​​​​​​​Anyone here with experience in engine swaps and crate motors.....

[1bad65]

I'm considering buying a classic car, but doing an engine/drivetrain swap to a modern setup. If I go this route, I will be having it done by a speed/resto shop, not in my own garage.

I'd like to hear from anyone with experience or knowledge in this area; like what to watch for, avoid, be wary of, etc.

[New England]

i feel like the wealth of response is an indication of how well liked you are on the forum.


chug the antifreeze

[VegasMichael]

Those things are something your installer needs to be wary of. Just make sure the people that do it have done lots of them. There's a lot of unreputable shops around. Are you going carburetion or fuel injection? Who are you buying the engine from?

[1bad65]

Those things are something your installer needs to be wary of. Just make sure the people that do it have done lots of them. There's a lot of unreputable shops around. Are you going carburetion or fuel injection? Who are you buying the engine from?

First off, thanks for the reply.


I know I have to go to a shop with the skills, I'm more worried about inflated/fake costs. These things can get very expensive, and I've never done one.

As to the motor, it will be fuel injected. I'll likely go with the Chevy 6.2L (found in Camaros) or the Ford Coyote 5.0 (found in Mustangs). I'll purchase the motor directly from GM/Ford and have it shipped to the shop.

And when I say classic car, it'll likely be a 3rd Gen Camaro or Mustang (late 80s-early 90s).

In Texas, anything over 25 years old is classified a classic car. One huge advantage is that classic cars are not required to pass emissions testing. The engine I go with will be heavily modified; forced induction, cams, full racing exhaust, etc.

[Shadoww702]

i feel like the wealth of response is an indication of how well liked you are on the forum.


chug the antifreeze

Or maybe they need more info. Or don't have the experience

[ThomasParson]

Maybe someone will advise me on this matter I have a bit of experience in this area!

[VegasMichael]

First off, thanks for the reply.


I know I have to go to a shop with the skills, I'm more worried about inflated/fake costs. These things can get very expensive, and I've never done one.

As to the motor, it will be fuel injected. I'll likely go with the Chevy 6.2L (found in Camaros) or the Ford Coyote 5.0 (found in Mustangs). I'll purchase the motor directly from GM/Ford and have it shipped to the shop.

And when I say classic car, it'll likely be a 3rd Gen Camaro or Mustang (late 80s-early 90s).

In Texas, anything over 25 years old is classified a classic car. One huge advantage is that classic cars are not required to pass emissions testing. The engine I go with will be heavily modified; forced induction, cams, full racing exhaust, etc.

Turbo or supercharger? You're going to have to get it dynotuned as well, unless you want to datalog and do a remote tune. There will be additional costs associated with adding a power adder. When I upgraded the supercharger in my GT500 to a 2.9 Whipple I had to swap out the original balancer as it was not designed to handle the extra 175 horsepower. I also put in a one piece driveshaft and safety loop among other things.

[Beercules]

Damn good stuff. Post pictures when its done.


What motor are you leaning towards ?

[1bad65]

Turbo or supercharger? You're going to have to get it dynotuned as well, unless you want to datalog and do a remote tune. There will be additional costs associated with adding a power adder. When I upgraded the supercharger in my GT500 to a 2.9 Whipple I had to swap out the original balancer as it was not designed to handle the extra 175 horsepower. I also put in a one piece driveshaft and safety loop among other things.

Supercharger, and that's with whichever engine I go with. Tuned turbo setups always seem to need work, and I just don't trust or like Nitrous.

I know I'll get a dynotune on it. My current toy, which is more mildly modded than this project would be, is dynotuned.

As to the issue you had, that's exactly the kind of things I want to avoid. For example; I'll make sure every component in the engine can tolerate the power it will put down, the same with the transmission and rear end as well. I know I have to also look at making sure the motor/transmission mounts can handle it. But I'm sure there are other things I'm not aware of. I'd like to gather as much knowledge as I can before I start going to shops and getting this priced.

[markusmod]

Depends on the project, but building a car can become a money pit.