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this winter i want to take the 3.1 liter v6 out of my 91 camaro and put a vortec 5.7 liter v8 in. I have talked to some people that have done swaps like this before and they said my biggest problem would be the torsion bar that keeps the rear end and transmission in line....if anyone can help me out or let me kno any problems i mite run into i thank ya
if you gonna use the same trans. i dont see a problem. trans, drive shaft and dif. should stay where its at. :HMMM:
So you are using a 5.7 from a pickup?Quote:
Originally posted by 91camaro
this winter i want to take the 3.1 liter v6 out of my 91 camaro and put a vortec 5.7 liter v8 in. I have talked to some people that have done swaps like this before and they said my biggest problem would be the torsion bar that keeps the rear end and transmission in line....if anyone can help me out or let me kno any problems i mite run into i thank ya
thats what i was thinking of doing gettin one out of a newer truck at the yard for like $600
Find the motor mounts, X members and everything else that is diffrent between the V6 cars and the V8 cars, and change all that over, after that it will bolt in. You will probably want to get the heavier V8 springs. Also, ya can learn alot from the local auto part store, tell them that you need brake rotors for your '91 Camero, when they ask V8 or V6, ask if there are 2 part numbers, if there are, you know you have diffrences in the front end, so you may want to further investigate that, you may also need front end parts. But all should be redily available at a junk yard.
what all font end parts am i going to need?
I deffinetly know the springs need to be the V8 springs, cause the V6 is a lot lighter, the front end would sag if you used the V6 springs. I'm not shure on the rest but if you go to your local auto parts store, find a patient clerk, ask him to do a search on all the front end parts for a 91 Camero both V6 and V8, anything with 2 part numbers ( 1 part # for V6, 1 for V8 ) you know you will need the V8 peice, everything with 1 part number, you don't need, go ahead and get it new if you want or if it is somthing that is safe to get used, go to the junk yard. I'm shure you will want to put the V8 brakes on it also, get everything at the part store for that. You will want them because the brakes from your car, were designed to stop the lighter V6, in hard braking, the car noses down and there is mass inertia that the brakes have to overcome, being a heavier engine, the mass inertia is greater so the brakes work harder, heat up faster and don't work like they are designed.Quote:
Originally posted by 91camaro
what all font end parts am i going to need?
The mounts are different, but the X-member should have the holes in it to bolt in the V-8 mounts. You'll need another transmission, the V6 one won't fit.
The only front end parts that differ for a '91 Camaro RS vs a Z-28 are the following;
Front lower control arms
Front spindles
Front rotors
Front brake calipers
Everything else is the same. Now, this doesn't mean anything has to be changed. The parts on your car are the same as an RS V-8. The changes are based by model, not engine. The above parts are for changing to a IROC-Z and a Z-28. The springs for all Camaros from '82-'92 are the same. The front crossmember is the same. The struts are the same. The cooling system between all 6's and 8's are the same.
What you do need to deal with is what everyone thinks is easy, and that's the wiring. The fuel injection systems are completely different, and even if a carb is used on the V-8, you'll still need to blend the existing wiring harness to the wiring that will power the engine.
Considering the current gas prices, you may also want to look at a V-6 (not that 3.1L). Maybe a 3.8L or a 4.3L with a supercharger. Either way, good luck.
so for sure i am going to need motor mounts,front brake calipers,lower control arms, front spindles, front rotors, front springs what about drive shaft since a 350 turbo will will be my tranny and i plan on gettin a v8 rearend from the yard.
I wouldn't change the front end parts, the standard parts will work ok.
Reread my reply. The V-8 RS uses the same pieces that are on your car. You don't need to replace that stuff. It's optional. Consider the Z-28 parts to be a handling package. There is nothing that is anymore heavy duty than what you already have.
Now, that said, short of the rotors and calipers that you can get new at your local parts store, the control arms and spindles should be available at a local wrecking yard. I'd still replace the bearings, seals and ball joints with new as well. If you are building this car to go fast in a straight line, this would be a complete waste of time and money. And all the springs from the lowliest 4-cylinder car to the '92 Z-28 all use the same springs.
In fact, if this car would be built to drag race (track only), I'd toss the sway bar and run without. For the street, the Camaro came with 6 different sway bars from 27mm to 36mm in size. Yours is the 34mm.
The rear end for the Camaro is the same basic piece for all models. The only difference is the '91 & '92 were available with rear disc brakes. This is a waste of money as well. The drum system will work just as well as the discs and they weigh less. Buy for the gear ratio you want, not because it's a V-8. They all use the same housing. Buy a better torque rod to control the wheel hop.
As for the trans, let your wallet be your guide, but a 700R4 would be a better choice than a T-350. And with that trans, you may be able to keep your original driveshaft.
Swiftster has a few points there, but the decision to get a 700R4 shouldnt be that bad of a hurt. Most Chevrolets with overdrive beyond about 1990 would have a 700R4. the 2004R is also an option, but not a good one. As for the conversion from V6 to V8, i belive that you can grab most of the harness from your donor vehicle and tansfer it to your camaro. If you decide to go carburated, you may want to look into your local emissions laws. Some states still test emissions back for 20 years. However, it does seem odd that your changing your transmission to a t350. What transmission is currently in your vehicle? I belive that some 6's came with a t350 or 200. You may want to check. Remember, if its vacuum modulated, its most likely a 350. TV cable indictes a 200 series. or a 700R4
stock the car has a 700r4 tranny in it, and that's the one that i wanted to leave in it because of the overdrive. another question what about a rearend the horsepower from the 350 wont annihilate it?
Not from a truck engine. The horsepower from a truck engine isn't that high.
well i plan on going with a different cam intake and a demon carb, also is the 350 vortec a good choice? or is there anything else i can get for the motor to make more horsepower? should i get gears for the rearend or will the ones i have perform alright. and about how much horsepower will this combo make?
What scares you about EFI? Those Vortec heads are made to get the most out of the EFI system on the car/truck. Get a stand-alone wiring harness and run the EFI.
Some people just dont like dealing with the wiring of the EFI. I can understand it. But, if your car already has a system set up for the standard sensor array that comes with the EFI, why not use it to your advantage? Even TBI would be more efficent than a carb.;)
where can i get one of those wiring harnesses and will the wiring be hard to hook up? will i need a different computer to run that fuel injection or will mine work? will i have any trouble tuning it?
http://www.hotrodlane.cc/
check with these people, you will need the computer that came with the motor. its not hard to hook up and it want need no tuning. it will tune itself. :cool:
is there anthing else i need to know? anything at all? fuel pump fuel lines cam ?
Depends on where you are going with the engine. The cam should be matched to the cars intended use. The intake will be dictated by the cam. The fuel pump will be dictated by the intake system.
i plan on the car to just be like a weekend driver since i already bought a 1.5 liter honda civic but i dont understand will i not get enough from those heads runnin a carb and different intake? explain
I dropped a 1969 327 into my 91 camaro and the conversion is not all that hard. I went with the carb option. Has a better rumble if you know what i mean. I installed a 350 turbo trans. You need to use a different drive shaft. There are kits from B&M for the trosion bar that connects to the rear end.Nothing from the v-6 trans will work. If you go carb the fuel pump needs to have a pressure regulator installed. Also you have to bypass the computer to keep the pump running. You will have to change your hood also because with a carb on it it will not shut.
learning something today. what yr. did the camaro fix it so you couldnt bolt the v8 trans. to the 6yl. trans. i was thinking they had the same bolt pattern, but i guess that other than the 4.3 v6 the v6 pattern must be all dif. than the v8. :cool:
I'm not sure what year they changed it but I do know that a 3.1 liter bolt pattern is way to small. And when I changed trans to a 350 turbo which came out of a 1978 pontiac the drive shaft had to be cut and rebalanced. The yoke end that goes into the trans if a different size also.
does a drive shaft come with that kit
No it does not. If you can afford it go with an aluminum one. That will cost some $$$
I was wondering do you plan on putting headers on that engine? Also do you intend on keeping the AC?
no there will be no AC, how much does an aluminum drive shaft cost?
Over $300. Not cheap buy any means.
When I took the 3.1 V-6 out of my Camero and dropped in the 5.7, I barely had to do anything. I left the suspenssion and brakes all stock. It was really pretty simple. I fabricated a couple of mounts for it, but other than that it wasn't a pronlem. The t350 tranny from my 3.1 fit perfectly and my old powersteering pump and alternator fit just fine. I did, however, need to buy a different housing for my fan, new belts, spark plugs and other such things.