1991 pontiac trans am...engine swap?

Question

i was thinking about doing an engine swap on my 1991 trans am...it currently has a 305 in it with about 240 horsepower...maybe more since i put the exhaust system on, i was looking to swap it out for maybe a 350 or a 383 stroker, any suggestions on where to look, what to get, and whats the cheapest??? thanks

Answer 1

350's are great for stroking out either to a 355 or a 383. A properly set up stroker motor can make an ordinary 350 go from "whatever" to "hold on to your lugnuts." You can do a little research on line and find some kick @ss crate motors online that will really work well. However, upgrading the tranny to handle more HP/TQ is a must, because you will find the weak spots in a hurry. I personally like stroker motors and currently have a 1991 Corvette L-98 that is a 383 stroker and have not had any problems with clearances and such because it is set up right and the machining was done by professional machinists. It is critical that if you use a decent used 350 for this purpose that if you don't know how to or don't have the proper equipment for doing the block work and stroking to FIND SOMEONE WHO DOES!!!! A reputable machine shop will not charge that much for this work and it will be done right. The motor will be a reliable daily driver. If more HP/TQ is needed, than later on down the road look at getting some decent heads and runners for it. People who say they have problems with stoker motors 1). Don't know what the hell they were doing in the first place and bit off more than they could chew or 2) tried to get by the absolute cheapest way they could and the workmanship is shoddy and the parts suck. Hence they have problems sooner or later. If it were me I would try to find a decent used L-98 350 from a Camaro or whatever on Ebay and stroke it out and drop it in. The hookup shouldn't be too bad to do, but some thought will have to go into the tranny and such. Good luck.

Answer 2

Cheapest would probably be an overhauled 350. These motors are very easy to work on and also very easy and cheap to bulk up. You can either get a performance shop to do this or get a used motor and have at her. Not much more than regular tools and a motor stand to take these apart. Any motor manual can tell you how they come apart. Some GM dealerships have performance 350s and stroked ones as well that are new. These will be a little more expensive, though. I am not a big fan of the stroked motors as too many times there are problems with valve to piston clearance. Also not too many people consider the trans when upping power. An old TH350 behind a bigger motor will probably not last too many burn outs. Just a thought. Good luck.