My car has been seating for a couple weeks with a sick 350. I am going to get an 81 350 from a truck to replace my engine (just to get the car on the road for now)

My questions are, when I replace the engine how do I go about ensuring the rotating assembly remains balanced?

Should I use the damper and flexplate from the engine I am putting in or should I use those on my sick engine?

How about the starter and fuel pump? can I keep my old ones?

Any other aspects of the swap you guys think I should consider are welcome.

Thank you


[This message has been edited by schitzo (edited July 12, 2005).]

You should be fine anyway you want to do it b/c I don't think anything changed at '80 or so..

Use what fits b/c you might have small AND big bellhousings and flexplates.

Big stuff takes a staggered bolt starter and small stuff takes a starter with unstaggered bolts is all.. Damper won't matter, imho..

pdq67

Leave the balancer(damper) and starter on the truck engine. It shouldn't matter but if they are good, use them.

Like pdq67 said, use the flexplate and bellhousing that works with the engine/starter combo.

You should plan on keeping all of the front brackets from your Camaro.

Current exhaust, electrical and ignition systems should work fine.

If both fuel pumps are mechanical it shouldn't matter which one you use. If your current one is an electric pump set-up for a specific engine/carb, use it along with the carb and intake. It all depends upon what you have to work with.

Oh, I almost forgot... Check the casting numbers on that truck block. It might be a 4-bolt high-nickel block which could be a better candidate for a build-up than your old Camaro engine.

Hey, if your Camaro is a Z28, before you sell the engine off you might pull off the pan and see if you have the Z28 windage tray. It's a small detail in the overall scheme of things, and can be bought from a dealership, but kind of nice to have- especially with the matching oil pan. I think there is also a small chance you'll have to change the oil pan to clear your crossmember, but I'm not sure about that.