The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The HiPo Shop 350 crate

Hi all,
I have noticed lots of people adding V8s to their old trucks.
I'm assuming that the whole drive line as well as the front clip and suspension would need changed as well. Is there a good book or website that shows a conversion like this?

Thanks!
-Jason

You dont have to redo the suspension,but it makes a lot nicer conversion.Mine has a 350 engine,700R4 tranny,mustang ll frontend and stock rearend.really the only hard thing is just figuring out what kind of motor mounts,crossmembers,etc.to use.I dont know of any specific books,but you can always look thru the truck mags.They usually have interesting articles on conversions.And of course when you have a specific question,you can always post it here.Someone will steer you in the right direction.A lot of the people here are deadset against V/8 s in the old Chevy trucks.I prefer the streetrod approach myself,just my opinion.Its sorta nice cruisin down the freeway in the fastlane in an old truck.

a dream of many...just v-things aren't always the answer

True. But a lot of the comments here are about the fact that most of the V-8 conversions are crate 350 Chevies. They are like a-holes.

Be creative. What about a 389 or 421 Pontiac tri-power? Or a Chrysler firedome hemi? Or a..........? There are plenty of options. Why live like the other 95%?

And as Colin sez, You don't have to have 8 cylinders to keep up.

I agree with wanting to have something different. I am going to swap the motor in my 38' pickup.. was thinking of going with a 302, but finding a decent one for a decent price is going to be hard, that plus the fact that there is basically NO aftermarket for it has steered me towards looking again at the already built 350 sitting in my shop.. *sigh*

A 350 chevy is very common, that's a good thing! After market parts are plentiful and cheap! You can't build cheaper horsepower. I am putting 77 chevy IFS under my 52 and I'm leaning toward a 388 stroker (350 with stroker crank and bored .060 over). I know it won't be a show stopper, but it will be a riot on the street!

350s are cheap, but boring. A 250 or 292 L22 6 will use quite a few of the same parts. Even my 350 equipped Corvette isn't keeping it - it's getting a 400 SBC.

Most of us build on a budget and can't afford the exotic stuff. After all, I have several trucks to maintain. We are after the most bang for the buck and the small block Chevy is the answer. I don't build to impress anyone, I could care less what anyone thinks of my trucks. I just want them on the road and being used as they were intended. My "different" powered truck has a 454 in it. It's still not as cheap to buy parts for but it's a close second.
There's my opinion, right or wrong,
Scott

I planted a 350 in my 1950 3/4 ton. Like 48bigtrucks said, small blocks are inexpensive and parts are plentiful. Mine was an easy drop in with the Chevy Duty small block engine and tranny mount kits. Just make sure you mount it in the proper location. I have about 2 inches clearance between the cab and HEI distributor, and about 5" between the water pump pully and radiator. If you search the forums you'll find posts giving location dimensions. That's how I determined where to locate mine.

I definitly prefer the 350 to the old boat anchors.Plentiful yes.Boring HE-- NO.Easy to get parts for yes.Driving in the fast lane,I do it all the time,with my 55.It all depends on what you are trying to accomplish.You guys stick with the boat anchors,and I will go with the V/8s.

I like the six but if i was going to V8 i would use a 35/403 or 455 Olds they will fit into an old truck better than a chevy v8 and have more torque and also get as good or better fuel milage

I would love to have a high performance six; or an "exotic" V-8. but the reality is cost. 350's are the cheapest to build into high horsepower motors. ;(

What I'd like to do is to pull the 465 Pontiac out of my Firebird and replace it with an aluminum Pontiac engine displacing over 500 cubic inches, and then put the 465 in my truck. The only issue stopping me is adapting the SM-420 to the BOP bolt pattern. Well that and money.

Im putting an LS1 with a 4sp auto in my 57. It will be fuel injected have plenty of horsepower and still knock down 24 mpg. I wanted to try new tech in an older vehicle after running carbs for so long. Of course my truck was already modified and didnt have the original engine. But down the road if I get something with a six in it I may decide to build it for somthing different and cool. But I still say you can get more bang for your buck in a V-8.

Does the LS1 have the same bolt pattern as the old "boring" 350? Or do you have to adapt the bellhousing somehow for the 4 speed?

Leo Sanducci seems to have inline 6's figured out to make big power. He gets 1000 hp out of a 292 that runs 10's in a Studebaker. But I'm almost certain his engine cost a small fortune to build like that. And I guess it's possible to bolt a roots supercharger on an inline 6 of some type. I saw a supercharger intake on e-bay, but they wanted a LOT of money for it. A lot of other people here manage to get upwards of 300 horsepower and over 400 lb-ft of torque on theirs, but then again they've rebuilt them with some modern technology.

I like the stovebolt engine too. But nothing beats a 350 in bang for the buck. It is such a good compromise between power and economy that you can actually have a LOT more power and still get better fuel economy over a stovebolt with one. There is a reason Chevy 350's are so common, because they are so good. However, there are a lot of other really cool V8's too, such as the Pontiac tri-power, Chevy big block, TPI 350's, and 409's to name a few.
And a shiny roots blower on top of a 350 would make it anything but boring.

There's a lot of options, it comes down to personal taste.

That's a statement I can agree with!

Walking through a car show seeing a small block under every hood sure does get old. But if you are building one truck on a budget its hard to beat a 350 Chevy on any basis.

But if you keep your eyes and mind open, other options could come along that are budget friendly. I have a 430 Buick I was given a few years ago and not long ago I drove home a 454 powered motorhome for free.

Bargin motors are out there, you just need to be patient.

I'll tell you what would make an excellent as well as eye-catching motor in a truck is a tuned port 350 out of a late-80's Corvette or F-body. Especially if it has the excellent 700R4 attached to it.

This is an extremely torquey motor that will pull up to 400 lb-ft at about 3000 rpm if you cam it right and improve the compression with steel shim head gaskets. And with the 700R4, you can cruise at just above idle. I get 22 mpg with mine in the IROC, cruising on the highway.
They clean up nice with either paint on the runners and upper plenum, or a good polishing job.

I've seen the combo at swap meets for as low as $800, which is really a bargain.

I think there's a real good reason for seeing so many 350 sbc's ... I've got one in mine with a mild cam and a 4bbl Edelbrock 600cfm carb, Mustang II IFS, 11-inch mid-70s Monte Carlo front disc brakes, mid-70s Chevy 12-bolt rear, 350 TH trans ... I'm in the fast lane when I need to be and, boring? I can't imagine what you mean! The 350 is fun to play with, fun to listen to ... and when I stomp on the gas pedal I usually crack up laughing!

A matter of choice, indeed.

We just swapped out a 360 AMC engine from our 53 with a 350zz4 crate engine. The PO had a jeep driveline in the 53. The 360 ran great, but parts were hard to come by, and very expensive. We did a lot of searching and reading before we went to the 350. It seemed to be the best solution both expense and parts wise. Just my opinion though!

I have a new GM 350 crate in my '49 Burb...with Heidt IFS, Discs on all four,headers,Edelbrock 600cfm carb,Dual Flowmasters,HEI mated to a B&M 700R4 and a 3.55 rear... it is a 57 year old rocket! and a ball to drive.

I just started lookiing in here....

My 2-3/5 cents:

SBC motors are plentiful and cheap. There's all sorts of aftermarket parts available, which makes them cheap as well.
Boring? Depends on how you build the motor, I'd think.

I wouldn't think of dropping a Hemi or a 351 or even a 427 Cobra Jet in our '54. Why? They're all quality motors that can be built to any level of performance you want. Because they are not Chevy motors, plain and simple. Frankly, I don't like the idea of putting a motor of another make in any hotrod. To me it just seems... well... wrong.
Now if you're making a rodded-out Hudson or something, you've got a situation. There's not a lot of options, so going with a SBC or BBC or anything else makes sense for that rare a project.