I was wondering i have a 1991 chevy camaro rs 5 speed with a v6 3.1 engine in it with 170,000 miles on it and i need to get a v8 for it, and i was wondering besides the engine, trans, and shocks, what else would i need to change? i know that i'll need to get some books to get familiar with my car.... and that i need to either make friends with a good machanic, or find a friend with a lot of experience with this. But i know were i can find the engine, and would i be better off to get most of the parts from an auto store, or from a junk yard... what would be the best process to do this... to find a really awesome deal.



Any help is appreciated!!!
I love my car guys, and want to keep it because its in great condition but just has a really old engine.

 

Here You can find some info: http://www.tacreationsusa.com/engines.htm

 

to make a long story short

you must have,

all v8 accesories
brackets
radiator
computer if you are staying fuel injected

since you have a manual tranny, you really don't need the whole tranny, just a bell housing, and the appropriate flywheel/pressure plate/clutch disk assembly

get the flywheel from another f-body, buy a new pressure plate at the store of you choice, and get the proper sized and splined disk at

www.mcleodind.com

i am currently using a tranny from an 84 4cyl behind my 305, using disk part num 270820 i believe, the disk you need is on page 7 of the catalog on mcleods site


the other path you could take is to find a complete donor car, meaning the body is trashed but drive train is good, it would probably be you cheapest route, but remember to replace wear parts like the clutch, this is what i originally did when i swapped mine, i had both the engine and trans rebuilt before dropping them into my car, also mine was originally an automatic, then an auto with the v8 then i decided it was time to shift gears. i could use a short throw shifter but its gotta be cheap cuz i'm broke

 

A 4 banger tranny might handle an LG4 (hell, it's only 20 hp more than the 2.8), but you'll destroy it with anything that actually makes power. Even the V8 T5s aren't worth a crap.

As for the swap... totally not worth it. I had a 350 built ready to go into my 2.8 firebird, and when I realized what I'd need, I just bought an IROC to put it into. The IROC cost me the same as what a good transmission will cost alone. Then factor in the motor mounts, all V8 accessories, radiator, water pump, alternator, all brackets, hoses, fuel pump, springs, complete exhaust system, etc.

Also keep in mind that you have an open diff. Plan on a posi upgrade.

The real bitch is all of the 4,000 little things you'll need. Throttle cable, this connector, that sensor, this bolt, that nut, etc. You'll be chasing that crap for months.

 

jim i realize the t5 is not a great tranny, but it is working, untill i can afford a t56, and the fact that its from a 4 banger means nothing except different gear ratios, cuz all the shafts and stuff are the same

my car supposedly makes around 270hp on desktop dyno,
i have yet to see times with the t5, that comes this weekend.

as far as the swap goes, jim is pretty much right, unless you use a donor car like i did. and plan on doing the work yourself, cuz you don't even want to know how much a shop will charge you IF they would even do it.

 

I belive that the V6 and 4 banger T5s were much weaker than their V8 counterparts. I believe the gears themselves are much weaker, do mainly I would guess to the angle and tooth number of the gears.

 

I may be wrong but I think the chevy V-6 T-5 and the Mustang V-8 T-5 have the same internals. Both have a 14 spline input shaft and both have a weak 2nd gear. I think if your nice to it it will last a while. My T-5 was from a 2.8 firebird and it bolted right up without changing the bellhousing, but I bought the engine and trans together so it might have been changed previously. I don't know about the flywheel, but i know you will need the right clutch (14 spline).

 

I think i may know an area where i can get a donor car... hopefully the engine isn't ruined or they dont' use it anymore... but i think i can go from there.
I'll let you guys know what i find out... also would it be a good idea to get a "beater" car that i can use as a daily winter driver so that the beast can rest?

 

you'll need to swap the front springs as well.