Even though the Vortech heads are the best stock SB1 heads ever made, truck SBC swaps definitely earn one a golden Mississippi Compromise.
Even though the Vortech heads are the best stock SB1 heads ever made, truck SBC swaps definitely earn one a golden Mississippi Compromise.
Yeah, I don't know what a golden mississippi compromise is.
It seems like the easiest way to put some power and reliability into this car. StRt with a van motor, freshen it up and slap it in. no wiring, no new mounts, no computer controls just a painless swap.
While browsing CL yesterday I stumbled across a '99 Suburban that had been seized by a storage lot. it had been left there and the bill was unpaid. They have a storage lein on it, I can get it as is for $600. No keys.
If I can find a place to park it while I part it out I'll jump on it, but it unfortunately cannot be done in my parking space.
That'll give me a running L31 350, and I can use any profits from parting it out to hop it up some. Hopefully this works out.
I had trouble with my Mallory stuff too. Finally went with a HEI and problem solved.
As for using the Vortec 350, there is some info on 3rd Gen that you have probably read already. I'll assume you're going carb? I had no luck finding a good used intake for my project and ended up buying a new el-cheapo from Pro-Products at Summit. $141, be prepared for back orders. As for the fuel pump, electric with a return or change the front cover and cam to allow a mechanical? Is that even possible on the newer blocks?
Mechanical pump isn't really possible without modifying the block. The boss is there but the bolt holes aren't drilled and there isn't a pass through for the pushrod. I assume it's possible but probably not worth the effort. Swapping the front cover to make it work is Ford talk. I was considering a stock TBI in tank pump and a return style regulator on mine before I decided to track down missing TPI bits instead.
Daylan C said:Swapping the front cover to make it work is Ford talk. I was considering a stock TBI in tank pump and a return style regulator on mine before I decided to track down missing TPI bits instead.
oops, you're right. Not sure what I was thinking...
AClockworkGarage said:Yeah, I don't know what a golden mississippi compromise is.
To be more blunt, it's a mu11et!
In reply to GCrites80s :
My Google results were just leading to the 3/5ths compromise and the Missouri Compromise, good to know the truth is much milder.
Same here, I was curious how me installing a truck motor was going to allow Missourians to own people as property. Terrible names for terrible haircuts aside I probably won't be doing an engie swap. I can't find a place to part out the truck.
Current plan is a new timing chain (gears maybe... noisy gears?) and an HEI distributer. I'll probably stick a new Balancer on while I'm there.
So here's the question. I'm going to have the front of the motor apart and the dizzy out. It's not much more work to do a cam swap. Should I open that can of worms or should I just leave it alone?
In reply to AClockworkGarage :
Is yours flat tappet or roller cam? Flat tappet is cheap enough on Rock Auto that I'd suggest you consider it. My cam was under $50 and I'm very happy with it(now that the cat is unplugged).
I'm personally of 2 minds on this one.
Impulsive me says "Yes, do it!".
However the boring me says wait on a cam until you pull the motor, or at least the heads so you can put in some new valve springs, threaded studs, etc. Otherwise cam selection will be limited. Although TBH, it's been so long, I can't remember how much lift the stock springs can handle, so my point might be moot for your goals.
Gears would be awesome, but probably quite overkill.
I wouldn't bother with the cam right now. When I put the LT1 cam in my L03, I had to change the springs but the press in studs are doing fine. Not a big deal, but one more thing to think about. Can be done on the motor, put fresh valve seals in while you're there.
'92 LT1 Corvette 203/207 451/450
As for the timing set, just use a good double roller. Gear drives are noisy, expensive, and can throw off your knock sensor if you're using one.
Ha, seeing those numbers makes the way people talk about the "god-like" cam in '88-89 turns me sarcastic. Like, "dude you gotta have an '89 for Speed Density and the cam" when it doesn't really matter if you pick any decent aftermarket cam.
Well, I tossed a couple hundred at summit today. gonna start with an mini starter and all new cables in a hope to solve the hard starting issue.
I also nabbed a new HEI distributor, a set of plugs and a harness. I'll do the dizzy first and see if that solves things. If not I'll throw a new chain on it. not really looking forward to dealing with the previous owner's rat's nest wiring tho.
Last time I saw under the hood of a 3rd gen Camaro was when I pulled into a friend's driveway right as he was in the process of cleaning up his mess after he snapped and started hacking all of the previous owners wiring mess out of his 350 swapped '92 RS. Most of which was leftover EFI wiring from the car's past life with a 3.1 V6, which was doing nothing on his 4 barrel/HEI 350 but making it more difficult to trace a draw that was killing his battery every time he let it sit for a few hours. Sort of impressive when you can fill a trash can with a wiring rats nest and the car still starts.
I hate ordering stuff online...
I ordered it 12 hours ago. Why isn't it here yet?
Just a quick update. Hopefully a full update tomorrow.
I met a dude on facebook who lives in Olympia and has like 4 camaro parts cars he's using to rebuild a Player's Club Camaro. One of them has an AC delete heater box. He needs a second set of hands to help assemble a carport, I need a heater box. A deal was struck.
Hopefully the weather holds out.
Well, it's been a year today since I've inflicted this car upon myself. It's a project that's gotten away from me a bit. I'd like to take a second and go back through this thread to total it up. This is a bad idea. I wouldn't recommend it.
Car: $1650
Battery: $130
Battery Cable: $14
Fan Conrroller : $44
Weatherstripping: $440
Ignition switch: $8
Hatch support struts: $30
Steering wheel: $60
Quick re;eae hub: $125
Standard hub: $30
Ignition Cylinder: $20
T-stat housing: $25
180 T-stat: $12
T-stat block off: $15
Shift handle: $40
Wire loom: $20
Covered switch: $14
Roll bar padding: $35
Steering bushing: $2
Radio surround: $22
Wheels: $400
Tires: $600
Centre caps: $40
Spark plugs $25
Radiator hose: $20
T-top bag: $60
Seat rails: $40
Wheel bearings: $50
Calipers: $85
Rotors and pads: $135
700R4: $460
Trans mount: $30
Dipstick: $6
Door panels: $40
seatbelt loop: $25
Lower control arms: $65
Water pump: $45
QFT Carb: $350
Air Cleaner: $35
LCA hardware: $16
Air cleaner drop base: $20
Air cleaner element: $10
Carb misc accessories: $200
Timing tab: $12
Alternator: $85
Belts: $26
RS flat hood: $25 (parts trade)
Edelbrock carb (Sold) -$150
Sway bar end links: $40
Strut tower bar: $196
SSM Subframe connectors: $120
HEI distributor: $90
Plug wires: $60
Mini starter: $120
That's it there's probably another $200 in misc hardware and nonsense but that's all the stuff I can remember a price for. It was hard enough writing it all down. I can't bring myself to total it all up yet. You're welcome to tally it up if you'd like.
$6117 + the $200 in misc hardware 
Damn, that really adds up. (note to self. Never tally up the total)
Ouch.
AClockworkGarage said:Ouch.
Think of it as an apprenticeship... cheaper than most semesters of college.
In reply to AClockworkGarage :
Also, even if you'd spent $4-$5k for a nicer car to start with, you'd still have sunk a bunch of money into all its issues, and it wouldn't be as nice - or as setup to your liking - as this car is now.
Never write it down!!
Pete Gossett said:In reply to AClockworkGarage :
Also, even if you'd spent $4-$5k for a nicer car to start with, you'd still have sunk a bunch of money into all its issues, and it wouldn't be as nice - or as setup to your liking - as this car is now.
SWIMBO just glanced up from her computer and said "you could have had that Caballero you never shut up about"
Sigh. Next year...
One of my main goals with this car has been to clean up the under-hood area. Ditch what I don't need, upgrade whatever I can. The AC system has been mostly removed. The compressor and condenser are long gone and I trimmed away the brackets and line-dryer months ago but the evap core is still hanging off the firewall taking up space.
Last year I had bought a fiberglass air box to eliminate this. When It showed up, it looked like crap. I wound up sending it back.
A few weeks back I helped a guy build a carport in exchange for an OEM AC delete box. It was in rough shape but it was real.
It was cold as berk today but it wasn't raining so I broke the box down for preping.
I gave it a good coat of aircraft stripper and left it to sit for about 30 minutes.
Maybe it was the cold, but this stuff sucks. It didn't even take off the junkyard mark...
I went at it with sandpaper to take out the spots of surface rust and hit the whole thing with a some self etching primer.
then 3 light coats of GM white, followed by 2 coats of matte clear.
I've got a new motor on it's way from rock auto, and I'll have to adapt my current resistor to work as the non-AC units are long since discontinued, but it's ready to go in the car.
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