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V8 swap

66 KUSTOM

66 KUSTOM

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hi guys

ok, its going to be awhile before i get started, i need to get the 66 finished up and out of the shop so i can get the 53 in but i like to get organized in my head and have some direction before i start a new project. so heres the question for today.

i have a 350sb and m21 4speed that i want to put in the 53. what all is involved in swaping them in? i relize ill need to install classic part's v8 crossmember but will i run into problems with the steering column? or anything else i need to know? how much wiring will i need to change? more questions to come im sure. :eek:

ps the column was set up for shifting but previouse owner has put in a floor shift tranny (im not sure what yet)

thanks in advance!!
 
You can put them in but will have to shift the engine over about 2" to clear the steering, or shim the steering box over and re drill the mount hole for the top of the frame. New mounts front and rear. Chassis engineering has the set I used, they use the buiscuit mounts, slip inside the frame, then weld em up. Locate a set of block hugger headers also.
 
thanks for the responce ol chebby. ill keep chassis engenering in mind. does the motor and tranny track ok 2" over?
 
Yes, lots of newer vehicles move the engine over to give the driver more foot room, no problem. You may slightly hasten u joint wear, but without extreme angles there shouldn't be any major problems.
 
ok, thanks again ol chebby. have any of you guys used the v8 crossmount sold here at classic parts?
 
i have used both the tranny crossmember and the engine crossmember from our host. they seem to work fine just cut and weld the ends then bolt them in place. i would suggest mounting the engine a hair further forward than i did. i had to beat about 1/2" in the firewall. i used a mallory distributor. they're small. i dont know about the 4- speed but i had to cut the floor a bit for my th-350 tranny.

the steering box is your biggest issue. i put pictures of what i did up. i used some c-channel until my box cleared my headers, by the way spend the money and get some good block hugger headers and not some cheap e-bay ones like i did, then redrill the holes and put longer 1/2'' bolts through. now comes the fun part; first flip the pitman arm then press out the ball then put in a new one going the opposing direction. see the picture. now take your drag link and cut an 1 1/4 out of it then weld the ends 90* from each other. see the picture. now everything should go back together just fine with no steering binding. i havent had any problems yet and i did this 10 years ago when i was 13. i know this all sounds complicated but its pretty easy. if you have any questions i would be happy to help. - Robert

http://s277.photobucket.com/albums/kk45/rtnnhazel2/My Truck/

P.S. while you have it all apart rebuild your drag link with new grease zerks, our host sells all the stuff you need.
 
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that doesnt sound to complicated, thanks for the info and the pics, it makes it so much easier when you can see the project.

very usefull info, this is exactly what i need to know!! what rear end do you guys suggest using since the origanal wont work. ( i believe)
 
i used a 79 caprice classic rear. my neighbor had a (stolen) donor and gave me any parts off of it. by the way if you go to autozone and ask for a mastercylinder/ booster combo for that car its almost a direct bolt up on your trucks firewall. when you find the rear make sure you take the combo valve and the whole pedal assemblies. it will help later.
 
lol (stolen donor) thats funny, thanks for the idea for swapping the brake parts. its good to know what parts can interchange for up grading.

thanks again!!
 
I run an 8.8 ford from a 90 town car...It fills out the fenders with a stock steel wheel, had disc brakes, and a 3.27 ratio. I am about to swap in a irs from a 95 t bird with discs and a 3.08 limited slip soon.
 
sounds like a good match, ive got a 8.75 plymouth rearend i swapped out of my plymouth scamp when i four linked it with a shortened ford 9. i might go out and measure to see if that will fit in.
 
I'm running a rear end out of a 78 Z-28 Camaro. 3:73 gears and drum brakes.

1950%20Chevy%20011%20(Medium).jpg
 
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right on sweet 50, ill be pulling the motor and trans for my 53 out of a 78 camaro, i might as well use the rear end too!!
 
66 KUSTOM said:
right on sweet 50, ill be pulling the motor and trans for my 53 out of a 78 camaro, i might as well use the rear end too!!
Click to expand...

Depending on your welding skills you might be able to make the front clip work as well.

I have a Mustang II front end with GM calipers & rotors So I don't know if the Camaro front end will work. I have heard of people using a nova for the front suspension. This way the bolt patterns stay the same for all 4 tires.
 
the truck i bought has a 74 camaro clip on the front, power steering box, and the cross member for the engine is part of the clip. rear end is @ 94 camero 3:73 gears with disk brakes
 
Same thing...

only different. Although the PO said it was a Camaro front clip, mine turned out to be from a Chevy A body (Chevelle, El Camino, etc). I found out after none of the Camaro suspension parts I bought would work :rolleyes:

Anyways, these front clip replacements are pretty common and it seems like there are a number of clips that can be used that have the right width. And, they do lend themselves to easy V8 conversions. I placed an LS1 into mine. If you can do the work yourself, it might be the most economical way to upgrade the front suspension while adding disc brakes and power steering. No idea what it would cost to have someone else do this. To me, the main drawback of this approach is it is more difficult to hang the front fenders, radiator support, and front bumper.
 

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Camaro is a little too wide for the front,late 70s or early 80s Cutlass or Malibu are about right.If you shift the motor over to clear the steering use an Astro van rear,it's set up off center.
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Floyd
 
Good God, don't clip it. There are enough front end mfg.s to avoid that. The new kits are EASY to put together, the time saved is worth the money spent. You go through all that work to cut your frame and wled up all that clip, then you still have to rebuild the front afterwards.....how much is your time worth? What if you are off just a little? now you have an awful driving truck that dogtracks. I can have a fatman front end installed in a weekend....how fast can you do a clip? Then there is all of the front esheetmetal/ radiator mounts to contend with........no way. Drop $2k and get a well engineered kit with customert service to back it up.
 
I stand corrected.

If you do decide to switch the front suspension, this is good advice from Ol' Chebby. Whoever did mine seems to have done a good job but there does seem like a lot that could go wrong. I guess I need to have someone follow me some day to see how true it tracks. Maybe I have been going down the road sideways all this time and that is why I am getting all the doubletakes ;)

Anyone out there that has done a v8 swap using the stock front suspension? Personally, I could have lived with leaf springs up front. It was braking and steering I was most concerned with when upping the power. I would assume that there are ways of just updating the brakes and steering.
 
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