What is the most economical way to upgrade my engine on a 1989 Chevy Caprice Classic?

Question

I have decided to take my 1989 chevy caprice to the max. It currently has a 305 engine with about 95,000 supposedly original miles on it that runs fine but im not really impressed. I want to begin planning on an engine swap but really don't know much about it. Should i try to have it rebuilt into a 350? Is that even possible? Will i have to rebuilt the transmission too? What about suspension? Are there any resources online where i can do comprehensive research? Any comments and suggestions are welcome. How much am i loking at?

Answer 1

The car is an 89--you can do an entire motor swap to a 350--using a Jasper rebuild--warranted for 50000 miles and 3 years--but you still have a tired trans and probably need a suspension update--these are extremely important if you want to really do an old car over--so figure about 6000 for a motor, trans, suspension, brakes, exhaust and front end parts--get a shop to agree to do it all at once--not one thing at a time. The car will be pretty good to drive and cheaper than a new one. please forget beating the car because it has a bigger motor--the car doesn't need to be raced or abused---it is still an 89 and anything can happen--I have always doubled the life of my Suburbans by doing a motor and trans replacement--the brakes and suspension are top notch---the truck is a 99 but I did do all of this to an 84 and an 89 Suburban. Old vehicles get tired and can still be a good base for a rebuild if taken care of properly and getting all the important stuff done. Shop around and get prices to compare--all shops have varied hourly rates---but the real thing to ask is if they are going to have a warranty for all the work you paid for. I always have the dealer do my work--always easier for them to get parts--my truck was always done in 3 days--everyone of them. Just decide on what you want and then give them the car and forget about it until it is done. Good luck

Answer 2

It depends on the year of the Caprice. They have been around in various guises since the 1965 when they replaced the SS as the luxury model. It later became the Caprice Classic. When Chevy revamped the line in the 1977, it was still a rear wheel drive car and it was a general move to a modern nimble vehicle that still had passenger room for 6 and a large trunk. The largest engine in these was a 350 cubic inch small block V8. That car continued on in its basic form until the early 90's. However it was still a rear wheel drive car with some variant of a small block V8 until 1996. The last big block, a 454, was offered in 1976. Hence the answer to your question is yes, because the factory offered it. In addition, many people added the big block engine to the Caprice without much of a problem. It had a very large engine compartment. Heck, we put big blocks in our Novas of the same era which had a smaller engine compartment. The big block began as a 396, grew to a 402 and a 427 and finally became a 454. That was the biggest stock displacement Chevy installed in a car or truck. The usual guise was a 454, which was a stock displacement, but at present Chevrolet offers big blocks up to 572 cubic inches. I loved the late 70's Caprices with big blocks because they looked like sleepers and were capable of surprising many other cars in a drag race. I love having a car that doesn't advertise that it goes fast, unlike the silly kiddies in their Mustangs.

Answer 3

No, you can't bore a 305 to a 350 because you will get into the water jackets(where coolant flows through). If the transmission is still good, it should work fine with a 350 as long as horsepower stays 300 horsepower or less. You can get new springs, shocks, bushings, sway bars, and struts at Summit Racing, Jegs, and some other websites too. A 350 from 87-95(minus LT1, LT4, and LT5) will work with the intake manifold you already have and will bolt up. You might want to get a computer chip, injectors, and knock sensor for a 350. You could always get a small supercharger that will help the performance. If you did the work(meaning no labor cost) these stuff yourself, it would cost around $1500 to $3000 (minus the supercharger) and depending on what kinds of deals you find on parts.

Answer 4

1989 Chevy Caprice Classic

Answer 5

89 Chevy Caprice Classic

Answer 6

Dump the 305 and just build or buy a mild 350 with cam, intake, headers and a good carb---four bolt main block would be preferred but not necessary. Try sites like Jegs.com for hi-po parts and check local parts stores or salvage yards for rebuilt or used motors---with low miles and a good warranty. You'll have to change out the computer for a bigger engine application which will probably be the hardest part of all unless you can eliminate it alltogether. If you have a TH200 trans, best to get rid of that for a TH350 or 700R4....stock should be ok. Suspension mods, look for police package parts at a dealer or aftermarket companes if they're still available. Could run a few thousand if you can do a lot yourself.

Answer 7

You can only bore a 305 .030 maximum safely. If you google the 305 it is possible to upgrade it with an expensive cylinder head, intake manifold, Holley vacuum secondary 650, and a very mild camshaft change. I read an article on the computer yesterday about a test at Shaver racing engines with the above changes.