newby with 92 rs conversion question

well, I'm new to this forum and fairly new to moding cars. I have done some mechanical work for myself but I've never changed anything from stock so I need help.
I bought a 92 rs with a 3.1 in it and I want to change to a 350. I'm not sure what all needs to be done. I know that I need the new motor mounts for the 350 and I know that the ac needs to be moved, and the brake lines re-routed but what else do I have to change. I want to start looking at prices but I don't know what all I have to buy. Someone told me that my tranny will work with the 350 too but I don't know whether to believe that or not. I was kinda hoping I could do a few things here and there to prepare the car for a 350 while still leaving it drivalble but I don't even know if that is possible. any comments would be appreciated.

hmm... that's interesting. I am doing V6 to 350 swap as soon as I finish building it and I'm not aware of have to move the AC or brake lines. my mechanic says AC can stay and is perfectly fine. The V8s come with the same equipment (AC/brake lines) in the same location so I'm sure that would be fine. If not, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. You'll need the V8 transmission, because it has 2 additional clutches. A guy on here who said he did the swap, said that the tranny won't bolt up cause the bell housing has a different bolt pattern. I would start shopping junkyards for the V8 tranny. check out www.transmissionhead.com for parts to beef it up, like the corvette servo. Well worth the investment. hope your RS has posi-trac. if you leave only one mark on the ground when you do a burnout the you don't have it. I would check junkyards for posi-trac rear end. it may not be necessary but it will be a lot better for gettin the power to the ground anyway. theres not much you can do to the car in preparation, just plan out all your stuff on paper first. Parts, procedure, etc. That way it takes less time, and you won't have unexpected hold-ups.

not very mechanical, never done any mods, dont know all the details of the job, and want to swap a 3.1 for a 350. mix well, bake at 350, let cool, serves 6 and destroys marriges. :evillol:

my advice, and im not trying to be mean, but you simply dont sound like you have the experience to be tackeling this project. i strongly reccomend if you want a 350. sell your current ride, and buy one already so equipped. then sharpen your teeth on easier projects, brake upgrads, exhaust work. that kinda stuff. when dealing with engine swaps there is alot of mechanical, but also alot of electrical work that needs to be done. and you ahve to know exactly what youre doing. again, not trying to be mean, just trying to be honest.

like I said, I've done some mechanical work for myself, never done mods, gotta start somewhere. I appreciate your suggestion and I realize you know what you are talking about but I'll prob still change it. It may take me some time but I can do it. My question though was what all has to be changed? I know that I have to change the tranny now, I wanted to know if I have to change my rear end, do I need better breaks to handle the extra weight/speed, do I have to get the rack and pinion for the iroc or can I keep what i have. Do I need to replace the springs to support the extra weight of a 350 or is the 3.1 heavy enough that I'll be alright. that's more like what I was looking for, I know that you don't have all the time in the world to sit and hold people's hands and walk them through every mod but I just need some advice on what absolutely has to change to support a 350 in my rs. Again I greatly appreciate your feedback and I hope to gain from your expertise but the question is, if you only offer tech advise to experienced mechanics who have 8 cars and mod in their garage 365 days a year then where can I go to get a little help as a beginner?

I'm a relatively experienced home-mechanic. I've done simple things, to more involved things like replacing internal engine parts. But I don't pretend to know everything about everything. This will be my first engine swap. And as far as I know, The 8 cylinder third gens come with all the exact same equipment that the V6 does, with the exepctions being the tranny, engine and rear-end. Replacing the rear end is optional, but would be a good idea if you are planning on getting a serious increase of power out of the V8 (350-500hp). I think you'll have to get different springs. Parts stores differentiate between springs for V8 camaros and V6s. I'm planning on dropping the ride height anyway, with Drop Zone or Eibach springs (from eBay). Your brakes will be fine. I plan on replacing the rotors and getting steel-braided brake lines, and I'm only replacing the rotors because the have cracks in them. I thought about slotted rotors, but apparently they have problems with cracking, unless you get really good (/expensive) ones. Everything else that hasn't been mentioned should be fine with the factory setup, unless, like I said, you plan on making some serious power out of the 350.

I think im gonna havto go with 89IROC this time..
but because you asked i'll offer my opinion
What do you plan on getting this 350 out of? Are you going carb'd? Or fuel injection??
If you want a fuel injected engine (by FAR the best choice but much more complicated install) Your gonna haveto change the computers, sensors and all associated harnesses and wiring that go with the engine.. It'd also make things a little bit easier if you got a tranny/engine combo...

Your rear end, stearing, brakes and suspension should all work.. But it wont work as well with the added weight and power.. reliability will definatly be reduced..
Motor mounts will havto be changed, tranny mounts should be the same.. and I think that you've gotta change the fuel pump too, but im not sure on that

A lot of the work depends on what your engine and tranny come out of.. there are also 1000 little things you'l run into that can be a PITA.. Your speedo and gauge calibration, you'l need new exhaust (or atleast a new Y-pipe)

If your going to tackle the project, I strongly suggest finding an entire wrecked donor car.. like 88-92 IROC or Z28.. A lot of times you can pick them up for the same price as an engine tranny combo.. and that way you Know you have just about everything required

I think I'm going to go carb on this one. I know that it would be better to get tpi but I have no experience with injected engines. I guess it will make it an easier swap and it won't cost as much if I go carb.

osucordell, i feel i owe you an apology, i sometimes try to make a funny comment to lighten the mood and i guess i came off as a prick, i assure you, my advice is not just for experienced mechanics, and as it so happens, i do have all day to help you cuz i just got home from surgery and have nothing else to do ;) that being said, my advice still stands, as even though you have to learn somehow, there are certain things you normaly would want to work up to, rather than getting in to far to fast. which i fear may be the cause, however, if you feel that you still want to go forward with this, i am more than happy to help as much as i can. My general knowledge may be pretty good but i do have to confess ive never done the 6 to 8 swap, so i cant really offer much help on details. as im a little bit groggy this morning, (day after surgery, still a little dizzy) im not gonna try and offer to much help, but when my head clears, il be sure to come back and post something a bit more informative.

you don't owe me an apology, I respect your advice because based on previous posts I've read you have a vast knowledge of this field. I understand your position, I just want to do it. I feel as though I'll be able to do it given enough time and persistence. I appreciate everyones help.

I think I've figured it out. I found a brand new carbed 350 for a reasonable price and i'm going to put in a rebuilt turbo 350 tranny. I think all I got left to look for is a set of springs that I'll prob get salvage and the throttle linkage. Also, I guess I need a new coil and stuff since I'm going from 6 to 8. I'm not too far off though..........

The best of luck to you on your project!

If this is gonna be a daily driver, or something you'l be driving a lot of distance in, I dont recommend the turbo 350.. They are a kick ass tranny and theyl hold a lot of power but i'de opt for something with Overdrive..

if you get a tranny w/ overdrive you can definately keep from losing gas mileage. turbo 350's are great for drag, but not highway driving, i would say to go for a 700r4, or maybe put overdrive on a turbo 350, maybe even put overdrive on a turbo 400...

yea, that's a good point, I think perhaps I should get one with overdrive so I don't spend so much money on gas.....

oh yea, the reason I decided to go with the turbo 350 is because I was going with the carbed motor and so I was getting ric of the electric controled tranny since I won't be using the computer any more.....does that make sense or am I retarded?

They didnt start using electronic tranny's til the 4L60E and 4L80E (93+) You should be able to get a 700R4 in with little problem

Oh, and if you decide to go with the 700R4 or the 4L60 transmission, When your gettin a carb, make sure you get the proper TV cable attachment bracket for the carb!
The TV cable is the Throttle valve cable that connects from the transmission the throttlebody (or in your case, carburator) and tells the tranny when to shift..

yea... 700R4 is all mechanical. Overdrive is definately a big plus. My car gets a lot of highway miles. And I get about 225-300 miles per tank on the highway. If I'm on the highway and I take it out of overdrive I would be doing abot 4500rpms at 75mph. That would kill the gas mileage! Hello money pit. I'm stickin with 700R4.

osucordell since we both are doing similar projects, we should share info. I just took my block to the machine shop today to get it cleaned, checked, ARP main/connecting rod bolts, and new piston rings and bearings.

Here's some picts of when I bought the engine and some hours later.
http://www.missouri.edu/~klm217/whole.jpg
http://www.missouri.edu/~klm217/chopped.jpg
http://www.missouri.edu/~klm217/trash.jpg

alright thanks, I'll check into that, i think that will probably work out better for me in the long run.