How do I know which Buick 350 I have?
- Thread starter bkbuick
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Some pictures would be nice as well.
Congratulations from another Buick 350 owner!
Where did you get the engine? Is it red or blue? Did you get points or HEI? Do you have EGR or not?
These are the questions you need to ask.
If you take the numbers off of the parts, look them up at Buicks.net.
Have fun!
Congratulations from another Buick 350 owner!
Where did you get the engine? Is it red or blue? Did you get points or HEI? Do you have EGR or not?
These are the questions you need to ask.
If you take the numbers off of the parts, look them up at Buicks.net.
Have fun!
www.v8buick.com has sections dedicated to the 350 and also to V8 Buicks into g-bodys that should be real helpful. Strong block, same block the turbo charged 3.8 is based off of. V8 Buick had a write up at one time of a guy who made a 1,000 HP with a stock well machined block with a supercharged buick 350. Also check out www.taperformance.com and Postons for performance parts. I know an aluminum intake make the 350 Buick a feather weight. Add a good cam & headers and you have a good strong durable street motor. And something for the car show boys to scratch their heads about.. that aint no sbc.. is that even legal?
I didn't get the engine yet a friend of mine has it and he's had it for almost 20 years. It is originally a 1977 buick 350 that came out of a lesabre. It was rebuilt in 1989 and bored .30 over. Something like that. I just went to look at it but couldn't get a good look. It is wrapped up in plastic and has been stuffed in his closet. He said everything is separated (intake, heads etc.) but the pistons are in the block. I believe he said it has an aluminum intake but don't know about the heads. H e spent a few grand rebuilding it back in '89. From what i got to see I think it was blue.KrisW said:
Thanks for all your help.
Well, I guess I am not understanding your question. You just said it is a 1977, so what do you want to know?
The intake would not be factory if it is aluminum. You'll be around 8.5 to 1 compression stock. With an overbore, maybe 8.8 and with flat tops maybe 9.0 to 1.
The stock cam is garbage. The isky super and mega cams work well in your engine and Poston or TA can give you a really nice replacement cam.
Your heads need attention. You have big ports on the intake and nice, straight ports on the exhaust to take advantage of. DO NOT PUT HARDENED SEATS IN THOSE HEADS. That stuff is for chevy guys. Buick engines were cast with a higher nickel content and don't require the hard seats for today's gas. If someone put those in it already, then sell them and get another set (I have some for sale as well) to use for yourself. If you can get 68/69/70 heads, they have smaller chambers and will put you at around 10 to 1. Those are choice to use.
Mirror polish your exhaust ports, gasket match the intake ports and rough out the insides of the intake ports to get rid of excess casting flash and imperfections. You don't have to go nuts on a street engine. These heads can support lots of power with just a little work. Make sure you have the 1.875 intake valves and do some work in the bowl under the valve. Buy good springs from Poston or TA even if they have been replaced when it was rebuilt before. Cheap insurance.
Oh, and don't forget to prime the engine with oil pressure before you run! So many Buick guys destroy their engines because of this. At the very least, pack your oil pump with Vaseline prior to your first run...
Good luck with your new score!!
The intake would not be factory if it is aluminum. You'll be around 8.5 to 1 compression stock. With an overbore, maybe 8.8 and with flat tops maybe 9.0 to 1.
The stock cam is garbage. The isky super and mega cams work well in your engine and Poston or TA can give you a really nice replacement cam.
Your heads need attention. You have big ports on the intake and nice, straight ports on the exhaust to take advantage of. DO NOT PUT HARDENED SEATS IN THOSE HEADS. That stuff is for chevy guys. Buick engines were cast with a higher nickel content and don't require the hard seats for today's gas. If someone put those in it already, then sell them and get another set (I have some for sale as well) to use for yourself. If you can get 68/69/70 heads, they have smaller chambers and will put you at around 10 to 1. Those are choice to use.
Mirror polish your exhaust ports, gasket match the intake ports and rough out the insides of the intake ports to get rid of excess casting flash and imperfections. You don't have to go nuts on a street engine. These heads can support lots of power with just a little work. Make sure you have the 1.875 intake valves and do some work in the bowl under the valve. Buy good springs from Poston or TA even if they have been replaced when it was rebuilt before. Cheap insurance.
Oh, and don't forget to prime the engine with oil pressure before you run! So many Buick guys destroy their engines because of this. At the very least, pack your oil pump with Vaseline prior to your first run...
Good luck with your new score!!
Hey Kris thanks for the reply. As for the question about the year, I found out what year it was after the post. I didn't know if the owner knew what year car it was originally in. I want to know because I read that some years bolt right in place of the 3.8 that is in the car now. So I want to be sure before I take the motor. I believe all I need to change is the radiator and some hoses. I'll do some more searching.
All years Buick 350 (distributor in front) will fit right in, regardless of year. That's from 1968-1980, every year Buick made them. You need to take a picture and post it up so that we know FOR SURE that it is a Buick engine and not something else.
You must use the motor mounts for the 3.8 V6, they bolt right on. You should strip all of the 350 accessories off of the front of the engine, and all pulleys along with the water pump. You want to re-use the 3.8V6 water pump, all pulleys and all brackets for power steering, A/C, alt, etc. Even the crank pulley will swap. You will need to measure for new belts because the Buick 350 is a little wider than the 3.8 and puts the accessories a little farther away from the crank. Run hoses for a 1976 Buick Regal with a 350 vin code H. You can re-use your transmission and torque converter from the V6 as well. Make sure that you use a big cap HEI from a 1975-1980 Buick 350 engine and plug your V6 coil wire into it just like factory.
You will need a fan shroud from any V8 G-body to replace your V6 piece. That's all there is to it! You may need to get a V8 throttle cable, but I have used the V6 cable before as well.
You must use the motor mounts for the 3.8 V6, they bolt right on. You should strip all of the 350 accessories off of the front of the engine, and all pulleys along with the water pump. You want to re-use the 3.8V6 water pump, all pulleys and all brackets for power steering, A/C, alt, etc. Even the crank pulley will swap. You will need to measure for new belts because the Buick 350 is a little wider than the 3.8 and puts the accessories a little farther away from the crank. Run hoses for a 1976 Buick Regal with a 350 vin code H. You can re-use your transmission and torque converter from the V6 as well. Make sure that you use a big cap HEI from a 1975-1980 Buick 350 engine and plug your V6 coil wire into it just like factory.
You will need a fan shroud from any V8 G-body to replace your V6 piece. That's all there is to it! You may need to get a V8 throttle cable, but I have used the V6 cable before as well.
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