I might buy a 1970 350 engine from a Corvette that got wrecked, would that be a wise decision and put it in the Caprice, I like bigger cars. Basically here is what I want the Caprice is in decent shape a little rust bought from an old man I have known for years, he is the only owner no accidents, a couple of dings and dents. I travel a lot do not need to drag race want good acceleration in the 50-70 mph area also would like advice on better handling is there anyway I can get such a big car to handle better. Only paid $300 for it have a couple grand set aside for possible modifications or buying another car, would the 350 engine work in a car like that or is it pie in the sky. Thank You.
2006-11-15 05:10:34 · 17 answers · asked by bartleyrose 3 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Car Makes ➔ Chevrolet
Lots of good answers, couple of crappy answers. The 350 I talked about is actually from a 1974 Camaro and then put into a Corvette so I will not be buying a new engine right now, going to see if I can get headers today, and a new manifold and 4 barrel carb. Suspension stuff I do not know when, going to look for wider tires this week also.
2006-11-17 02:33:26 · update #1
I would rebuild the top half of the engine, and install a different manifold with a new carburator. Since the early 305's had soft camshafts, i would replace the camshaft along with the timing chain set too. The early 305's had teflon teeth on the camshaft gears that caused timing chain slippage. I know because thats what happened to my 1977 Chevy Impala. Please dont listen to these people on here that say not to put money into it. They dont know what they are talking about, and its none of their business. I myself own a 1993 GMC Safari, and i spent a fortune repairing that thing. I would rather be stuck with no car payment, and not have to worry about starting over dealing with another used car which i dont know the history of. Thats why i keep fixing it no matter what price it is to fix. To be honest, i wish i had a nice original car to tool around with like yours. I wish i had another red 1977 Impala again that i would keep original on the outside, and have a high performance engine under the hood. Good Luck!
2006-11-16 18:22:14 · answer #1 · answered by Craig C 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The 350 will make a big difference in how well it accelerates. The 70 Corvette engine will be higher compression and will need premium gas. It'll bolt right in place of the 305. Check your transmission. If it has METRIC stamped on the bottom of it, it's a cheap Turbo 200. It won't stand up to the 350 engine. Mine had a blown Turbo 200 in it when I got it. I put a short tail shaft Turbo 350 tran in mine. New springs, shocks, sway bars front and rear, and bigger tires will help handling but this will never be a great handling car. I drive a 77 Caprice with a 350 and Quadrajet, rear cargo coils, 235 75 R 15 tires, new shocks, and rebuilt front way bar. I plan on adding a rear sway bar next. Good highway car and very reliable. Good luck with yours.
2006-11-15 15:49:50 · answer #2 · answered by monte 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
1979 Caprice Classic
2016-10-01 10:41:36 · answer #3 · answered by gerrior 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well besides that, is the car in overall good shape and in no rust? If its all good than go for it, they are not the best looking classic car but a classic none the less. all u really need to do it clean her up and prolly give her a new paint coat cause the og paint is prob fadded and bad. as for the bubbles in the dipstick it probably needs new transmission fluid and for the car being so slow it probably needs a tune up from sittin outside soo long so like new spark plugs, distributor cap,new air filter, etc and that should help it better but also remember it does have a 305 there not the fastest engines to begone with but there are a v8 so get a mechanic to check on it
2016-03-19 08:47:51 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
77 Caprice
2016-12-17 10:22:25 · answer #5 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
a 350 would be sweet in that car. i almost did the same thing to my '87 caprice. check out some stabilizer bar and bushing sets from jegs, they'll make your car handle a lot better, i know it probably rides like a boat on water now. i'd put that 350 in, get a good carb, and a nice exhaust.
edit: i saw someone said that it only runs on leaded gas...that's a lie. any engine that can run on leaded can also run on unleaded.
2006-11-15 08:07:23 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
I also have a Caprice its a 1991 model. The car is in show room condition and loaded with AC LCD TV 200 warr stereo tilt wheel no rust . I have been unable to sell the car as everyone here in my small town say the car is too big and uses too much gas. If you want the car please get in touch with me as I have replaced it with a much smaller car to save gas and the Caprice is taking up all my driveway space. The car has 64000 miles on it and it runs like new! No Rust anywhere as the car comes from Tucson Arizona the driest place on earth!.I want to give the car away for free but you have to pick it up...
2006-11-15 21:02:23 · answer #7 · answered by Lots of money but no sense 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
This will work well, but when you put it in there, be sure to replace the exhaust with a dual exhaust setup. Headers fit in this car pretty well too. I have this same settup in my '88 caprice, and I love it. Good power and reliability, as well as ok milage on the highway. Make sure your trans feels solid though, since adding more power will only make a weak trans fail sooner.
2006-11-16 02:09:13 · answer #8 · answered by sethle99 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I guess it depends on if it physically fits. My brother's friend put a huge engine (400 hp) in a Trans Am and just squeezed it in.
How about a K&N air filter? It should boost your hp by 10-15 with little effort.
2006-11-15 05:14:46 · answer #9 · answered by sandand_surf 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
A 350 would be a fairly easy conversion, but you are dealing with a very heavy car. You may consider a lighter car like a Nova or Chevelle to get the maximum out of your 350 swap.
2006-11-15 05:14:13 · answer #10 · answered by yes_its_me 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋