Old dog trying new tricks

[Grumpa]

Hi everybody, first time caller. I recently got a 96 Mazda B300 reg cab ,short box ,step side. V6 /5Spd std. The body is decent and I would like to put a SBC into it possibly do a little racing. I have a 350 that has been built a bit that I don't know the year of ,all I can say is it's a orange block with EI. comes with a AT. So now I ask you Guru's ,How can I tell what year it is or does it even matter, also how do I tell what trans it has? After that ,,is there a kit to make this easier?(mounts ,headers etc...I'm handy but i'm not even close to a pro , so be kind.

 

[MikeG]

We'll forgive you for putting a Chevy engine in a Mazda.... good thing it isn't a Ford

Just going out on a limb here, but I'm guessing the sledgehammer, sawzall, and welder will be your friend. Small block Ford v8s are a tight fit in a Ranger. A chevy makes the problems worse for clearance.

Good luck.

 

[19Walt93]

I can understand wanting to use what you have but if I had a SBC I'd try to trade it for a 302 or 351. I spent too many hours standing in the staging lanes with the sun baking my brain while they cleaned the guts of another SBC off the track and soaked up the oil.