The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop do i want a v-8??

I have a 1951 chev 3100 it was my dads when he passed my mom gave it to me he was only the third owner of the truck. he always wanted to swap to a smallblock engine and a automatic but do to time and money he never got the oppurtunity to i am looking for a low cost way to do this i have heard alot about donor cars but i dont know what model to use or even what i need to do to get started i do have mechanical exp but i want to do this as quick and cost effective as possible can anyone tell me more or let me know who can??? thankyou whattodo :confused:

Greetings, whattodo and Welcome to The 'Bolt. You are very lucky to have been given such a wonderful truck, it will make a nice cruiser when you're done tinkering (I guess you can guess which way I voted).

Ok, you say you have some mechanical experience-this is good. Chances are with a little guidance from us here at Stovebolt you will be able to do a V-8 swap yourself. You're going to be switching out the engine, transmission and the original torque tube rear axle. You will also have to do some slight modifications to the truck's chassis, including removing the stock transmission bellhousing crossmember, and moving the stock steering box out about 1 1/2" to give you room for exhaust manifolds. You will also need to purchase a set of tubular engine and transmission mounting crossmembers, Chevy Duty and other suppliers list these in their online catalogs.

As for engine choice, the sky's the limit. You have many to choose from in the small block Chevrolet family, most would work okay, but some would be better than others, depending on how you want the truck to perform. If you just want the easiest route to getting the truck up and running so you can work on it, look for a cheap donor car like a Chevy Caprice, Pontiac Pariesienne, Chevy Malibu, etc. that's got a running V-8 and auto in it. Pull it out and use it straight from the car just to get the truck up and running-you can always rebuild it later.

One last tip would be to do an internet search for "Putting V-8 Juice in Your Stovebolt." This was a tech article by Pat Ganahl published in Rod & Custom sometime in the late '70's. It's a good basic article with pics of the V-8 swap and will let you see what you're getting into. Sorry about the long post. Best of luck with your project and please drop by with any further questions as we'll all be glad to help.

Regards,
Wannabe

Or you could use a 235/261 or even a 270-302 GMC engine.These engines are more or less a bolt in.That way you need not change the steering or get into serious modifications .If you are not a street racer, an old inline 6 gives plenty of power for modern traffic, and retains the nostaligic look and sound.The best option is always the one that is inline with your skills, time and money.

I vote for keeping it inline!
A 235 w/ head work, cam, dual carbs, saginaw 4 speed, open driveline and rear-end swap for better ratio, disc brakes, dropped front axle and big wide whites. Now thats the setup! or maybe a 250 torn from a Nova, rebuilt with a big single weber and a powerglide trans? Fresh mexico 292 with 3 sidedraft webers and a 700r4 trans?

if you do go the v8 route drop in a big caddy motor that hangs out of the hood.

have fun whichever route you go and post some pics!

Is the truck running now? Staying with the six would be great especially if it is already running.

howziit guy!

what to do, what to do....a name that matches your predicament. LOL!(no offense meant)

if you're going to V8, why not go BIGGGG! JMO, a late-model 454 big-block, along with its TH-400, OR 700R4, would be my preference. in stock form, (with edelbrock intake and carb for simplicity), it would be like riding a recently-broken in BULL!

Orrr, if you're going small-block, a 400sbc would be my engine of choice.

Hey Whatto:
You've gotten some great advice here.
The Reverend Dr. Tony says go with the inline engine, unless you're looking for a door slammer.
Just my $.02 worth If I were going to go with a BIG block, I would drop in a 500 caddy, they're plentiful and not as popular as the BBC engines and therefore less expen$ive. Tons of torque.
I took the easy way out and went with a 261 inliner.
BuBBA B52

So was "none" the correct vote if I wanted to advise you, "Hale no!!!"? Be a straightforward kind of guy and stay in line!

my thought would be, would you hop up your girl friend or your wife?.......Fred

There is no such thing as a "low cost, quick motor swap." ANY engine swap into a pre-'55 vehicle will take months and thousand(s) of dollars. If its running, leave it alone.

Yeah, you could pull the 350 out of an early '80s pontiac or chevy, but it'd likely need a rebuild. Then you've got to change motor mounts, tranny, x-member, shift linkage, driveshaft, rear axle, front springs, move steering box, fab rear brake lines, beat the tranny tunnel up so a newer tranny wil fit, etc etc etc. There are suspension and motor mount kits available, but its still expensive and time consuming. (But it is fun.)

You almost never get your money out of a V8 swap. Either you do a hack job and ruin the truck, or you put more money in the swap than the resale value of the truck. Ask 5-7 how much money he's got in his '56.

If you want a V8, buy a newer chevy truck that came with a V8 option, as the swap is easier.

whattodo- You want to follow through on your dad's dream and put a small block Chev in his old truck. I think that great. Don't let a few of these guys talk you into doing something you don't want. "Quick" is a relative term. You say you have the mechanical know how, do your research and go for it. When you're driving that truck that way your dad always wanted it, you'll be happy you went to all the trouble.

You will find plenty of help from members on this board. Good luck!