80 Cutlass motor swap help!!
- Thread starter Dicemoney
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No idea. I do my own gear set ups. I guarantee a lot less than a motor swap and if you go to all the trouble to do a motor and put some crappy 2.14 or similar behind it you won't be happy. 2 series gears are a symptom of CAFE standards and 3 speeds. I can tell you parts are maybe $250 total. This is going to draw a lot of flak but I'll say it anyway.
Buy a good used GM gear $50
Buy a good used 7.5 carrier $100
Get a rear end kit from Summit/Rock Auto etc $100 if you get the right kit it will even have spacers in it to set the gear up.
People are going to get nutty about spending money on the 7.5. for what you want it's probably fine. Plus for $200 you get an actual feel for the car. If you scatter it in a couple years you're out $200. Big deal, people spend more than that at Starbucks. From there you can do some simple stuff to the motor you have. You may find out you are totally happy with it. You will probably go bigger from there but my car is smiles for miles with the 301 and a T5 in front of that 3.23
Buy a good used GM gear $50
Buy a good used 7.5 carrier $100
Get a rear end kit from Summit/Rock Auto etc $100 if you get the right kit it will even have spacers in it to set the gear up.
People are going to get nutty about spending money on the 7.5. for what you want it's probably fine. Plus for $200 you get an actual feel for the car. If you scatter it in a couple years you're out $200. Big deal, people spend more than that at Starbucks. From there you can do some simple stuff to the motor you have. You may find out you are totally happy with it. You will probably go bigger from there but my car is smiles for miles with the 301 and a T5 in front of that 3.23
I agree. If you're looking for performance you will end up changing your gear anyway regardless of what engine you choose. Do it first with your V6 to see if you like it. It is a relatively inexpensive upgrade.
I would want to hear the 455 run. People push them like a small block and knock, knock, who's there? The bottom end unfortunately. You need to find out what trans is in your car. A TH200 will not survive, a TH350 probably will, add a Transgo shift kit, especially with a mid 70's 455. There is also the TH250, has a stud by the cooler lines, light duty, won't last either. You can keep your stock rear gears, the 455 will easy burn one tire. I would replace the soft stock spider gears with Yukon spider gears. I exploded the stock ones, very soft.
I did it once and the 350 buick is an easy swap, but if you are swapping up to a v8. you have to upgrade the springs and radiator(which means the front core support to)
No need for the core support swap, they have the positions for the rad pads for both V6 & V8 radiators.
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