how do i upgrade a 4.3L olds
- Thread starter 81KiddCutty
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ok so i see you all hate the 4.3 but theres other crap engines that get upgraded like the 215 buick. i am now considering an Ls1 from a 03 corvette which i hate to do since i was gona keep it mostly stock.
Look on craigslist for a low mileage olds 350/403. Best if you can see it run, throw on some new gaskets and a coat of paint and enjoy it, maybe a cam. Once you want more you can have it built or build it yourself. All of your accessories will bolt on. Hear me out, you could probably end up spending a grand getting that 260 to make close to smog 350 numbers. I bet you could find a running 350/403 for less than half that and then have a good base to build off of as you collect performance parts.
81KiddCutty said:
There are plenty of engines out there much smaller than your 260 getting hopped up all the time with great results. The reason is because those engines, even though they're small, were designed for high performance ( or are at least capable of producing lots of HP ). The 260 was designed to be a crap smog motor. That engine would fight you every which way when trying to work around it's original intended purpose.
This just doesn't really make much sense. If you want to go fast, just drop in nearly any Olds 350-455 and you have your fast car and the 'mostly stock' car you want. There's no reason to have to go to an LS1 which is anything but a simple drop in engine, where as an Olds engine drops right in and uses all of your existing brackets/accessories/mounts. It don't get any easier.
Start with some nice cheap 15" Olds rallies painted to match or chrome. Add some nice new relatively inexpensive 235/60/15 raised white letter tires. I like the Firestone Firehawks. Check the end links as they are probably trashed as most are by now and few get replaced. Any autoparts store will have nice poly replacements for a cheap but solid improvement. Maybe a cheap turbo flow muffler for a nice sounding car that can be carried forward should you upgrade the motor. Drive her while you look for an engine etc upgrade. These cars are fun and cheap/easy to upgrade and personalise. Its a great platform.
Hey!! No more 231 cheat shots!!!! It a good motor and deserves respect. 🙂 As far as the 260......... The only option is turbo charging! A small turbo would make a 260 well act like a warmed over 350 olds. Pontiac did it with the 
301 witch acted like a warmed over Pontiac 350.
Here are its short comings.
1. its a torque motor with small pistons.
2. the block is weak (even compared to the 307!)
3. No olds cam can change this engines characteristics, only hurt them.
4. The heads are low rpm only.
I toyed with this idea years ago and even headers hurt this motor because it brings the torque too close to its limit and then your done. A very small torque window. Small pipes keep the torque band wide.
Sorry guy but it just wouldn't be that much fun to drive.
T
301 witch acted like a warmed over Pontiac 350. Here are its short comings.
1. its a torque motor with small pistons.
2. the block is weak (even compared to the 307!)
3. No olds cam can change this engines characteristics, only hurt them.
4. The heads are low rpm only.
I toyed with this idea years ago and even headers hurt this motor because it brings the torque too close to its limit and then your done. A very small torque window. Small pipes keep the torque band wide.
Sorry guy but it just wouldn't be that much fun to drive.
T
would a grand national turbo work for my engine with a few modifications to it an could i get help on how
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