Teenager V6 250 to V8 350

[68wip]

OK. I have a really nice running 250 in my truck, burns a little oil and leaks a little also but runs great. I was offered a 350 for a trade of some wheels I had that has been rebuilt and puts out 320 hp. My 16 yr old son is begging me to put it into my truck, which i eventually want to do but I really don't want to do it while he is the main driver of it for the next two years. He thinks I'm crazy and swears he wont abuse it. I've talked about this to many differant friends and its about a 50/50 split on wether i should do this or not. I'm leaning towards not doing it, but i did have a 350 in my car when i was in highschool and remember how cool everyone thought my car was and I really did not ever abuse it or act crazy so I'm not sure what I think.

Give me your opinions and don't hold back!
Thanks in advance!
Larry

[cstm68]

im 17 with a 327 and i baby it most of the time.
shure hel smoke the tires a few times
but im shure that he wil drive it like a regular car if hes paying for gas

[cory321]

Yeah i ran my 350 pretty hard until i put $60 in gas in it LOL
Btw i am 17

[cstm68]

Originally Posted by cory321

Yeah i ran my 350 pretty hard until i put $60 in gas in it LOL
Btw i am 17

hahaha im lucky mines not my dd

but it still chuggs the gas

[RACINJASON22]

....hmmmm... 68wip tahts a tough one there. We were all 16 once and some still are. I can remember saying those same words to my Dad. He knew better also. I did abuse what I drove way more than I should have but the deal was what I broke or woreout I paid for and/or replaced or I had nothing to drive or show off. I also agree on the cool factor of the V8 thing in your high school days but are there even anything as cool as this truck with the 6 in the parking lot at his school? Even with that said I vote......Still tough V8 and keep an eye on things. High school days are fun I wish I were back there.

[Longhorn Man]

If he wants to do 100 MPH, he'll do it ... the 250 will just take more time to get there
If he wants to do burn outs, he can do it with the 250... he'll just have to want it more
The MPG of the two are probably gonna be about the same.

I'd go the lazy route and leave the inline in there. Make your son earn the small block. Good grades, good driving record, responsible for his actions, keeping a job... ect.
If he's able to do all that for a year, then let him have the small block... and make him work on it, both in mainenance, and in the engine swap.

Just a thought that would make him value everything a little bit more.

[Bishops Trucks]

Originally Posted by Longhorn Man

If he wants to do 100 MPH, he'll do it ... the 250 will just take more time to get there
If he wants to do burn outs, he can do it with the 250... he'll just have to want it more
The MPG of the two are probably gonna be about the same.

I'd go the lazy route and leave the inline in there. Make your son earn the small block. Good grades, good driving record, responsible for his actions, keeping a job... ect.
If he's able to do all that for a year, then let him have the small block... and make him work on it, both in mainenance, and in the engine swap.

Just a thought that would make him value everything a little bit more.

[JAKES 68GMC]

Ehhh, I dunno. I'm creeping up on 16 and putting a mild 350 in my truck. My dad didn't want me to at first, then he came out and told me "You want a V8 so bad? You pay to swap it in, motor and all." As of now, I have a rebuilt 350 sitting in the shop, and all the parts to swap the motor over. Total investment so far=$400.

I'd agree with Andy, make your son earn the 350 and have him show you that he's trustworthy.

[Brad]

I agree with Andy on most of his points.

[PanelDeland]

Find a Beater body.Use it as a father/son project.Do just what it needs to be safe and reliable.Use the 350 in it.If he's invested in it he will be more likely to take care of it.If he takes good care of it help him work his way up.

[AuggieStyle]

I agree with you panel I went through a similar situation as a high schooler. bought a 65 malibu ss total mess. and my father and I put it together and the first fender bender I had due to driving it hard It all came to a head I never sped again in it.

[SkylineNXS]

Im 17 like a few of these guys to, and i used to drive my dads 2000 GMC stepshort, and i did kinda abuse it, which i ended up regretting (new power steering pump). I bought my 66 a long time ago but its still sittin in the garage, waitin. I just bought a 72 and its got a 350, and might i say, when i cant even fill the tank becuase the gas pump wont let me go above 75 bucks, and its my daily driver, i feel a little pissed. I try not to abuse this one, but i did light up the tires the other day, and later found that my driveshaft carrier bearing hosing snapped in half, so wont be doin that any more. I agree with the other guys, make ur son work for it, nad if he breaks it, he fixes it, and pays for it mind u. Ive payed for gas the entire time ive driven, and it definantly creates some level of respect for the truck and the fact that if u drive it hard, ull be losin money a lot faster than u can make it.

Brad

[Rascal_one2001]

I'm 19 and started out with my 87 350 k5 and ran it hard and spun the bearings so I had to pull the $400 out my butt to get my old 327 and ran it even harder and spun the bearings so I dropped $600 for my vortec 350 and around $200 for gears and still burning the 35"s off it. people like me will never learn. Give him the 350 or mabe get him a bigblock for it. let him be one of the smart kids that has a big v8 so he doesnt get like the crazy people that I sell parts to with there little 4 cylinders. Always remember there is no replacement for displacement.

[lukecp]

I had the weak 350 in my truck rebuilt with a mild cam and headers just before I turned 17, and I never did anything too stupid in it. It ran a LOT better than the weak old 350, which probably didn't have much more power than a good-running 350. Even with a mild 350 the truck isn't going to be crazy-fast or anything, I'd say go for it, and have him help...and pay for the gas!

['67Nate]

I must say I drove "Dad's" CJ-5 with a 350 at 17, and boy did i give the class a show every day at lunch... But after finishing my own jeep with a bigger motor... Things changed greatly. I am all for having the nicest thing is school, but if he didn't build it, you can bet he'll break it.

[Farmstore34]

My Dad was a pretty wise old guy too, the truck below was my first wheels. Top speed of 45mph, flathead 6, non-synchro tranny, and tough as nails. My 16 yr old is driving the '70 Chevy with the 350, and yes he breaks it he fixes it! I don't know if the inline 6 would get better mileage or not but it is a cool thing to drive a V8 to school. I guess.

[tavenner13]

i just turned 19 and i have the 454 in my pickup and i actually drive much more carefully with a more powerful motor. i know ive got enough power to pass pretty much anyone on the street and everyone can tell by the way it sounds so i dont really have anything to prove. my dad always told me "if you have to prove that you're fast, then you've got work to do"

[Blue_71]

forwarning: sorry if i sound grouchy/rude, it just annoys me to see nice vehicles abused
i say leave it I6. its a sweet looking truck right now, and from what i saw in highschool, it wont be that way a week after it has a 350. boys will be boys and it will have a bald right rear tire.

i bought my 69 when i was a junior. at the time it had a performer rpm intake, 650 cfm edelbrock, long tube headers, huge comp cam, gear drive. not a day went by that someone wasnt egging me on to get on it or to let them drive. it got a stock GM cam, cast iron intake, and two barrel so it wasnt "racey" anymore just to shut them up (i had to pay for it, i refused to abuse it)

oh, and remember, burn outs arent a display of power, they're a display of not knowing how to get traction

[CrashEd]

Heck i got in just as much trouble with the i6 in my 66 chevy pickup as i did with the v8 dodge car that i swaped my pickup for. It depends on the the boy. I don't think my brother has ever smoked a tire in his life and he has had some fast cars.
Ed

[cstm68]

if he knows that he has to fix what he brakes or replace the tires he burns than he will baby the truck

[ThatOneBlue67]

Hey there! I'm 18 and I DO put my own gas in and I DO maintain things with my greens$$.

If your son is anything like me, then here is what will happen:

The first day he drives it, he'll be scared and baby it.

The second day he drives it, he'll burn rubber.

The third day he drives it, he'll see how fast it goes.

By the end of the month, he'll try and stick it to somebody's ricer.

Then he'll realize that Hondas are only fast because of cheap steel and plastic and learn how to cruise. Then he'll be hanging out with the chicks and showing them a good time out on the backroads with out wrecking your truck.

Well, that's about it. THat's what's happened to me so far anyway.

[70stroker]

Im 19 i have had my truck since i was 14 started driving it when i turned 15. My parents bought the truck and thats it. After that they handed me the keys and i knew that if i broke it i payed for it. It had a 350 headers intake and carb thats it. At that time it was slammed to the ground and looked mean. the first week i drove it to school everyone asked me about it this and that, i loved that. I never poped the hood for noone and never told anyone anything, so noone knew what i had. that was the fun part for me. just keeping everyone wondering.

to make a long story short i had a blast in it first couple weekends out i hit it out of a red light when someone was messing with me and did a few burn outs here and there. Any kid is gonna be a kid and see what a car can do. wether you have a civic and 4x4 a badass truck like all ours, or a mini van. After about a week the new will wear off and hell just have the pride and joy to say its a SBC when someone else asks.

Me on the other hand wanted something cool looking and fast, so after a few different cosmetic upgrades i wanted serious power. When i turned 15 i got a job for afterschools and saved all the money i could manage after gas. I started order one part at a time including a new block to build a 383 stroker. when i was just a abotu 2 months from turning 17 i had it all ready, a local guy my dad knew helped me build it and stayed open at his shop late to let me come and help. I learned alot out of all that. We dropped it in and i was to scared to screw up something i saved all my spare cash for the last 2 years. so i babied it, did a few burnouts in a controlled enviroment and raced a coupel guys at the local track with my dad watchin the whole time, bein proud i chose to use the track instead of a main street. It ran a 13.6 from the time i was 17 till i was 18.I also put in 4:11 gears and a posi.

Now i am 19 and just pulled the motor about 5 months ago and put it back in about a month ago. new cam intake heads and such. (I wanted more power) I am still tweaking it and my dad is still helping me, I got so much quality time out of workin on trucks with him.

Regardless on what you decide to do. I would say for sure do "something" on the truck with your son for the next few years. make some memories they he can remember and pass on to his kids.

Trust me, you can tell if your kid will be smart with it. Look at everythign else hes done in life. And as yourself if hes responsible enough for power. Even then though some 350s are just cool and quick, but not FAST.

[crazy longhorn]

I cut my 1st kid loose in a smallblock chev powered Ferd ranger.....yes I lost a little sleep over that one! The kid was pretty cool with the truck tho.....got busted a couple times doin burnouts with it.....no biggie, we all did that The old truck was totalled right in front of my house( not the kids fault).....some dickhead 3 times his age tryed passin him on the left, when he was turning LEFT! L

[arkracing]

Originally Posted by crazy longhorn

I cut my 1st kid loose in a smallblock chev powered Ferd ranger

My first truck was a SBC powered Ford Ranger too.

I honestly didn't drive it like a moron - cause I paid all the gas, tires, maintenance etc. (I did most of it myself, but still - high schooler making minimum wage on weekends doesn't go that far)

[DUD2STUD]

My first truck was a 61 Chevy step side 350 with a posi, Ya when I first got it I had the rubber on the tire kept falling off in front of the high school but after buying the first set of tire I learned. But I will tell you this I learned to drive with a manual 4 speed and a 350 and so will my son and daughter.