1993Z28LT16SPD

I inherited the car from my father 3 years ago shortly before he died. It's a 68 convertible with the orignal 230 6cyl, 2 spd powerglide, has a power top and power stearing and when I got the car I had power front discs put in. My dad repainted it himself and redid the upolstery except for the rear seat which he dyed black to match. He also had new floors put in in the late 80's. I've put about 3K on it since i've had it, generally it drives fine except that it can barely keep up with traffic and feels as though the structure is made of cardboard. Cosmetically the car looks good if not great and is always drawing comments.
I can't see having more then 10 grand to spend on it in anytime in the near future. What I really want to do is upgrade to small block V-8 and 4sp manual trans, and somehow give it some structural integrity.
Anyone out there done a conversion like this and could tell me how much to expect to spend? I'm a C grade mechanic with a single car garage that this car occupies, so the heavy work is going to have to be done professionally. Trying to asses if it's worth doing anything or just keeping the status quo for now since it's not really costing much to own and operate.

1994 BIRD

Leave the original engine it will be worth more. You can get subframe connectors to stiffen up hte body.

burnt68

pull the 6 banger and power glide just keep them incase you decide to sell later(increases value)
change the frame side brackets (motor mounts)for a sb,new front springs/shocks for added weight,bigger radiator,find all parts for 4 speed conversion (pedals,z bar,brackets,bell housing) etc..

burnt68

cost wise if you do it probably 5-6 grand for all parts etc. pay someone to do it 8-10g

SCNGENNFTHGEN

I don't see it costing near that much if you can do some of the work. It's really not hard. The frame mounts, and motor mounts shouldn't be much at all. Just unbolt and swap out for the V8 mounts. I'd certainly shrink wrap the motor & trans and hold onto it, but the car need not be butchered in order to do what you want. Frame ties would go a long way to stiffening the car up, and just do some researcn on some really good ones. $$ spent here will certainly be worth it, as F-body's all could benefit from a little frame work. Being a vert this is probably even more so. I had a 68 coupe for 15 yrs., so I know them pretty well, and what you're talking about for me is simple. Though I would be spending the extra $$ on upgrading the car to a T-56, being that you'd like to be able to afford to drive it. After having a T-56 I could never go back to a 4 spd again, and I despise automatics. A tremec is also a nice compromise, which was why I put one into my 68. The 4 spd was killing me in mpg. Now I'd spend the dough on a T-56. 2 overdrives is kinda hard to beat MPG wise and still tons of fun to drive when you want it to be. You could run a carbed old school 350 with a T-56. I can't see that costing 8-10K. Maybe it's just me, but it's a pretty easy swap from my perspective. I am also looking to do the same to my 67 C20 which was a 6 cyl , it does have a clutch pedal though. I have a carbed LT1 and my Tremec already. You can get the whole clutch pedal setup with everything you'll need at a number of classic parts places. Do some research it's pretty simple.PM me I'd help you any way I can with more info.