Chev. Small Block Swap?

[rjkartman]

Hi Guys
I used to own a '73 1900 GT back in the early eighties. The body was customized with dual rectangular headlights on each side, L-88 style hood scoop and flared all the way around. I had Rocket 4 spoke 10" wide wheels with Firestone 50 series rubber front and back. It was done right. All the body work was straight and near flawless, done in black! The only exterior chrome was the wheels, rear bumpers and door mirrors. Anyway, I was 20 some years old and drove it into the ground. It ended up in the local scrap yard. I now the chance to buy another stock bodied '73 GT. The engine and drivetrain are gone but the body and interior are nice. I always wanted to look into doing a small block swap into the one used to own. What sort of information is available out there for such a project? Any info would be great. Thanks guys.

[namba209]

It can be done, but it's not for the faint of heart, those lacking time, or having shallow pockets. First off the car is a unibody and will need a complete frame attached to handle the torque of an engine that size. The whole drivetrain will have to be replaced, it too, cannot handle the engine output. There are folks on the site that have done the swap correctly and you should contact them. blancojp in FL, and the Gages (saxybiker) in OH. I have just about completly finished at V-6/T-5 swap in my 72 GT and in conjunction with a kinda sorta full restoration it has taken me 7 years. I would sit down, figure out what you want to do, what you will need, who's gonna do it and figure then, if you still want to do the project, how much it will cost and triple that. If you are still convinced you want to tackle the job, then go ahead and go for it. But, once started, finish it. There have been too many that started and didn't finish, then the car goes to the crusher and there's one less GT on the road that could have been.

[blancojp]

Howdy:
was checking the website and saw this post.
I have done many swaps and the best functional and less expensive is to install a 2.8-3.4L V-6 in your vehicle. A V-8 can be done but requires lots of work and money to get it done right. Last V-8 I installed on a 73 GT cost the owner close to $26K for the complete project. My '72 has a 4.0L V-6 with a TH350 tranny and the car blows anything off the road with ease.

In comparison, you want to be in the 135HP range to have a good solid driver which is reliable. I just got a '72 which I am going to rebuild and auction off in the next six months or so. Everything I will be doing to the vehicle will be posted at this site so be sure to monitor.

Good luck in your project!!!!