Need Thoughts On project
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Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 4
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From: South carolina
Need Thoughts On project I want to put a LM7 5.3 L and Either a T56 or TKo 600 in my old school AMC 78 Concord. Will it fit? Ive asked everyone around here and they all say "to go to fourms". The current motor it has is a 232 cu v6 pushing a devastating 80 hp.
The answer to this question has absolutely nothing to do with this forum or anyone's opinion on it. The answer has everything to do with two things:
1. Your fabrication skills.
2. The depth of your wallet.
Each can be offset to an extent by the other depending on where your strengths lie.
1. Your fabrication skills.
2. The depth of your wallet.
Each can be offset to an extent by the other depending on where your strengths lie.
I am the LAST person you will hear say an engine swap can't be done. Honestly I want you to do it because I like weird stuff and engine swaps.
If you have never done an engine swap, especially a swap between makes, things can get very involved. Add in additional complications like fuel injection and the wiring which to the inexperienced can be downright daunting. For the swap to be successful you need a realistic goal, a realistic deadline, a realistic budget, a plan and a purpose. The more research you do and the better you plan and stay in line with your goals, the more successful you will be.
Let's take your AMC. Why do you want to swap engines? Increase power? Is the current engine capable of more power within reason or is a swap more cost effective? Is it the cool factor or do you just want something different to drive? etc.
These are all viable reasons but you need reasons that mean something to you.
My personal recommendations:
- read as much as possible and learn as much as you can BEFORE you buy parts
- determine what YOUR goals are (will this be a daily driven street car or are you trying to make a zillion HP race vehicle)
- figure out what you can realistically afford
- come up with a timeline to keep yourself on track
- research more and keep an open mind
- ask questions when you get stuck
- come up with a realistic budget based on your fabrication skills and your goals
Many people here will tell you to "make a budget and double or triple it." That is silly, those people don't know how to plan or stick to their plan. I had a $2000 initial budget for the engine swap in the Thunderbird in my signature - I went over by $5. I ran into some unexpected costs because I built the car before I found this forum, but I saved tons of money because I did everything myself and used 95% used parts.
I also stayed on track with my goals which helped keep things in line. I would have loved to add a cam and ported heads when I built it, but the budget wasn't there.
Anyway, sorry for the ramble. I wish you luck and search away there is tons of information here, you just need to look.
Do tons of reading here.
Do tons of reading on other sites if others are talking about things with information that benefits your knowledge base. Don't stop on articles or forum posts unless the info applies to your swap. That's tricky; one of my favorite threads here is one about a 70s Nova. I don't like Novas and much of their swaps don't apply to my plans. But . . . accessory drive research deep in that thread strikes me as invaluable. And weird little things like a Ford radiator hose that would work might jump out in an article, so pay attention.
Make a plan. Start with a list of parts. Make a category for things. "Yeah, I want a truck 5.3, but I'm dedicated to going with the LS6 car intake, which will require mods/parts A, B, C." All that goes under modifications parts/budget list.
Price donors. Do you have to have an aluminum 6.2 tomorrow? Or does your budget dictate you wait until a solid iron 5.3 rolls around? A lot of times, a complete 2WD donor saves time over getting an engine, then a harness, then accessory drive, then a trans. etc.
Make a list of possible sources for powertrains.
I could go on and on. But let's be serious. You're green. You're impatient. And you're going to have worse results if you started your swap tomorrow than if you gathered more info and planned a whole lot more. Joining a forum and expecting answers on a silver platter in short order means you have expectations of minimum efforts, max results. Max results come with experience, planning, and strategy. Start somewhere besides cutting in line, for starters.
Do tons of reading on other sites if others are talking about things with information that benefits your knowledge base. Don't stop on articles or forum posts unless the info applies to your swap. That's tricky; one of my favorite threads here is one about a 70s Nova. I don't like Novas and much of their swaps don't apply to my plans. But . . . accessory drive research deep in that thread strikes me as invaluable. And weird little things like a Ford radiator hose that would work might jump out in an article, so pay attention.
Make a plan. Start with a list of parts. Make a category for things. "Yeah, I want a truck 5.3, but I'm dedicated to going with the LS6 car intake, which will require mods/parts A, B, C." All that goes under modifications parts/budget list.
Price donors. Do you have to have an aluminum 6.2 tomorrow? Or does your budget dictate you wait until a solid iron 5.3 rolls around? A lot of times, a complete 2WD donor saves time over getting an engine, then a harness, then accessory drive, then a trans. etc.
Make a list of possible sources for powertrains.
I could go on and on. But let's be serious. You're green. You're impatient. And you're going to have worse results if you started your swap tomorrow than if you gathered more info and planned a whole lot more. Joining a forum and expecting answers on a silver platter in short order means you have expectations of minimum efforts, max results. Max results come with experience, planning, and strategy. Start somewhere besides cutting in line, for starters.
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