should`ve had a v-8

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Inside A Modern Camaro Road Racer
Electronically reprinted from jUNE 2011
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Tech
Should’ve Had A V-8
To get everyone up to speed, let me
highlight what went down. Jason
Scudellari, our tech center manager,
and I got busy and had the motor
out in a jiffy. We pulled the engine
and trans separately because it was a
lot easier than trying to tilt the long
inline-six with the trans over the core
support.
1
Should’ve
Had A V-8
Swapping out the Straight-6 for a V-8
into a ’63 Nova Wagon
By Calin Head
Photos by the author
If you didn’t know, we here at Super Chevy produce a few extra magazines
every year we call specials. With titles like Chevelle, Chevy Classics, and the
Nova Annual, you can tell what these are all about. In this year’s Nova special
(on sale March 29), I, with the help of Jason Scudellari, took on the task of doing
a budget-minded small-block and overdrive trans swap into a ’63 Nova wagon.
Well, as things go sometimes, we didn’t get the job done. I ran into a big road
block in the way of lack of information. I tried finding a complete parts list of
everything you need to do the swap, but could not.
Case in point: the water pump. I
went with a short-style just to be safe
on the fan clearance, but when I tried
to fit the alternator it hit the valve
cover and the strut tower. Yes, I had
some things going against me, like
taller valve covers and a possibly larger
alternator, so I returned the short stuff
and went with a long pump setup,
which let me put the alt on the other
side of the block in front of the valve
cover. I prefer the long water-pump
setup anyway because of the shorter
belts and cleaner looks. But that now
changed my wiring needs, and that is
how things kind of went. Every change
affected something else.
We went with a minimal budget/
mail order mindset on this project, so
you won’t find billet pulleys, fuel injec-
Before we could stab the new 290hp
GM Performance Parts crate engine
in the hole, we had to install the
Chevy 2 Only front sump oil pan
and the related parts that go with it.
One thing to note on the new GMPP
engines is that they have a provision
for oil dipsticks on both sides. The
oil pan takes care of the driver’s
side, but we had to fill the dipstick
provision on the passenger side with
JB Weld to create a sealing surface.
tion or the like—just a simple carb and
some shiny stuff so it still looks custom.
I could have dropped the dollar figure
considerably by going to the junkyard
and getting a bunch of used stuff. The
only issue I have with that is I can’t
guarantee your local yard will have
what mine does, so it all needed to be
new and available across the country.
Not wanting to leave things incomplete, this story is going to show the
rest of the job with a complete parts list
with part numbers, prices, and where to
get it all. I’ll start off with a brief recap
of what went down in the Nova Annual
and then finish it off. Also, there’s a
separate story on page 96 about building this Nova’s exhaust system so be
sure to check it out. j
2
5
These motor mount perches are
another part of the Chevy 2 Only
conversion kit and bolt right in.
These will place the engine in the
proper location, which will help
with all the other bolt-on parts,
like the Energy Suspension motor
mounts.
3
The Gearstar 700-R4 is a
completely remanufactured and
upgraded trans that comes with
just about everything you need to
install. A technician at Gearstar
will ask a bunch of questions
about rearend gears, horsepower
of the engine, and rear tire size
when ordering so the company
can make sure the shift points
and the speedo will be spot-on.
The other main component in
the trans portion of the swap is
the crossmember from Chevy 2
Only. It is a true bolt-in piece and
places the trans in the right spot
to hook up to the motor.
6
To keep the V-8 cool, we went with
this high-efficiency copper core
four-core radiator from US Radiator.
It is beefier than the stock one we
took out, but still is designed to fit
in the early Nova. Come to find out
the mounting holes on a ’63 I-6 core
support are a bit too close together,
so Jason grabbed a grinding wheel
and elongated the factory holes just
enough to get them started.
8
4
With the motor in, we started
installing some other goodies
like these Sanderson shorty
headers. They feature ultra thick
flanges and we went with the
ceramic coating so they will look
good for a long time. Just make
sure when you install them that
you put the flatter one on the
driver’s side and the one with the
longer tubes (shown here) on the
passenger side.
9
Initially, we were running a short
water pump setup, but found out
that there was not enough clearance
between the strut tower and valve
cover for the alternator to tuck in
there. We had enough room to run
a long water pump, so we returned
the short stuff and ordered all these
parts from Trans Dapt to use a long
water pump. Here is what the setup
looks like once it’s all installed.
The 63-amp, one wire, internally
regulated, GM 10si case, alternator
from Summit will provide enough
juice for what we have in the Nova.
7
We had to bend new hard lines for a
couple of things like the transmission
and the fuel feed. Jason routed them
along the edge of the oil pan and
then to the passenger side of the
core support so we could hook them
to the new cooler in front of the
radiator. You can also see the new
fuel line with filter he bent up.
The last thing we had time to do in the
previous story was install the Holley
670cfm Street Avenger carb from
Summit. This is the recommended carb
for the motor and features vacuum
secondaries, electric choke, and any
vacuum ports we may need. We had
to change out the throttle arm at the
firewall for a V-8 arm that we got from
Chevy 2 Only, along with the new
rod and install kit that includes the
grommets and stuff needed to hook it
to the carb. Now let’s continue on with
the new stuff.
We had to go back and add this
geometry kit to the carb so the trans
cable going down to the 700 would
pull the correct amount and let it
shift properly. Another thing used
that helped with the entire build
was an ARP black, 12-point bolt kit
because a lot of the stuff doesn’t
come with hardware.
Tech
Should’ve Had A V-8
10
Initially, the stock
wiring was just going
to get rerouted,
but it was way too
brittle. Chevy 2
Only offers these
new harnesses
that have been
designed for newer
technology like an
HEI distributor and
a passenger-side
alternator.
11
14
12
15
The new
alternator wires
are inside the
front light
harness so the
old one needed
to come out.
The new one
went in like a
factory piece
with just the
alt wires being
different. Those were routed behind the battery and then
across to the block with the heater hoses so you don’t
really see them.
The engine
harness has
the new HEI
wiring in it so
it feeds the
new distributor
with 12 volts. It
goes in pretty
easily as it
only has a few
wires in it, but
there is some
work that needs to be done under the dash. A new ignition
switch wire needs to be installed between the switch and
the fuse block. It has the correct factory terminals on it,
but you will need a terminal removal tool to get it out from
the fuse panel and the plug on the switch.
13
The factory
pink wire you
pull out of the
switch will get
plugged back
into the new
wire from the
harness as
shown here to
feed anything it
is tied to in the
factory harness.
Since the
driveshaft
needed to be
shortened a
couple inches
and a fine
spline yolk
installed to
work with
the new OD
trans, we
took it to our
local driveline shop. The Powerglide uses a course spline
on the yolk shown in the inset photo.
The shaft shop did it all for $233.82, including new
U-joints.
16
To hook up the column shift to the new trans, we
ordered a Transmission Shift Arm Conversion from Kugel
Komponents.
Tech
17
Should’ve Had A V-8
The Kugel
setup replaces
all the factory
linkage and
allows you
to adjust the
throw of the
shift arm,
thanks to the
long slot in this
piece attached
to the trans.
19
There is only one electrical
hook up that needs to be
addressed for the trans.
This little vacuum switch
will prevent the converter
from locking up under
wide-open throttle, heavy
acceleration, or while
going up a steep grade.
One wire goes down to
the trans and one wire
needed to be run into the interior and tapped into a keyed
12V source. It also needs a vacuum line ran to it that was
picked up from under the carb at one of the many ports.
21
23
25
Before we dropped
in the Summit HEI
distributor, we filled
the engine with
Comp Cams Break-In
oil and then primed
the engine. This will
make sure we have
that protective fluid
everywhere before we
hit the key.
Chevy 2 Only has
the radiator hoses
for the swap, but
we were in a time
crunch so they gave
us the part numbers
so we could pick
them up from our
local parts store.
They needed a
little trimming to fit
properly.
18
20
22
24
The other end
of the arm goes
directly up to
the steering
column. The
Kugel arm has
absolutely no
slop in it so
the shift lever
in the car feels
awesome.
The last thing to install
for the trans was this
Lokar flexible dipstick
tube. The rigid steel
dipstick tube supplied
by Gearstar hit the
firewall so this will cure
that problem.
The larger body
of the HEI does
fit, but it is pretty
close to the
firewall. Jason
brought the motor
up to TDC on
the number one
cylinder before
dropping in the
distributor.
With all the
hoses on,
Jason filled the
engine with
just water for
now. Once we
confirm we
have no leaks
we will drain
out the water
and put in the
proper coolant
mixture.
Now it was time for the moment of truth. Jason unplugged the HEI and cranked
the engine over until fuel reached the carb with a starter button. Once we had
fuel he hooked the HEI back up and lit the engine off. With timing light in hand
Jason set the timing really quick and then brought the motor up to 3,000 rpm
to break in the cam. While that was happening we looked for leaks and kept
an eye on the temp. Everything checked out so that pretty much finishes the
job. The car now sounds like it should, has way more power and floats right
along when the trans clicks into overdrive. Now check out the massive parts
breakdown side bar so you can be more prepared than we were when you start
your own V-8 swap.
Tech
Should’ve Had A V-8
The List
Company
Part Name
Part #
Price
Company
Part Name
Part #
Price
GMPP
Deluxe 350
19244450
2,900.00
Trans Dapt
8633
43.43
Flexplate 158 tooth
00471529
106.00
Thermostat housing
(Black)
Harmonic Balancer
12551537
60.70
Alternator Bracket kit
(LWP)
9316
24.18
7004R Trans
Road Tour
Package
1,905.00
Upper pulley (1 groove
chrome)
9604
33.94
Lokar
Dipstick
TD-3700FM
90.00
62.59
’62-’67 V-8 conversion
kit
01009
329.95
Lower Pulley (1 groove
chrome)
9606
Chevy 2 Only
Oil pan
13200
Included in kit
Oil pick up tube
01002
Included in kit
Main cap bolt w/stud
01002-1
Included in kit
Oil Pump stock
performance
01003
Included in kit
Oil pump drive rod
01004
Included in kit
Dip stick tube
01005
Gearstar
Summit
Racing
ARP
Parts store
Hitachi Starter
PLS100
126.27
Edelbrock choke block
off plate
8901
13.96
Holley EGR block off
plate
9007
9.10
Fuel pump plate
gasket
5182
.87
Included in kit
Long water pump
(LWP)
CP1109
29.99
Dip stick
01006
Included in kit
Spectre fuel filter
5965
5.99
Frame mount pair
01007
Included in kit
5953
6.99
Dip stick delete plug 7/16
01040
Included in kit
Spectre Heater hose
fitting
Dip stick delete plug 3/8
01040-1
Included in kit
Spectre Pipe plug kit
60183
13.99
Transmission
crossmember
16002
139.95
3 sections of 5/16 line
w/fittings
N/A
18.98
Accelerator arm
01010
26.95
1010-1
17.95
5/16 x 1/4inch flare
5.40
Accelerator rod
90-deg flare fittings,
fuel pump
Accelerator rod install
kit
01020
7.95
AC Oil Filter
PF454
4.19
AC spark plugs (8)
R45TS
18.32
Front light harness
85003-1P
159.95
PCV Valve
PCV1214
2.49
Engine Harness
87009-1
99.95
Petcock for Radiator
J9038
3.39
HEI Distributor
SUM850001R
89.95
Hose Clamps and Misc
stuff
N/A
10.97
Moroso plug wires
MOR-73684
59.95
Upper Radiator Hose
7718
21.99
Wire separator kit
SUM890045
6.95
Lower Radiator Hose
7286
15.77
US Radiator
010790SNNZ
516.00
180 Thermostat
SUM-360180
7.95
High efficiency 4 core
radiator
Holley 670cfm carb
HLY-0-80670 365.95
3.1114G
91.90
SUM250000-1
Energy
Suspension
Motor Mounts
Mechanical fuel pump
44.88
Sanderson
Shorty Headers
CC14
395.00
Header Reducers
Straight
Reducers
25.00
Copper Collector
gaskets
Copper
Gaskets
25.00
262.56
Fuel pump push rod
ATX-PR936
10.95
Fuel Pump Plate
NAL3719599
6.95
63 amp alternator (1
wire)
SUM-G1666
96.95
U-Fit kit
15935
Fan
SUM-G4946
15.95
40 series muffler (2)
42441
160.44
2-inch fan spacer kit
SUM-G4955
9.95
Installation
N/A
250.00
Oil-Filter Adapter
SES-3-6008-900
19.95
Driveshaft
work
Shortening, yoke, and
u-joints
N/A
233.82
Bolt Kit 12 point black
534-9701
93.95
6020701
44.95
134-2501
21.61
Kugel
Komponents
Shift Arm Kit (long)
Balancer Bolt
Carb Stud kit
200-2401
15.95
Flowmaster
Total: $9,189.66
SOURCES
ARP
800/826-3045
www.arp-bolts.com
Chevy 2 Only
502/239-8487
www.chevy2only.com
Energy Suspension
888/913-6374
www.energrysuspension.com
Gearstar Performance
Transmissions
800/633-2353
www.gearstar.net
Lokar
877/469-7440
www.lokar.com
GM Performance Parts
www.gmperformanceparts.com
Sanderson Headers
800/669-2430
www.sandersonheaders.com
Kugel Komponents
562/691-7006
www.kugelkomponents.com
Summit Racing
800/230-3030
www.summitracing.com
Trans Dapt
Performance Products
562/921-0404
www.tdperformance.com
US Radiator
323/826-0965
www.usradiator.com
Posted with permission from the June 2011 issue of Super Chevy ® Copyright 2012, Source Interlink Media. All rights reserved.
For more information on the use of this content, contact Wright’s Media at 877-652-5295
86230