307 bad head gasket

[lkovacs]

hello, I have recently taken my cutlass to a mechanic and he pressure tested the coolant system. Pressure dropped very quickly, and there was no external leaking. He said it is probably a head gasket and he said probably around 800 dollars. Is it worth it to spend that just to keep the 307? are stock motors desirable in these cars? I am thinking of just running it into the ground so to speak, all the while saving for an engine swap because I was planning on getting rid of the 307 later on. If I should swap the motor, then which motor should I swap? are the 5.3 L Vortecs a good option? Should i try and find a chevy 350 or even an olds 350? what would be cost effective but still bring power?

 

[81Regal]

Depends if its a good running engine other than needing a head gasket. Either way dont put an LS series engine in it, those have been done to death.

 

[Ribbedroof]

$800 sounds low to me, because nobody in their right mind would do only one side on a 35 year old car. If that one went, how long till the other side goes?

Don't know about around you, but reputable mechanic shops in this area are around $100/hour. I find it hard to believe that anybody is going to replace a head gasket PROPERLY for $800. This would include surfacing the head, checking the block deck, valve job, gaskets, coolant, oil, labor, road-test time, and the ever-popular "shop supplies" surcharge..

Lemme ask this, if you can't do the head gasket, how are you going to do a swap to potentially a totally different platform, that was never a factory installation?

 

[69hurstolds]

what would be cost effective but still bring power?

350 Olds or 455 Olds. It'll bolt in using the 307 mounts. A 350 Olds would be a piece of cake. So would a 403 except finding one keeps getting tougher (meaning more expensive).

NOTHING will be cost effective if you're simply writing checks. If it's going to take your mechanic to change your head gasket, you may want to rethink engine conversions to an LS or something. Or you'll think that 800 bucks is chump change by the time your bank account is drained by the LS swap. They ain't cheap as everyone wants them to be. And if you can't change a head gasket on a 307, I don't think you're ready for an LS at this point.

That's why gastro-intestinal surgeons don't normally do brain surgery. They have some skills, but not in the area needed sometimes.

JMO. Yours may differ.

 

[fleming442]

Other than losing pressure, are there any other signs pointing to said head gasket (i.e.- milky oil, a REALLY clean spark plug, no heat inside, overheating, etc)?

 

[airboatgreg]

Is it smoking out of the exhaust? A sweet odor to it? Does it skip on start up or all the time? Did he put the car on a rack to look under the engine? He could have a bad pressure tester. Get a second opinion

 

[fauxfour2]

If you are anywhere near 11756 i have a used 307 with 81K on it that was running driving with no oil or coolant leaks. Its out of the car ready to go. I put in a 403 olds so i have no need for it. Its pictured in a post in the for sale section. Could be a cheap stop gap measure for you until you are ready for an upgrade. Just a thought...

 

[lilbowtie]

If it leaked down that quick it should have been checked with the oil drained and the plug removed to see if any coolant comes out of the pan. Depending on where the coolant level was at the time of pressure checking you can still have a simple leak on top somewhere. What was the reason you took it for.

 

[565bbchevy]

You should be able to find someone selling a good running 307 out of a Cutlass or Regal etc. that is doing an LS swap.

 

[lkovacs]

I took it in because it is white smoking out the exhaust and idling rough. I just don't know if I want to spend $800 on an engine that I don't even want and am planning on swapping out anyway. The oil is not milky so he said it is just burning out from the exhaust chamber or something.
I have been looking for a 350 olds but the nearest one I found was in Wisconsin and I am in IL