I want to drop the engine from a 1976 Corvette into my 1990 Suburban. Will it mate up to the automatic transmission in the Suburban.

Suburban has a dead engine and working trasmission. 1976 Corvette has a working engine and dead transmission.

 

Was the Corvette engine originally attached to an automatic transmission (in other words, does it have a flywheel or flexplate?) Does the truck have a lock-up converter and/or computer that controlled the tranny?

 

I have seen people mate a 700r4 Transmission Bell Housings to older 350 L48 Engines then drop these newer transmissions into older cars. You will not be able to use the older 350 Turbo Transmission Bell Housing into a newer vehicle. You will also have to use the newer vehicles motor mounts on this older engine. I have also dropped newer 350 Long Block engines into older cars. I had to pull everything off the old engine and install on the newer engine. You will be performing the opposite of what I have done in the past pulling all the newer engine parts off and putting them on the older engine.

Nice thing about the Small Block 350 engines over the years is the mounting holes have not changed much. You will need to use the intake manifold, exhuast manifolds and oil pan off the newer engine and mount them also. It can be done with a lot of work. You will not be able to just drop the old engine in without swapping lots of parts between the newer engine to the older engine. You will need the strip the old engine down to a long block with only the heads installed than move all the parts from the newer engine to the older engine. It will not be inexpensive because you will have to buy a new set of gaskets to move all the parts.
Hope this helps.

 

It will bolt up,you will have use the flexplate from the '76 if it was auto.The '90 has the 1 piece rear seal so the bolt pattern on the flexplate is different.Exhaust manifolds will bolt on.The subn. should be a throttle body,if so the intake will fit but you will have to modify the two center bolt holes on each side because the '76 holes are angled and the '90s are straight.

 

I have a 76 corvette with original engine and automatic transmission and I want to transplant the engine from this 76 Corvette into my 1990 Suburban that I bought new whose engine gave out.

I suspect the suburban has a 400 transmission.

Just curious if the Corvette engine will easily mate up to the suburban transmission before I go to the trouble of pulling both engnes. I need the suburban more as an all purpose vehicle than I do the tired old Corvette.

Thanks for any help.

Joe

 

Not if the suburban is 4x4

 

One of the things I would also look at is the 1975 Corvette L48 Motor was only 165 HP and it was the lowest HP of all the L48 Engines in all the years it was built between 1967 and 1980. Your Suburban engine had more horse power and torque then this model year engine.

Providing a little WikiPedia info for the L48 engines.


Years: 1967–1980

The L-48 is the original 350 cu in (5.7 L), solely available for 1967 in the Super Sport version of Camaro SS 350 (1967-up) or Chevy II/Nova in '68-79. In '69 it was used in almost all car lines; Camaros, Impalas, El Caminos, Chevelles & Novas. 1969 L-48's use a Hyd Cam, 4bbl Quadrajet carburetor, cast pistons, 4-bolt main casting number 010 Blocks & casting number 041 or 186 heads. Power output was 300HP and 380 lb·ft (520 N·m) torque. Compression ratio was 10.25:1. The compression ratio of the L48 was lowered to 8.5:1 in 1971.

In 1972 the only way to get a L-48 (4bbl V8) in a Chevy Nova was to get the Super Sport Package. This is indicated by the 5th digit in the VIN being a "K". 1972 was the only year you could verify the Super Sport package by the VIN.

The L-48 V8 was the standard engine in the 1975–1980 Chevrolet Corvette. The L-48 V8 Corvette engine produced 165 bhp in 1975. Power increased to 180 bhp in 1976 and stayed the same in 1977. 1978 saw 175 bhp for California or high altitude areas and 185 bhp for everywhere else. Power increased to 195 bhp in 1979 and decreased to 190 bhp in 1980.[5]

 

Please eleborate why???? does a 4X4 have a special block casting???
Yes, the corvette block will bolt to the suburban tranny. However you will have to do some creative parts exchanges.
Note, there is no differance in a 2 wheel drive block and a 4 wheel drive block. Al

 

not the block end but the end that bolts to the transfer case

you'll need adapters and tail shafts and such