how hard is it to do a 350ci motor swap..

[oldblue1968chevy]

okay well long story short ive always wanted a swb 67-72 and well stopeed at the neighbors house asking if he had a tailgate for my truck (his son, my other neighbor, said he may have one) so i go over there asking bout one, he said hes gota whole truck and a good tailgate that i can have for 700 bucks, well truns out it was a swb 2x4 cheyenne, it was allwhite, no signs of repaint, but he said it used to be yellow, prolly orche, and white 2 tone,...the spid said 'blue trim' what color was it lol?

but anyways, its a brand new motor, speedo says 48,xxx miles but they guy got put in prison for a while, just got the truck back from being rebuild, and it didnt have anitfreeze in it, so it cracked something, idk head block idk, it 'has' a good transmission in it so he says its rebuild too.

needs 1 rocker prolly cab corners and above the rear wheelwells in the bedis rusted some...now I WANNA SWB!!!! but ive got my blue 68 which im not selling. and my 72 parts truck, if i can sell either my parts truck, or my fourwheeler, theres a good chance that in a few montsh i'll buy it, and try to find at motor for it, or use my 'doesnt look like it'd run' 350 from my 72...now, im 16, and can get help advise but what all is in volved swithcing out motors.....


is it easier to pull tranny motor together?

undo motor mounts all wires cables etc to motor all fuel lines etc etc etc, and it comes out? never done this before cant be too hard..just bulky.....

[El Jay]

For me, in the past, pulling the engine/tranny together vs. pulling the engine alone had always been a "nickel 1 way, 5 cents the other" kind of deal

Also, masking tape & a "Sharpie"can be your new best friends. Take about a 2" piece of masking tape and use it to make a "tab" on each and every wire, then use the "Sharpie" to label the tabs as you disconnect the wires from the engine.
It will save a ton of "where the heck does this go" frustration when putting things back together.

And don't use the kerosene/diesel heater in the closed garage!

You are now the proud owner of my .02.

[fiyaweed06]

Old blue i just done the swap and it was easy i pulled out a straight 6 and installed a v-8 and i pulled both engines with the trannys attached.

[oldblue1968chevy]

how much experience ya got and how old are you? im 16 almost 17 i think i can borrow a cherry picker deal froma friend, and the advise and a hand from a friend, summer is comming up soon, i'll be outta school and makin a lil $ here and there i just dont wanna buy it and it be a money pit, the guy im buyin it from....he loves to 'barter' 'wheel and deal' etc i just dont wanna get a bad end of the deal.......but 700 you dont find many complete swb trucks..

[drivethechevy]

well im 18 and i have now done 2 motor and tranny swaps, and 2 motor swaps
and the best advice i can give you is label anything and everything that u take off, and take lots of pictures
either drain the tranny or find an old slip yoke that will work and plug the whole for the driveshaft otherwise you will have a mess, if the motor or tranny dont look like it will fit past the core support or the rad, dont be afraid to take out the radiator or to start taking off pulleys
having at least one other person there will deffinately make the job easier, but the more the merrier
the truck sounds like a good deal, and if the gmc may be donating its heart you have a source for other parts you may need
take your time crawl all over and under that truck know everything that you will need to do before you start bartering with the owner, but since you already know the guy tends to barter i would try and get the truck down in price a bit, maybe the guy needs some help around that yard?
either way good luck, and lets see some pictures
nate

[MonteSS454]

Motor swaps are easy. You can use a floor jack or tranny jack to hold up the tranny, unbolt the block front tranny, motor mounts, wires, lines, etc and it's easier to have the hood and and yank it out. Me and my dad just took a small block out of a 65 Chevelle in about 20~30mins leaving the tranny in and just doing it the quick way.

[El Jay]

Originally Posted by drivethechevy

well im 18 and i have now done 2 motor and tranny swaps, and 2 motor swaps
and the best advice i can give you is label anything and everything that u take off, and take lots of pictures
either drain the tranny or find an old slip yoke that will work and plug the whole for the driveshaft otherwise you will have a mess, if the motor or tranny dont look like it will fit past the core support or the rad, dont be afraid to take out the radiator or to start taking off pulleys
having at least one other person there will deffinately make the job easier, but the more the merrier
the truck sounds like a good deal, and if the gmc may be donating its heart you have a source for other parts you may need
take your time crawl all over and under that truck know everything that you will need to do before you start bartering with the owner, but since you already know the guy tends to barter i would try and get the truck down in price a bit, maybe the guy needs some help around that yard?
either way good luck, and lets see some pictures
nate

Good advice, young man.

I'd also take and lay a blanket, or moving pad, etc. on the roof.
Take a "fine line" Sharpie, or equivalent and mark the hood around the hinges. Then, with the help of at least one other person, unbolt the hinges and set the hood on the roof.
Open both doors and then run a ratchet strap over the hood and into the cab & connect the ens of the ratchet strap to each other. If it's really windy where you live, use 2 ratchet straps in an "X" pattern.
Closing the doors won't hurt the ratchet straps, or the doors.

And, pull the radiator. You may be able to get the engine out & back in without doing it; but why take the chance on punching a hole in it (the radiator). It's only 4 bolts.

[prairewolf]

and maybe have the truck on good,level ground so you can roll it back a little as you lift and all the way back when it is up and out. that is easier than rolling a cherry picker with all that weight on it.,, lift a little at a time and keep looking for things not unhooked, use good chain for lift.

wash tranny fluid out of hair when all done, throw away old shirt.

life is good.

[mrein3]

The first time you do it will take a long time. When you start lifting that first one out you'll find all the "roots" you missed.

Like others have said, mark EVERYTHING. Take all the accessories off the front of the engine. If you have AC you can leave it charged and just lay it to the side. REMOVE THE RADIATOR. Taking the radiator out makes life so much easier.

I like to leave the transmission in the vehicle. On a 2wd you have to put a floor jack under the transmission. After I get the engine out I like to take bailing wire and "wire up" the transmission so I don't have to worry about the floor jack slowly losing pressure. Wire from the ears of the trans where it bolts to the block up to some place on the firewall.

If one is a stick and one an auto, you need to keep the starter and flywheel with the truck - they are different on each application.

If you get frustrated, walk away and come back later. You can ask questions here to get you through the tough spots.

[oldblue1968chevy]

okay thanks, just got back from helping his neighbor washing tractors repairing antique vacumn lol, it caught on fire, loaded junk from 1 barn to nother, 3 hours got paid 20 bucks, most of that will be spent on blue truck (need new antena lol)

but i cant buy it till guy that owns it gets the title from his brother, and i sell either my 72 or my fourwheeler, or both, i got WAYYY to many projects lol thanks guys it sounds pretty easy....but we shall see, hay i mite not eeven get it i mite go back and relook at it sometime too..

[Longhorn Man]

a SWB in almost any form will get 7 bills in my area...
Engine swaps are easy.
Buying more trucks than you need is easy
getting attached to them is easy.
Funding them is not
having room at your folks place can be a PITA
knowing what truck to work on with the 20 bucks you spend 3 hrs earning is never easy

Don't want to rain on your parade, but it may be better to pass, or sell more stuff.

[oldblue1968chevy]

oh yea lol sell some toys first definitely lol i cant fund a truck with 2 other trucks...cant sell my dd, so i'll sell the wheeler or the parts truck, and pay the diff.

[Skirkpat]

My opinion: the only reason to pull the tranny with the engine is if you are going to change the tranny also, especially if it is an automatic. When I was your age, I had a few projects, none ever got "done" if they had I would still have my 1969 Camaro Convertible. I always had to many things going on to get one done ( I have ADD)...Remember just because it is for sale does not mean you "need" it. Finish the blue one, believe me there will always be another project down the line.

[oldblue1968chevy]

the blue one dont need anything really...

i mean little things like id like to lower it one day,,,mayabe put disc brakes on it....maybe an automatic tranny......its a (well pretty) reliable daily driver...