the dark side

[kevbo]

i'm battling the issue of swapping out the 230 for a 350. i would really like to keep the truck original but after digging in to it a lil further i found out that the cam and 3 of the rockers are shot.then as i am changing all the fluids i discover that the trans has a lil lube and a lot of water . whats up with that ?anyway . i have an old chebby 4x4 and what i think are the parts and knowledge . so thus the delema that i am in . so should i make the switch to the "dark side" and put the 350 and auto and i what i would say is an all original 1968 m715 or just say to hell with it fix what i've got ? HELP ME !!! sorry for the rant i hate typing. talk to me people

[Ronner]

Switch.
The 350 swap involves no cutting and you can even get away without bashing the firewall if you run an electric fan on the front (don't quote me on this, I'm a Ford man). I will tell you that I dropped a 460/C6 combo in without having to bash any sheet metal Yes, Fords are the best! lol (Flame on)
What I am saying is that if you do this you have a fun truck that you will actually drive - then in the future if you want a restoration you can just swap back. Will also give you time to come up with a replacement 230/T98 combo to put back some day - or if you are bored & have too much money you could rehabilitate your original combo

[brute4c]

Read this thread and you will get lots of answers:

major swap difficulty in Saudi Arabia

[kwai]

350 swap is easy and you don't have to run an electric fan. regular fan will work.

As for the water in the tranny, if the truck sat outside without a top, the rain runs down the shifter and past the boot and into the tranny. Normally the boot should have a hose clamp around the shifter to prevent this.

[Tomahawk715]

I put a SBC in mine using the stock engine mounting points with modified engine mounts. The SBC did not hit the radiator --although I did end up putting in a electric fan to gain some HP and not have to deal with a shroud setup.

I used a sm420 trans and ended up having to make a driveshaft--I stuck with the stock transfer case. Basically built everything off the motor location.

I did have to "bump" out the area of the firewall behind distributor--it was a tight fit and seemed too close for me to leave it as it was. It was a softball sized area that I bumped back about 1/2 inch. If you didnt know it wasnt supposed to be like that you wouldnt know.

[kevbo]

yep i was kinda hoping it would go this way . only bad part is that it ..............wait a minute there really is no bad part. thaks for the info and responce . oh and the link to the spicer plates. looks like it is going to be a dirty sunday for me.

[kwai]

I have 2 350's installed and neither required firewall clearancing and both have clearance for mechanical fan. You may have to make an adjustment in the rear transmission mount to compensate though (angle iron and a welder).

[wrecker]

I might suggest doing away with the stock transfer case and using all the chevy parts since you have a donor truck. I had to fab up a crossmember for the married SM465/NP205 I used, but I'm way happier with it. I suspect you have either a NP208 or fulltime NP203 behind your automatic. I'm not sure about the strengths of either of those compared to the 205. Something else to think about.

[kwai]

My 350/th400 truck mates up to the np200 really nice. I really like the auto tranny but next truck will have an od tranny. Next mod is to replace the np200 with the 205 as the 200 is really loud and smells like gear oil above 60 mph.

[kevbo]

ok everything is out. i.e eng. trans , transfer . it looks like a plucked chicken. so let the games begin. is there a market for this drivetrain and and engine and if so what would be a "fair" price to ask for it. i'm not trying to make any profit just enough to buy the parts i need for the tranfusion.