

I have considered a donor car and even saw one in the paper that could have fit the bill. I have to clear out the driveway first though Gotta sell my truck and move her camaro into the garage. I would definitely prefer to hear an engine run before I purchased it though of course. You mentioned truck engines. Are they built with the same profiles generally as the 2wd car engines? I guess if it had a truck cam, you could always swap it out. I'm not really averse to fuel injection, but I figure it would be simpler to go with carbs. If the wiring of the EFI harness isn't too involved, I could be open to this. Are there any good references online that detail the process?

Good idea about the springs. I will leave them until last since the car has a slight reverse rake already. I just want to make sure the springs are stiff enough to handle the weight of the engine and she doesn't turn into a pig.

Haha, nice advice about using "guidelines" to work some fuzzy math. This is my wife's car though and I'm just doing this for her, so I probably won't have to worry about justifying anything!

 

The great thing with trucks are that there are good deals on them everywhere. Rodders shy away because they figure the motors are not as good or cannot be built to same performance as car engines. Nothing could be further from the truth. Another reason many people stay away from them is because most that are in the bargain range have TBI injection. Although not the best in the performance catagory it is still a very reliable system. The TBI system is great for the budget builder. Later you can always upgrade to a port injection or sequential system. But it sounds to me like you want a reliable street driver on a budget, TBI will work great.

Resources on the web are easy to find on the subject. Just do some Googling for GM TBI injection, you will find plenty. If you do your homework there are guys that will share their knowledge on how to build your own wiring harness. Or you could buy one from Painless, we have used them at work and it is a great product that is easy to install but a bit pricey. Another place is Affordable Fuel Injection, I have heard good things about their harness but have never used it.

Another donor car thought, watch for police car auctions or old police cars in the classifieds. Especially look for the odd colored ones, these were usually used by higher ranking officers or undercover ops. Those cars were not run as hard as patrol cars and many have kickass engines with the police package. Almost always they are high miles but meticulously maintained.
Happy hunting!

 

Is there anything I need to know about fitting a 350 from a 90s truck (not sure what year) into a 2nd gen camaro? Its a rebuilt autozone engine with about 2000 miles on it and apparently has the engine documentation. Is the sump on the oil pan in the right place or will I need to change that out? That engine is about $800.

Alternately, I found2 low miles LT1 + 700R4combos, for between $1000 and $1300. Would it be possible to pick up one of those and just drop it in? Not sure still if I would keep the fuel injection, but if I had all the parts for it, I probably would.