egine swap question

[1982blazer]

I have a realy bad rod knock in my 79 c10. It got so bad that i had to park it, I have already started pulling the engine and its almost ready to come out. I have a 1988 chevy 5.7l tbi 350 that has been sitting in my garage for about 3 years, that i got out of a parts truck. I plan to stab the tbi 350 into my c10. My question is what is all the little things i will have to do to make it work. I know i will need an electric fuel pump. My plan is to swap over all my v belt accesories onto the tbi 350, and use my old flex plate, starter, intake, distributer and water pump. Will the old sae hex head fastenrs work in the newer engine i dont think the threads in the block are metric.

Thanks for any help

 

[onetonbb74]

well the flexplate from the older 350 will not work on the newer tbi 350. One is externally balenced and the other is internally balanced...I assume your going to carb the tbi350? If so, everything will bolt up, and the older intake will need the holes enlarged for the tbi heads on the tbi motor. I know the accessories will fit as long as you swap the water pump with it. Bolts should be the same. Id bolt up an electric fuel pump, and that should be all you need. I did a similar swap, and the power steering pump I removed off the tbi 350 and put the one from my older 70's 350 in its place, then swapped the water pump to the older style that accepts my 74 brackets and that was it.

 

[phreddei166]

88 is 1 pc rear seal crank, 79 is 2 pc rear seal crank . Different flex plate for that reason.

 

[1982blazer]

Ok i will use the 1 peice rear main seal flex plate, I was not sure if they would inter change or not. The only reason i wanted to use the old flex plate is because i do not have the starter that came on the tbi 350. I have two good staters that came off of 85 and down two piece rear main engines. Will the older starter work with the newer 1 piece rear main flex plate I didnt know if there would be differnt tooth counts. One last question will the newer flex plate bolt holes line up and bolt up to the torque converter in my th350.

 

[79rustyk10]

That block might have the hole machined for the fuel pump pushrod. some have it and some dont.

 

[POORBOYK5]

and if you're running the 79 accys make sure you use and older style water pump. the TBI engines that had serp set up are reverse rotation.

 

[imiceman44]

Ok i will use the 1 peice rear main seal flex plate, I was not sure if they would inter change or not. The only reason i wanted to use the old flex plate is because i do not have the starter that came on the tbi 350. I have two good staters that came off of 85 and down two piece rear main engines. Will the older starter work with the newer 1 piece rear main flex plate I didnt know if there would be differnt tooth counts. One last question will the newer flex plate bolt holes line up and bolt up to the torque converter in my th350.

The starter should bolt up fine they didn't change that part of the block. and the tooth count is not what changed, I believe the later model has externally balanced cranks so the flexplate is balanced so they made the mounting different on the cranck so you don't use them by mistake.

 

[4X4HIGH]

The starter should bolt up fine they didn't change that part of the block. and the tooth count is not what changed, I believe the later model has externally balanced cranks so the flexplate is balanced so they made the mounting different on the cranck so you don't use them by mistake.

You are correct about the starter being able to bolt to the block BUT the 86-later engine did come with either a 153 or 168 tooth flywheel/flexplate so he just needs to make sure the starter he has fits the tooth count of the flexplate he has on the later engine.