76 350 swap into an 88

[digitalepiphany]

I posted this in the 73-91 technical discussion forum before I realized there was a dedicated engine swap forum. So, if any moderator wants to delete the other one, it'd be much appreciated.

How difficult would this be to do? I'm sure it's not a straight drop-in, but I'm still crossing my fingers. I believe the 88 is fuel injected, while the 76 350 is carburated. So, what would be involved in that? Could I use the wiring harness from the 76, or would I need to adapt the 88 wiring harness?

I'm sure there are other things I haven't even considered, that's why I'm here.

The reason I'm looking into this is because my transmission went out in my 76 and it's a rust bucket. I found an 88 on CL with a blown head for $1k. I'm sure I can talk that down a bit. It's super clean on the inside (unlike mine), and has minimal rust from what I can tell from the pics. Regardless, it's definitely going to be less rust than mine. So, I figured for roughly the same price as replacing the transmission in my 76, I can just get a better rig and use my old engine.

BTW, I live in Texas if that matters for the swap. Thanks.

 

[cwalton]

If you can swap the engine wiring harness as well that would be the easiest bet. Make a list of everything that is different; fuel injected, electric vs mechanical fuel pump, points distributor vs MSD/HEI distributor etc and see how much needs to be swapped or interchanged. I'm not positive but I'm guessing the wiring harnesses are not going to be compatible. Engine wiring harnesses aren't that expensive though. Things started changing in the SBC world around 1986.

 

[dyeager535]

'88 what? Doesn't really matter what body style I suppose, but an '88 K5 and an '88 C/K are pretty different.

If the '88 is still fuel injected, inject the older motor. You MIGHT run into problems with how it runs, or you might not. But with probably a new intake (if made, a TBI intake with old bolt pattern like the '76 would be simplest) you could drop the '76 in there without a problem.

 

[digitalepiphany]

Actually, the guy I was going to buy it from decided not to sell. So, if any moderator wants to close or delete this post, go for it.

Thanks for the help though.