81 Cutty...350 w/ Edelbrock Intake, Carburetor & Manifol

[Esotericnem]

I purchased a 1981 Cutlass Supreme...It has a 350 w/ Edelbrock Intake, Carburetor, Carb Spacer & Manifold, B&M 80675 Automatic Starshifter on the floor (with no boot or cover), No power locks or windows and 2 glasspacks hanging from cloth hangers underneath each door. Thats all I really know about the car.........

When the seller jump started the car the engine was knocking really loud and sounded like dry metal scrapping, he said just add some thick oil and the car will be alright, so I purchased the car and drove it straight to a shop. The guy replaced the Manifold gasket and water pump, then he test drove it and said I need a new engine. When I drove it home it had no power and wanted to die when I put it on the freeway. I changed the Plugs, Wires, Cap & Rotor and tryed over and over to adjust the Edelbrock Carb........

All this and my question is why would my car have NO power what-so-ever I can't even drive the car but a few feet and it dies. My brother in-law has a 1991 GMC Full size pickup with a 5.7 350 and his engine was going out, so all he did was keep adding oil and the engine still had power. I am planning on getting the engine swapped out with another used 350 but I want to know if I should look for something else before getting a new engine and having the same problem. I really want to keep this car.

 

[Uncletruck]

Re: 81 Cutty...350 w/ Edelbrock Intake, Carburetor & Man

message changed

 

[Uncletruck]

Re: 81 Cutty...350 w/ Edelbrock Intake, Carburetor & Man

When the seller jump started the car the engine was knocking really loud and sounded like dry metal scrapping, he said just add some thick oil and the car will be alright,

All four of those things should have been your clue to walk away, nonetheless glasspacks hanging from pieces of cloth. The engine's main and crankpin bearings are likely totally shot, which is why it won't even run. There is a difference between when an engine is old and a little worn and consuming some oil or when Rex Racer is putting on a boy manifold and beating the jeepers out of it until it's completely done like dinner. Consider it a lesson well learned.

-Mark-

 

[jae]

Only keep the car if it overall is in good shape. Meaning the body is good, floor solid, electrics good, rest of driveline ok.

As far as the motor, like the other post stated, you should have ran like hell away from that thing or bargained / haggled to get the car for next to nothing. Throwing tune-up parts at a loud knocking engine isn't going to get it to stop knocking. The person you bought it from probably told you to put in oil like 20W-50 or something like "Motor Honey". Sorry, don't mean to be harsh, but you saw all the signs and got burned badly.

For the current engine, at a minimum you're looking at a bottom-end kit, machining the crank, probably the bores too, new main / rod and cam bearings, rings... Basically you need to rebuild the short-block and get the block right. Magnaflux, align-honing and flushing it thoroughly as you probably have metal shaving floating around in there wrecking havoc.

If you go for the used 350 make sure you hear it run before you buy. Hopefully it will still be in the car/turck and you can drive it around to feel it's power and see if it leaks, runs rough, knocks, etc. But please take your time if you're going to go this route!! Also be sure what comes with that used motor. Sometimes you can get the whole thing, some times you may not get the accessory drive, starter, manifolds, etc. As it stands the more you run that current 350 the less it will actually run. It's just locking itself up - believe me I know.

Have you thought about a long-block?

 

[Esotericnem]

Thanks everyone....I know I should have just walked away, but the mods and the body was too hard to resist. When the car did drive the transmission shifted pretty good and all of the electrical things work. I am going to have the same guy that put a used 350 in my brother in-laws truck do the same for my car and hopefully with the mods it should run like a champ.

 

[Uncletruck]

If you can't hear the used engine you want running, many reputable (key word) wrecking yards that sell engines sell them with at least a 6 month or even a one year warranty, and they will give you $50-100 for the old core. Although it is still better to hear it run and test it, the warranty route is the next best bet. Or even better, a fully waranteed rebuilt engine if you can afford it and the car is worth it.

Just best not to spend all the labor hours swapping the engines, only to find you are in the same boat a few weeks down the road.

-Mark-

 

[Esotericnem]

Yeah and to find out, its damn hard to find an Olds 350 here in MN, so it looks like the car will be sitting a while longer

 

[Uncletruck]

Being an '81, it is very unlikely the 350 in there is the original enigne. It is easy and common to swap a Chevy small block (305,350,400 etc) in place of the original engine, which was probably a 231 Buick V6 or a Chevy 267 or 305. Your VIN number will indicate the original engine. Many here I'm sure can help you locate a good powertrain to put in there, and as there are so many hop-up options for SB Chevys, they are about the best bet for the Cutlass. The last swap I did was a Chevy 305 and TH350 transmission combo in to an '84 Cutlass that had a 231 and TH200R4. This swap worked out very well, and was not real difficult short of a few climate control issues. Your car has a lot of possibilites! That's what makes A/G body cars so fun! As mentioned it is important to get the engine you are swapping in complete with all the accessory brackets, unless you are swapping in an identical engine.

-Mark-

 

[illregal82]

have you heard of craigslist.com heres a link to a olds 350 rocket id do sbc i did in my regal

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/pts/322586317.html

 

[Esotericnem]

I had a Mechanic look at the car and he said its an Olds 350 installed and on the Edelbrock Manifold it says "Performance 350 Olds" so im looking around for a junkyard that has some kind of warranty so I don't get screwed over