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looking to get some info/advice on a swap I plan on doing this summer on my 1980.
im looking at the blueprint 38318ctcv crate engine. The car has the stock 3.07 gearing and TH350 trans
What do you guys think of this set up? I’m wondering what torque converter to run and if there’s anything else I will need to upgrade to accommodate this swap. I plan on running a bigger rad with electric fans.
Maybe you decide what style driving you want to do. Take notes of the rpm range you currently use in daily operation. Are you wanting better street performance? Or higher top speed? Or better drag racing performance? What is crate engine torque and horse power at the rpm rang you use daily? Read snd study all the crate engine specifactions. Is the cid actually 383 or 377? Your top speed with a 3.07 gear is about 150 mph at factory redline rpm. If you intent to get better street performance, the source is more torque at engine rpms below 3500 or so influenced by tire size, etc. I like to know the engine rpms at 55 mph and select a cam that provides at least or more than 375 lbft at that range. Lean burn style combustion chambers recommended. Good luck.
Last edited by donaldb1; Mar 18, 2023 at 07:00 AM.
Maybe you decide what style driving you want to do. Take notes of the rpm range you currently use in daily operation. Are you wanting better street performance? Or higher top speed? Or better drag racing performance? What is crate engine torque and horse power at the rpm rang you use daily? Read snd study all the crate engine specifactions. Is the cid actually 383 or 377? Your top speed with a 3.07 gear is about 150 mph at factory redline rpm. If you intent to get better street performance, the source is more torque at engine rpms below 3500 or so influenced by tire size, etc. I like to know the engine rpms at 55 mph and select a cam that provides at least or more than 375 lbft at that range. Lean burn style combustion chambers recommended. Good luck.
Thanks for the reply,
The type of driving is going to be Sunday cruising a bit of highway and mostly city driving. I dont need a race car or more top speed but just want some more grunt than the lazy old 350 that was in it.
The car hasn’t been on the road in more than 20 years. I just got the body back on it after doing a full chassis rebuild
The blueprint engine specs are 377 actual cubic inches and 436 hp/443TQ. I think it makes peak TQ around 3500-4000rpm
Here’s some progress pics. Still gotta clean up the engine bay and paint before I drop an engine in it
That 3.07 is not a horrible gear if you are running the T350. I would suggest you get with one of the transmission vendors and get a matched converter based on your cam specs, rear gearing, weight of the car, etc. Don't just buy one off a vendor website based on the stall speed of the converter. You will be at about the max horsepower your Dana 44 can handle too if it is stock or a stock type rebuild. The Dana 44 is not known for its strength. I went with a 4L60E transmission with an Edge converter matched to by setup and 3.73 gears in my 81. The Dana 44 was beefed up and rebuilt by Mike Dyer. I also went to a manual rear end in my auto, the side yokes, spindle flanges and u-joints are larger than the auto cars for 1980 and 1981. The 82 used all the manual parts in it even though there was not a manual transmission available. Looking good on the rebuild!
NICE build brother! Nice one piece roof panel too! I’ve never seen that before. Do you like it better than the regular t tops? You must have went with that to prevent leaks
I will take your advice on the converter. I have a new 44 from corvette central and I kept it stock because I figured I won’t be doing any hard launches with sticky tires or anything like that so hopefully it holds up. I am trying to build my car back to the way it came from the factory aside from a couple necessary upgrades
NICE build brother! Nice one piece roof panel too! I’ve never seen that before. Do you like it better than the regular t tops? You must have went with that to prevent leaks
I will take your advice on the converter. I have a new 44 from corvette central and I kept it stock because I figured I won’t be doing any hard launches with sticky tires or anything like that so hopefully it holds up. I am trying to build my car back to the way it came from the factory aside from a couple necessary upgrades
Thank you sir! Your build is nice too. You should be okay with the Dana 44 then. Hard launches and sticky tires can be the downfall of the Dana. I like the way the top looks and fits, haven't really got to road test it but I doubt I wall be driving it much with the tops on. I picked it up with the storage cover for $100.00, so even if I didn't like it that well, no big loss. I also have a set of the AM soft folding tops I ran across too. Plus the factory fiberglass tops.
That is basically my goal too, build it back stock looking for the most part but do some upgrades. Just running a 350 in mine though, AFR heads, full roller assembly, Edelbrock Pro Flo 4 fuel injection, forged bottom end and a Chris Straub roller cam setup. Engine/Cam, converter, and rear end was all matched to work together.
I have similar engine in my 77 with a very similar cam, a 700R4, and 3.70 gears. I'm running a 3000 stall which works pretty well for me. I would guess the minimum stall would be ~2500. You will want to big on the exhaust, like 1 7/8 headers and 2 1/2- 3" on the pipes.
Blueprint 383 swap
