Well guys, just picked up an 81 Regal. Engine appears to be a pontiac 4.3 v8 and thm350 trans.. new to the Gbodies but I already know this engine has to go. What is the easiest most direct engine swap? I'd assume another pontiac and perhaps oldsmobile v8 would drop in? Kinda hard to find where I live.. small block chevy is common though, would I be looking at too much of a hassle going the sbc route?
1981 Buick Regal 4.3 V8 swap options
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Look for a Pontiac 350 or 400, even a 301 4bbl would be a nice upgrade. The trans is the only thing that is a direct bolt up to an Olds V8. Your trans is probably a TH250C. Look for a stud near the cooler lines.
On second look., the 8th digit in the VIN is a J.. so this leads bmme to believe it's a 4.4l v8.?
The 265 Pontiac V8 is a 4.4 liter, was going to mention that. Don't shove a sbc in there unless it is really cheap to buy, everyone puts them in everything. You trans, motor mounts, and brackets won't fit on a sbc.
I just got a 1974 Pontiac 455 4 barrel motor from a friend of mine. I am going to put it into my 1986 Grand Prix 2+2. I am going to start taking the motor apart as it needs to be refreshed. I am taking out the stock 305 as it is partially apart and has not run since 1996.
olds307 and 403 said:
I am starting the same swap on my 81 grand lemans with the 4.4 v8. finding any pontiac motor is very difficult so i want to use a sbc 350. i assumed the motor mounts, transmission, rad and brackets would all bolt up. Are you absolutely sure about this, as i have to make some major changes, considering i already rebuilt the sbc 350. The only pontiac motors around seem to be 301's which are not too exciting, any guidance would be appreciated.
the 403 is much better for a street driven daily driver b/c it makes a boatload of low end torque but it's more expensive to rebuild at the shop unless you know how to do rebuild the engine yourself. You should bring someone who knows alot about engines before buying a 403 or you could buy a headache by mistake. I think to sum it up, its better to have an old 403 than an old 350, but of course a new 350 would always beat an old 403... it's really what all a person has to spend at the end of the day.
i can build the motor myself, aside from the machining etc.
the sbc 350 i built for this car is .30 over with flat top pistons, mild cam, 64cc heads, edelbrock performer intake
etc. which i would really like to hear run. Can someone confirm that the transmission, engine mounts and brackets will not transfer from my original 265 v8. I imagined being a v8 car, that most of it would transfer. I was also told by the previous owner that the car has a turbo 350 transmission, but maybe it doesn't?
the sbc 350 i built for this car is .30 over with flat top pistons, mild cam, 64cc heads, edelbrock performer intake
etc. which i would really like to hear run. Can someone confirm that the transmission, engine mounts and brackets will not transfer from my original 265 v8. I imagined being a v8 car, that most of it would transfer. I was also told by the previous owner that the car has a turbo 350 transmission, but maybe it doesn't?
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