[Cman]

Well, I feel like the clock is ticking on my quest to finish stage 1 of this project by April or May (probably won't be April but May is a possibility). I have the engine out of my parts car now and is sitting on the stand. I've done some cleaning up on it and chased all the bolt holes that’s been clogged up with 25 years of crud and also the bolts too so they screw into their respective holes with ease.

I’ve left the intake and carb on still at this time as I’m not having any luck locating a used alum. dual plane intake to go with the free 4 bbl. Carb my friend gave me. There is a car show this weekend that I’ll be going with my friend Mr. 5.0 pal so maybe I’ll find one there used or I may bite the bullet and get a new one (most likely a Weiland Stealth, an intake that I could most likely use on the stage 2 engine when I build it later this year).

I will be installing my new alum. high volume water pump (Milodon) soon and will try fit my headers (hooker #620

sometime this week to get an idea how it all fits before I drop in the V8 when my 6 cyl. car is ready for the transplant.

I do have a problem with a rocker cover bolt that was not present when I removed the valve covers, seems the previous person that did some work overtighten it and it broke inside the hole, any easy way of getting it out? Do I just drill it out and retap or should I helicoil it also?

I will soon put the parts car outside where I will have the room to go under the dash and remove the throttle cable and also the wiring under the hood that will be needed for the swap. I’ve taken a look between it and my 6 cyl. car and have already noticed that on the parts car the wiring for the alt. has an extra plug which plugs into the main harness. The main harness in the 6 cyl. car doesn’t have the plug for the harness to plug in. I’ll have to research that one and my other friend Mr. GM freak will be giving me a hand on that one also.

Once the parts car is out in the driveway, “project sleeper” will be spending some time inside the garage for me to continue the swap, that could be as early as this weekend or next depending on how I feel. Stay tuned.

 

[Cman]

there was a car show that I went to yesterday in the hopes of finding an intake (used, dual plane for stage 1) for a good price or a new one for a decent price. While I was unsuccessful in my attempts to do the above I did get an intake (used) for dirt cheap. There was a Victor Jr. for a 351W someone had for sale at a booth, used once and was in great shape (ports not touched). He was looking for $275 Can. and I picked it up for $250. That was the deal of the day. This is the intake I would use for stage 2 of my project so for now I'll just have it sitting in my closet with my fluidampr and other assorted parts that I've picked up the last few months.

With this purchase I've decided to not worry about the dual plane intake and just get stage 1 going with the stk. 2 bbl. setup, although I will still install my headers and get the dual exhaust done.

BTW at the show I saw a lot of used dual plane intakes for 302 engines and there was a Weiland stealth for a 351W (new) at this other booth. I tried to deal with the guy on it as I was considering it if the price was right but the price on it was the price.......no haggling at all. He wanted $319 + tax (15%) which was too much and even at this time I'm not certain that a stealth or a performer RPM or Airgap would be the intake I'll need for stage 2 so coming across the V Jr. for 250 bills was a real bonus. It's almost as if fate intended it to be there for me. For those that know my granada story fate has played a big part in my decision to do "project sleeper".

The parts car is outside now and next week the 6 banger goes in for its drivetrain removal. There's still some minor things I need to do with the V8 and I will finish that during the week. I estimate that the V8 and "project sleeper" should be ready to meet in about 2 weeks time, can't wait to see that motor resting in the former 6 cyl. compartment with my hookers bolted up and waiting..........

 

[ghettostang]

good Luck !!

 

[Cman]

I'm fighting a nasty cold but trying my best to keep to my schedule on this project. My 78 car went under the knife on Thurs. night. When I come home from work today I will have the tranny out of the car and will begin the process of removing all the engine stuff so the engine can be lifted out. I hope to finish that up Sun. My friend Mr. 5.0 Pal should have his engine hoist here for me later next week and "project sleeper" will have an empty space for the V8 and rebuilt trans to fill the void.

FYI Mr. 5.0 Pal couldn't come through for me when the V8 was ready to come out of the parts car so I ended up having to borrow an engine hoist from a shop that I deal with at work. He was nice enough to let me use it no charge, only thing was it was HUGH!!! With that hoist in the garage I couldn't do squat, took up so much space. It will be nice to have my friend's hoist as it can come apart for storage. Stay tuned as I'm nearing the halfway point of finishing up stage 1 of this project.

 

[Cman]

I hate being held back. This is the weekend that I've lined up my friends Mr. GM Freak and Mr. 5.0 Pal to come and help me drop in the 351W engine and tranny with the headers, however it looks like mother nature is not very kind here in Toronto. The forecast is calling for snow and temps could be around 0'C (32F) and windy, definitely not the kind of weather that is suitable for an engine swap.

I've got everything ready to go, all the V8 related stuff has been transferred to my 78 car (throttle cable, starter cable etc.). Instead of taking a chance with the starter that came out of the parts car I went today and got a reman one that is slightly smaller in size to give me more room for header clearance.

The forecast can still change and if my friends don't mind the cold we may go for it this weekend. My plan is to get the engine in and tranny bolted up with the headers in place and all fasteners and connections underneath the vehicle bolted up, that way I can pretty well finish up the rest of the swap a little bit at a time during the week and could have the car running around easter. If it's a no go this weekend the project will be on hold for about 2 weeks until I can gather up my friends again to help me finish the job. Stay tuned.