To swap a motor? It's fairly straightforward.

Remove axles, downpipe, PCM, C100 connector, dogbones, engine mount and transmission mount, and anything else that could make the engine not come out (neutral safety switch connector, power steering connector, radiator). Then pull the bitch out.

Installation is opposite of removal.

 

Drop the cradle and swap the whole engine and trans in. Much less difficult than a top swap. Much faster too. Plus you will get the HD trans from the GTP.

 

Only thing I'd do different is swap the L67 block for the L36 one so I'd get the higher compression. But I'd already have headers on there to keep the KR down as well too.

 

If hes going to do that he may as well just do the top swap. The idea is to keep from having to tear into the engine as much as possible. Keeps it a simpler job and more reliable. Now if he was confident in his skills to do the top swap and was looking for big power, then a topswap would be the way to go. That decision is up to him. For simplicity and reliability I would stick to swapping in the whole L67. He can still get big power out of the stock L67 with mods anyway.

 

True. For me I'll be tearing into everything (including the transmission) when I do mine so that won't be an issue. I personally like the 2.93 gears better for the L67 since it keeps me near my max torque longer (and I'm turning less RPM while cruising on the interstate) so I'll be using an L67 transmission if I can help it.

 

I'd go with an L36 tranny, better take off

 

You don't stay in the powerband as long. Fine if your engine makes close to max torque over a wider range (like the L32, LT1 or LS motors). But for engines that don't make torque as high through the RPM band, it can be a detriment. The Tuned Port Injection V8s are a prime example. Unless you get a Mini-Ram or Stealth-Ram intake, lower gears (higher numerically) actually hurt times on those motors. TPI 3rd gens never came with anything more than 3.23 (with the exception of a few 305s that came with 3.45s) for a reason. Gearing a car is just as much about taking into consideration the weaknesses of the motor as it is anything. My IROC was a dog above 4000 RPM but below that it pulled amazing. I had 3.08s and as long as I shifted by 4500 RPM I could keep pulling hard. The only way I would have gotten lower gears would have been if I'd changed out the intake give it more of an LT1 type torque curve. Only then would I have benefited from it.

The L78 in my 73 is a different animal. Pulls hard clear over 5k RPM so the 3.73s it came with from the factory are definitely a benefit in that case.