I was wondering what the biggest engine is that I can fit in my 86 Cutty Supreme, And what the best transmission to use would be, a Th400 with a 4" tail or a Th400 with a 9"tail, if a big block will fit in it what is the best transmission to use with it? Any help is appreciated.
You can fit just about any production engine you want in your car. I know there is a member here putting a 500 ci cadillac motor in his el camino and he has a few clearance issues I think with the firewall but other than that it fit fine. Good thing is that you can remove the inner fender wells for clearance.
As for the transmission, the TH400 is going to be the best choice behind a stout big block. Whether its a 4 inch or 9 inch tail housing, the internals are the same so it shouldn't really matter. If I'm wrong I'm sure someone will correct me. I've seen guys run 700r4's behind 454's and TH350's behind big blocks as well with no issues, but in stock form th400 is the strongest.
Assuming it has a 307 Olds engine then a 455 Olds will drop right in. Accessory brackets are different due to the taller deck height but if you can grab them with the engine, then that shouldn't be a problem.
Only other issue is that some people (myself included) had issues with the valve covers hitting the AC/heater box. However others have had no issues at all. I think a lot of it has to do with what valve covers you have and what kind of shape your body bushings are in.
With the big block, if your not wanting to spend big money to get a TH-2004R to live behind it then the TH-400 with 4" tail shaft would be the one to go with. The 9" tailshaft is most likely out of a big car (Delta, 98, Custom Cruiser, etc) and you'd have to end up cutting your driveshaft to fit. You'll have to check though if the TH-400 has a BOP bellhousing or Chevy only.
If you have another engine that's not a stock 307, I'm sure some of the other guys will chime in on what you can do.
Alright, now that I've got some answers, Another question 🙂.
Will I have any clearance issues dropping a 454 in there? And what would be the best transmission to use with a 4spd auto with a 454 pumping 455 HP.
Click my photos button and you can see pics of a 509ci Caddy in a 442 with a built 200-4R transmission. Both of the ones I did were snug in four places five if you include the hood but both dropped in with no major problems or modifications. If you are coming from an Olds 307 your easiest and probably your cheapest most readily available big block would be an Olds 455 then again a Caddy would be just as cheap & possibly as available depending on your area. There are some here who have done the 454 so hopefully they will speak up. If not you can also check out http://www.montecarloss.com as many there have put the BBC into a MC or MCSS which is the same g-body platform.
A th400 is the cheapest & strongest BOPCadillac or Chevy bell housing for a Chevy and yes short tail. That said if you plan to use the car for more than local stop lights and still want to gear it for maximum acceleration than an overdrive transmission may be considered the single greatest upgrade you can make to a big block street car. I geared my car for quartermile acceleration but live near the intersection of two interstates so the OD kept me from spinning the snot out of it on the hwy and as a bonus gave me decent mileage. I got 17 mpg hwy when without the OD I probably would have gotten 12 mpg hwy. http://www.extremeautomatics.com Lonnie Diers did my 200-4R. They warrantee it & guarantee their stage 1 to 10.90s for $1,395 but for the torque of a 450+ci big block you should add the optional billet forward drum shaft. Their stage 1 th400 is 1,795 but is good to 1,200HP all depends on how you are going to use your car what power etc you have and how deep your pockets are as to which transmission choice is the best for you. Have fun.
i did a 454 bbc with a turbo 350 with a jw ultra bell for good reason and i went through the whole transmission with a rebuild and a transpak and everythang fit just fine fill the engine capartment very well and the turb 350 work good handels the bbc no problem.
Alright, now that I've got some answers, Another question 🙂.
Will I have any clearance issues dropping a 454 in there? And what would be the best transmission to use with a 4spd auto with a 454 pumping 455 HP.
I did a 3.8 to 7.4 conversion ~6 years ago to my 85 cutlass and there may be more options out there since, but here's what I've done.
You can easily put in a 454 and it will look "right at home." Make sure the suspension is gone over and you have either the performance springs for a V-8 (if you build a 454 with Alum heads, intake and water pump it weights ~ same as cast iron 305) or the "diesel" springs put in front (yes some G's were offered with the 350 olds diesel BA)
As others have stated you can prob get away with a 4L60 (TH700R4) if it's got a decent rebuild. The current strongest 4-speed auto to use would be the 4L80E BUT it's electronically shifted and requires an ECU to make things happen.
I added a 540hp 454 with 4L80E trans and came up with a homemade micro-controller to shift it. It's a street cruiser (weekend runner) so i kept heater and A\C. The only issue is heater box clearance, which is a nice little cut and fiberglass job. It's really not that bad and afterwards you'll have enough room to actually remove a "tall" valve cover! I also made my own crossmember for the trans and had a driveshaft made from Denny's driveshafts. Overally the car is a Blast to drive, runs low 12s and gets ~17MPG hwy.
Exhaust isn't too bad either, but cost some $$ to go with full length headers that will fit, Hooker Sumper Comps fit Awesome with Torque Tech 3" exhaust!
alright so I have a question..I got a 85 3.8 4door curry..I want a bigger engine to pull at least sum 24s what's a good engine and mods I can do, with a low budget though?
Wow you dug this post out of the archives. Budget hmnn just get some 3.73 to 4.10 gears and some bigger brakes to keep you from rear ending someone. And you will be rolling high.
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