Daily driver BBC 4th gen?
Daily driver BBC 4th gen? I've been contemplating picking up a clean V6 5spd '97 Firebird that is for sale locally, and swaping in one of my BBCs, either the 482 or the 468. Behind it would go my T56 fro a '97 Z, along with the McLeod conversion flywheel and Spec stage 3 clutch. I've found the part number on headers that I need, and I've figured out what to do about motor mounts (tubular K-member with BBC/SBC mounts), and I've heard the LT1 radiator is the one to go for on this combo, and I've run the 482 on less radiator than that without drama. I'm not too worried about living without A/C or powersteering, but wipers are a must. I am considering running the Performer RPM intake and 4150 Holley-based carb I already have, and I'm worried about it fitting under the wiper cowl, or at least working with minor mods. I know that I need to get a crab-style short cap for the distributor. Can anybody else think of anything else I need to look into, besides the obvious dilemma of the 7.5" 10-bolt going boom in grand fashion?
Last edited by Sandmann120; Sep 15, 2005 at 05:39 PM.
The biggest thing I am wondering about right now is wiper cowl clearance for the carb. I'm reasonably sure I cannot keep the stock hood, I just don't want to butcher the cowl and lose my wipers.
The 4150 carb should fit under the cowl, but you'll need to trim it back a bit just to allow air to flow into it. The biggest problem as I see it for a daily driver is going to be an air cleaner/filter. Every BBC/4th gen I've seen is a race car with a 4500 carb and no filter. If you use a front motor plate you could lower the engine some and -maybe- have room for a very small filter.
Does anyone know if the Hooker headers that people have been using for this swap will work with a T56? Also, I havn't been able to find any pics of a carb setup without the cowl hacked. Anybody have any pics?
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Actually, you dont need a crab style distrib. Way too expensive IMO. Im doing a gen1 383 swap and finishing it up right now. I went with mallory unilite. Its optical so very little wear and i can still get my cap off and pull it out. Carb wise, holleys suck to fit in there due to their front to back configuration. An edelbrock type style would be easier since they run side to side. I went with an holley street avenger. I cut back all the way to the wipers, but not the wipers. Im also running a t56. I kept my pcm so that speedo would work. All the stock gauges work, but i used the v6's sensors (oil pressure, water temp, etc.). BMR k member worked awesome. Great fitment. If you want to use a sway bar you must use a slap plate below the bar's mounts or else it will hit your dampner. I used the centerforce conversion flywheel and had it balanced to match my block. Not sure about fitment of big block but mine fits nice. I had to modify the air cleaner a bunch. I cut the cage down about 1/4 inch and cut the base all the way down to about 1/16th inch of metal left. I also reformed the cage and trimmed the filter. It was a pain. But mine will be a daily driver so i wanted an air cleaner. And it will all fit under the stock camaro hood. If you have any other questions feel free to ask. Here are some pictures...
Thanks for the info. Do you know if the dist. you mentioned would work o a BBC? How is the clearance top to bottom? I am almost thinking about putting the BBC I have in front of the TH400 in my '98. I have a ton of high-end BBC parts and no LS! parts. Decision, decisions.
http://www.jegs.com/cgi-bin/ncommerc...20&prmenbr=361
Here is the link to it. Should be exactly the same as for the big block. I removed the bottom of the rain gutter so that i could remove the cap while in the car. Otherwise i would only have about 2-3 inches of space. If you get the supercharged version you also get the crab style cap and would save even more space. But i got a deal on this one so i used it. The supercharged version is 650-3768501. Hope this helps.
Here is the link to it. Should be exactly the same as for the big block. I removed the bottom of the rain gutter so that i could remove the cap while in the car. Otherwise i would only have about 2-3 inches of space. If you get the supercharged version you also get the crab style cap and would save even more space. But i got a deal on this one so i used it. The supercharged version is 650-3768501. Hope this helps.
Damnit, now your really making want to pull the LS1 and stab in one of my big motors. I've got a BBC that is already built for N2O, and is really fairly streetable. Thanks for the info, keep it coming if possible. How did your wiring go?
Wiring went really well actually. I havent had much time to test it all, but as of now everything works but the tach is a little off. As soon as i get the exhaust ran it will be a little easier to work with. I just removed the rest of the wiring harness that i wouldnt need. I kept the pcm so that the speedo would work, but it needs flashed for the t56. Other than that just little things here and there that still need done, but it should be on the road within a month.
Strokinit, how was your clearance around the brake master cylinder? Do you think the power brakes could be retained with a Bog Block? I imagine I will have to switch to the shorter valvecovers, so goodbye stud girdle. I plan to eliminate the A/C when I do the swap, and would also like to eliminate the power steering, just to simplify things.
There was plenty of space between my motor and the power brake booster and that is with the tall valve covers. With the a/c removed it made my life a ton easier. You will most definitely have to remove it for the big block i would think.
Why would you want to put all that weight in an already heavy car?
Consider a forced induction ls1/ls6.
Sorry
My BBC 71 is cooler, sounds nastier, and turns more heads then my daily driver 02 ss but.
...the SS drives like it's stock...
I'm pushing almost 600 to the wheels and still get 27mpg highway.
.............I want to put a TT ls6 in my 71...............
Pushing 380rw with the 71, 11 to 1 comp. and get about 12 to 14mpg HW
prob. about 8 around town. (had to put a 200 shot on it so it wouldn't get jelous or the 02)
sorry just something to think about...
Consider a forced induction ls1/ls6.
Sorry
My BBC 71 is cooler, sounds nastier, and turns more heads then my daily driver 02 ss but.
...the SS drives like it's stock...
I'm pushing almost 600 to the wheels and still get 27mpg highway.
.............I want to put a TT ls6 in my 71...............
Pushing 380rw with the 71, 11 to 1 comp. and get about 12 to 14mpg HW
prob. about 8 around town. (had to put a 200 shot on it so it wouldn't get jelous or the 02)
sorry just something to think about...
