Buick 350 Swap / CCC

[Bonnewagon]

The enemy of automatic transmissions is heat. Slippage causes heat. A lock-up converter eliminates the slippage so less heat. It also reduces rpm slightly so a little bit better mileage. Not all early lock-up transmissions were as smart as today's models. Some locked up too soon, or stayed on too late. They are supposed to only lock up when the car speed, engine load, and operating conditions are all optimum and the lock-up won't damage the engine by lugging it. I found that having a switch on the dash to enable the lock-up was ideal since I left it off on the streets, and only used it on the highway. I later gave that T-350-C away and it was used on a round-round race car so it was not hurt by my switch.

 

[brrian]

I pulled the block out, cleaned off the surface rust & inspected the bores. All seem good except for #2 - see below. There's an arc-shaped gouge. It's worst on the left side of the picture... I can catch it with a fingernail and It feels too deep to hone out. I'll try to measure it.

 

[Clone TIE Pilot]

You may also want to check out the laws regarding engine swaps. https://19january2017snapshot.epa.gov/sites/production/files/documents/engswitch_0.pdf

 

[MrSony]

If you have vehicle inspections and they care about engine swaps, just rebuild the v6 or keep it stock. if all it is is a tailpipe test, swap that buick 350 in there.
Those bores are garbage. Plain and simple. That arc looks like rain water sat in the bore with the engine on it's side. Have a shop bore it to 3.830 (stock bore is 3.8), and use flat top pistons from a 3.0 Buick v6. They fit, are cheap, and plentiful, and everything else being stock with a .042 felpro head gasket net about 9.2-9.6:1, so if you back timing off you can run 87 octane if you really have to, my combo with a way to big cam (TA_310, .510 lift 310 adv. duration) for the stock heads likes 91 and pings a bit on less. I got 250 wheel hp at 5000rpm (310ish crankhp?) and 275ftlbs at 2800rpm with stock heads with a valve job, ta 310 cam, headers, aluminum intake, and 800cfm 17057241 '77 buick 350 qjet. With my f*t*ss, trunk full of two fullsize spares, full Limited plush interior, a jack, tool set, and a crate of car detailing stuff it goes low-mid 9s in the 1/8th mile on cooper cobras with a 3.42 gear and 2500 rated stall that stalls at like 2200. It also gets 14 mpg lol.
All the bracketry from your v6 will bolt to the front of the 350 with very minimal modification. The only thing i had to do that i recall is cut, reclock, and weld the long black alternator bracket support rod that goes to the intake manifold.

 

[MrSony]

This is my short lived attempt into making it appear stock:

 

[brrian]

MrSony - you're not using CCC, right? What did you do with your lockup torque converter?

FYI, I'm going to get a price or two on boring .030" over (as you suggest) & whatever else would be right to have the shop do (cam bearings, polish crank, etc.). Then I'll decide how to proceed. Chances are that I'll do it & go ahead & build the 350, but I'll take my time so I can spread out the cost & effort. I do think I'll go with the V6 pistons by the way... I saw an earlier post of yours about that.

Back to the original post subject: I asked Ken @ Everyday Performance about the CCC carb & he thinks that as long as I keep the engine close to stock, I can use a CCC carb & computer from an Olds 307. & I need to make the distributor right. So I'm not sure if I'll keep CCC but maybe it is possible, & maybe I might? Regardless of which way I go, I only care now because i can start looking for the things I need. Deals.

 

[joesregalproject]

It's been a while since I disassembled that engine but it was a ran when pulled motor. I think it has about 120k miles on it per the guy I bought it from. Bought it from some guy in New Castle, it was in his dad's Lesabre. The bores have some surface rust from sitting so they look really ugly in the pictures. They aren't as bad as they appear but there is a ridge at the top so it needs bored.

That crank is nice so it should need very minimal work. I'd get the block hot tanked, bored and honed, check the deck to make sure it's square, have cam bearings put in, recondition the rods and then get the short block together. The short block doesn't cost a whole lot to put together, I didn't start hemorrhaging money into mine until I got to the heads.

I'd keep the charcoal canister and PCV, ditch any EGR stuff.

Also those heads have not had a valve job. They've been hot tanked and magged but they they need seats and guides.

 

[pagrunt]

What did you do with your lockup torque converter?

You ever thought about finding a OE vacuum switch that was used in non-CCC cars & trucks? I have one out of a '81 C10 that's in the reserve/possible future project stash. Those are usally mounted on the inner fender. Each division wire books should have the diagrams on how to wire it in most '79-'81 car editions & trucks to about '86.

 

[brrian]

I haven't, because I didn't know it existed. So that operates lockup automatically, as the CCC would? If I go non-CCC I'd certainly prefer that over a switch.

 

[Bonnewagon]

Wire-brush that bore first. Get the rust and crud off then you can eyeball it properly. I'll bet it is better than it looks. A small ridge can be removed with a ridge-reamer tool but as I said before the amount of ridge indicates the amount of bore wear. To do all of it yourself means buying tools, having a place to work/make a mess, and getting a quick education on engine building. The best argument I can make about having a shop bore, hone, fit new pistons, polish the crank, and assemble the short block is this: if anything is wrong [ and something WILL be] they can correct it right there. You get the cleaned, machined, and assembled short block wrapped in plastic and ready to go. If you assemble it and find something wrong, it all comes apart and back to the shop, and on, and on, etc. I've tried it both ways and since now I can afford to, I bite the bullet and let the shop do the assembly. know what? They do MUCH better work than me!