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SBC swap? worth it?


cody93

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soooo, i might have a chance to get a cheap running 350 SBC.. my 2.3's EFI is making me want to rip it out right now.. the wheels are in motion.. now, my question is what are the pro's and con's of a SBC vs SBF or even a 318 mopar.. ive always thought about swapping out to a bigger engine, i was almost dead set on a 225 slant 6 but getting the right parts locally was a challenge.. i know a little about v8 swaps into 1st gens but never really studied it.

the truck in question is an 87ish shortbed standard cab ranger, 2.3, TK5 trans. manual steering, manual brakes, no A/C... bare bones.. aside from heaterbox clearence and exhaust, what are pros and cons of a SBC..

Pro's
- oil filter location?
- common as dirt and cheap
- GM HEI simple to wire

Con's
- not a whole lot of info, or adapters..
- trans choices limited?
- distributor harder to get too vs SBF.

what do you guys think? no, i don't wanna hear about chevys suck... i know, most do, but im cheap.. just wanting to hear some technical advise regarding swapping one.. gota blow my tax return somehow..
 


AllanD

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Want an advantage to an SBC V8...

The SBC V8 has far more aftermarket support than most other engines combined.

Arguably the SBC was the first V8 engine that you could built several of them with different component sets involving NO "genuine GM parts Whatsoever and the vast majority of those parts are greatly superior to the OEM stuff.

I know that back in the mid 1980's I assembled mor than a dozen SBC's using crate blocks and cranks from several different manufacturers.

(my favorite were the aluminum blocks by a company called Brownfield)

The Most frightful engine I built was done for a guy who ran an asbestos cleanup company for an aluminum bodied Kitcar Cobra, it involved a sleeved McLaren MK-IV Block and a steel 348/409 crank, total engine size when done was 353Cid, kinda on the small size for a BB Chevy, but that engine would scream along at 9500rpm for as long as the tank held sufficient fuel to keep it running... a real scary machine
 

RangerSVT

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You want to do a sbc swap, get a camaro or s10. Due to the dizzy in the back of the engine, you will not have enough room for cooling fan/rad without extensive mods. Not to mention custom mounts for the motor and transmission. You're also better off (ie cheaper) to stay efi. To go carb you'll need to buy additional parts...

SVT
 

chvlfrk

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SVT....typical diehard blue oval man.:icon_twisted: :icon_rofl: NOI!

1. Easiest thing is to motor plate for mounting...
2. You can notch the heater box yourself with lil' plexiglass & epoxy....
3. Automatic is the easiest trans....
4. Use a SMALL aftermarket distributor (mines a Procomp) with external coil..
5. You'll need to put an Explorer rearend in it to handle to extra HP of the SB..
6. BIGGEST con is you will have to make a custom set of headers to clear the
steering shaft...

I've never done a first gen, but have done a 93 & 94, checkout the link in my
sig to see my 94. It's out of commission now, gonna gutt it for a possible future build, as its been sittin for 2 1/2 yrs do to lack of space in garage.:sad:

ALSO: OP, your not that far away to come visit and checkout the 93 & 94 as they are both here at my house.......52 miles north of Chattanooga right off I-75.
 
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RangerSVT

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Chvlfrk, I'm not diehard Ford, I'm ONLY FORD! :icon_thumby:

That being said, I'm not trying to say not to do it or that it can't be done, but having done V8 swaps on every generation ranger, the 1st gen is the tightest from firewall to core support, and thats for a front mounted dizzy. It's not impossible, but would require some work. A rear mounted rad may even be required unless you cut the core support and do a rad mounted in front the core support...

SVT
 

cody93

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black widow did one, but the pictures dont work on his build thread anymore.. firewall mods arent too bad, custom motor mounts are a given. headers will be interesting, having manual steering and manual brakes gives me a little bit more room too. guess its time to break out the tape measure.. SBF's got the advantage of the front dizzy, thats for sure.

whats the physical size difference between a 350 and 305? i know a 351w is taller than a 302
 

AllanD

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There is no difference whatsoever in external dimensions in the SBC due to displacement differences.

From the smallest the 262 CID SBC to the 400 they are exactly the same from the outside Dims
 

LSX_Marshall

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Shouldn't be too hard with even the most basic fabrication skills and tools. A small block chevy has possibly to greatest power potential when you are on a tight budget. Parts are cheap and interchangeable for the most part. Heck I have built plenty of decent small blocks by using a junkyard longblock and a craigslist top-end lol. Just grab a measuring tape and see how much you will have to hammer the firewall to make it fit. Then...run the crap out of it! Though for what its worth an s-10 would be an easier swap, but that's what I was told and I never listened!
:headbang:
 

bobbywalter

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My credo
it is easier to fix and understand than "her"
wow.


i would not want a 350 over a ford, but if you have it all cheap then why not? then again swapping a d30 or d44 in over a ttb d35 or ttb 44 is not my first choice either.

a ls engine on the other hand is my 1st choice today. they are the most cost effective all around. no two ways about it for power and economy and cost.

the 350 will fit as good or better then the typical 302 in the 1st gen as far as cooling is concerned, we used v8 jeep radiators a few times. but with bigger power where you will want some nice headers, shit gets tricky. even so good headers for a ford arent the cheapest easiest thing to work with either.


i currently run what is essentially a big block, and have worked on bb swaps to varying degrees and manufacturers.

worth it?

yeah. definitely.


pia......goes with the territory. my junk is easier to work on then any garbage the factory offered.


build what you want, the way you want within sensible reason.
 

cody93

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looks like its time to start collecting parts..
 

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Bump.

Any progress?
 

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