[CamaroZ1997]

the car is 99% stock, it is very clean with very little rust on it. is the car worth keeping original and buying a rebuild kit for a 301 and get a rebuilt trans? What do you guys think i should do?

[CamaroZ1997]

the car is 99% stock, it is very clean with very little rust on it. is the car worth keeping original and buying a rebuild kit for a 301 and get a rebuilt trans? What do you guys think i should do?

[LouisianaGuy]

I would drive it till you get tired of the 301 or it starts smoking and needs a rebuild, then pull it and put it in the shed and drop in a 400 or 455 with a TH350 or TH400 and roll with it.
That is just my opinion, the car will never be worth a fortune, but if you decide to go back origionall later on you always have the origional motor.
Mike

[Aeolian-X]

Agreed. You can be building a 400-455 while you're driving the car with the 301. Then when you're done, swap em out, you're good to go.

- AX

[myckee]

A 400 or 455 is a direct fit. Motor mounts will not need to be moved and transmission will bolt up perfectly. The easiest engine swap you will probably ever do.

[CamaroZ1997]

ok, on top of this my uncle said that the rear end and everything else wouldn't hold up to the 400 or 455. what trans is used with a 455 and where should i go to get a 400 or a 455?

[Colin]

A TH-400 or a TH-350 will do fine......Id go with a TH-400 if I was going to use a 455 engine.Behind a 400 engine either trans should be fine.
The rear end will hold up fine too.....same rear for all 2nd generation cars no matter what engine was used.I had a '78 TA with the stock 10 bolt and 3.73 gears,Th-400 trans behind an engine with about 450 horsepower and never had any trouble.You may want to go with a different gear though depending on what its got in it now.
Colin

[myckee]

They used 400's in the Firebirds up until 1979 when the 400 was discontinued. The 350 will work as long as it is maintained with regualar fluid changes, a big magnet in the pan, an auxillary tranny cooler and a shift kit. The shift kit with its harder than stock shifts, decreases the slippage of the clutches and therby stops them from wearing as much.

I have the stock th-350 that came with the original 301 in my 1980 firebird and I have well over 200,000Km on it. I have grenaded 2 well modified 400's and am currently running a hot 455 and the trans still works perfectly. Maybe I'm just lucky, but I think its becusae of the way I take care of the transmission.

[LouisianaGuy]

Same here im running a 455 with a TH 350 tranny and its fine.
The rear i was running was outa my old 81 Turbo Trans am and its the SAME as all the rear in the Second Gen TA's so dont worry about tearing it up.
MAny guys running into the 9s on these rear ends.
And if you go with a 455 and the rear in your TA has 3.08 gears dont worry you will have plenty torque to get going with that high ratio, its what i was running.
Mike

[Aeolian-X]

I've had nothing but bad luck with the TH-400's that I've used. Maybe it's just me, but I can't seem to keep one in my cars. I rarely have problems with the TH-350's. No matter what is in front of them. I'm not saying that the TH-400 is junk, but I wouldn't worry about a TH-350 backing up a 455 at all.

- AX

[80Formula455]

I have the original TH-350 that was behind my 301 in my 80 , behind my 455 and I have not had any problems with it. It does have a shift kit installed in it also.

[stu]

I agree with the pull 301 and install a larger engine. I kept mine and it was a big waste of money, just pisses me off every time I drive it. I have a 403 with a load of brand new perf. parts that I got for 200 bucks so that's what I am doing next. Debating wether or not to pitch the 301 as I don't really have the room, leaning toward pitch or sell.

[Brian Baker]

Your Uncle is misinformed. Your car is equipped with the 8.5" 10-bolt and will hold up fine behind a 455. Rear tires on the other hand won't (LOL).

To swap a th400 into your car will require a little work. The driveshaft will need to be shortened and rebalanced, and the tranny mount will need to be moved toward the rear of the car. There are 2 ways to do this. Either move the entire tranny crossmember about 4"-6" to the rear (requiring you to drill new mounting holes in the subframe) or cut the mount pad off of the crossmember and reweld it to the rear side of the crossmember. A properly prepped th350 will hold up just as well behind a mild 455, however.

[dragula81]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by CamaroZ1997:
the car is 99% stock, it is very clean with very little rust on it. is the car worth keeping original and buying a rebuild kit for a 301 and get a rebuilt trans? What do you guys think i should do?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Hey Camaro1997,
I am in the process of rebuilding an original '81 Turbo TA Daytona Pace car with the Recaro interior. You won't find a much rarer '81 TA with only 2000 produced but I have decided to build it "for me" not for the future worth. One of these in perfect restored condition recently sold on Ebay for less than $7k and only received one bid. The 80-81 301 cars are not in high demand even the rare Daytona editions like mine so I decided to just put the 301 away (or I might sell it, not sure yet) and build a 400 for it. That way I can enjoy driving it instead of worrying about when the bottom end is going to self destruct. The car needs to be repainted and I'm even considering changing the color from the original white. Like I said I'm doing it for me to enjoy. If I was looking for an investment, I'd buy a late 60's GM product.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do with it.
Drag

[rted]

My '81 Formula with a 301 came with a TH200C (lockup TC) transmission. I went through 6 of them with the 301 before changing to a TH350 then no more problems. Later, I had the 301 swapped out for a 400 engine and still no problems with the transmission. You will need to verify what tranny you have in there now, because there is no way the TH200 would survive the torque from a 400.