What would be an awesome v8 swapped car? I like my Fiero how it is, but I want to swap a v8 into a preferably at least 4 seater car, not a station wagon, that would be an awesome sleeper. I would probably carburate it because I want this to be a simple build. I want the car to be rear wheel drive and I want it to be a beater. I am thinking of
BMW E30 Nissan 240SX Volvo of some kind... 242 or 240 or something along those lines
I would use the v8's transmission so hopefully it would have a hydraulic clutch.
But I think a Volvo would be awesome because they are usually not modified that much. I would mount the engine really low and probably have to modify the oil pan. I would also move everything back as far as possible. E30 would also be cool because of the aftermarket support for the rest of the car, same with 240sx. E30 is like crazy unsafe though, especially compared to the volvo. Since I only care about the mechanical aspect of the car and not the visual, I wont be afraid to hit things and I don't want to die so safety is of some concern.
I really have no idea when it comes to v8s but I think I would like a chevy v8, and I think an SBC would suffice. So engine suggestions of any kind are also welcome as long as they are chevy v8 and could be carburated.
My goal is to have a car that looks like crap, so I dont care about it... is excellent mechanically so it is reliable.... is kind of quick but I don't really care, I want the v8 sound, torque and powerband... I would like parts to be readily available for whatever my selections are... and I want to carburate it to keep it simple and have little wiring to deal with... I would like repairs to be cheap. I am thinking for wheels some diamond racing wheels. And I don't want to have to do intensive brake upgrades to make it stop well, (like the crappy solid rotors on the early fieros) I don't mean installing SS hoses. I am thinking for wheels some diamond racing wheels.
I will be doing all labor myself, I have rebuilt engines and built an engine from scratch as well. I have done lots of work to my Fiero and I have very decent fabrication skills. I just want a new project car since the fiero is going to turn into a race only car in the future, it would be fun to have a new fun car ready to go when that happens. I just need suggestions for the chassis and for the car I should get the engine out of/ what kinds of chevy v8s would suit my needs.
Thanks guys, I know this is a loaded question, just looking for some ideas to start off of/ some knowledge on the chevy v8s.
You need to know 2 things to keep it cheap. Does the engine ( V8 ) have a front sump or a rear sump. On the car that is getting the V8 is the steering rack or drag link in front of the cross member or behind it. chevys ( gen 1, LT1 ) have the oil pump and sump in the rear. Ford small blocks had the pump and sump in the front. The rack and the sump can not both be in the same place. If you want to keep it cheap use a V6 "F" car or a V6 fox body mustang. go to a pull your own parts junk yard, look at the cars, from the top and the bottom. Know how far it is from the back of the engine to the front of the oil pan sump. It helps if you don't have to cut the fire wall all to **** to get it in.
I like the Volvo idea, those bricks are really cool and make some nice drift machines properly set up too. 240s are done all day, plus all the good swaps are LSX so a carbed gen 1 is just going to be meh compared to them. I've personally always wanted to try a Chevette, they come with a T5 and they just seem like such an awesome sleeper. Apart from that, the Corrado would be cool, I've seen a Mustang 5.0 swapped Starion that I thought was cool. You said 4 doors, so how about a Cavalier or the like? Just make the intake stick out of the hood lol. Some old sh!tbox buick? V8 civic sedan or CRX.. Caddy STS?
Hot Rod, or one of those rags, put a 500 Caddy into a Chevette for under 2 grand. They used a junkyard motor, 472 heads to bring the compression up, a Mustang 8 inch rear, and ran in the 11's right off. They didn't have to do much up front, as I recall, except maybe a brace across the bay to keep it from spreading. It was a reasonably easy swap.
That rx-7 swap video was awesome I might just have to do do an rx7 now... What are the different kinds of chevy v8s? I know you have your lsX but I don't know what each of those are or how they are different really. Are there lots of rwd transmissions for these engines or just a few? Which ones bolt up to which? Is there a car I can just pull the whole drivetrain from?
You might try spending some time on ls1tech in the Conversions & Hybrids section for some ideas. I know you mentioned carburetion, but a 4.8/5.3 out of a truck would be rather inexpensive and a road well traveled.
I know it's not a 'car' but the SBC swaps into a Chevy S10 is a nice swap. Some other ones I like are Volvo 240, Volvo 260, Volvo 740, Volvo 760, RX7, Datsun Z, or a Chevy Astro.
MGB (any year) with any V8 you can cram in there. The most common is a Rover V8, but you could throw a BMW V8 or a good old SBC in one! Light and tiny cars, coupled with a V8... fun times to be had by all
I know it's not a 'car' but the SBC swaps into a Chevy S10 is a nice swap. Some other ones I like are Volvo 240, Volvo 260, Volvo 740, Volvo 760, RX7, Datsun Z, or a Chevy Astro.
The LT1 has a Cam driven Water pump, Thats what I have in my 98 Astro. I just sold my wifes 94 astro with a 95 Throttle body 350. The swaps were relitivly easy. The 94 I used the ECM from the V6.
You can get an LS1 and buy the manifold to make it carbureted. http://www.superchevy.com/t...s/0505sc_conversion/ The LS1 is a great engine. For SBC you can't go wrong with an old 327 or 350 ( the pre 70's 350's have thicker blocks allowing more to bore) If you are looking for a 350 find one that has a 4 bolt main (Corvettes, some Camaros, and Trucks have the 4 bolt mains in them). Newer SBC that are great are the LT1, LT5, LS1, LS2, LS7. LT1 and LS1 probably have the best aftermarket support and LT1's are plentiful (Mid 90's Caprices, Impalas, Camaros to name a few)
For SBF I would stick with the 302 (5.0 in the Foxbody Mustang's) Pre 70's 351 Windors and 351 Clevelands and great too. For the 4.6 Modular SBF, stay away from the earlier one's. The best 4.6 is in the 2003-2004 Mach I Mustang's its the 4 valve 4.6. A 302 in a Ford Focus would be awesome and a pretty good sleeper and pretty cheap as the older Focus' are pretty cheap and the kit to convert it into a 302 powered Focus isn't too bad.
ALL the chevy V8's with a cast iron block use the same bell housing. Big blocks or small block. If you want to know witch engine is cheap to build, just order a jegs or summit racing catalog. You could build a compleat car from them. drive line, frame, body. for a V8 little car, try a "factory five racing" cobra kit. Down the street from my work is a C4 vet, nice looking, in a car lot, for $4500! thats a lot of car, that is made for a V8. You could put a big block in that.
280Z. Replace hood and fenders with fiberglass and the weight on the front end stays the same. Not really a sleeper if that's what you're after but if you fix it up, it will look and sound (and perform) the part.
I always thought it would be cool to take a BMW 3 Series from the 90's, and put a ls1 in there. If you did the ls1, you could call it a 357 for the model number.
280Z. Replace hood and fenders with fiberglass and the weight on the front end stays the same. Not really a sleeper if that's what you're after but if you fix it up, it will look and sound (and perform) the part.
Jonathan
X2. Ive seen them done and they turn out lookin/runnin great! Also have seen some 240Zs done very cleanly as well. Swap a corvette irs into them, some nicer meatier wheels... they'll do great!
Head over to the classifieds section of Grassroots motorsports $201x challenge forum. People are always talking about this exact thing and posting great and unusual project cars for this.
I like the Astro idea. I had an Astro hi top conversion and it was great. Sold it last week. A friend has one with a Chevy v8. He says it came with it from the factory so it would be a simple bolt in. Its fast as hell too.
Buddy of mine built an early '90s Volvo Bertone coupe with a supercharged (Procharger) Ford mill in it. Super fun car, and being a Bertone was kinda special anyway.
My personal picks would be:
BMW E36 3 series - The E30 is of course the icon, but the E36 has a bigger engine bay, stronger rear end options, and far superior suspension. E30s can be scary with stock power - I'd want a reasonably modern rear suspension backing up hundreds of horses Mazda FC RX7 - These were great cars limited by insufficient engines. The car added a lot of weight over the SA/FB without adding matching power. The Turbo IIs are reasonably quick but fairly unreliable and getting scarce. Modern V8 power is a great match Nissan Z32 300ZX - Same basic story as the FC. Even the TTs were outclassed handily by the Japanese supercars of the '90s. I had a chance to drive an LT1-powered 300ZX at a track day. It did not disappoint, even with a modest ~350hp.
I'll throw this in, even though it's not really a swap - my ex-roommate's father had an '84 (?) Parisienne originally sold with a 305 that initially got a 454 and then a built & supercharged LT1. That car was ridiculous. All plush and comfy on the inside, wallowed like a dinghy in a storm, but would light up the rear tires on demand. Watching smoke pour out of skirted fenders was good fun, and he never spared the rubber.
