Hey guys and gals! I'm Josh, and I love my Bel Air sedan. Ive got big plans for her, but I'm having some difficulties finding where to start. My 230 i6 is overworked and underpowered, and the three speed is slipping. I recently learned about swapping a modern drivetrain into a cl***ic car, but i dont know what car i could use for a donor, should i keep the current frame, etc. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! -Josh W.
Hey Josh is this for your 1964 Chevrolet Bel Air Sedan, 230 i6, 3 Speed on the column? Frame swap will be a ***** on that car. You can go cheap and do a 350 Chevy and Saginaw 4 speed or a 350/ Turbo 350. Or any variation of SBC. Unless you find a rebuilt 230 CID 6 locally. Find a Nova, Camaro, Monti Carlo, C-10, etc, and rob it of it's drivetrain.
Yes it is. I kinda want to do an ls or an lt swap, just to get the modern power and reliability of the fuel injection, and I want to upgrade the steering and suspension too. Any ideas on how I could do that?
OK Josh, not enofe information for any kind of help, but i read between the lines and....you need some help. all 6 cyl. engines were short on power. only 3 speed that came in a '64 was a stick....they don't slip. where did you get any idea that an s-10 frame was a good idea?? and what would you gain by a frame swap? '64 chev, runs and drives? if it is a runner, with your talent. #1 don't tear it apart till you have parts and some money, and HELP you will get a lot of different ideas here, but most will try to help!
Eh. I heard s10 frames were a good platform for some stuff. Then I remembered how x frames aren't too common in new stuff. Like any old sedan, it's soft and has a lot of body roll. I want to stiffen it up, make it fast, and have it be able to corner well too. Not like a hi performance racecar, but any more stability is better than what I've got. I'd like to get another manual transmission.
An SBC swap would just be a matter of getting the proper mounts, radiator, etc. from a V8 car of the same vintage. An LS swap would probably be pretty straightforward on that car (there has to be kits out there for the swap) but it's not a traditional build, which is what this particular site is about - for modern builds, there's a sister site named http://www.dogfightmag.com/forum/ that's probably more appropriate.
Definitely don't swap that frame! LS motor with 4L60E would be just what you're wanting though I believe. If you don't wanna pay as much, don't get a LS1/2/3/etc. out of a car, but get a truck motor 4.8/5.3/6.0 mated to a 4L60E or 4L80E trans. There are plenty of places out there that can help you with your harness and ECM tune. Good luck!
Forget the S-10 Swap. It won't even come close to working for your x-frame car. Start by looking for V-8 motor mounts for your car. When you remove the old ones you will see the holes for the V-8 mounts. FI or not is up to you.If you currently have a manuel 3 speed trans you can use the current clutch pedal setup and go for a 4 speed with a floor shifter or get rid of the clutch pedal and go with a turbo 350. You may have to shorten the drive shaft. As far as the brakes and suspension goes you can update with disk brakes as well as better shocks for handling. I droped a 283 into my daughters 60 Chevy that had a 6 and used the original radiator. Have never had a problem with cooling the V-8
Sway bars front and rear. A suspension re-build. A new clutch to stop the 'slipping' you have now. If you are looking to do a FI/overdrive driveline, go to Dogfight. Really this forum is not a everything goes, here.
S10 and G body frames and clips have their place but not with an X frame car. Check out LS1tech.com for real info for LSx and LT1 swaps, you will not find it here even though I am in the middle of another one.
Dont do a Frame swap just fix what you have there nice driving Cars put a Crate Motor in it maybe a Four speed lower it and drive it
most chevy stuff is compatible. you can get power out of your l6 with a performance rebuild. but i would go with the v8 swap, if you want to keep it old school find a nice 283 or 327. as for the trans. 3 speeds are common and relativly cheap; people are always swapping them out for 4 or 5 speeds. you could just swap it out with another one. good luck and take your time.
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