ok, some back-ground info on myself, usually a Ford guy (check the sig) but i also have an '86 El Camino, that is my daily driver, it's a great car/truck/whatever you want to call it that gets me where i need to go and doesn't give me very many problems (this is good because it lets me work on my Mustang), now, on to the story:

a friend and i went to pick up his new old car ('71 'vette) this past weekend it's gonna be a nice lil project car which i will be helping him work on, it has a 350 in it that he does not want (he's looking for a 383 stroker, with the possibility of going turbo) and five minutes ago, he turned to me and said "well Fountain, i'll give it to you for 400 bucks"
to which i said:
"huh...?" because i had not been paying attention to the conversation around me, once i was filled in, i got to thinking:
$400 - 350ci engine which most of my V6 parts (such as the alternator, water-pump, etc.) should swap out on if i'm not mistaken because the basic block is the same for both engines, the V6 is just missing two cylinders, right?
$X - exhaust (or will i? will the V6 duals fit a 350?)
$Y - possible new rear-end because the one in there is making "funny noises" that i have yet to check into
i'm also planning on finding a good OD tranny to put in it sometime (what are some good OD trannys? remember, mainly a Ford guy, but willing to look around...)

but, the best thing about the El is that it has no problems, so i don't have to spend very much money on it (which is good because i'm also rebuilding a '67 mustang), so i'm hesitant to go ahead and spend the money on the engine as well as all the other stuff associated with it, and the problems that i might have with it

so, my questions are:
what would i definetly have to do to convert the V6 to the 8?
will my V6 stuff inter-change?
what other mods would i need to do to get this swap running?
how can i convince my mom that she needs a V8? (the title is in her name, and she thinks she's only "loaning" me the car, hehe)

oh yeah, the PO had all the stuff for a twin-turbo set-up, just didn't have a way to get the turbos oiled, so he never installed it

anyone got any thoughts? suggestions?
thanks

It's not going to be as easy a swap as you might think, but you don't need to be a rocket scientist either. There are many people here that are willing to help you! 1. Your V6 is fuel injected, your 350 I'm quite sure was carburated, the V6 fuel injection system will not work with the 350 you will need to decide which way you want to go, it will require the correct wiring harness and computer out of a donor car just for beginners, depending on what you decide fuel injection (type) or carburated. 2. If the car has already been converted to dual exhaust, good, that means you either have a modified or aftermaket transmission crossmember. Of course the exhaust manifolds will not interchange. 3. If you need to rebuild or swap out the 7.5" rearend, parts are readily available. This is just to begin with, when you decide what type of fuel system you want to go with then someone here will help you out! Don't let this discourage you, go for it, as long as you can convince mom she needs that tuned port fuel injected 350.

oh yeah.... i forgot that originally this thing was fuel injected...
right now it's got a edelbrock carb and intake on it that the PO (my uncle) installed, that thing really hauls...
if i do go with the 350, at first, it will be carbed, i'm all for the fuel injection and the reliability/performance it gives, but that costs big money, money i'd rather spend on the mustang
how about the price? i've been told that $400 is a lil much, and that if i look i should be able to find a good running engine for about $250-300 (i know i bought the 351W for my mustang for $250)

how about the OD tranny? i'm looking for an automatic, and like i said earlier, i plead ignorance about pretty much all parts chevy (at least for now, i'm changing that) what is a good one to grab?

hmmm, also, are there any good websites that you use for resources?

thanks for the answers!

$400 bucks for a good running engine is not a bad price at all if it doesn't need to be rebuilt...$200-$250 for one that needs a rebuild isn't that bad either. Kinda depends alot on where you live also (supply and demand). Somebody who lives near a big city will wind up paying more then say someone in a rural area. I am familiar with your area having been stationed at Patuxent River NAWC a few years back, and for being as close to D.C. that you are, I don't think $400 is too much for a good running 350 especially if it's a 4 bolt main block. I won't recommend a particular type of transmission for you, now, that would depend what your plans are for the car, ie do you plan on doing alot of highway driving where gas mileage is a concern, will you be using it for towing, or are you looking to make it a "blow the doors off a 67 Mustang" street performer? I have a 350 THD in mine right now and I'm happy with it, but I also have a Borg Warner Super T-10 with all the parts I need to convert it to a manual trans when I drop the new motor in. Let us know a little more about what your plans/use are for your Elky and I know there are many here that will guide you in the right transmission choice for that purpose. There are a lot of very knowledgeable members here! PS nothing personal but if it were me, I send the old Mustang to the glue factory and put my money in the Elky, just kidding! 8)

If all you're doing is swapping engines and transmissions. It is not going to be real difficult. I'd say no more than if it were the other car manufacturer.

700R4 or a 200 series over drives will work. For a "Good Running" replacement that you don't have to rebuild I'd say will run you more than 400 most of the time if it has any real pony power. If it is just a stock 350 around 400 or maybe a little less. It depends on the block. New design 350 capable of roller cam and one piece rear seal and 4 bolt main will be more expensive than the old design 2 piece rear main or 2 bolt.

With the transmission swap will more than likely come a Drive shaft swap also. The 700R4 is longer than the 350 Turbo that is possibly in it. Mount point for the cross member is something like 5" further back and the drive shaft is 3" shorter than the 350's drive shaft. I think that the 200 series is the same length as the Turbo 350 but the mount point to the cross member is still different a little.

The way the truck is at the front cross member will allow either a V8 or a 6 and even a Big Block should you go that direction. Starter from the 6 probably will not work or the Water Pump. Most of the rest should bolt on alright. I'd suggest changing the Radiator. I think that the one for the 6 is just a tad smaller in capacity than the ones for the V8. AutoZone sells them for about 95 bucks 3 row all metal, not plastic. The transmission cooling lines will possibly need to be taken from the donor car. The speedometer will more than likely be off some once you've finished the swap. The fix for that, should that happen is to recalculate the correct Drive and Driven gears in the transmission and get the correct ones from a GM dealer or transmission shop.

Just put that Stang in the Garage and fix up the Elky. Work on the Stang in 2005 until then build the Elky. You'll feel much better about it. Or I will. :D

well, for plans for what i'm going to be doing with it... first i have to get that last question settled, and convince my mom that either she's going to sell me the car, or make sure she's going to keep it, because if i get my mustang, and i give her back the El, if she just sells it after i've gone through the hassle of installing a new power-plant and drive-train, well, i'll be more than a lil tweaked...
but, if i was given the car, daily-driver is the main thing, i'm actually quite happy with everything about the car right now except for three main things, one is i don't like the current exhaust, too quiet, another is how easily the rear-end will break loose and slide around (mixed in with that is how much body-roll it has) and the last goes back to that tranny, i want an OD for the hightway driving i do (and being just outside of DC, i do a good amount of it), and, if i need to tow a car, then that would be cool too, i could have used it this past weekend when me and my friend went to pick up the 'vette, instead i called AAA and got a bunch of BS, but finally they sent a tow-truck, i would have loved to just haul a trailer up there, load the 'vette up, and then head off, but instead i had to put up with those idiots
the only real reason i brought up the fact of tossing in a new motor is because i found this link (http://www.chevyasylum.com/elky/faq.html), and besides no matter if it is a Ford, or a Chevy, i'm a gear-head, and more power is always good, right?

and ya know, if i did put my Mustang up for a while, i could save up a whole bunch of money, and then just get everything i want done to her...
but i doubt i'm gonna do that, i'll just do both at the same time...