1968 C25 307 to 350 Swap Advice

[Willys_MB]

Hi guys,

Well, it happened. I was driving home from the lumber yard a couple of weeks ago and I blew the rear main seal. My original 307 seized up about a half mile from home. I got it towed home and it sat in the driveway for a couple of weeks, but now that I've gotten it into the garage I'd like to get it up and running again.

So I'm looking for some advice. I've never done an engine swap on one of these trucks, but I need to decide if I'm going to get my 307 rebuilt (and most likely machined to be a 350) or if I should just drive to Reno to get a new 350 from summit racing. I called my local machine shops and they're all going to be the same price. It will end up being ~$2,000 for a rebuilt 307 done by a machine shop, ~$2,000 if I do it myself (except for the machining), or ~$2,000 if I go buy a brand new 350 at summit racing in Reno. It's roughly a 2 hour drive for me to go pick it up, so it's not too far out of the way and I could go get it and have it home in the same day. I'll list my questions below.

https://www.summitracing.com/nv/part...aillocation=nv

1. Has anyone used the summit base model 350 crate engine they sell and was it easy to install? Was there anything you needed to do before dropping the engine in and running it? I know I'd have to add oil, the intake manifold, the alternator and water pump, and the carburetor and anything else I disconnect to remove the old engine.

2. Is there any reason I shouldn't just go and get the summit racing 350 crate engine?

3. When reinstalling the engine, is there anything else I should replace while I've got it out? I'm trying to do this on a budget, but as we all know it's a lot easier to do certain things when you've got the engine compartment wide open. I'm planning on doing a new alternator, water pump, and thermostat as of right now.

4. I called a local junk yard and he's got a '77 2 ton with a 350 in it that allegedly has 53k miles on it and I could have it for $500. I'm going to check it out on Monday. He said he drove it in there a few weeks back, so I'll ask to drive it and run a compression test. Anything else I should look at on the engine?

I'm just looking for advice and tips that anyone who has done this before might offer to a green owner of one of these trucks.

Thank you in advance!