Tips on swapping a V8 into my 54 ' chevy?

Hey all, I scored a cheap and good sbc. The 235 and the cast iron pg are in need of seals and some tlc, so I opted to make the 54' into a more enjoyable cruiser. It will see some interstate miles. Anyhow, I wondered if any hamber's had a line on motor mounts, crossmembers(700r) or any nice deco for the 350. I'm still in need of a carb, intake, headers, and acc's. any help woul be appriciated greatly.

I also wondered if there is a way to swap this in and use the stock steering? I'm keeping the front end and most of the rest stock.

 

I can only answer one question: You can use the stock steering. Mine came with 400 CID SBC. It has stock steering and front stock suspension. I have rebuilt front end, installed lowering spindles and cut coils. But still stock front end. Many guys with these cars use SBC as their mill and I think a lot use stock steering. There are a million opinions (and threads) on which front end to run though.

 

You can use the stock front suspension and steering but you will need side engine mounts. There are several sets of stock exhaust manifolds that clear and the trans crossmember is easy to fabricate.

You will need to swap the rear end for open drive if you use the 700R. You also need to convert to 12VDC electrical system.

Last thing, you need to trim the two stiffening pieces on the firewall so the engine clears. There are a lot of small issues but overall it is an easy swap that will really wake up the old Chevy.

 

Lots of info on this swap, do a search. You have to remove the motor mount "towers" on 52-54, cut the firewall supports for clearance, use manifolds that go up and over the spark plugs (we used 96 Cop Car LT1 that need to have the A.I.R. ports welded up, extra holes drilled in the flanges to fit 6 bolt exhaust; they are almost a cast iron header), Ch***is Engineering motor mounts, make your own trans cross member (cheaper and easier), use a short water pump, 12 volt conversion, stock radiator in stock location works, open drive-line/rear end swap. If you can find a 55 265 intake, the temperature thimble will fit/bolt right in (some aftermarket intakes have a boss you can drill/tap for this). Use a cable accelerator pedal. You'll have to remove/move the parking brake ***embly. The only headers made for this swap are Sandersons, and don't match side-to-side; they don't look right, but work.; some have used tri-five type fenderwell headers. You can also consult the 49-54 forum over on ChevyTalk.Org for additional information; there's even a V-8 swap sticky. And, a hundred other little things. Butch/56sedandelivery.

For the trans mount, we cut the center out of the stock K-member mount; used a modified Dodge Dart cross member that we shortened, and welded a trans mount plate to, drilled two holes in the stock crossmember, and bolted it together. Works great, and did'nt cost a thing.

 

You don't need to weld up the AIR ports, there are plugs that screw in.

There have been thousands of these swaps done....but having owned a couple of pre-Tri-Five Chevies, I have come to the conclusion the car works better with an inline six. You can build a six for not much more money than a SBC and while it won't make as much power, the car isn't going that fast anyway. Patricks has a nice kit to go to a four speed Saginaw and keep the torque tube drive line.

The later 292 six works better but the supply is getting low since UPS used them for so many years, buying up every core in sight to keep the brown fleet going.

 

with the 200r4 in my 53 i used the speedway motors crosmember [for a 55 chev] and added 2 in sq tube in both ends

 

I just did one of these a couple of months ago on a friends '52. We did a 350 and 700r4, and I used a pair of Waltan Fabrications mounts that I got through So-Cal Phoenix. These are a**** the best conversion mounts I have ever used and recomend them highly! Instead of going with their trans mount system, I ellected to leave the stock center crossmember in place and made a simple 1/2" aluminum adaptor to go from the 700r4's mount boss to the original 3 speed rubber mount and it works beautifully. Tons of room for the trans pan and to run the shifters linkage and such. I am sort of nuts about NOT touching the stock trans crossmembers in these cars because that is all that helps these frames remain ridgid. Yes, it will need the engine removed to pull the trans, but that is in my mind a small price to pay to keep the doors shut and aligned, and the squeaks and rattles at bay.
We started this deal with retaining the stock front end, but in my personal opinion it really is only fit for use as a boat anchor. My buddy asked if I could do a Mustang II front end under his and I just wound that part of the install up last week. Much Much better handling and ride, and Many times more precise steering and braking all in one unit. I do still use stock Mustang II crossmembers. I have pictures, but mostly of the Mustang install and would be happy to post them if you would like to see.

 

There was set of Sanderson headers in the cl***ifieds the other day for putting a SBC into one of these cars. I would have bought them but I've already got a set

 

On my '54 150, this is how he set the car up. The last owner had installed a posi '57 Chevy rear axle, installed a short shaft th350 trans with a 350 sbc. The 350 is running a short water pump due to radiator clearance. Running stock steering box, using sanderson's headers. Lost the e-brake handle since it interfered with head on the v8. The braces has to be trimmed to set engine in place too. Lokar swan shifter mounted to trans tail shaft.
Dave

 

Rod&Custom has done/is doing this as an ongoing feature. Check their back issues.

 

I was thinking about Mustang II install in a different car and don't like the pricing from some of the aftermarket places. Since Mustang IIs and Pintos are extinct where do you get the Ford parts? (Haven't seen one in a yard around here in a long time.) Also I want to keep the ride height about stock, it seems like the aftermarket kits give a lot of drop.

 

I have m2 in mine and hub to hub was 1895, its all bolt in. Just drill rivets of old from end and bolt in New

 

I also did a 53 about 10 yrs ago, I put a small block early 80s motor with the stock manifolds never trimmed anything, I added a plate to my original trans cross member and used it as well was even able to use stock column and pg shifter

 

When I did mine I used Ch***is Engineering bolt-on mounts, set the motor as far back as it would go, and had room for the serpentine belt deal on the '89 truck motor.

I found you could make a trans crossmember just as easy as buy one with the 700R4 - a couple pieces of 2" square with one side cut off will slip right over the nubs of the stock crossmember once you cut most of the middle out of it, and you can just weld a piece straight across on which a pad can be added. That way you could drill through the box and the stock crossmember and make it bolt-in easily also.

Mid-80s Caprice or mid-90s Caprice manifolds work about the best.

And for a rearend I had a '75 Camaro in it - they're spaced exactly the same as the stock springs, but have a deep perch, so a 2" block I had made for me about 5" long worked to both lower it, relocate the hole for the locating pin (ahead of axle center on the stock spring) and make it so I could bolt it together. We made new bottom plates, too. An extra L on them and you can set it up to use stock type shocks.

I would suggest, though, adding one more frame crossmember to bolt the shocks to rather than bolting to the floorpan.