Motor swap

Asked by Colson27 Jul 20, 2016 at 05:28 PM about the 1979 Chevrolet Corvette Coupe

Question type: Car Customization

I have a 1979 corvette with original 350
motor I want to change it out for 454 big
block do I need to change the transmission
as well? I have the original automatic
transmission in there. And is there anything
else I would need to perform this motor
swap?

1 Answer
50,795

John answered 7 years ago

If the bell housing is the same for the small block as for the 454, it should work. Doing the swap, I'd go with an after market transmission made to work on a 454 to be on the safe side. They usually supply all necessary parts to bolt on the engine. the bell housing is the key. A transmission for a 350 may not handle the stress of a larger engine. Money ahead to change the tranny than pay for a towing and tear down and then replace the transmission later. When I put my 5 speed transmission in replacing the stock 4 speed, the company also sent a driveshaft to bolt on as the sizing was different. Do homework and call the companies and they will be able to give you what is necessary and the total cost.

Mark helpful

Your Answer:

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