I have a 79 Corvette and i began working on it a while back, and ive got my garage cleaned out and the corvette cleaned up as best as i can, but theres not a whole lot i can save in the engine... i got an estimate of 2k to have my engine fixed by a machinist... so since its the L48 engine... im not wasting my money fixing up a slow engine... i was wondering on the other hand... what engines swap well into the 79?

my plans are to swap it to a manual, and engine swap it... ive seen engine swaps and trannys come together for some cars, i was wondering if there was a larger engine and manual tranny i can find somewhere that wont be too hard to swap into it? thanks

 

You can put any Chevy small-block, big-block, or LS engine into the Vette. 4, 5 or 6-speed trans will work also. Some combos require more modifications than others. LS engines require the most mods, especially if you keep the fuel injection and computer.

The size of your wallet will ultimately determine which engine/trans you end up installing. Search around the forum and you will come up with lots of ideas.



Rick B.

 

well i was planning to just save up and do it... i was wondering what runs in the 260-300 hp range stock and i can get a manual swap to fit relatively easy, i plan to build off of that but i want to get it running well first

 

Many of the Goodwrench crate engines are in that HP range and you could find a Muncie 4-speed or better yet a T-5 5-speed trans for very reasonable prices. There are plenty of options for engines in that HP range other than Goodwrench also but look for one with a warranty.



Rick B.

 

The GM 350 HO crate engine is rated at 330 hp - just above the range you asked about - for about $4300 complete. They also have a 290 hp crate engine for just under $2200 plus shipping and intake, carb, dist, accessories, etc. I have a GM 350 HO with a 4-speed and really like it, but a GM 383 HO with a 5-speed would be even better.

There are lots of good crate engines out there if you shop around. That was THE best upgrade I made to my '80.

 

Ok, that GM 350 HO crate sounds like what im looking for, how much modification does it take to fit? and i want a 5 speed, but is there one for this engine? and how hard would the swap be? also how fast is it, and do i have to redo the stock exhausts? i like my hooker side exhausts that are still on it (ive done work before, just not to this car, ive swapped a Civic with one of my friends to a k20 and ive helped with other stuff...)

 

I just swapped in a 330HP GM crate engine this winter for a forum member on his 77. I did a Keisler 5 speed swap also with it. It totally transformed the car and he is very happy with it. The car will no longer be taken by 4 cylinder cars off a stop light and is pretty quick. I also swappped in a 3.55 rear gear. There is no one 5 speed that fits just this motor but the Keisler kits come with everything. They are not cheap but complete. I have installed 4 of them so far with no problems at all.

 

IMHO you need to do more reading on Chevy engines before you make any decisions. There are many options out there. Your original engine can be rebuilt to more HP than original, you could add TPI fuel injection and it will give your original bottom end a big punch, you could swap in a later LT1-or LSx engine. There are many options, do yourself a favor and learn about basic Chevy engines and swapping before you spend a bunch of money and either overbuy or don't understand where it all went.

 

NO modification is required to your car or the GM 350 HO. Neither your '79 nor the HO have any electronic controls. (They started in '81.)

If you want a 5-speed, I recommended the Keisler kit. It may seem a bit pricey, but you are paying for the customizing they do to make it a drop-in for your car.

What complicates an engine swap for any C3 is the distance forward from the motor mounts. Engine hoists won't reach that far, so you need to come in with the hoist from the side. That sounds simple, but the engine won't go straight down as you lower the hoist boom. Make sure you can move the hoist base before you start. Having the front wheels off and the car on jack stands really helped.

To get the most from the 350 HO, you need to let it breath on the exhale. Mine didn't wake up until I put on a true dual exhaust with an H-pipe (some say an X-pipe is better) just behind front cross member. How fast is it? I don't have a track time, but I easily get rubber in 2 gears (stock 4-speed and 3.08 rear end.) I'm going too fast in 2nd gear to check 3rd gear on a public road.

I got 258 hp to the rear wheels last year. Since then, I rebuilt the carb, changed the vacuum secondary spring, changed squirters, and swapped some distributor parts. It goes back on the dyno on May 22.

 

The very first thing you should do is find another "machinist". 2K to get a stock block cleaned-up and bored out is way too much money for that work. And, if it is not scored-up on the journals or show any cracking [via Magnaflux], your original crank can be reground/polished and reused, for the HP you are considering. It's good for anything up to 400 HP. The Q-Jet carb has more than enough capability for that level of power, also; it was used on 454 engines and can supply 'juice' for 400 hp, as well (rebuilt and re-tuned).

So all you really need is for the heads to be rebuilt ($300 or so), get a new roller cam/lifters, pistons to fit the bored-out block, rings & bearings. If you are not mechanically inclined, there should be a decent mechanic in your area who will do all of that for around $3K. If you can do the mechanical work...once the machining is done properly...buy the parts yourself and put it back together. Upgrade the headers and exhaust and you're done.

 

Heh, thanks for the advice everyone, but i have looked into it, and im looking further into it, i know pretty well what im doing, and as for those lil four bangers, i have 2 of em, and i love em, i inherited this corvette a while back and i'm planning a pretty nice build, my celica gts is running 304ish whp and my s2000 has 250 whp naturally aspirated *daily driver*...

money isnt too big of an issue, i just want an engine that goes in without the cutting and molding and modifying the engine bay etc... i like the GM 350 from what ive read, and the machinist was going to rebuild the engine... my 2nd left cylinder is blown, and it threw a rod... the wonders of god knows what doing that... which is why i figured just go ahead and get a bigger engine and go manual, all i drive is manual