v6 to v8 just wondering

ok this is just so i can find out how much cash is needed... how much would it cost to make a 89 V6 Camaro into a V8? im talking about buying everything from another stock v8 not like a brand new crate engine or whatever...everything though engine, exhaust, transmission if needed,well you get my question, Thanx

To my knowledge, all you would need would be, motor, mounts, tranny, probably driveshaft(not sure of the camaro's tranny difference from 6 to 8), rearend, front suspension parts(stronger springs may be all you need, not sure). If the trannies are significantly different, then you may need to do some clutch(if manual) changes. This would be fairly simple if you are automotively inclined, and have a V8 parts car sitting right next to the sixer. I can't think of anything, but will post if I do. Good luck, sounds like a good project.

Edit: Sorry, I just realized that you were asking about the cost of the project, and I didn't answer that at all :screwy: . I am not up on what 3rd generation V8 F-bodies are going for, but whatever it is, expect a significantly less amount for a parts car with just good working mechanicals. I am going to guess around 1000??? Sorry if this is totally off, but that is just my guess for a wrecked, but salvageable car. Now you have to take into account the reconditioning of some of these parts which could add up if you don't shop around :nono: . I will make an extremely rough guesstimation of about $3000 total? These other guys can probably help you more than I can on that.

i was looking at a local classeffied magazine and they have some cheap V8 camaros i hope it says that way so i can buy me a parts car, this isnt really a project i dont plan on doing it anytime soon i just wanted to know the price i can save up and do it probably till the summer though thanx for your help i hope other people post up some more help to

heh, i already researched all this with alot of the various mechanics i know. one thing you'll definately have fun with is the computer. now i have a 2000 camaro, so that'd be more of a problem for me, but still. the thing is, the transmission switch needs to be replaced (the switch that only lets you start the car in neutral or park) with one for a manual (so you can only start it when the clutch is all the way in, otherwise, you'll start the car and run through your garage b4 you know what happened). basically you;'ll have to replace the computer (i dont know if its fuel injected or not, but you could always say to hell with the computer and go carb. but you'll lose everything the comp offers, like ABS if your car has it) a v-6 computer wont work with a v-8 engine obviously, so if you opt for the computer, you'll need to find one that'll take a v-8. prior to 94? the computers just dealt with the engine, so im pretty sure whatever tranny you'd want to put in would be fine as long as it matches with the engine mechanically. oh yeah! dont forget a new torque box and the linkage between that and the axle. (its on either side of the rear axle, just in front of each wheel, basically a bar linking the axle to the chassis, to transmit the force from the wheels) i've heard horror stories about replacing those tho, so i'd check into that. hmm... what else.... radiator maybe? sway bar up front maybe cuz of the extra weight... oh, if you wanna go manual, you'll have to find space for everything that goes with it too. dont forget, you;ll have tocut a hole for the clutch pedal and linkage, and redo your center console for the shifter. and you'll need space for the clutch reservoir too. i cant think of anything else. basically, its a HUGE effing job. if you need your car to get around in, i wouldnt do it unless you know EXACTLY what your doing. i have no clue how much any of this stuff costs, but if you're gonna go through all the trouble of doing all this, i'd at LEAST get a reletively new engine. crate engines can cost somewhere around 2 grand a pop. and thats not even necessarily fully assembled. like i said, if this is a second car and you feel gutsy, then go ahead, but if you need it, dont try it, cuz with something as complicated as a v-8 swap, you;ll need ALOT of time to waste with it. not to mention time for troubleshooting.

im talking about buying everything from another stock v8 not like a brand new crate engine or whatever...everything though engine, exhaust, transmission if needed

oh yeah. forgot, you'll definately need new exaust manifolds. transmission is a given too; the stock for a v-6 wont handle v-8 power for very long. really man, the costs for all this varies TREMENDOUSLY depending on how thorough a job you wanna do. you could say rather than change the exhaust manifold, you'll do chrome headers instead and just replace the rest of the exhaust. same with the engine. you could buy a used engine with 70,000 miles on it or buy a crate for like 5 times the cost. its all about how much power you want out of it. you could go all out stripper, and buy wheely bars and slicks and all the crazy expensive performance parts that go into that. you could go stock or performance tranny. with the myriad of parts you'd have to replace, that extra 50 or 100 bucks here and there is gonna add up, so theres gonna be no clear cut bottom line for how much you'll spend. oh yeah, and where you buy it from is gonna matter big too... see what i mean.

Yeah I gotcha, thanx man you really laid it all down lol, this sound like a lot of work maybe too much work and like you said a lot of time and troubleshooting, i was thinking about making this a summer project but obviously it will take a lot more than that and the money, thats all too much.....so i was thinking, what if instead of making it a project to turn the v6 into a v8 i just get a beat up v8 that i will not need to drive, and just fix that up. ive seen many camaros and mustangs that are just sitting there and they sell them for like 800 bucks what do you think should i just go for one of those when i can?

The only reason I would change over the V6 to a V8 is because of insurance (which doesn't happen to help all the time, some companies count a Camaro as a Camaro, V8 or V6), or if you've got some personal reason to keep your car. I wish dad would have kept his first car, because it would be awesome, but he wrecked it, then he sold his second one. They were both Chevelle SS's. I'm sad now that I think about it.

well, theres alot that you can get outta a v-8 swap other than insurance. i mean, i dont wanna scare you outta the job cuz theres gonna be a big sense of pride when you first start your car up again after teh whole things done. and then revving it down the road way faster than you'd ever thought you'd get outta that car. plus its a great way to become a better mechanic. you'd get so much experiance, and you'd know your car basically inside out. i just wanted you to know what you would be gitting yourself into so you wouldnt get halfway into it and be like WOAH this sux! im going to do it to my car later on, but that wont be till the engine poops out. i mean, im just saying its a big job, so dont count on getting it done in two days. i mean when i do it, its gonna be one of those two year deals, cuz im just gonna make that thing rock with all perfomance parts when im done. as far as buying a wrecker? eh, usually anything for that low a cost you'll be replacing alot more than the engine. plus its probably rusted out, and lord knows what else is wrong with it. i wouldnt do it, but again, depends on how far oyu wanna go with it. if your just doing the engine, id say its a bad idea, but if your gonna go full monty, then maybe it wont be so bad. anywho, its all up to you in the end man. good luck!