I have a 1981 El Camino, 267, auto trans. Engine seals blew and before I could pull over, the engine seized. Seeing that I have to replace/rebuild the engine anyway, what other engines will fit without changing the mounts? What engines can use the same tranny (or will I have to get a new tranny for a different size engine)? Can I get and mount an engine without the emmissions crap with minimal other changes (in Mass. an 81 dosen't need to pass emmissions testing)? This is a daily driver. I want a nice running and looking engine without spending a fortune, not concerned with building a racer (unless it can be done as cheaply....HA, HA). I will have to find somewhere to have this done, so basically I'm looking for a little knowledge before I trust my baby to someone.
Any info will be helpfull. Thanks!

262 267 283 302 305 307 327 350 400 mite have missed one, all are the same size on the out side. All should bolt up to the transmission. Not sure about smog laws in your part of the world, but out here in california you have to keep all that junk on the car.

:) Thanks, thats what I wanted to hear! I knew some of the blocks were the same mounts, but wasn't sure which ones. Looking to get out of this with quality but without going too overboard on the spending. I assume a remanufactured 302, 327 or 350 will be eaiser to find than a 267. :)

Real sorry to hear about your Elky Tony. If your in the market for a crate motor, please check into Jasper Engines (http://www.jasperengines.com/home.html).

I have very good things about them and they come with a 36 month / 75K warranty.

I'm sure you'll get plenty of other options on this forum.

Best of luck.

Thanks Jay,
I promise I'll have it up and running before the summer crusing starts. I checked Jasper's web site and they don't have any installation shops they work with in this area. They still may be a good option if I can find a place I can trust to do the work for me without buying their brand (I can do some, but not the heavy work anymore). I'm not too dissapointed the 267 went, I didn't like the engine that much and some of the emissions equip. was already missing. I don't want anything "cheap", the Elky is in too good of shape, just economical to buy and install. I thought of a performance crate engine, but I don't want to get into the expense of a new tranny & rear end to handle the power right now.
Thanks again,
Tony

if you dont want to replace the tranny and or rear end, then go with a a 305 or 327, any thing bigger will kill your THM250 in a week.

i would just go with a 305..not to many 302 motors around..atleast from my searches..the 305 gets knocked..but i like it..it was my first choice before i came across my 400...you can get good gas mileage from it and have alteast some decent power..that and reliability

That's about what I thought. I know I'd destroy the tranny in short time. A few of my father-in laws friends are recommending the GM 350 HO Deluxe crate engine and want to help, but unless they know where I can get a deal on a tranny and labor, it's definately more than I should spend at this time. They're going to get back to me with some more info. They have installed a few of these set-ups in street rods and highy recommend it as their engine of choice.

Thanks and wish me luck!

Good luck Tony!

I'm worried about the same thing.

I have the 350 from the camaro getting ready to put into the 84.

Now I'm thinkin' I may fry the TH250 as well?

If I have to replace the 250...can I use a TH350 and leave the rear end as is or will that fail also?

Man, thought I had figured a way to save a few bucks bit it never happens. :?

Jeff

Good luck Tony!

I'm worried about the same thing.

I have the 350 from the camaro getting ready to put into the 84.

Now I'm thinkin' I may fry the TH250 as well?

If I have to replace the 250...can I use a TH350 and leave the rear end as is or will that fail also?

Man, thought I had figured a way to save a few bucks bit it never happens. :?

Jeff

The camaro 350 will drop right in I did the same swap and go with the th350 or a 700r4..If you are on a budget then your rear end should be fine

Good info. Thanks.
I have to drive the Elky in the snow (when I can't talk the wife into taking her Monte). My other car is an '02 Vette, but I drive it in the winter unless there is snow on the road. That's why I can't spend a fortune making too many changes all at once. Jeff, keep me posted on how things work out. Good Luck!

GM doesnt even sell the thm250 anymore. if you look one up it will call for a thm350 as a replacement 12498180 $862.81 and it is not a question of IF your are gonna fry your 250, it is how many DAYS do i have... and depending on the condition of your rear end, you may want to update it also.

Update on my 81 Elky. Right now it looks like I may go with the 330/350 HO Deluxe crate motor from GM performance (someone my father-in-law works with has taken an EXTREME interest in helping with this project...and gets factory discounts on some of the parts including the engine!). I have a TH350 and the shop he wants me to go to will check it out, and steam clean and touch up the engine compartment, etc. before installing the engine. His street rods are done by this shop and he has a great rapor with them. Sounds too good to be true, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed, so far he's been feeding me all the info he's been tracking down through my father-in law but I should be meeting him later this week.
Wish me luck!

PS: this Elky won't be raced or abused, I just like driving it and showing it off on cruise nights.....If I want to race, I'll drive the Vette.

THM350 was the most produced automatic transmission in the world, they are more common than ticks on a coon hound. Go to any transmission shop and they can probably set you up for a lot less than $862 or go to a wrecking yard and get one for $25-$50 and rebuild it yourself for less than $100.

Go to any transmission shop and they can probably set you up for a lot less than $862 or go to a wrecking yard and get one for $25-$50 and rebuild it yourself for less than $100.

862 is for a GM re-built one. if it is cheap chances are it was done cheaply. i personally trust GM to do a first rate job at re-building one seeing as how they scrap everythinig but the case almost.

Normally I would be right with you Motorbreth but I wouldn't give anyone $860.00 for a rebuilt TH350, not even GM. A quality rebuilt TH350 at almost any auto trans shop around the country is a good choice for less money. Personally I wouldn't bother with the TH350, I'd step up to a TH200R4 or TH700R4.

:lol: :lol: but the THM350 is a step up for me!!! and i will have to get one real soon. my 350 4 bolt main (soon to be powering my 82) will murder the 250. and i dont really want to experience the feeling of a tranny snapping in two underneath me on the open road.

Get yourself a 327 !!! (http://www.rebuilt-auto-engines.com/cgi-bin/webc.cgi/st_prod.html?p_prodid=230&p_catid=&sid=1AlF2z0-9HgC0e6-56104263565.45) :D with a 700r4 transmission. Then regear the rear end to 3.73's and you have a very nice streetable machine that very fun to drive.

i would just get a 350 tranny from the junkyard and rebuild it...or a 700r4 and just rebuild it..its a lot cheaper..and you can pretty much set it up the way you want it..just my opinion

hey how hard is it to swap in 3 73 gears..people keep tellin me to get a 9 inch ford rear end..but i really dont want to go that route

I think 327s are amongst the best small block Chevy engines and are great high reving engines in light weight manual shift cars but the heavier El Camino with an auto trans needs the greater torque at lower engine speeds. Besides a 350 is less expensive.