Beater (no, really!?) Regal Project

[Bar50]

So, where do I start....

A long,


long,



long,



time ago in a distant galaxy....

I picked up this Regal project from a friend, its been sitting in a field (storage, well sorta') for some time. Originally, when I built an '87 a long time ago, this car belonged to friend of mine. I sold him the '87 3.8 and TH350C out of my Regal (that I proceeded to install a '76 Buick 455/TH400 into). I bought this one off of him after he later let the 3.8 freeze and bust.

So, fast forward a few years, I find a '80 B-body car crunched on one fender with a running and driving Buick 350/200R4 I snatch it out, sell the heap for scrap. I order a Poston GS350-110 (no overlap to build compression in '71 up motors...) springs and valve seals. The plan was stab the 350 Buick in place of the 3.8. Same motor mounts, same accessories/brackets. I have built a few G-bodies that required more brain surgery, 'this ought to be easy'...famous last words. I air up the cylinders on the 350 to swap out the valve springs, that's odd, none of them seal up, guess I will have to spring for some head gaskets, pop the heads off for a quick valve job...that exposed the cylinder bores to a proper inspection...this was easy cam and springs swap...now valve job...and some piston rings...little moisture had found its way onto the bore of a cylinder or two...flip it over on the stand to knock the pistons out. That starts with the oil pan coming off, nothing major there, pop off the first rod cap, copper, now that is a color you just don't see on a bearing surface all the time...well, what do you know!??! All the bearings looked like that, a matching set, rods and mains, in the copper...this was going to be an easy cam and spring swap right!?!! So, a day or two of trove-ing on craigslist netted me a '74 model 350 two barrel motor, 'stuck' he says. $50 for it and I'll load it, he said sure. So, swapped to the cap screw rods, one block was 030 over with nicer bore, and the stuck motor had a sweet un-turned nice standard crank....so cam, lifters, springs, valve job (oh yeah pocket ported while I was grinding valves, a used set of adjustable push rod from v8buick.com, rings, rod and main bearings, umbrella seats for the valves, head gaskets, gaskets, oil pump rebuild and wear plate....now its gets really interesting, I borrow some of those really long drill bits for 'opening up the oil pickup passage that runs along the oil pan in the side of the block, you know, to open up to 5/8" to increase oil supply...first drill no problem, opens it right up, second drill, the 5/8" that is like 28" long, yep, it decided to come out the side of the block, half way down...this was going to be cheap and easy cam and springs...Poston Buick has since went out of business. I forgot to mention that at the valve job deal, I bought a 1976 Electra 225 with 76,219 miles, starts, runs and drives, cold A/C, 455/TH400...so, I have soldered up the block, its assembled.

Here are some pics of the beast as of three days ago:

I had picked up the wheels a long time ago, something that was 15x8 and cheap. I blacked out all the trim when I first brought this car home (8-10 years ago), in an attempt to spike an interest in the car. At that time, and some now, I don't dig the colors on this car, I could deal with the gold/champagne color, but, mixed with chocolate brown interior that is the pillow/couch type nixed the deal.

Under the hood:

I have spent a little time in here since with some various bomb cans of paint...
I also deleted the top trim, slapped on some '87 tail lights. I have procured a 3 inch Glasstek hood that is in dire need of fiberglass repair, as it blew up/off at speed...hey, it was cheap, and this was going to be easy. I also picked up a GN hood that is sorta' tweaked.

So, I will try and stay on this track/project. The Jeg's dual exhaust crossmember just came in this evening. I have the aforementioned Buick 350, wearing a Poston S-divider that someone butchered into a Torker II style plenum, a 625 Demon carb, HEI, manifolds, cheap chrome valve covers, an open element breather, and an NX Hitman plate. Backed by a TH350 with a B&M Torkmaster 2400 stall and a TransGo shift kit(that I plan to install tomorrow).

The plan is to put this combo and probably a 3.42 gear together. Go back gold, pick a hood, I dig the GNX fender louvers, so I'll spring for them and the bumper fillers, probably powder coated black bumpers, maybe powder coat the stainless rocker panel trim black as well, and some cooler wheels....oh, and a GN spoiler, and maybe a set of Regal GS emblems....

I know its a freaking novel, sorry.

 

[Bar50]

Okay,
Well here goes, Buick 350 with Turbo 350 and B&M Tork Master 2400 stall.

Hanging from the cherry picker...

Sitting in place:

Maybe, they next few days off I can get it all wired up and ready to fire.

 

[307 Regal]

Did you have any clearance issues with the heat/ac box?

 

[Bar50]

Yeah, the a/c box, its touching.


Funny part, I did this swap with a 455 Buick into an '87 Regal, 455 Olds in an '82 Cutlass, and a 400 Pontiac into a '78 Gran Prix. None of them touched or had issues. I got a '78 El Camino with a 454, its a non-a/c car, and anything taller than the stock cast valve covers would not clear.

The 350 Buick is on the valve cover, everything else fit. I used a Jeg's cross-member for the dual exhaust.

The plan is to make a little clearance then cover it up with a reflective heat barrier.

I have all the 3.8 brackets and accessories, gonna' run that and probably need a new a/c manifold/lines the one on the car has been folded over for a long time and has a weak spot on it. I was going to paint the inner fenders but, they are busted up some and I was afraid it would look like I just bomb-canned the whole underhood.

 

[Bar50]

Made some progress today.
Fitting up the 3.8 brackets. Got to mod' two of them. I am going to cut the smog pump mount off of the power steering pump bracket, clean and paint. Figure out what belts I am going to need(the ones I save from the 3.8 are not long enough). The only other stumbling block has been that all the 3.8 bolts are metric, so, hardware store tomorrow for some SAE replacements.

The F-body radiator slid right in, as did the v8 g-body shroud:

Going satin black the aluminum alt/a-c bracket. Spring for a new alt from the part store and clean up the a/c compressor until I get another line for it.

Got some reproduction valve cover and air cleaner decals to slap on.

The Demon carb I got will not fit, or more to the point the dual feed line hits the intake unless I leave the 3/4" nitrous plate in place!!?!

The only other hurdle will be the transmission kick down cable bracket.

 

[Blake442]

Lookin good!

I just did the same swap. I used all the V6 belts except for the alternator, which needed a slightly longer belt. I have the number listed in my build thread... I can't remember it off hand.
I also re-used all the original hardware for the brackets.
All the bolts that hold the brackets and go into the block were SAE, and all the bolts that went into the brackets themselves were metric.

 

[Bar50]

Well, I have two sets of brackets, and naturally one one set of bolts. I am thinking these bolts and brackets are off of my '87 that I put a 455 Buick into. They all have '10.9' on the top and will not thread into the holes.

I am going to have to mod the airbox as well, in that, I have adjustable pushrods and this motor has not been fired up yet. I was planning on making the room and maybe adding some of that adhesive backed heat barrier stuff. I have three other Buick 350 motors, but, none of the kick down brackets want to fit this intake.

One belt fit, the A/C one.

Off to the store for an alternator and some heater hoses. I also need some new pads to set the radiator on. Maybe a new starter...

 

[v2vera]

It's looking amazing. Im doing the same thing to my Regal.. My friend and I just tore down the block to do some oiling mods... Did you do that to your block? If so any tips I can use?

 

[Bar50]

I did drill out the galley that is part of the pick-up.

****!!!! BE FOREWARNED***!!*!!! If you try and do it free hand, it can work its way crooked and come out the side of the block!!!!

Ask me how I know....

So, yes, a friend loaned me a set of the long drill bits to open up the feed/galley. Use a later model pick-up tube, heck it might have even been for a v6.

I also used the Grand National cam bearings with the oil groove on the outside in the front position.

Other than that, Valvoline VR1 10W30 with some Comp Cam break-in additive.
Rebuilt the oil pump with a wear plate and new gears. Set it up at 0.002"


Cleaned up and painted some parts today:

Here is the crappy part, I bought the car being used as a table in this pick about three weeks into this project....1976 Electra 225 Limited, oh yeah, 76,000 mile 455/Turbo400....I know, I know, I should have used it!!?!

Installed the power steering pump and brackets, freshly modded and painted:

Parts store had to order alt, fan clutch, and something else(hood support shocks, new radiator hoses)...they did have the formed heater hose($20 but, I bought it to see how it will fit), but, I think I might tap the water pump nipple, put in a plug, feed the heater off of the intake and use the return in the F-body radiator. Then there is the lack of an angle on the outlets/ports in the intake, as well as, the sizes of the outlets for plumbing in the heater hoses....!

I did some digging, I have an open 3.42 ring, pinion and open carrier from an S10 for it too!

I got the alt bracket mounted and ran out of day light.

Cussing this Poston intake because there is no freaking place for a transmission detent cable to mount. If I would have used the OEM 10,000 lb cast iron one, that problem would have been solved. Then I would be on the hunt for a good Q-jet...!?!

Lets see, I need a battery, going by everything else this project has done to me, a new starter too.

That, and I need to fab up a mount to hold the dip stick in with, I did not use the choke stove cover.

 

[383S10]

Nice build you got there......you should do the Jeep steering shaft upgrade while it is easy to get to......................what I started with.........