Tricks to cross brand engine swapping

I would like to see an article discussing the finer points of swapping one brand of engine into another brand of car.  This sounds awfully basic but I think that takes for granted a certain amount of knowledge in many of the readers.  I've done a cross brand swap twice.  1) Olds 350 into '80 Blazer, 2) Chevy 350 into '67 LeMans.  In both cases certain mistakes were made that were frustrating to rectify.

The questions that arose as I was swapping my Olds into my Blazer were things like:  How do I decide if my engine is level enough?  Does the centerline of the crank shaft have to be parallel with the center line of the differential input yoke?  How do I take measurements and design my motor mounts so the engine fits right?  How do I make a bell housing adapter?  How do I test fit my $600 hooker headers without scratching them up in case they don't fit and I have to return them?  How do I design a set of pulleys and brackets from scratch when there are none for the swap?

We see all kinds of swaps in CC but there are so many ways to mess up an interesting project because many of us don't know the subtle but critical rules.  On top of that, let's have real world solutions for those of us who don't have a lift.  I performed both of my conversions on my back under the cars.

I'd like to see this article run with some kind of challenging engine- car combination, for example swapping a
Buick engine into a late '60's Ford.  The article should definitely not include a Chevy engine.  

Here is an idea:  Let the reader's write in with their project ideas - ones that they are ready to embark on in their own driveways.  Pick the one that makes for the best article and offer to come to their driveway and do it with them.  (and maybe supply some funding if necessary to complete the project.

Now that's real world hot rodding, oops! I mean Car crafting!

Who's with me!  

Not I.  I'm not a fan of cross-breeding.  Pretty much every brand made good engines...its not hard to find one to drop in your project.

I understand some people have stuff laying around...and don't have the money to go out and find a brand X motor to fit in their brand X car...so I'll concede there is some merit to the story...

I'm just personally not a fan.  
68 Olds Cutlass ~ 350 Rocket
85 Delta 88 ~ 425 Rocket
02 Silverado 4X4 ~ 5.3L

There is no one right way to go.  At the end of the day the best way to go is a balance between a persons interests and practical limitations.  

In my case I like the idea of cross swapping engines.  There is some creativity to the project.  Even if it is as common as installing a small-block chevy, there usually are some non-standard modifications to make.  My level of expertise is limited so what challenges me may be boring to someone else.  

The other issue that drives my decisions is my impatience to get driving.  I don't want to wait for parts to be found so I'm inclined to work with common brands of drivetrains even if they don't match the car.  

I'll boldly raise my hand, I'm with ya. Personally, all I really want is to get a SBC into everything. For the same reason as you, impatience. At some point in the years, practicality and serviceability have to win out if we want to keep driving our old heaps. I totally respect the brand loyalty guys, though. It takes financial fortitude to keep building the BOPs, but as mentioned, they all have great designs. It just takes crate 350 money to sharpen up a pair of iron heads nowadays!

Still running a Chevy in my Chevy, A Pontiac in my Pontiac, and an Olds in my Olds. Fighting the good fight, but losing the war.  
1969 Grand Prix  
1972 Cutlass Supreme
1976 El Camino

Crossbreeding is not my favorite.  

In the 1950s it might have made some sense because of the disparity between brands and the fact that everybody was addled on Vitalis or Wild Root Hair Oil, lung-killing unfiltered smokes, and only three channels of black and white TV. But nowadays, nearly any brand has a proprietary V8 that can be built to pound out more power than you can use on the street.

Now,crossbreeding is often because folks are just lazy, cheap, or uncreative (i.e. the ubiquitous SBC "350/350" swap or the crate-motor LSX into a muscle car era BOP or non-GM whip . . . or all those Bondoed-together SBC-powered fakes they wrecked in "Fast and Furious")

Cool crossbreeds are the ones that stick in your mind late at night. Hemis into subcompacts. . . . A Ford modular into a Focus (yes, it fits nicely). . . . A Cadillac 500 into an RWD '80s Cutlass or Grand Prix . . . . A Grand National V6 into a 70s Monza or a 60s Chevy II or a first-generation F-85 . . . . A Thunderbird Turbo Coupe four in an MG Midget (don't laugh, the power-to-weight ratio is better than the average 1960s Camaro) SBFs in Miatas and boxy RWD Volvos  . . . A DOHC Jaguar 3.8 or even a Cadillac V-16 in a '32 Ford roadster . . . .

If the result of crossbreeding isn't something that's measurably better performing and hotter looking than what could be accomplished with same-brand parts, then you should sell either your odd-ball engine or body and use the cash to build something that isn't crossbred. Or get a better job and earn more money so you can afford to do it correctly . . . .

As for driveline angles, most driveshaft companies have an instruction sheet on how to "phase" your drivetrain.

Motor mounts: (a) buy engineered off-the-shelf swap mounts or (b) test fit, measure twice, cut once, repeat.

Test-fitting headers: wrap 'em first. Be careful. Don't force anything. See if the directions might provide insights for how they're installed on what they were designed for (hopefully the "hole" you're trying to put them in is somewhat similar to the one they're supposed to fit into).  Of course a better idea would be to forget the whole overpriced "header" thing and go turbo (lots more bang for the buck)

Bellhousing adaptor: if it's very hot, you should be using an SFI-approved can. Otherwise, (a) buy a pre-made adaptor (Transadapt, Advance Adaptors, etc.) or (b) get some cardboard and a hunk of aluminum plate, make a paper template and start machining/welding.

Pulleys and brackets: Didn't that cheap engine come with some? Is it from Mars?  If not, visit the JY. Keep everything "squared up" (a real industrial straight edge or a carpenter's framing square will work) Study factory belt wraps, pulley sizes, and bracket triangulation at the JY.  Did I mention triangulation?

"Car Craft, Overhaul Me/Be My Driveway Slave/Pay for my Project" Contest: Who knows how much some of Car Crafts staffers can eat or drink?  Can you really afford that? And why is it they can't seem to finish their own projects?  
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460_BBF_Turbo-in-CC (formerly Dr511scj) "This guy has no life other than posting endlessly on carcraft.com." -- Car Craft, July 2005
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October 1, 2003: " I'm thinking a couple of...turbos, blowing through an old Powerstroke intercooler...on a Super Cobra Jet-head 460 would be mad cheap and make sick power."
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"I have no problem with your...talking to several versions of yourself...or pointing out our failure to do a turbo story ...." --Douglas "CC/Rambler" Glad

HOW ABOUT A 4.0 ROVER IN A MAZDA RX 7

LANDTAHOE  

I have thought about a Toyota 5.7 for my 66 vert Satellite...     whichever pops up first...   5.7 toyo or a 5.7 hemi    hahaha