1980 camaro V6 to V8 swap

I believe everything should swap in relatively easy. The motor mounts are probably the only thing that has to be changed.

motor mounts are a pain.

motor mounts,radiator,tranny,maybe the driveshaft,got to conceder some wireing & rewireing,$$$$$,it is a pain,you may also have to do some beating and banging to the firewall for the tranny bellhousing to clear to hook it to the motor,I have done several V6 to V8 swaps,it is not that easy.

motor mount and driveline thats it done it to an 81 camaro no problem.

they r very easy, exept the motor mounts.

just to be helpfull, dont ever take any advise from the guy that said its a pain and that hes done many v6 too v8 swaps... every reply he posts goes against all comin knowledge and makes no sense what so ever.

your sooo right !!! iv read his reply and with his no know how to approch is rediculasssssss....lol...what a tool!

you can all kiss my ass,I been doing this for 35 years,let us all know when you catch up.

I have a 1981 camaro, originally the car had the small 6 cylinder and well we thought that a muscle car should have a 8 cylinder. It now has a 305 small block with the original transmission, driveline, and so on. It ran and drove just fine before we decided to park it.

OK,so what was the reason to park it,what are you all of 12 years old.

Nope, I am 15 and know every single thing about that car. My parents parked it b/c they couldn't put a car seat in the back seat. It's been running and driving for the last 5 years and I drive it around the neighbor hood. So you can go on with you thinking you know it all. This car runs good and drives even better.

Look son,you got a good looking ride their,you see the thing is yours is a 70,s modle.so a V8 swap would be easy on it,the reason I say it is a hard job on this one is it is a computer car,their is quite a bit of work in doing this swap. NO,I dont think I know it all,But you got to realize that I have been in this business for over 35 years,so yes I do know alot.

His is the 78-81 body style, same as the the other guys. They didn't have computers.

DAMN,me eyes are playing tricks on me tonight,thanks Larry.

Yeah, it was ran on a computer when it had the small 6 cylinder, but when we dropped the 305 in to it the computer was disconnected. There is no computer what so ever connected to the engine block.

first year for the computer was an 81 his is an 1980... no computer, and also i highly doubt they want the computer controled carb from a v8 any way unless they dont want to go any faster than it did with the v6...

The 1982 model was the first model with fuel injection and a computer.

yeah, and first year for the computer was 81 but it was a computer controled carb

Tbh i honestly would've waited till you found a cheap v8 camaro. saves $ and the annoyances of a swap. It took me 7months to find my 88 Iroc L98, and I'm glad i waited and found it, it was a steal at only 3grand. after 4months of looking I did start to look down and got tempted by an 84 Berlinetta and an 86 sport coupe thinking i would swap in a v8. But i knew it would've been a hassle and more money added on. So persevered and soon enough found my baby ;) It only cost 3,000$ and it's in near perfect shape, a true survivor all original.

they do have computers they just don't process much

easy just run the motor old school and dont use the computer you may and up with some dummy lights on perminantly but those are easy to get rid of

87 Monte btw and just bypass the comp

any one who drives a ford and claims to be a mechanic is a dumb ass v6 to v8 swap arnt that hard we now have internet to tell us how to do 1 person has done it we can learn from there mistakes

I would've waited to buy something with a V-8 already, and personally would've gone a little older, '69s kick ass, and even though they are expensive, you could've bought an old beater and made it a father/son or shop project.

v6 cars have smaller sway bars up front and dont handle well with v8's

it debends on what trans mission you run make shure your tourge conveter matches with the trany and the fly whel before you drop your motor in on my camaro i made that mistake but when i but a new motor in my 86 marro every thing was relative eazy except for the front bumper in the way and puting the exost back on with out a lift

tellin him he should have wiated for a v8 isnt going to help him at all, its not a hard swap ditch the computer throw on a NON computer controlled carb and make sure the drive train can handle the v8... the swap its self wont be that hard, it will be a good project for him to do with his kid

i have an 80 camaro 3.8 liter v6 saginaw manual 3 speed, and a stock 87 camaro 305 block( block only ) and a 87 305 out of some four door, with all the garbage california stuff, and computer carb. and altogether, using very little of the components of the computer engine, my step dad says it ll only cost $500. and i can keep the 3 speed, probly only need a new drive line and mounts. and ive seen full suspension setups for $500. so engine build 500 + suspension 500. $1000 total.

oh and a flywheel, which i found an awesome one for $220 or $250

have a 79 Camaro S/C (which is what you have, except year model) an 81 Camaro Z-28 (#s matching). THIS IS THE FIRST YEAR PERIOD FOR COMPUTER CONTROLLED CAMAROS!!!!! So you have nothing to worry about. It's really not a hard job to do, patience, good tools, and good parts make a job much easier to accomplish. Get on the internet and find the history of your car. start with the VIN. find out whether or not the motor is original to the car. swap it if you wish, BUT DO NOT THROW AWAY ANYTHING ORIGINAL TO THE CAR!!!!! DO NOT HAUL AWAY ORIGINAL MOTOR OR TRANS TO A SCRAPYARD!!!! If your car is original it's a gem. A 30 yr old car of any style is much more valuable in original condition. It's not a #s matching Z-28, and a bigger motor won't make it any more valuable. MY ADVICE: If it's all numbers matching, take care of what you have. If its original its worth some bread, granting condition (and it looks good). Its a lot easier to sell something if its original. If not, have fun with it and make it your own.

Um yeah not hard at all if you can turn a wrench. I have an 81 sport coupe was a V6 now a 305sbc carbed and that guy would really scratch his head on mine. I have the original 3speed but here's where it gets interesting. The motor is a newer motor from a 92 c1500. Intake is a edelbrock performer with performer carb for the pre 87 V8 but machined and bushings installed to bolt to the newer style motor. All the accessories are for a pre 87 sbc (original ps). The flywheel is 11" for a new style sbc and 11" clutch. Bellhousing is from a 69 c10 sbc 3speed along with the starter. Yeah it's a mixed matched hodge podge but it runs and drives great. The people at autozone scratch their head when I explain what I need and why lol. And I also have a friend that went even crazier and swapped a full size cummins out of a yard dog tractor into his 1 ton chevy c10 pickup. Yes it still has a gm tranny in it. Picture that and the looks on peoples faces when they see that monster crammed in there. Anything is possible with the right amount of wrenching blood sweat tears headaches money and beer.

Camaro berlinetta are the only frame that can handle v8 power cuz I know I have one and my brother has the rs and his frame is know twisted and in isn't mines a 1982 his is a 1992

THANKS GUYS !!!!!

V6 to V8 swap, by now you and your son have done the swap or not. However no one mentioned the fact that you will need to have "department of motor vehicles referee" to recertify that the replacement V8 engine meets and will pass all smog requirements. Its best to talk with the DMV Ref before you do the swap so he tells exactly what needs to be done to be approved ! Good Luck !

They don't have mission control on 81 not have to be inspected

....LOVE-IT ....Especially the guy who said; "anyone who drives a Ford ..and calls himself a mechanic ....is a dumb-ass" .........................D.H. ...........2003 Mustang GT

Hey I put a v8 in a 1990 6 cylinder camaro. And the fuel pump comes on at start but as I drive runs out of gas. As the fuel pump don't come back on. What do I need to do. I put a mechanical fuel pump on as well but don't seem to get the fuel flow I need with that

Can someone explain the issue with the motor mounts for the V6-V8 swap on an 80 Camaro and suggestions on what I can do before I get to the point of dropping in the motor?

Ok all, I need some motor mount help. Got the mounts in and was dropping in the 350 last night. The passenger side lines up like a champ, bu the driver's side does not. Do these mounts need to offset? Or do I simply need to unbolt the trany, drop the drive shaft, put in the engine and then shove it all back together?

The only thing you will need to do is replace the motor mounts