chevy 350 in mazda

im putting 350 in my 88 mazda and was wondering if any firewall mods had to be done to fit the motor and trans?and do i have to section the oil pan? 

thr tranny tunnell will have to be modified and the firewall will have to be modified to clear the distributer

ok to clear the distributer should i c ut a hole or is it alot more intaled

Edited: 9/26/2009 1:36:58 AM by maddawg

you don't have to move the engine into the firewall if you use a small cap distributor and a short water pump and mount the rad in the front of the coresupport,BUT!! I would HIGHLY suggest that you DO set your engine back into the firewall a few inches (the more the merrier) as this with give you a hell of alot more options to mount your external components by being able to use a long waterpump (i did not set it back and regret taking the easy way out , whichin turn cause more headache)i was able mount everything i wanted (ac pump , powersteering,ect..) but damn it was such a frickin' pain.you will also get better hood clearance by doing so (depending on how you set the motor).

Edited: 9/26/2009 1:38:58 AM by maddawg

 http://image.minitruckinweb.com/f/8577612+w750+st0/0601mt_10_z+1990_mazda_b2200+engine_compartment.jpg here is the perfect example of what i am talkin' about. I reaaaaalllly wish i would have don'e it like this. look at all that frickin' clearance between the motor and radiator.he even has his rad mounted in the inside the core support and using a stock fan. damn i'm jealous!!!

I pushed my SBC a bit into the firewall and  notched the oil pan so the engine would fit under a b2600i bubble hood with only the inner bracing cut out.  Checkout my profile (the baby blue 86 b2000) theres some pics of what I went through. Let me know if you need more pics or have questions. 

thx rudy and david for all the help i wend ahead and cut my firewall to set motor back a few inches. next question is (prob a stupid one) there a way to use the stock mazda trans with the sbc??

I've never seen the stock mazda trans mated to the chevy engine before. I'm running a turbo 350 trans in mine.

ok thanks again

don't even try it.i have a 4L80E in mine.350 tranny is probaly the cheapest way to go.you might want to think about swapping the rear end also.i have a ford 9" in mine but i originally had the stock mazda rear when i did the swap.i litereally exploded when i nailed it and the tranny shifted into second gear. it would probably be fine with a stock motor and if you don't drive around like a mad man.btw i'm proud of you for diving in and moving the motor into the firewall.