i just got an 85 regal towed to my house yesterday and was wondeirng if there is any 305 buicks or should i rebuild the buick 3.1 in it (needs a lot of work to my knowlegde) i was thinking i want it to be a v6. i don't need the car fast. i want it to be able to drive and not blow my money on gas every time. i would like to rebuild the motor and keep it numbers matiching. opinions please
motors?
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If you want to keep the car 100% original, then justr rebuild the 3.8L V6 that came in it. You could do some internal work and get a little extra power from it. I have seen articles for 200hp 3.8L naturally aspirated. A set of rear gears will help out a ton. Depending how much money you want to put into it, you could have the V6 economy and 305/307 power :idea:
i have a spare 305 to put in, it's out of my parts cutlass and i don't know how to tell if it's an olds motor or chevy. but i'd like to get a buick motor for it. also a side question, i have a th350 in my cutlass and a chevy 355 in my 3rd but again i'm not sure if it's the og trans in my cutlass so if it is an olds trans would it bolt up to my chevy motor?
The Olds transmission unfortunately will not bolt up to a Chevy.
The smallest COMMON Buick V8 would be a Buick 350 (which the transmission would bolt up to)
The easiest way to determine if you have a Chevy 305 or an Oldsmobile 307 is the exterior design of the heads or if there is an oil fill tube coming out of the front of the engine (near the water pump)
The first thing you need to decide is if you really want to keep this car as a "numbers matching" original car :idea: If you want to swap a V8 into it, then that idea is out the window since its a V6 car. If you do end up deciding to go with the V8 swap, the Buick 350 would be you most direct swap. You will be able to use the same motor mounts and accessories from the V6 engine. Keep in mind though, the Buick 350 is not a budget engine to make power out of. Aftermarket availability is slim and not cheap.
The smallest COMMON Buick V8 would be a Buick 350 (which the transmission would bolt up to)
The easiest way to determine if you have a Chevy 305 or an Oldsmobile 307 is the exterior design of the heads or if there is an oil fill tube coming out of the front of the engine (near the water pump)
The first thing you need to decide is if you really want to keep this car as a "numbers matching" original car :idea: If you want to swap a V8 into it, then that idea is out the window since its a V6 car. If you do end up deciding to go with the V8 swap, the Buick 350 would be you most direct swap. You will be able to use the same motor mounts and accessories from the V6 engine. Keep in mind though, the Buick 350 is not a budget engine to make power out of. Aftermarket availability is slim and not cheap.
If the car were a Hurst, 442, GN, Ttype, MCSS, or 2+2 there would be some value in keeping it numbers matching. There is virtually no monitory value in keeping a garden variety car numbers matching. So no reason not to build it as you want it.
There are three other posters on here currently who have posts with regards to putting a Buick 350 in place of the Buick 231/3.8. One just completed one just installed and one who just acquired a Buick 350 to rebuild and install in place of his Buick 4.1. You should check those threads out. The Buick is not particularly expensive for a basic rebuild naturally nothing is as cheap as the sbc. I happen to notice recently that TA Performance has 10-1 pistons for $335 . You stress relieve the factory rods which is not expensive, machine work is machine work regardless of make. They do have some oiling issues that should be addressed but none the less have proven to be a very reliable motor.
There are three other posters on here currently who have posts with regards to putting a Buick 350 in place of the Buick 231/3.8. One just completed one just installed and one who just acquired a Buick 350 to rebuild and install in place of his Buick 4.1. You should check those threads out. The Buick is not particularly expensive for a basic rebuild naturally nothing is as cheap as the sbc. I happen to notice recently that TA Performance has 10-1 pistons for $335 . You stress relieve the factory rods which is not expensive, machine work is machine work regardless of make. They do have some oiling issues that should be addressed but none the less have proven to be a very reliable motor.
the 4.1 isn't a 305 is it? i wouldn't mind doing a 350 in it but i would lto keep it v6 or do 305 because i'll have a 350 in my cutlass when i finish it.
did buick make a 305 or were you just saying that the 350 would be the most direct swap if i wanted power Ritter
did buick make a 305 or were you just saying that the 350 would be the most direct swap if i wanted power Ritter
84cutlassjuggalo said:
The 4.1L is a V6 as well. Buick does not make a 305. I believe the absolute smallest V8 produced by Buick was a 330 (I'm sure there are smaller cubic inch more rare Buick V8s out there from the 50s or something)
Honestly, you are not going to get much better fuel mileage with a 3.8/4.1L V6 engine than you would with a Buick 350 :idea:
Just grab up a 3.8L V6 from a 4th generation Camaro RS and run a fuel injected V6 engine
I agree people in general attribute too much of gas mileage to engine size and fuel injection. Proper gearing, overdrive, lock up converter, cam, aerodynamics all make a significant difference assuming everything is tuned etc.
84cutlassjuggalo said:
My 3.8 V6 g-body got worse gas mileage than almost all of my other V8 powered g-bodies.
Those motors are so underpowered that they have to work too hard to get up to speed, killing the milage.
And as Vern said, keeping a run of the mill V6 car numbers matching is just a waste of time.
There is no value to protect, so modify it however you want...
In your position I would go with the Buick 350 simply for ease of transplant and uniqueness. I am not sure how available they are now, but think of kicking a Chevy's butt and then tell him you run a Buick!
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