"I had the $1300 crate engine (gm goodwrench) 250hp. It was reliable but very slow. I'm in the process of dropping in a zz4 $3259 (sdpc) now. "

Do you mean that the speed of the car was slow with the 250 HP engine compared to your new ZZ4, or that the speed of putting in the engine was slow? :smash:

-Paul

 

Check out the Budget Small Block article on corvettefaq.com. That is almost exactly the combo I put in my '79. Low-end 4-bolt 350. Then I swapped the cam for a Comp XE268H, and put a dual plane aluminum intake and dynomax headers.

Engine $1300 +
Cam $100 +
Intake $100 +
Headers $200 +
Duals $160 =

$1860 for ~300-325hp and ~340-365 ft-lbs of torque.

I'm still working some bugs out. When I get everything tuned in just right, I'll put it on the dyno and post some numbers.

BTW, spend another $500 (which I plan to do in the near future) for Vortec heads and that engine makes 386hp and 450ft-lbs. of torque @ 10.1:1!!!

Who could ask for more bang for their buck?

 

Do the cam, intake, headers, duels, and Vortec heads need to be installed before the engine is dropped into the bay, or can I add those on after I save up some more money? Thanks!

-Paul :smash:

 

I would definitely do the cam first. Headers can be installed in the car without TOO much trouble. It's not a walk in the park but it's not impossible. An aluminum intake can certainly be installed later. Thats actually a pretty easy swap. I would do duals when you do the headers. Find a good exhaust shop, and just drive 'open headers' to them (thats all kindsa fun :D). They will do the rest. I found a guy who did 2 1/4" Aluminized with me supplying the mufflers for $120. I just bought some cheap turbo mufflers for now. $13/ea.

Heads can also be changed in the car. That's how I plan to do mine. I've never done it before, but I think as long as you get your torque sequence right, you shouldn't have any problems. (With Vortec heads, you need a different style intake, so that would probably be a good swap to do together.)

I took about 4 months to complete my engine swap. It could have been done much faster, but I rebuilt the front suspension, replaced all of the PS stuff, rebuilt the transmission (This is an excellent time for this. It cost me $250. It's cheap insurance if you ask me.), and completely detailed the engine compartment. It was worth every second. I now have something that I'm proud to open the hood on at a cruise in. My advice: do the work yourself. It's not that complicated if you take your time and document everything. Oh yeah... and the forum helps too. :D

Good luck,

 

I am currently finishing up installing a Fast Burn 385 crate motor that I bought through Scroggin-Dickie (sp?) a few monthes ago. It seems to be a pretty nice piece, came complete with aluminum heads, dual plane intake and an HEI dist. Had to change the water pump, then the "zipper" effect took over! New headers, new carb, new serpentine pulley system, new radiator (a nightmare Summit story) and so on. I hope to post the results after a chassis dyno session and a day at the track.

I have built a lot of both small and big blocks over the years, but it was hard to pass up the crate motor price for my car (wouldn't put one in my boat). I am very happy with the service and the motor so far.

It sounds as though you might be on a little tighter budget and there is nothing wrong with starting with a milder engine and doing the cam, header and traditional small block upgrades over time. Do try to find a local chassis dyno to tune your car and keep track of actual changes, don't believe all the ads that you read in the car mags!

Do remember that a high mileage car with a new engine still has a high mileage tranny, high mileage suspension and so on. But that is a part of hod rodding and part of the fun!

Good luck, Eric.

 

Paul,

What kind of shape is your current engine in?

If you're wanting to swap just for mileage, I think you'll have to go to a fuel injected engine to really notice a difference.

Fuel injection would be nice, but it's pricey: 2k for a bolt on system, 3 or 4k for a late model engine that will require mods put in, or 4k+ for a Ramjet 350 Crate.

I think the big advantage of the '82 is the overdrive trans (700R4 -- you may want to search on threads about it) and the smaller differential (2:73 maybe?).

You would probably get the most bang for your buck, mileage-wise anyway, from an overdrive trans swap. Changing out the rear would be a little more difficult and you may already have a 3:08 or similar so you might not see too much improvement there).

Am I close on this theory guys?

Jerry

 

Check out http://www.sallee-chevrolet.com These guys are really great and know their stuff. If you need performance information, talk to Scott in their speed shop. Good Luck!!

-Brad

 

What all does rebuiliding the transmission do, and how much would it cost for a garage to do it? Is it possible to just buy a new transmission, to change from an auto. to manual at all? Hehe, as you can see, this is still all new to me, so I greatly appreciate all the help you guys are giving! Thanks!

-Paul

 

So, the two main factor's in the '82 improved mileage is the overdrive transmission and the fuel injection? Should all crate motors have those standard, or will I need to check with the company to find that out?

-Paul

 

Thanks for the help guys. If I buy a high mileage Corvette, and decide to replace the engine and transmission, are there any other things that I need to worry about replacing if the car has many miles???

-Paul


[Modified by VetteGoVroom82, 1:40 PM 1/13/2002]


[Modified by VetteGoVroom82, 9:45 AM 1/19/2002]