raphg23

Hi all !

I'm new here and I have a little question for you, if you can help me.

I have a 1979 chevy van G10 with the 305 V8. The engine has not rolled since at least 5 years and the van was store outside.

Instead of putting a lot of money on this old engine and always find new stuff to fix, I tought that I can just swap the original engine with a newest one.

Unfortunately, I have a lot of difficulty to find what kind of engine will fit there without doing modification on the frame.

Is anyone knows where I can find a list or something like that will simply tell me first, if it's possible and if yes, what are my choices?

Thanks a lot !

canucklehead

Any small block chev gmc v8 will fit. There may be slight differences over the years but minor. check out an auto wrecker for an engine from a pickup or van and your halfway there.
How many miles on the 305? You could get it going if it ran before. Bulletproof engine.

raphg23

Thank you for your answer ! I'm happy to see that it's as easy as this.

I don't know how many miles the 305 has.... but by doing this swap, I was looking to get a lower fuel consumption to. I want to do a road trip with it and in our days, that's an important thing to look! More then when this van was made lol

And for the transmission, should I look for a new one ? any kind? I already have an automatic one but I don't know how many speeds.

canucklehead

the 305 has better fuel consumption that the 350. I am betting its a turbo 350 tranny. 3 speed no overdrive and no lock up torque converter. Still good though.
If you change it up, a newer engine tranny combo will have a 700r4 4 speed auto. However those are more expensive to repair. Do some homework. Might be cheaper in the long run to just fix up what you have.

solwav

Good afternoon, you seem to be wading into to this engine swap casually.

After having replaced Dodge, Ford and Chevy van motors I will never do another van motor. Level of difficultly is high, I recommend confirming the condition of the current motor before moving forward.

Good Luck