engine swap question???

[fris_94]

hey. wondering about an engine swap for my 83 c10. I got an inline 6 in her now and would like to put a 350 down in it. I'm wondering that if I found an old 350 out of a similar model year c10, how hard it would be to swap engines.

PS - New to this stuff and this is only an idea yet. Just wondering how much there is to an engine swap like this. It has automatic transmission if that helps you guys out.

[beaterC10]

The swap won't be tough, the little details though can be pain. I installed a 350 in place of a 4.3 on my 86. I had to swap motor mounts, frame stands, radiator, shroud, trans cooler line, accelerator cable, a/c hoses, and modify some of the engine harness. I think the frame stands are the same for the V8 and I6, you should only have to move them on the frame. The required holes should already be there.

My suggestion would be to find a clapped out small block truck for a donor, it will reduce the aggravation immensely. If you run exhaust manifolds, make sure they are compatable with the dipstick location. The dipstick moved from the driver side to the pass side around 79 or 80. The dipsticks will interchange on the block but won't work with wrong style manifolds. Headers are the easy way around this.