Camaro motor wont bolt up?

[edflores]

im trying to put an 87 camaro motor ion my 78 blazer but the flywheel/flexplate wouldnt bolt up to the torque convertor. i did a similar swap with a motor out of an 87 suburban and the only thing i had to change was the power steering hose. what do i do now?

[margie's71]

Problem is you are trying to cross generations-The 87 probably has a one piece seal: while the 78 has a two piece rear main seal

[edflores]

yeah but i did the same swap using a burb motor of the same year with no prob. and i have friends running lt1's and vortech motors in their k5's that havent run into this problem. so im lost.

[jermasaurus]

do you have the correct flywheel?

[Russell]

If you've got a flexplate on there, it should fit any of the Chevy trannies less maybe the TH400...

[edflores]

what flywheel is the correct one? i know the flywheel the came of my original motor wont even bolt up to this one. i bought a flywheel of an 87 burb but i havent pulled the motor yet to put it on. if i put on the burb flywheel, what starter would i use?i dont think a regular chevy starter wont bolt on to the
87+ camaro motor.

[piecesparts]

There are two different size flexplates for a GM motor, one is a 153 tooth and the other is a 168 tooth flexplate. Most trucks have the bigger of the two, but that is not usually a problem. The trannys should bolt up to either one and fit without problem. Did you rotate the flexplate until it matched the right set of holes. Most flexplates have tow sets of holes for the different torque convertor diameters. The different flexplates will use different bolt pattern styles for the starter. The smaller will use a straight "In-Line" bolt pattern and the larger will use the offset pattern. Most blocks are drilled and threaded for both patterns. Another thing that is different about flexplates, is whether or not they are balanced externally. The later model one-piece seal motors have a balancing weight on them, so do the Chevy 400 small block motors. The standard 350 motor is internally balanced and does not need the weight. Don't get them mixed up

[edflores]

one set of holes are about 3/4 to far and the other is like 1/2 an inch away. what would i do if it doesnt have the hole for the offset starter? i was told that 87+ motors are neutral balanced. what does that mean?

[edflores]

anyonw with any more thoughts?

[Slonaker]

I did just the opposite. I put a two piece rear main seal engine in my truck that came with a one pice rear main seal engine. I used the proper flexplate for the older style engine, and it bolted up to my converter with no problems.

I used the parts lookup at www.autozone.com to determine wat was what. For example, I looked up the starter for my truck, and the one for an older one. They were both the same, so I knew it would fit the new flexplate. Maybe you should do the same with the two vehicles to figure out what is different between them.

When you say it won't bolt up, do you mean that the holes don't line up or that the converter does not slide far enough forward? If they don't line up, have you tried turning the converter to the next set of holes? Both of mine had two sets of holes for two different converter configurations. If the holes did not line up, you just moved to the next hole.

If you mean that it is too far from the flexplate, I had that happen once. There was a burr on the flexplate or the converter, and the two did not want to fit together. I ended up replacing them both, but I think a little light filing on one or both would have made them fit.

That's all of the ideas I have. Good luck...

Slonaker