| Small Block Chevy G-body Swap Page |
| Now I realize that this isn't a difficult swap for many people to do, but this page is here to help those who have never done this sort of thing before,as well as to instruct the seasoned veteran in some of the quirks that these cars have,and to help people avoid common mistakes. As with any engine swap,it is important to know just what is involved from a parts and labor perspective.If your car is already Chevy V8 powered,you'll need nothing more than a new engine. If it had any other engine,you'll need pretty much everything from the firewall forward.Don't forget the importance of things like wiring,exhaust ,fuel lines, proper front springs(if starting with a V6 car) A/C hoses,and power steering hoses.If the car originally had a Chevy V6 or V8,or a TH200 4R witrh dual bolt patterns,you can retain the original automatic transmission;otherwise you will need a transmission. |
| The Complete as I can Make it parts list |
| Altenator brackets(3 pieces-including spacer that bolts to the alt.) VERY IMPORTANT! Do not forget the clamp holding the positive cable to the block! Failure to do so will result in a fire when the insulation is worn through,and the battery shorts to the frame!(Don't ask me how I know!) Water Pump Throttle Cable bracket(on the Manifold) Fuel Pump Fuel line from pump to carburator Under car fuel line from tank to pump(rt hand side fact. 5/16,or make your own) (Changing the line requires partial removal of body from the frame,at which time you'll also need a complete body mount kit-energy suspension makes the best ones) If using a TH2004R in a car that did not originally come with one,you'll need a trans crossmember. Transmission Mount for transmission used If using a TH700R4,you'll need a TH2004R trans crossmember which will have to have some of the mounting pad cut off to work.You will also need to dimple the floorpan slightly to make it fit You will also need a custom length driveshaft for this trans,as it's longer than the others. Manual transmissions are difficult,but an aftermarket firm specializing in El Caminos is now reproducing the EXTREMELY rare pedal assembly making it much easier. Power steering pump from any small block car with Saginaw pump (B,C,F,G,A bodies) Water pump and Crank Pulleys from the same style accesory drive that the P/S pump came from. Starting in 1986, cars had a "mixed"pulley for a serpentine altenator with V-belt for everything else.It is important to use pulleys from a common application so that you can easily refrence belts at the parts store.The V-belt altenators (10 SI,or 12 SI series) are much more reliable than later serpentine units,so stick with v belt drives. Small case 10 SI,or 12SI Alternator (trivia note:SI stands for Systems Integrated) Motor mounts. You will need 2 COMPLETE clamshell mounts to do this swap DO NOT buy mounts from the parts store that only include the rubber section unless you already have the metal clamshell that surrounds it.You will also need a set of G-Body SBC(Small Block Chevy) Block mounts -don't forget the 6 block bolts and 2 long through bolts!To change these mounts, you will need to remove the shocks,springs(use an internal spring compressor!) and lower control arms(it's a good time to rebuild the front end too!) Power Brake hardline COMPLETE engine Wiring harness from SAME YEAR AS RECIPIENT VEHICLE SBC equipped G-Body.From the firewall plug forward,make sure that your harness isn't damaged or cut.It is also important that the donor vehicle had the same gauge package and A/C or not A/C as your vehicle.This way you don't have to cut and splice 30 wires to make the car work right. Rearend:Although not absolutely necessary,it needs to be considered as part od the whole package.If you have a 2.41 rerarend as most of these cars do,it will kill performance! The best rearend that you can get from a stock G-body is the 8.5 10 bolt found only in turbo Regals, Hurst/Olds Cutlasses and 442 Cutlasses. Depending on original application,it will have a performance friendly 3.42:1or 3.73:1 gear ratio and an Eaton posi!The next best choice is the 7.625" 10 bolt with 3.73:1 (or 3.42:1 in 1983) rearend with optional posi from a Monte Carlo SS.This rearend is considerably weaker than the 8.5,and should not be used with sticky tires or an engine that makes serious power.It could probably withstand up to 400 hp-providing you baby it,but what's the fun in that? There's also the aftermarket to choose from with either 12 bolt or 9 inch designs available. |
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