Any Ideas?

[Retro_Future27]

I have a 78 Cutlass with a 260 and th200 trans and in need of some ideas. I cant help but to look across forums and see people bashing the 260 for the complete lack of power and the complete unique-ness of the engine (no aftermarket, not interchangeable, rare parts, etc) but over look the purpose of the engine, durability and fuel economy (some-what).

So with that said the people that are quick to say "throw a 350 in it." can leave the post now.

Im a 16 year old and Im not performance hungry at the moment but I know that there is a very little aftermarket for them. I just want some upgrades or advice that would make the setup bullet-proof for daily driving or something I could beat on every now and then with a little power on the side. It could be general car advice to mods. Ive been around cars long enough to be handy with a wrench so dont let the age fool you I actually know a thing or two. I haven't began to mod anything yet so anything goes but remember im not a rich kid or the son of a performance store owner. And the MOST 260 engine parts arent interchangeable, yes they bolt on but its either they wont line up correctly or the ports and holes in the the 260 are too small for the bigger bore hole and ports of a bigger engine making it kinda pointless. The 260 was under-bored internally on purpose.

Some subjects:
Cooling System
Exhaust system (headers, cutouts, mufflers)
Weight Reduction
Wheels Tires (dimensions, light weight rims)
Brake system (easy swaps, upgrades)
Aerodynamics (decktail spoilers, cowl induction)
Junkyard Searching (what to look for, pick to sell pieces)
Theft deterrents
Suspension (I want a stiffer ride, sway bars, lowering springs, bushing kits)
Maintenance advice (Something the early days taught you that you cant read in some book.)

Ill very much appreciate the help

 

[Fox80]

I have the same car you can search some of my post about the motor stuff, my car has a TH350 in it, it came with 2.29 gears, swapping a set of 3.42 is an easy help for them. Headers are the same for all Olds motors, however you should have the center two ports welded to make them fit a header properly IMO. My car had the original radiator I bought a $80 plastic tank aluminum core rad from Rock Auto I haven't installed mine yet but everyone I know with a GBody uses it without a problem. Upgrades I did the under hood braces, double hump G Force crossmember, on the to do list finish up the motor, install the headers, Pypes dual exhaust, gears, GP bar, blazer brake swap. I changed all four shocks and springs, control arm bushings, the three rubber brake hoses, calipers, rotors, drums, shoes, wheel cylinders to make the car dependable. I drive the car 300 miles every week in the summer. One thing nice about the 260 it probably will last forever it doesn't make enough power to hurt itself, it shares a block with most all Olds motors and is a very smooth simple motor

 

[Retro_Future27]

I have the same car you can search some of my post about the motor stuff, my car has a TH350 in it, it came with 2.29 gears, swapping a set of 3.42 is an easy help for them. Headers are the same for all Olds motors, however you should have the center two ports welded to make them fit a header properly IMO. My car had the original radiator I bought a $80 plastic tank aluminum core rad from Rock Auto I haven't installed mine yet but everyone I know with a GBody uses it without a problem. Upgrades I did the under hood braces, double hump G Force crossmember, on the to do list finish up the motor, install the headers, Pypes dual exhaust, gears, GP bar, blazer brake swap. I changed all four shocks and springs, control arm bushings, the three rubber brake hoses, calipers, rotors, drums, shoes, wheel cylinders to make the car dependable. I drive the car 300 miles every week in the summer. One thing nice about the 260 it probably will last forever it doesn't make enough power to hurt itself, it shares a block with most all Olds motors and is a very smooth simple motor

Thanks for the info and your cutlass looks nice. Its nice to see another 78-80 model

 

[-83MONTESS-]

I agree with Fox. Changing the rear gears can wake it up alot. When i got my monte it had 2.29s in it. I swapped them out for 3.73s. It made a world of difference but highway cruising sucks. I would look for a 200-4R OD trans for it, nice shift kit and a limited slip 3.73 rear end. Should be a fun little car with decent power and fuel mileage. People will say the 200-4R wont last long in stock form but i doubt that 260 has enough power to hurt it.

 

[pencero]

You can't trust that 260 because you don't really know how it was treated back in the day. If what you're trying to say is you wish you could do an engine/trans but only have enough money to choose 1 of the 2 right now I would do the trans. The 260 should last a long time if you treat it nicely. Personally I would only build the 200r4 if you're going to a 350 or higher after it does eventually die (which it will eventually die no matter how nice you treat it so plan ahead) I would just build a 350 trans because it's cheap, reliable, doesn't necessarily require a computer and while the 200r4 should save you money in gas theoretically if you don't spend a lot of time traveling to other states on the highway it really won't save you gas so why not just save money in the short run then? A 200r4 is much better if you can actually afford to build it btw, but I'm just really doubting a 16 y/o guy can both afford to build 1 / or cut cost by installing yourself. The 350 can be installed for less than $1,000 if you do some of the work yourself and its the trans most people who are learning to work on cars would start w/ in a shop class. If you build it right it can last for a very long time

 

[DRIVEN]

Focus on torque. Resist the urge to bolt on a 4bbl or headers. I'd make sure that it's in a good state of tune and leave it essentially stock. The best way to wake up a small displacement engine (231, 260, 301, 305, 307) in a relatively heavy car, like ours, is to take advantage of gearing. That means adding an overdrive 200-4R and lower rear gears. By experimenting with this calculator http://www.angelfire.com/fl/procrastination/rear.html and comparing your present rear gearing, you can make your car quicker while keeping the same cruise RPM. Generally speaking, your in town MPG will improve too.

This is a great thread for improving handling using mostly stock parts. viewtopic.php?f=14&t=8126

The early Cutlass Gs were available with aluminum drums, bumper structures and hoods. Possibly aluminum core support too.

The Blazer brake upgrade seems to be great bang for the buck viewtopic.php?f=14&t=35747#.Uk7kZCq9KSM .