Buick 3.8 to Buick 350-1981 Century Wagon Build

[Blake442]

Bummer you couldn't make it dude...

I got there at about 11 am and started out right away looking thru all the Buicks I could, but didn't see any valve covers that looked like they'd offer the additional clearance that I needed. I did get a kickdown cable bracket for the intake.

After that I went looking for the aluminum hood '78 2-door Cutlass I found last time I was there. I would've bought the hood, but he wants a little more money for them than I wanted to spend, so I'll have to get it next time I'm out there. I did take the special springs for the aluminum hood hinges, and found an '83 4-door Cutlass with an aluminum hood and took those springs too.

Finally I went on a search for good Olds/Buick wagon rear bumper fillers and got the last good pair (I took all the other good ones already lol) that were still accessible. There's one more good pair out there, but somebody re-installed them incorrectly with phillips-head screws, and I can't get them out without taking off the bumper, which I didn't have the motivation to do. There are two more good pairs on wagons that have wagons on top of them and have sunk into the ground, making the fillers inaccessible.
I think instead of just selling these like I usually do, I'm going to make a mold and start reproducing them in fiberglass. I've had too many people ask me about them to pass up the opportunity to massivly overcharge for making them... :lol:

I think from now on I'll have to reserve my yearly trip out there to going right away in the spring. The grass/weeds/brush was BEYOND overgrown! The grass was more than waist high in most places...

I wanted to go back into the Pontiac section, but after fighting my way thru the brush with a 60 lb backpack full of tools, I was beat and left around 3:30

When I got home, I picked up the new fuel and water pumps I ordered at CarQuest, and the kickdown cable I ordered from rockauto was waiting for me in the mail... so I headed over and opened up the a/c box and started cutting... Should have it buttoned back up tomorrow.

 

[tobyp]

Yes, I got the dipstick tube in yesterday.
I used the tube from the '70 Skylark the motor/trans came from, it fits great.
It just needs to be left out while the motor and transmission go in. More often than not, they're a b*tch to get in so I like to put them in right away, but in this case, it just caused interference. Once I had everything else bolted up, it slipped right into place.

Off to the junkyard!

Awesome 🙂 I just got back from picking up my buick 350 and Turbo 400..looks super clean and well taken care off 🙂 all for 300! Cant wait to get started.

Fire off with the questions. I just got my SBB installed this weekend and got her started after the complete engine rebuid. Man that cam and the way we built her sounds good. BTW I am building an 81 cutty so what you are getting ready to undertake I just went through.

 

[Blake442]

Got my pictures up from this weekend...

First off is the damage on the firewall caused by the bolt I used to attach the chain to the motor...
Another reason the dipstick needs to stay out during installation of the motor.

Dipstick in place. It's a bit wedged in between the cylinder head and the edge of the a/c box, but it fits.

Not enough room...

Opening up the a/c box...

One step forward, two steps back :lol:...

No turning back now!

You can see how tight the clearance is right at the corner of the heater core...

I used some thin card/poster board to make a template of the patch, and then transferred it onto some zinc plated 26 gauge sheet metal I got at Home Depot.

First patch in place... Unfortunately, there wasn't enough room to rivet any lower than along the top, so the gap at the bottom was a little wider than I wanted, but that's what Strip-Calk is for! :lol:

Just by the skin o' my teeth! I hammered a little more on the valve cover later...
I'm not proud of myself, but it clears... :lol:

You can see the small chunk that broke out... I was not pleased...

Next patch panel...

And it's in...

And back together... And I didn't even have any extra screws when I finished! :lol:

 

[tobyp]

Good work, I'll say that I am glad I did not have to deal with that!!

 

[dogsht]

Wow that thing really does set back up in there!?? My 500 Cad didn't set in there that far. I never took the box apart. I just cut a large square out of the side of the box. Set the same piece back in leaning it in further maybe a 3/8" in the bottom and glassed it back up. Didn't take 3 hours start to finish. I applaud your effort. It will look fine when painted black and the engine is in for good. Kudos having AC rocks plus lots of people will not buy a car without it.

 

[v2vera]

Awesome work. I think its gonna look good once you get it all buttoned up and painted. I hope I dont have to do that to my car 🙁

 

[Lue]

Awesome work. I think its gonna look good once you get it all buttoned up and painted. I hope I dont have to do that to my car 🙁

Just in case, try to get ahold of some late 70's 350 valve covers.

 

[Blake442]

Awesome work. I think its gonna look good once you get it all buttoned up and painted. I hope I dont have to do that to my car 🙁

Just in case, try to get ahold of some late 70's 350 valve covers.

Nah dude, I'll sell you the templates I made for $50! :lol:

 

[Blake442]

Did a little work last nite when I got back from the race track...

Got the new fuel pump, water pump and thermostat in so I could start burying them with all the accessories.
I used a 'heavy-duty' V6 water pump and the V6 pulleys to ensure they lined up properly.

First goes the big bracket that supports the power steering and air pumps, followed by the power steering pump itself.
Then the big bracket that supports the A/C and alternators goes on, and that's where I stopped.
Started getting chilly, so I called it a nite...
My little mini-vacation to the track was nice, but I don't want to lose any more valuable time now that it's already starting to cool down... 🙁

 

[Blake442]

Finally got my pics up from this weekend's progress... Not a ton to report, but moving along.

I finally bolted the passenger side valve cover on for the last time.
The lower rear-most bolt was tough to get into place due to the heater box clearance, but luckily you can still swing a wrench under the heater box, so that's a relief. 8)

You can also see the stock V6 temp sender in the intake for the idiot light on the dash.
I used a 3/8" to 1/2" brass adapter from Home Depot. I think it was like $2.

Here we are with the new water pump, fuel pump and thermostat in, and the power steering back in place.

Got the A/C compressor and alternator mocked up for now. The stock V6 alternator belt is too short, and thanks to tobyp for doing the homework for me and steering me towards the right one, even though I haven't gotten it yet... :lol:
I was having a bit of trouble with the compressor wanting to sit crooked, and I ran out of time before I could get it right, so here's how it sits...

I also got the heater hoses hooked up, and had to re-use the original molded hose from the V6 to clear the alternator bracket... Without the molded curve, you can't get around it without pinching the hose shut, and you can't sneak it through the bracket and alternator without pinching it shut. The original V6 hose bends out to the front and goes all the way around the A/C compressor and up to the heater core. I flipped it around and shortened it and ran it back behind the bracket and to the heater.

They're forcasting a beautiful weekend, and I plan to knock out as much as I can on the wagon...