Hey guys. I'm considering buying a 510 in the next year or so when I get out of school. I figured that an engine swap would be a good idea. Has anyone swapped in a 302??? I think that a 302 would create super ballsy power in the little dimer. Are engine/tranny swaps pretty straightfoward on these cars? Or would there need to be a lot of custom work?

-Ian

i almost did it. i had a 302 with dart heads, all stainless valvetrain... etc. in a ford ranger. it wouldnt hookup for ****, so it kind of made me decide on a 4 cyl turbo. i figured the lack of low end torque would keep the tires in contact with the ground and i could make up for it with top end turbo power.

I have an article on swapping a chevy 350 in a 510. pretty much the same thing. your gonna need to make some motor mounts, tranny mounts, custom aluminum radiator(Griffin), shortened driveshaft, r200 diff. thats just some of the smaller items, now for the hard part. Your going to have to cut the firewall so the engine and tranny bell can be positioned properly. Its a major swap but it can be done. I hope you have some fabricating skills I would rather go with a built vg30e or turbo vg. They even have a bolt in kit for it. http://www.vg30.com I got a 510 with a ka24de (soon to be DET) Later, -Mike D