Questions to ask before you start an engine swap–Number 2
We’ve identified at least 13 questions to ask yourself before you start an engine swap project. Here’s another of them:
“Is the car worth it?”
Here’s the deal–engine swaps can cost a lot of money. And a lot of time. And it’s always more than you think it’s going to be. So, is the rest of the car worth the new engine and all the rest of the upgrades you’ll have to make?
Two examples:
1. A couple of years ago, I did a pretty easy swap–I pulled out a tired Chevy 350 and bolted in a fresh 454. The vehicle is a 1978 GMC 1-ton dually, crew cab, automatic, 4WD. Something I use once in a while to pull a goose-neck trailer to haul my wife’s bulldozer or to haul a car project.
This kind of swap is about as easy as it gets. No transmission change, no radiator change, no steering issues. Pretty much plug and play. And boy is there a difference in power between a tired 350 and a fresh 454.
I’m glad I did the swap. However…..the truck has the traditional GM rust issues in the front fenders. A windstorm damaged the hood and one door. One of our 4 English Mastiffs (who love riding where the back seat used to be) lunged at something and cracked one of the back windows, and it has a horrible shimmy in the front axle at certain speeds. I’m pretty sure that if I wanted to sell or trade the truck, I would get back very little of the money I spent on the 454 engine and all the little stuff I replaced during the swap. I’ll eventually drive my investment out of it but the engine is probably worth as much as the rest of the truck.
2. My current project is stuffing a 5.3 Chevy V8 into a 1987 BMW 535iS. What prompted this project was the original automatic transmission finally gave up the ghost at 220,000 miles. The BMW dealer wanted $3000 for a factory rebuild. That’s about the value of the car. And I’d still have a tired engine.
So, my gearhead buddies, Ken and Kenny, kept poking at me saying things like, “Hey Mr. Hot Rod, if you had any cajones at all you’d put a nice big V8 in there.” So that’s what I’m doing and I think the car is worth the effort. I’ll end up with more than $3000 in the swap but I’ll also end up with a car that has a rust-free body, an almost perfect interior, great ride and handling and soon, reliable GM power. It will once again be part of the daily-driver fleet taking me on my 100 mile per day round trip commute.
I’m expecting gas mileage as good as the old 6 cylinder, lots more power with no change in ride and handling due to the all-aluminum V8 weighing only about 60 lbs. more than the old 6.
I love the car, I’ve owned it for 10 years and I’ll be happy driving it forever. In this case, market value of the finished swap has no bearing. It’s all about the personal enjoyment and use I’ll get from it.
There you have two examples of the question, “Is the car worth it?” The first is questionable, the second is a definite “yes”. Which is it for your project?
