83 cutlass engine install assistance

[Dragonist]

Hello this is my first post and thread on Gbodyforum...

Lol lets get to business I have a 83 cutlass with the original 307 olds in it. Motor went out on me with in a week of having the car and changing the oil. I found out I was burning oil out the tail pipe, I am looking in to motor options. I am very mechanically inclined, I have done multiple install from the usual stuff like alternators Chevy heads to dsm(Mitsubishi) head installs.

What I want to know what is a pretty fast swap for my car that will give me some good power and be reliable. I don't care if its Olds or Chevy. Also I have a turbo 350 in it so I have a transmission to work with.

Also if I take the care to have someone to install the motor. What is a realistic price to be charged? Reason I ask this is due t I, work full time and it might be less of a headache to drop off car at a shop and have the install being done while I work some overtime or chill with my misses.

 

[Peter]

olds small block (350 or 403) will be you best options, they are externally the same and if you want to you can put every front accessory back onto that block as well as intake, carb and ditributor if you so wish. the motor mounts are the same and you said you have a turbo 350 so you should be all set with that. if you do decide to do a 350 or 403 you could save some serious money by leaving the ccc carb and ditributor but also if you wanted to lose the computer its also not that much work either so that choice can be left to you. the biggest time saver will be that you are replacing a small sblock olds with a smal block olds and that will save you time and money. one thing i suggest you dont transfer to the new motor is the heads on your 307, they are the bottleneck of the 307 engine and will kill you if you slap them on a 350 or 403

 

[Dragonist]

Do you know whats a good price for those motors? Also what cars did 403 come in?

 

[88hurstolds]

403s were only offered from 77-79 and came in Wagons and full sized cars such as Bonnevilles, 98s and Delta 88s. Some 77 Cutlasses came with them but are super rare. TAs came with them as well as Toros.

 

[Dragonist]

ok I guess I'm going to the junkyard friday. Also anyone know I what need to swap a sbc 350 other than to move the mounts? Also I think i found 350 rocket block, will it bolt on to my transmission? Also what else is enveloped in this swap in to G body?

 

[Blake442]

Putting a chevy motor in your car will involve changing almost every single part under the hood.
Unless you have one of the rare dual-bolt pattern TH-350's (my wagon did), you'd have to replace the transmission too.
Literally, the only things you'd be able to use from your Olds 307 to a Chevy 350, would be your distributor cap and your alternator.

Find an Olds 350, they're abundant and it will drop right in.

 

[Dragonist]

Ok think I am going to go with this, seller is asking $200.00 going to see if I can pay $150.00- $175.00

350 oldsmobile standard core no crack , cylinders look great , the motor turns real easy , NO HEADS , the motor ran great before pulling it out(craigslist)

How heavy do you think a sbo block is? Reason I have due to my cutlass is out Think I 'm going to put the engine the trunk of my wifes car do you think its possible to pick this up and put it in the trunk. Lol I haven't picked up a gm block since I was in high school (5 years ago).

 

[Dragonist]

one thing i suggest you dont transfer to the new motor is the heads on your 307, they are the bottleneck of the 307 engine and will kill you if you slap them on a 350 or 403

Also Peter are you stating the the 307 heads will result in poor performance on the 350 rocket or 403? Reason I ask is due to if everything goes as planned I can buy this block and install my accessories to get this motor cranked and running. Peter from your last post you stated these pretty much similar with in that will I be able to use my 307 oil pan, and timing cover, and other random accessorie parts(fan clutch etc etc...).

 

[Peter]

one thing i suggest you dont transfer to the new motor is the heads on your 307, they are the bottleneck of the 307 engine and will kill you if you slap them on a 350 or 403

Also Peter are you stating the the 307 heads will result in poor performance on the 350 rocket or 403? Reason I ask is due to if everything goes as planned I can buy this block and install my accessories to get this motor cranked and running. Peter from your last post you stated these pretty much similar with in that will I be able to use my 307 oil pan, and timing cover, and other random accessorie parts(fan clutch etc etc...).

yes externally the blocks are the same so things like the oil pan and that stuff will be able to go onto the 350. yes the heads on your 307 will not be good for performance and i would do some reseach to find some different heads because otherwise you would hardly feel any performance gain. i believe the 307 heads are 7A(don't quote me on that) and if you found some 3A or 5A heads you would be all set and they would be fine

 

[mheath717]

The heads depend on the year of your 307. 81-84 had the 5A heads factory. The 85-90 307s came with the 7A heads and the roller set up. 5A heads are a lot better performers.