I found out a local junk yard will sell me a engine and a transmission for 195$ so i want to get rid of my v6 since its got more problems then i want to fix and swap it with probly a 350 since its probly the most common so i was wondering what kind of cars should i be looking for to get a 350 and a transmisson out of im a beginer when it comes to this so be easy most ive ever done is stuff like replace a water pump thats why i baught this camaro so i could have a project car to learn on.. the car is a 1986 use to be fule injection 2.8 but that was swaped with a carberated 2.8 before i got the car i prefer to stick with carberated since its easyer to learn

 

If you want to get a carburated engine stick with pre mid '80's cars. I would look for a Chevelle, Pick Up, Nova, Corvette, Camaro, Tow Truck, etc. Pretty much everything has a 350 in it. The problem you will face is motor mounts. I have read other forums where guys have swapped in SBC's for V6's and they ended up spending more than what you would buy a 3rd Generation in the first place. I have a 1991 RS with a 305/700/10 Bolt and I just found a '76 Vette with an L82/M21/Possi I will go and look at it today after I am finished school. If I get it I will document it and post up pics and let you know how it goes. But just keep in mind that I allready have an SBC so putting in a new one won't be all that hard for me. I would go to a fabrication shop or machine shop and ask them how much they would charge to do SBC motormounts for you. Or if you have all the metal fabrication tools then you can do it yourself. Good luck it should be a lot of fun. I bought my first Third Generation Camaro to learn as well and I learnt a lot. You simply can't understand everything from just reading Car Craft you actually have to do it yourself and learn from trial and error.

 

ok i understud everything you said except SBC? whats that stand for? i dont personaly have metals tools but if its not to hard i can do it at school we have a full metals shop and i also have a friend whos got a full metal shop

 

ok sbc means small block chevy. i had a 2.8 mfi (fuel injected) and swapped a 350 carbed and 5speed. ok first DO NOT get a truck transmission as they have low gearing i learned that 1 the hard way. second trucks and suv 350 have more torque than hp so if u want alot of torque go with a truck engine and if u do the t5 (5speed) wont last long if u mash that skinny pedal alot. and yes as mitch said u have to swap motor mounts witch u can get from any v8 rear wheel car truck from the junkyard. its just 3 bolts on each side. and ur gunna have to change ur distrubter to a non computer controled type, but u can get that from any old(pre 80s) car truck with a vacuum advance.and best of all when u get done swapping its the best feelin knowing that YOU BUILT IT!!! not alot of ppl can say that. i built mine for about 600$, 400 for motor and trans and rest in misc parts. need nething else let me know i just got done doing wut ur bout to do. good luck

 

Thx for the reply. what would these misc parts be? i figure i should know everything im going to need ive already got ahold of a local junk yard and was quoted 195$ for engine and trans. will the mounts from the new engine bolt to the place the old ones came from or will this take some fabrication? if so how do i know were to put the new ones?

 

ok misc parts include the y-pipe, motor mounts, if ur gunna go stick u need the the whole slave and master assembly, vacuum advance hei distrubter, if the motor ur getting doesnt have acceserys than them too, headers or stock manifolds, v8 springs, carb, hoses, fuel lines, fuel pump depending on wut pump u are goin to run(eletric or mechanical), thats about all i can think of. and the motor mounts- no they will not bolt in the v6 mounts are shorter and skinyer the the v8. no fab is needed the just moove foward a lil bit, the holes are already there. and u will have to bend ur brake line that goes to the passenger front cuz it will be in the way. no fab is needed at all. hope this helps u

 

its a shame your in idaho. for $195 i'd have you pick something up for me too!

if you want to go real simple, you could find a 79 or 80 model GM full size car with the electronic ignition. the wiring harnesses on those cars is so simple and an HEI ignition found on those cars can be made to work with a lot of the cheaper speed parts. the 79 and 80's cars had really low compression and some pretty restrictive heads, but you can upgrade to a set of GM vortec heads for about $450 assembled when you have finished doing all the rest of the cheaper upgrades like carb and header stuff. and with the low compression you are less likely to really blow something up badly while tinkering. its not a great motor, but its pretty common, pretty forgiving, and will still beat a 6 cylinder.
you didnt say anything about what kind of trans you have or what you want. but the easiest swap for what you have would be an early 80's 4 speed. other than a torque converter lockup, i dont think there is a lot to hook up that wont probably be on whatever engine you get. and three speeds gets expensive at the pump!

 

even a late 80s 700 FROM A V8 would do just fine. but if ur gunna look for an old car or truck like the other mike said be careful on the year cuz around i think 73 or 74 is when they switched to hei. anything b4 was points.

 

true, you definitely dont want a point type distributer unless you really want to learn something new and unique to your car. i was suggesting a 79 or 80 anyway so he would have an electric choke to start with on the carb that came with it. it may help make things simpler for him in idaho.

 

a-greed