Hey!! Swap About to begin!

[kdolloff]

I have a 1984 Grand Prix that came with a 305 chevy. I bought it from my brother for $200 awhile ago because it needed a new motor. I put a 327 chevy in it i had laying around and blew the head gasket. The 327 needs rebuilt so im going to pull it out. Now my uncle wants to trade me a 400 pontiac out of a old gto that has recently been rebuilt. What am i going to need to change besides motor mounts. The transmission is a 350th so when i switch to the bop 350th will the cross member work or do i need a new one? What about manifolds?

Thanks for the input!!

 

[dirty joe]

hello, i put a 455 into a 79 grand prix. manifolds, you could use just about any stock manifolds if you would like. the bop th-350 will bolt right up to the stock x-member. so, yeah, just get the 301 motor mounts and you are good to go. also, some people may say change the front springs to go from 305 chevy to 400 pontiac, but just leave them. it will lower the car about 1/2" to 1 1/2". better stance anyways.

you can click here to view some pics of my progress:
http://s93.photobucket.com/albums/l51/whocares84/

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

Well, you'll need the mounts, all of the accessory brackets, ignition system, exhaust manifolds or headers, cooling system hoses, maybe a carburetor, throttle cable bracket, Crank and water pump pulleys, power steering pump, etc. I think the BOP trans will bolt to the Chevy crossmember since there were only 2 crossmembers used in G bodies, and I believe some BOP engined G bodies probably came with TH350's. You could source all of the front accessories off a 301 V8 powered G body and they should almost all fit ( unless there are some minor differences in mounting points from year to year like a Small Block Chevy has.) The 267(?) "Buick" V8 turd is also a Pontiac ( with 3 main bearings!!!! OOOH!) and may yield some useful stuff as well. Just be careful to get headers for a real Pontiac V8 as some of these low performance V8's have their middle two exhaust ports siamesed into a single port and headers for them will not fit a real Pontiac V8.

 

[kdolloff]

Cool thats what i thought i sold the 400 to my uncle a few years ago when it needed rebuilt and at that point in time i had put it in a 79 regal. So i figured i could get it in this gp and it should be a similar swap i would think. Will the motor sit in the same position as the 301 would? The reason i ask is im trying to figure out if i am going to have to shorten my driveshaft. Also i think it still has all the pulleys and brackets on it still also a brand new edelbrock carb. I will probly start pulling the 327 out this week. I will keep you guys updated if you want.

THanks for the info!!!!!

 

[kdolloff]

Well i went and picked the motor up today!! Tommorrow i will pull the 327 and transmission out and haul it to my uncles. I will also start cleaning the motor up(it's pretty oily and dirty). What color should i paint it? I was thinking yellow maybe. Also i need to change my frame mounts to the 301 mounts as well as the mounts that bolt to the block correct? If so what cars/years should i ask for when i call around for them at the boneyards?

 

[kdolloff]

Ok so today i didn't get as much done as i planned. I got the motor pulled and hauled it over to my uncles house. I will try and get the transmission pulled tommorrow after work. I also bought a bunch of degreaser and some black paint for the engine compartment, hopefully i have time to start cleaning and painting so i can put the motor in this weekend.

 

[dirty joe]

yes, you need the 301 block and frame mounts off a 78-87 grand prix. i think the last year was like 82 though. i would say paint it pontiac blue, or black. thats just my personal favorites though.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

Pontiac blue, but what do I know, I am drunk.

 

[85t5mcss]

I like Black for the engine, but thats just me. How about body color for a differnt touch? Something that stands out, but it will need cleaned more often thasn black.
And for the firewall. After degreasing it, wash it with dish soap, and then use a wax/grease remover and hand wipe it. Better paint adhesion this way.

 

[kdolloff]

Yeah i painted the firewall today and cleaned everything up with dish soap. I painted the engine bay all back. The motor and heads are going to be blue, the intake will be painted aluminium and the thermostat housing and brackets/pullies will be black. I'll post pics of progress later.