Hello all.

I joined here some time ago, and I liked lurking here, but I just didn't have the time to be too active. But I would like to share with you the tale of my labors on a big project I have undertaken with my car since last August.


One of the first pictures I ever took of my car, many years ago. You can see the stuck passenger window here, lol.

I have a 1989 IROC-Z Camaro. 305 TPI engine, TH700R4 Transmission, power options. When I first bought it in June of 06, it wasn't in perfect condition, of course - passenger window wouldn't work, a hood louver was half broken off, tires were pretty worn, and the engine bay was fairly dirty. And, I was only 14 or 15 at the time; I knew an okay amount about cars, but all I really knew is that I had the most badass first car I could imagine.


My engine after about 3 years of work and maintaining it.

Fast forward about 4 years later. Lost of time, money, blood, sweat, and tears put into my car. Man, how I got to know that machine. Top end replaced due to a blown intake gasket, numerous sensors replaced, fuel pump replaced, the list goes on, not to mention upgrades I did, too... and by this time, I had a really, really nice car in my opinion, for it being 22 years old.








Pictures taken over the years. Takes me back!

Then, disaster struck. Somehow, some dirt had gotten through my intake tube right in front of the throttle body (I discovered days later, of course). One day my car simply wouldn't run right. It was rough, as if a cylinder wasn't firing. I got it home, but it sucked and I could tell the car didn't really want to go down the road correctly. After taking some of the top end apart, and finding way more dirt than I'd ever want to see in an intake plenum... my father and I decided, it was time for a new engine. I was heartbroke but excited. (Oh, and even in this state towards the end, that 305 would start right up after I let it set for about a week... Small block Chevy's, man, can't beat them.)

Anyway, we had a big task ahead of us. And a costly one. And we didn't have a lot of spare time to do it, but we did our best. And now, our work is almost at an end, and it's been quite the experience.

First, no matter what engine I would purchase, the OLD one had to come out first... and having only taken apart the top end on this car, there was grime, grease, dirt, bolts, and nuts that had had 22 years to build up waiting for us. It wasn't going to be easy, it wasn't going to be pretty, and it wasn't going to be quick... but it was going to be fun and educational, even for my dad a bit. So, once or twice a week, my dad and I would spend about 8 hours a day dismantlement, tagging, bagging, and occasionally swearing at my Camaro. It took longer than either of us wanted, but I can only think of the pickle I'd be in if every last bolt wasn't cleaned and tagged during this time. I don't see how a person can do a rebuild or a swap any other way, honestly.

Click for full size!






Some shots I took at various times, probably September/October, here.

Soon enough, parts were littering our garage and back porch, and the engine as getting light enough to haul out. That took some planning, and as I'm sure a lot of you know, saying and doing are two completely different things. Problems were found and conquered, and by November of 2010, my engine bay was empty for what I assume was the first time in its life.

Out she comes...




Little did I know how much work STILL lay ahead of me at this point. I'm not even going to get into it, let's just sum it up: from December 2010 to the end of March 2011, I cleaned, painted, cleaned, repaired, cleaned, rewired, painted, cleaned, soldered, put new convoluted tubing on everything, and oh, did I mention that I cleaned?

During this time, my father showed me, and we settled on, a ZZ4 crate motor from Chevrolet Performance. It was just about what I was looking for, and more, actually. Small block, far more powerful than my tired old 305 (don't get me wrong though; I love that damn engine, and will probably someday rebuild it. I'm that sentimental), and, well, aluminum heads! And only 4 grand! I was on it like white on rice.

It was ordered and arrived in time for Christmas, heh. I will never forget going way downtown (I live in the boonies a bit in case you can't tell) and picking it up from a huge delivery yard with my dad. It was so exciting, you'd have thought I was about to put it in my car the very next day...


Fresh out of the crate, still in the back of my truck, Chevy engine. It even smelled good, damn it.



Oh, did I mention new headers? To be frank, screw those stock iron logs that Chevy put on.





Everything was going too well. The engine would obviously fit physically, motor mounts would line up, and to our pleasant surprise, all the bungs and holes for various sensors were there! I say pleasant surprise because the ZZ4 is marketed for "1979 vehicles and older only". We were assured by some reputable sources that it would work for our purposes, so we took a chance, and got away with it.

Almost. The aluminum head had no provisions for a EGR passageway. It was quite an obstacle, as I live in a state that requires emissions testing. The big problem was, even if I ignored the EGR valve, would it pass without it? If it didn't, what would we do? Even if we had a solution, tearing down the engine would certainly have to happen... and neither of us wanted all this trouble just for some stupid emissions laws.

So, we devised this, or should I say, my father did.

A pipe that would lead externally from the passenger side header, up over the valve cover, and right into the intake manifold where the EGR passageway was. 1/2" pipe, to be exact. It took fabricating and planning, and tweaking and a buddy of mine welding, but we made it, and as of now, it looks like it is going to work. I'm so very glad!

The last big obstacle was some gas that was still in my tank... about 7 months old, with sta-bil added to it about 5 months prior. My father was worried it had some varnish in it, or rather, he simply wasn't sure what to expect or how to get it out. But some digging in my Haynes manual lead us to find the perfect way.

With an open engine bay, I simply applied 12V of power to a terminal in the diagnostic terminal below the steering wheel, where I had used a code reader numerous times. Crossing my fingers, I touched the pin to the terminal and... bzzzzzzzzz. The fuel pump started puking out fuel, my dad said happily. After flushing it about 3 times, the most we got was a faint hint of varnish smell. But no physical evidence, it seemed. Another big victory, I can't express it enough.

And now, today, I am in the last stretch. Just a few days ago, the engine is in - half of it, anyway. But everything is ready, no more cleaning or painting, no more fabricating. In 2 or 3 more weeks, I think I'll be cranking over that 350 for the first time. I can't wait.

I apologize for the probably looong opening post, but I really wanted to share this with a group of people who would understand and possibly discuss this with me. I'm proud of my work, and who doesn't like to share such things?

I will probably update this over the next couple weeks, hopefully it'll be active. Either way, I don't mind, but by all means, post a comment!

Thanks, and now that this is almost over, I hope to be more active!

And now, some recent pics from just days ago.

 

Hey, I dunno about the other guys, but I'm glad to hear all you can tell about your engine swap~ I'm intending to do one myself in the very near future so I need as much information as I can get

I'll be looking forward to seeing you around~

 

Wow man, a true story of a champion car. An iroc is on my list of future cars and its good to see that some people still love and appreciate an american classic

 

Thanks for the comments, you two.

Ebony, I wouldn't mind answering any questions you have when the time comes, even though I'm sure there are plenty of users on this board that have swapped motors. I found there was a lot mroe complication that originally planned for, but I suppose I should have expected the unexpected, yeah?

Anyway, small update: I have the next two days off work, and hopefully in that time I can get the rear end, transmission, and engine all connected together again. If so, all that will be left is assembling the top end, reconnecting all the electronics, and reinstalling all heater, coolant, and emissions hoses. Should only take 3 or 4 more days of hard work!

 

thanks for sharing I am subscribing! take lots of pics.

 

Thanks! I'm sure to be taking lots and lots of pictures here as I'm on the final stretch toward completion.

 

Before you get too carried away....did you get new injectors? Your 350 requires more fuel than your 305 did. You will need higher lb/hr units.

 

Yes sir, 24 pounders is what I figured to be appropriate for this engine.

Part of the reason it has taken so long to actually do this swap is going through almost everything and deciding what needs to be upgraded and what doesn't.

 

Also, you mentioned you were trying to stay emissions compliant. I see your A.I.R lines on the headers, but I can't tell from the picture if O2 bungs are welded in the headers. Since you have the correct injectors, were you planning on getting a 5.7 computer/prom? I didn't need to go that route since I was carb from the beginning, but a prom/ECU change may make your life easier in the long run.

 

I can't recall right this moment, but I believe the o2 sensor is farther down the exhaust. I'll have to look when I get to my dad's house today. If not, I can't believe I overlooked it.

I'm getting a chip made, obviously, but I am not sure if that's the same thing as a new prom. As you can probably tell, the electronics of this aren't my strong point.

Is a prom for the 350 absolutely necessary, or is a new chip made for me all that I need?