SBC 521 swap?

[albyneau]

Has anyone done this swap?  I'm not doing it either~ HAHAHA!  But what I do need to find out (from someone who has) is what kind of trans tunnel mods/hacks are required to make a GM trans fit my truck's underbelly....

 

[mrbigtanker]

Well if you go old school a lot of hacking do a LS a lot less. Swap a crappy ford , less as well due to distributor up front. 

[albyneau]

1 hour ago, mrbigtanker said:

Well if you go old school a lot of hacking do a LS a lot less. Swap a crappy ford , less as well due to distributor up front. 

 

Engine's already selected (and none of the above)~ My main concern is as frugal a pruning as possible, so my hopeful goal is finding someone with measurements, templates, and/or pics....   Anyone?

 

[mrbigtanker]

Did you search.  

[albyneau]

like a man possessed~ and continue to do so...

[mrbigtanker]

There is a guy that had one in Texas he was doing and like most guys stopped the build for time money who knows. Also do a search for a Bory. He did a 5.0 swap in it. Nice but not my style, did not like the way the headers and cooling lines were ran, but it still came out very nice.

[]2eDeYe]

Wheelbarrow. At least that's what I've seen used in the past to make the tunnel/engine bay bigger. 

 

No measurements though, I don't have one. 

[Charlie69]

On 9/22/2018 at 7:03 PM, albyneau said:

 

Engine's already selected (and none of the above)~ My main concern is as frugal a pruning as possible, so my hopeful goal is finding someone with measurements, templates, and/or pics....   Anyone?

 

Where's the adventure, I mean balls in that.  I bet if you ask nice maybe the person with the templates would do it for you.

 

Get a sawzall and a cutting torch and get after it!

 

Hell I cut out my firewall and tunnel on my 66 520 and I do not even weld.  Thank God my brother does!  LOL

[mrbigtanker]

I have to say you can put anything in anything just how much work you want to do. Money time know how. And finish it as most are never. 

[wayno]

That is true Mrbigtanker.

Fact is there are a bunch of 521 and 620 trucks out there with small blocks in them, they just don't come here and talk about it, they just did it, all the finished ones I seen photos of never had a thread of the build that I know of except that 720 drag truck, but that is not a 521.

I say if one has the tools and motivation, and a plan, follow your dream.

 

 

[thisismatt]

The guys that put small blocks in 521s are too busy sleeping with their sisters to post on here

[datzenmike]

On 9/22/2018 at 7:03 PM, albyneau said:

 

Engine's already selected (and none of the above)~ My main concern is as frugal a pruning as possible, so my hopeful goal is finding someone with measurements, templates, and/or pics....   Anyone?

 

 

V6. There are some impressive power making 6's out there.

[Charlie69]

One way to lessen the pruning is due a body lift.  Back in the 90's my brother and I put a Z20 5 speed in my 70 521 and the only way we could make it fit without cutting the firewall and tunnel was to do a 3" body lift.

[albyneau]

On 9/27/2018 at 8:13 PM, datzenmike said:

 

V6. There are some impressive power making 6's out there.

Yes there are, mike, but that's not my goal.  This is a 4x4 build, with target functions of reliability, mileage, and overall cost minimization.

Unless a 1.9L VW diesel falls in my lap I'll be going with a GM 60 degree v6...

[mrbigtanker]

1 hour ago, albyneau said:

Yes there are, mike, but that's not my goal.  This is a 4x4 build, with target functions of reliability, mileage, and overall cost minimization.

Unless a 1.9L VW diesel falls in my lap I'll be going with a GM 60 degree v6...

Well now it’s a 4x4 build that changes the dynamics slightly.