80 Cutlass motor swap help!!

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Dicemoney

Not-quite-so-new-guy
Apr 2, 2020
6
0
1
I'm new to the tread. I have a 80 cutlass supreme with a v6 3.8 and wanna swap to a v8 or is there a way to get more hp out this 6? It's my cruiser I got 20" 150 spoke rims on her and yes I know people might disagree with that but it's my baby haha. So that said I'm stuck between beefing this 6 up just get some more power or just dropping a new v8 in her. I was told if I remove all the emission crap out and upgrade a 4 barrel carb I could get some more pick up. Right now she is a little slow getting up to speed. Any help would be awesome. Got a budget but not anything crazy.
 

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fleming442

Captain Tenneal
Dec 26, 2013
13,046
24,216
113
The only way to get power out of that 6 is EFI and turbo. A 4bbl will kill it- total waste of money. V8 swap will be cheapest/easiest just bear in mind your local emissions laws.
 
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axisg

Comic Book Super Hero
Jul 17, 2007
2,685
2,354
113
YYZ
Oh to go back in time.... if I were in your position I would be on the hunt for an Olds 350 or prefer a 403 and a 3 speed trans and baby it as long as you can ( as you likely have tall gears in the rear with the 6 cyl ). Should be a relatively easy swap. iirc Swap motor mounts, fan shroud, and a stock driveshaft. As long as you dont have sticky tires you have the ability to make the rear last until it can be upgraded.
 

L92 OLDS

Comic Book Super Hero
Mar 30, 2012
2,872
3,050
113
West Michigan
I'm new to the tread. I have a 80 cutlass supreme with a v6 3.8 and wanna swap to a v8 or is there a way to get more hp out this 6? It's my cruiser I got 20" 150 spoke rims on her and yes I know people might disagree with that but it's my baby haha. So that said I'm stuck between beefing this 6 up just get some more power or just dropping a new v8 in her. I was told if I remove all the emission crap out and upgrade a 4 barrel carb I could get some more pick up. Right now she is a little slow getting up to speed. Any help would be awesome. Got a budget but not anything crazy.

Welcome to the forum. Your car looks solid.

Besides a V8 swap another option that would really improve acceleration would be to keep the V6, change your rear axle gears and add a 4 speed transmission. Do you know what the rear ratio is currently? Some came with 2.29's which would definitely make it slow. Swapping in some 3.73 gears would make a big improvement. Your larger diameter wheels and tires are also making it slow.
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lilbowtie

Comic Book Super Hero
Jan 7, 2006
3,460
3,965
113
Canton Mi
There is a lot threads on this for you to read and decide. The 3.8 only has 110 HP and if you picked up 20 hp (at a cost) you still don't have anything to right home about. Since it's just your cruiser and a little slow getting up to speed you might consider a gear change.
 
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Oct 14, 2008
8,806
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Melville,Saskatchewan
The Rocket (Oldsmobile) 350 is my favorite but the Buick 350 is by far the easiest. Almost everything is a direct swap, the 3.8 is a Buick 350 V8 with two cylinders removed.
 
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Doug Chahoy

Comic Book Super Hero
Nov 21, 2016
2,564
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The 69 Buick California 350 was a good running car. A friend bought on new back then. Sure don’t know how available the Buick 350 is now since its been around 45 years since they quit producing them. A Buick 400 or 455 MIGHT be easier to find.
 
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454GrandPrix

Master Mechanic
Jul 27, 2016
429
818
93
Lehi, Utah
I have a 80 cutlass supreme with a v6 3.8 and wanna swap to a v8 or is there a way to get more hp out this 6?
I was told if I remove all the emission crap out and upgrade a 4 barrel carb I could get some more pick up.
Got a budget but not anything crazy.

Before you make any decisions, you need to have firm answers to the following questions:

1) What emissions laws must you follow, exactly?
2) What is your actual budget, all in?
3) <this one to a lesser extent> How fast do you want to go?

Once you can spell out these answers, we can make better suggestions for you.
 
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pontiac guy

G-Body Guru
Oct 28, 2016
582
843
93
Royse City, TX
Gear. At a minimum go up to compensate for the tall tires. Divide the new tire height buy the original tire height. You should have a number bigger than 1. Multiply your gear ratio by that number. Round up to the next available gear size. Don't bother with a posi unit. Put a gear on your open carrier.
 
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