Current owner of two Gen 3 SHOs 1996 &1999

[Tom Hamilton]

Hi all,
My name is Tom.
I have a really clean and nearly rust free Ruby Red 1996 SHO (around 60k miles) with a spun cam and also a nearly rusted out Black 1999 SHO (140k miles) with a good engine that I think is welded, that has a bad transmission.

My intention was to pull the engines and swap the good head from the 99 onto the 96 engine. However, the 96's rear cylinder bank's cams would need to be welded.

The 96 is in fantastic condition.
The body is a 9 out of 10 and the interior is also a 9 out of 10. It's definitely worth saving.
I really want to do this swap, but this is a major project for me.
I have a good amount of mechanical experience, but this job seems pretty daunting.
Can anyone offer some advice about it?
I look forward to hearing from you guys soon.
Thanks.

 

[luigisho]

Swap both heads?

 

[sperold]

Swap the whole engine from the 99 into the 96.
Check the cams for proper welding while out of the car.
Refresh all the hard to access hoses at the firewall and wherever else is difficult.

There are lots of threads about lowering the sub frame and changing motors and transmissions on this forum.
The engine can come out the top as well, but you have to decide which set of obstacles you want to face.
Research any engine sensors that need to be swapped. (if any).

Look into adding an auxiliary transmission cooler, again look for threads on this forum.

Keep the 96 engine for parts or possible reconditioning if the cam spin was not terminal.
Keep the transmission for a core or possible rebuild in the future.

 

[Tom Hamilton]

Swap the whole engine from the 99 into the 96.
Check the cams for proper welding while out of the car.
Refresh all the hard to access hoses at the firewall and wherever else is difficult.

There are lots of threads about lowering the sub frame and changing motors and transmissions on this forum.
The engine can come out the top as well, but you have to decide which set of obstacles you want to face.
Research any engine sensors that need to be swapped. (if any).

Look into adding an auxiliary transmission cooler, again look for threads on this forum.

Keep the 96 engine for parts or possible reconditioning if the cam spin was not terminal.
Keep the transmission for a core or possible rebuild in the future.

Thanks for those suggestions.
My only concern is the 99 engine has over 130k miles, while the 96 has only around 60k.
I will look into your suggestions.
Thanks again.

 

[Tom Hamilton]

Swap both heads?

Yeah, that's a possibility.
I'm not 100% sure the 99 has welded cams, but at over 130k miles, I'm guessing it would have let loose awhile ago, if they weren't.
When I pull the engines, I'll look.

 

[luigisho]

There is no way to know if cams have been welded without visual inspection. Also with the cam failure you have to look at whether there was any damage to valves and cylinders. 130k is not a terrible amount of mileage on these cars. I drove mine over 200k and only got rid of it because of tranny failure. The motor was still running strong.