Hi!

I'm brand new here, and I hope I'm posting in the right place.

I have a '91 Camaro RS, with a v8. But...it's been on blocks for years, needing a new engine. You know the story...too many kids needing everything from shoes to dental work, and not enough money; so the car just hasn't been a priority.

Now, I have the opportunity to pick up a '92 that a teenager wrecked a while back. The front of the car is totaled, but I test drove it and everything is still good; although it does need a fuel pump and an exhaust manifold. The parents want to buy him a more practical -and slower- car. So, I can get this for a decent price. But, it's a v6.

My only motivation for buying the car would be to put the engine into my older one. I have the t-tops and the nice wheels and all...it would be a great car again if I ever get it running.

Can I have the v6 put in there? Will it fit? Will I have to have other parts changed over, too? I don't want another lawn ornament, and I know it will be awhile before I can have the work done. But I don't want to bother at all if it won't work right or will cost more than it's worth. ?

Any advice at all would be helpful.

Thanks in advance!

~DragonLady

 

would be easier and probably cheaper to just go to a local junkyard and buy a 350 to go in it,theres a LOT of changing parts to go from v8 to v6. im sure some others will chime in on this,oh and welcome to thirdgen, later jimmy

 

yeah man it be easier to just get a 305 or 350 from a junk yard or somethin....look on craigs list in your area i bet u can find a good 305 or 350 for about 500 or so.... then its just a simple swap... where are you from? if your any where near me i have a 89 L98 350 im getting rid of, would be great for ya... im in central texas....

 

You could put your front clip on the v6 car and get it painted and call it a day, though a used v8 from the junk yard is probably the best bet for your 91.
or ill give you my 305 free

 

it can be done you would have to chage the motoe mounts the computer and most likley the wire harness. if its a manual the tranny would be different as well. so be sure that is what you want to do it might turn out to be a big project like the others said it would be alot eaiser and cheaper to get a used v8 from a junk yard or try an engine builder they usally have a bunch of engins around that they want to get rid of. good luck and welcome to TGO.

 

Okay; thanks. I don't think I'll bother buying the car. I'll try to find a good used engine for it instead. It will probably cost me more to do all that work then the finished car will be worth.

I'm in rural Arizona, and part of the problem has been no way to haul one anywhere. Someone gave me an engine, claiming it was "perfect", but it turned out to have a broken piston....

It's been a long-running soap opera tradgedy.

 

A V6 would be slow and annoying in that heavy car...deff pick up a L98 to swap in that bad boy. Unless you were looking for fuel economy in the first place! If that you probably shouldn't own a thirdgen hehe

 

Sounds like your solution right there.


Is it just me or does this board get more active after midnight? Dont third gen. owners sleep?

 

Sleep, what's that? I was working on my car until midnight, when it started getting cold and windy, otherwise I'd still be out there

On topic though, it's probably more trouble than it's worth putting a V6 in a V8 car. The transmissions won't interchange, the bellhousing patterns are different. Also, you'd have to swap the front suspension, or it would ride like poo-poo due to the weight difference. You'd also have to get a V6 tach, as the V8 one wouldn't read correctly. Also, if your car is currently TBI, you'd have to put in a new fuel pump, I don't think it would put out enough pressure for the 3.1, which is basically mini-tpi. The other things like motor mounts and wiring have been mentioned, and there's probably other minor things. In the end, you'd probably spend just as much money and time as putting in another V8.

 

Not that Im for the V6 swap but the thing everyone is overlooking is if he were to do it, he's buying the entire V6 car, so he would have everything he would need for the swap, so there would'nt be any hunting for odd parts he has the whole car but that being said, Id rather see the car get the V8 it deserves.

 

Thanks, everyone.

No, I don't sleep. I guess that's just one more thing Camaro owners have in common.

I'd take you up on the free engine, mxcrazed, but shipping from Massachusetts would break my car maintenance-insurance-gas-oil budget for the year.

I'll look around Craigslist, and see if I can't find something more suitable.

Is there some other kind of car that has the same engine and mounts? It would be easier for me to find something if I could widen the search. But I'd like somethign that can just be bolted right and in.... Otherwise, the charges for all the little details keep adding up 'till I just can't afford it.
----------
BTW, I'm a she.

It would be nice to have the whole car to work with, but mine's in better condition overall, anyway. The parts on mine that need work are still nicer than the equivalents on the other.

 

I guess that explains the username...sorry, I did'nt even read who posted it, please forgive me. Sometimes you just assume things, especially on automotive forums. Its really cool to see a woman into cars, now I guess the only question is, are you single?...oh wait, Im not

 

What all do you need for the car to run? When you say the car is needing a new engine, do you mean that it has a blown engine, or is missing entirely? If you already have an engine, including the fuel injection stuff, accessories, etc, then all you will probably need is a new short or long block. If that doesn't make any sense, a short block is only the engine block, crank, pistons, and rods, all assembled. A long block is the same thing, plus cylinder heads. There are plenty of other cars/trucks you could get a short block from, including 88-99 chevy trucks, astro and full size vans. The truck motors (except 96+ vortec) aren't roller cam motors, but for a daily driver they'll work fine. I would still recommend getting a rebuilt unit from a shop though, a junkyard engine is kind of a crap-shoot. On a side note, it's good that you put other priorities first - cars can wait, kids and toothaches can't. I had to wait almost 4 years to get another thirdgen.

 

I was told I need a short block. Most everything else should still be good, although the car has been sitting for years, so some other stuff may need replaced now.

So far as waiting...yeah; I'm trying to do it now because I have "extra" money. But, if something else comes up, this will just have to wait again.

Also, the daily driver is wearing out and needs repairs, too. But living without it long enough to get things fixed is a bear. So it would be nice to get this thing driveable so I didn't have to worry about finding myself completely car-less.

 

where in AZ do u live? there is alot of us thirdgenners here in mesa that dint mind helping others out...though right now with my GTA i have more problems than i can handle lol.

 

I'm a little ovre two hours from Mesa.

 

You can use an engine out of anything that has a small block chevy in it. Call the local yards and tellem you need a 350 with a one piece rear main seal, may not ge you the best engine performance wise but it will fit and work.

 

I don't believe this was mentioned but you'll have to swap out to a v6 radiator, the necks are completely opposite.

 

i put a piston through a cylinder and took the motor, disassembled, to a machine shop. he charged me $1200 to sleeved the cylinder, a new set of pistons clean and check everything and reassembled with heads. i put lifters, rockers and intake on.

 

Okay; mine is a 305. So just about any Chevy 305 will work? Regardless of the vehicle it comes out of? That will help a lot.

 

yes, you just reuse your intake

 

usually u upgrade from v6 to v8 not the opposite.

 

im with mxcrazed on this one, if they dont want much for that v6 camaro buy it and theow your front end on it and get a paint job.that is if you dont mind driving a v6. i used to have an 87 2.8 v6 and it was slower then everything on the road.

 

Hey hey I'm not really for the whole v6 thing but if that is what you want go for it I was just stating another option. Plus you never know the extent of the damage until it's too late could have affected the engine.

You have to find an 87 or newer block unless it comes with the cam, also the lifters and rods should be included and indexed.
You need to get what is called a roller block to work with your cam lifters and push rods which do not have to be indexed when removed.
these will be the one piece rear main seal blocks as someone else stated. I would get a 350 for a little more umph at the cost of a couple of mpg but that is just my $.02

 

yeah just go to a junkyard and ask for a good 305 or call your local machine shop, i know here i can buy a rebuilt shortblock 2 bolt 350 for 600 bucks you should finde a 305 for that or less...305s came in a crapload of 80s cars, camaros, monte carlos, el cominos, chevy1/4 ton trucks, basicaly any rwd v8 was more than likely a 305, not a ton of 350s although any jackass with a small block v8 will try to claim its a 350 regardless cause they are idiots...

 

snip....Yes; originally the guy with the v6 told me it was a "350 stock". But even I know the '92 RS didn't come with a 350....

 

Uhm... wouldn't I have the same issues going UP to a 350? Other parts would still have to be changed, right?

I realize these probably seem like dumb questions, but if I wait 'till it's in the garage to find this out, I'm afraid I'll bankrupt myself on little details -oh, we need to change the headlights and fix your trunk and rewire your brakes.... Total charges $5000. Value of finished car $3000. ....(sigh)....

I'd like to know exactly what to expect before I get that far.

But there is a 350 listed on Craiglist that might be worht test driving. In the photos it looks beat up, but might be worth buying for the engine and other spare parts.

 

305 to 350 swap can be done a lot lot easier than v8 to v6. Pretty much everything on the 305 bolts right to the 350 (heads, exhaust, intake, accessories) provided it is the right year block. There are some differences in the block before and after 86-87.

You are looking for an 87 and newer block

 

I'll give an insight on swapping from V6 to V8, it cost me roughly $2500 for the '88 SC with an automatic in it. Its just the reverse for V8 to V6 and may cost more now since this was 8 years ago.

I spent an additional $500 on a 305TBI, bought a 4L60 trans for $90 put $350 in build parts, $90 for a VB, $150 for a 2500 Stall convertor, $200 for a wiring harness, $50 for a dash, $75 for a instrument cluster, $150 for the steering column, $250 for an 9 bolt disc rear, $25 used cat, $50 for V8 front springs, $250 for a new exhaust, $40 for suspension bushings, $50 for an alternator, $100 for a new starter, cap/rotor and plugs with wires $68, tuning software and a computer cable and old Windows 98 computer to run it on $500, 1 car fire in my garage and lots of burned up wiring and 2 years of junk yard hopping for the other parts. Plus I did all the work myself, except for pulling the engine at the junkyard, I installed everything else myself at home.

Initial cost of car $2500. additional costs $2900 and this doesn't include the tax or GFX, or other little parts odds and ends I bought.

 

z28gen3 you are out of the ball park she was gonna use a whole v6 parts car you should have used a v8 parts car and would have saved a bunch

 

Okay...I'm back again. I found an '84 z28 in decent running condition and want to go test drive it.

I'm assuming that few or none of the parts will interchange with mine. But...it might be a decent deal, anyway. Anything special I should find out or should watch for?

 

depends on what is in the 84...84 Z28 should be the LG4 or L69, a lot of parts DO interchange but because you have a 91 there are fewer that will than say if you had an 89.

If you want to swap the engine from the 84 into your 91, there will be a few issues because of the differences in the block before and after 1987. That's assuming the engine is original. Look under the hood, quick way to ID early or late model gen1 SBC is the valve covers, bolts in the center were used 87 and up, bolts on the edges were used 86 and older.

Parts that will swap as direct bolt up: Body panels, all interior except dash, all front and rear suspension, transmission, rear axle, wheels and tires.

Parts that will swap with some patience and effort: Engine and engine controls (depends on whether you want to keep the original LO3 induction or go with whatever is on the 84), engine accessories (a/c, p/s, etc).

Parts that will swap requiring a lot of time and patience: Dash assembly and guages.

 

Wow. Thanks! I'll find out if the engine is original. It's good to know I may be able to reuse all those things, as this car is in better shape in places than mine.

 

just realised you also asked what to look for. 1st check the VIN that will tell you which engine originally came in the car 8th digit H for LG4 or G for L69, but that is no guarantee of what is in the car now.

Check the RPO codes on the SPID sticker, this should be located in the console box (although an 84 may not have it). If it has it look for the Z28 RPO, and the matching VIN on the sticker.

As usual look for rust in all the suspect places: a pillars, antenna base, fender edges, rockers, under hood lip, behind t tops (if it has t tops).

unscrew the fastners from the spare tire well and look/feel inside the rear lockable box for damage to the rear quarters, if its been hit and repaired you may be able to see damage from the inside that doesnt show outside.

does it idle smooth, shift firm and smooth, does it smoke? let it run or drive it long enough that it reaches op temp and see if it begins overheating. check the oil, is it nice and clean or is it black and filthy or does it look like chocolate milk? check all the lights, the wipers and power windows/seats if it has it. Note any funny sounds you hear. Look under where its been parked, any suspicious puddles?

if you want to show the seller you know what you're doing, use an official thirdgen.org GM OBD I Field Service Diagnostic Tool (otherwise known as a #1 Paper Clip ) to pull any error codes from the computer, you can find the procedure in the FAQ's on this site or search the forums.

If it turns out to be an L69 5spd car in decent shape, you could do a lot worse for a platform to restore or mod up. Nothing wrong with the LG4 either, mine makes a great driver.

 

IROCMonkey, I just saw your last post. I didn't buy that car -I asked too many questions, I guess...the seller got nervous and I started feeling like something was haywire before I even saw it. I didn't really see anything wrong, but the vibe was enough, so I just told him I'd think it over.

[sigh] Still looking.....

Thanks for the info about the paper clip. I'll go look that up now.

 

where are you from dragon lady? Engines are pretty easy to come by around here but I'm in NJ..

 

I'm in Arizona.

And the search is complicated by the fact I only have one day a week now to look.

I have found a few engines, but mostly there's been problems. For one, I found a good running 305 in a pickup. I would've bought the truck, no problem. But, if I put the engine in my car, there wasn't enough usable truck leftover to part out or sell -anohter yard ornament. ;( If I kept the truck a truck, it would only last a few years, and the upholstery and such were just gone. And, I would still need an engine for the car.

Otherwise, they've been sitting or they weren't running when they were taken out or whatever.

I really want a good running vehicle that I can drive for now so the other car can get some repairs -it needs brakes and a new radiator. Then, when both are running I want to pay to have the engines swapped so I'll have the Camaro running and just get rid of the 2nd body.

 

I know its been suggested but why not buy just an engine? Are there no good salvage yards around you?

 

Well, for one thing, I have to get the engine home. I really don't want to put one in the back seat of my Mustang.

Also, then I have to get it to the garage, and the car to the garage.... easier overall to buy one beater with a good engine, use it while fixing up the Mustang, then have someone with a pickup tow the Camaro while driving the beater to the garage....

Kinda like the way hikers train their dogs to carry little backpacks filled with their own pooch food.

 

Just wanted to pop in real quick to say "Thank-you" to everyone who helped me with this.

Yesterday afternoon I bought another '91 RS with an excellent engine and transmission. The body is only in fair condition, but I drove it 80 miles home without a single hitch, and am pleased clear through.

I can't tell you how much this site and all you good folks helped me to know what to look for and what to look out for.

I'm sure you'll probably hear from me again now and then.

Again, thank-you very, very much.