Just because something is possible, doesn't mean you should attempt it....

I get people asking me all the time about wild combinations they read about in the buff magazines. Some are feasible, some are not. What kills me is the "Catch 22" of it. The people who are interested in these projects are not professional mechanics by trade, and have very little knowledge of cars in general. A professional mechanic would know not to attempt such a difficult endeavor. Here's an example. Some guy had read an article where a guy used a 350 Olds Diesel block ( they are much beefier than the gas models ) with a custom crank, Buick rods, custom pistons, etc that was bored and stroked to 440 inches. It also used 455 Olds heads, a custom ported Edelbrock RPM intake, a small-block Chevy type valvetrain etc. He wanted to know how much trouble it would be to duplicate this effort. More than it would be worth in both time and dollars I said. First off-if you want a big-inch Olds engine just buy a 425 or 455. They were used in virtually every model from 1965-76 and there is great aftermarket support. Secondly, rather than stroke out a 350-you could buy a 400-that was used from 1965-69, or you could use a 403. Even though they were only used from 1977-79-there are millions of them in Buick Rivieras, Park Avenues, and Electras, Olds 88s and 98s, Cutlasses and big BOP wagons, as well as Pontiac Bonnevilles and Catalinas, and Trans-Am and Formula Firebirds. Whether you hopped up a 403-which anything that fits a 350 Olds fits a 403-Edelbrock claims 397 hp on the 350 Performer RPM package-53 more cubes would definitely put you well over 400 hp, or the "old-school" 400-425-455-either one would be much cheaper and easier to build, and probably make as much or more power than a stroked out 350 diesel with a bunch of custom, expensive, one-off parts. Something isn't cooler just because it's hard to do. It's possible to put a 460 into a Fox Mustang, but why? I know guys that are running 10s and 11s with 302s or 347s ( 302 with a stroker crank ). Is a 460 swap going to go faster than that? Probably not, and we know it's going to cost way more, and be a ton of hassle to do. So why do it?  I touched on these before-but here's two more examples of people wanting to take the path of MOST resistance. The one guy was thinking of buying his neighbor's pristine, low-mileage '89 Mustang. It was a 4-banger model. He asked about swapping in a 302. I told him to just go buy a "5.0" Mustang. Their plentiful. Swapping a V8 into a 4-cylinder model would be a nightmare. The number of parts you'd have to chase down is staggering. Again-it's just easier-go buy a Mustang that has a 302 in it from the factory. I have seen rough-but-running examples as low as $1,200 and anything over $2,500 is usually pretty nice. Then he asks about turbocharging the 4-cylinder. Same deal-I told him to find an '84-86 SVO Mustang. These had Recaro seats,4-wheel disc brakes, upgraded suspension,50-series tires on 16" wheels and a Turbocharged 2.3 liter 4-cylinder engine with between 175 and 205 hp depending on years. Trying to turbo a stock 2.3 with aftermarket parts would be major-league expensive and probably wouldn't be as fast or reliable as a warmed-over "5.0".  The other guy had a '79 Trans-Am with a 403 Olds / TH350 powertrain. He asked how much trouble it would be to convert it to a 4-speed. Too much. I said. I recommended he sell the car and look for another 70's-era T/A or Formula Firebird with the 400 Pontiac / 4-speed combo from the factory. "No, really?" he asked. "No, really." I answered. Besides chasing down the clutch linkage and all the pedals, the shift linkage, the crossmember,the transmission, and the bellhousing, the main problem is GM never offered the 403 in any GM car with a manual transmission. Where is he going to get a flywheel? No one offers an aftermarket manual-trans flywheel for a 403!!  He could probably use a 350 Olds flywheel, but GM hasn't built a car with a 350 Olds engine and a manual transmission since 1974!!  Where are you going to find a usable, 45 year old flywheel?  I had a similar conversation with a guy who had an L98 350 / TH700R4 IROC-Z.  His buddy had an LB9 305 / 5-speed Z / 28. The IROC was faster in a drag race but the stick Z/28 was more fun to drive. He asked what it would take to convert the IROC to a 5-speed. I told him just sell the car and use the money to buy a nice LB9 or L69 / 5-speed Z/28 or T/A / Formula Firebird. I said putting an Edelbrock Performer Intake and matching cam on the carburated L69 would bring the hp up to or beyond the L98's.  For an LB9 model I suggested a 160 thermostat and a fan switch that turned the fan on at 185 instead of 220 would help immensely. I also suggested a larger throttle body, and Edelbrock's ported baseplate and TPI runners. These mods would bump the LB9's power level from 215 hp past the L98's 240 easily.  Yes the parts are readily available to do the change-over in junkyards or the aftermarket-but honestly-do you really want to chase down the trans, the bellhousing, the flywheel, the clutch, the linkage, the pedals, the shift linkage, cut a hole in the floor for the shifter, adapt a new neutral safety switch, etc, etc?  Wouldn't it be easier to just buy a car with a 5-speed already in it? Like I said minor, relatively inexpensive upgrades would bump the 305's power up to the 350's level.  In fact-if he just "HAD" to have a 350 / 5-speed combo-swapping a 350 for a 305 is an absolute bolt-in. Certainly a lot easier than swapping a TH700R4 for a T5!!   A couple of "G" body owners didn't like my suggestions either. One had an '84 Buick Regal. He wanted to swap in a 455 Buick. It's possible-I said. But since his car was powered by a 307 Olds V8, I said a 403 Olds would be a bolt-in swap. The nearly 100 extra cubes would certainly be an instant power and torque infusion, and that's if the 403 was bone-stock. If he used some headers and an Edelbrock intake and matching cam, he'd have a combo that would really rip on the street. The last 455 Buick rolled off the assembly line in 1976-43 years ago. Even if you find a running or rebuildable one-you have to chase all the tin and the brackets to mount the alternator, power steering pump, etc. The 403 would be so much easier and cheaper, and probably just as quick. The 2nd guy had an '85 Pontiac Gran Prix and wanted to convert it back to "real" Pontiac power. Since it had a 305 Chevy under the hood-the easiest path to big power would be to bolt in a 350 or 383 Chevy. Besides chasing down a 400 Pontiac-which have been out of production since 1977-and all the brackets,accesories, etc-since Chevy engines have a different bellhousing bolt-pattern than BOP engines, you'd also need a new transmission. And is a 400 Pontiac going to run any stronger than a well-built 350 or 383 Chevy?  No. The cost vs gain just doesn't add up. So think carefully before you take on some "easy" project. Yes manned space flight is possible-but it isn't cheap or easy!  Mastermind