BUILD THREAD 84 Cutlass Calais 2dr

[Injulen]

Hey everyone! This is my first post ever here. I bought my second Olds yesterday and since I'm an active member on multiple other car enthusiast sites it made sense to seek out one for my new project and so here I am! I'm usually a Subaru guy but I have a biiiig soft spot for the G bodies. Growing up my step dad had an 80 monte carlo that pretty much started my love for automotive endeavors.

When I was 17 my dad gave me his old and beat up 87 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme and I drove it to hell and back as is usually the case with a teenagers car. I learned to snow drift in that car and regret the day I sold it greatly. So yesterday when I had the opportunity to pick this up for $600 from my great uncle.... I found myself completely unable to say no.

1984 Cutlass Calais. The body is in great shape. It has the 231 3.8l V6 which after sitting without running for up to 15 years... is now seized up. I'm still researching and weighing my options on what to do with the engine but I'm of course leaning towards a V8 swap. More on that later though, time for pictures!

http://imgur.com/a/1IP8Y

This is a project car of course and since I have other daily drivers I'm going to be taking my time and really replacing what it needs to be in great running shape. I'll also be storing it in the winters since Maine is particularly harsh on cars and this is one I'd love to hang onto for a very very long time.

Stay tuned for more updates soon! I'm hoping to get under it this weekend to assess it better and continue to weight my powerplant options. If anyone has any tips or advice for a G body newbie I'd appreciate them! In particular, does anyone know off the top of their head what the most likely transmission installed in this would be from factory? I'll be running the numbers on it anyway but can't do that til at least tomorrow.

 

[mr evil]

Welcome to the site....and the list of people who wish they never sold their first Olds.
Looks like a decent start for you there, keep a good eye on the corrosion underside, particularly the rear rails, I've seen them look solid only to flake to dust when knocked on.
I think you have a 200 automatic 3spd trans which you would want to replace if installing a much bigger motor imo.
Winter storage is likely a must, these cars don't like to sit around all winter in harsh environments.

Looking forward to seeing your progress.

 

[lilbowtie]

Welcome! looking forward to seeing some pics. You don't have anything to lose by oiling up the cylinders (trans fluid is great) letting it set and try breaking it loose.

 

[Injulen]

lilbowtie, that's exactly what I plan on doing first. I figure I might as well TRY and get the original engine going since that will make my life a lot easier for now instead of working out a swap right off the bat.

mr evil, thanks for the info. I was pretty sure it'd have the 200 in it but couldn't find any great sources that agreed. Still haven't gotten back over to it to grab the numbers but I'm thinking you're right. Being the year it is, chances are the bolt pattern on there is BOP and I'd need an adapter plate to even get a Chevy 350 to work right? And as you said, the 200 probably isn't strong enough for that power. I'll have to check and see if there is a transmission available with the 350 I have access to.

 

[Injulen]

Also since I'm not on mobile now I went back and edited my top post with embedded pics for you guys.

 

[87mcls305]

Niiice cutty....i really like those ttops 2

 

[joesregalproject]

If you are planning on swapping a 350 SBC, and you want to use your current transmisson, you're going to need a Chevy to BOP adapter plate. If you are going with a SBC, I'd highly recommend getting a bigger transmission to back it up with. A TH350 or TH400 would be ideal, but a 200R4 or even a 700R4 would work if you want a 4 speed trans. The metric 200 just isn't strong enough to back up a SBC for long.

 

[Injulen]

If you are planning on swapping a 350 SBC, and you want to use your current transmisson, you're going to need a Chevy to BOP adapter plate. If you are going with a SBC, I'd highly recommend getting a bigger transmission to back it up with. A TH350 or TH400 would be ideal, but a 200R4 or even a 700R4 would work if you want a 4 speed trans. The metric 200 just isn't strong enough to back up a SBC for long.

Thanks for the info! If it helps reference at all this is the 350 I have access too. It is a SBC, right? (I'm pretty sure I mentioned I'm usually working on Subaru haha this is all new to me)

Also, I'm curious about how the 200 metric would go about failing. Does it have to be beat on first or does normal easy driving make it fail?


 

[Injulen]

And while I'm asking newbie questions, what would be the reasoning behind seeking out a 4speed over a 3speed? Better highway cruising? I'm not really a fast driver so top end speed doesn't matter to me much. If I can go down a 55mph state route and avoid the 70 mph interstate highway, I do so. Would that mean a 3 speed is more suited for me?

 

[joesregalproject]

Looks like a SBC to me. A 4 speed is a better trans than a 3 speed as it provides more precise gearing based on the speed you are going, having 4 forward gears vs 3. You should get slightly better gas Mileage with a 4 speed than a 3. And the metric 200's were bad transmissions from the start. They were designed to be a smaller, more lightweight and cheaper version of the TH350, and they had a lot of issues. I actually think I remember someone telling me a lot of them had the 200s swapped for TH350s as some sort of warranty work because they were blowing up when almost new. Anyway, if they aren't beaten on and they aren't supporting that much power, they can be decent transmissions. The Metric 200 in my 87 Regal is still working just fine but it isn't beaten on and is only supporting a 110 HP V6, although I'd still say it is the weakest link of my drivetrain.