As the title states is a BOP 403 worth building as a performer? I know it can be built,just look up someone like Dick Miller but what I mean is it going to break the bank. I am new to BOP engines are there certain year heads or blocks that are more desirable? Thanks for the input and thank Craigslist for me starting to deviate from my original ideas :lol:
Is a Buick 403 worth building?
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Olds 403? Or Buick 401? Any engine is worth building/rebuilding if it is what you want. I wouldn't get a 403 that has been previously modified or raced. I don't think you can machine them too much, kind of like a 400 Chevrolet.
I didnt know there was difference between olds and buick I thought they were the same. But the engine I was asking about then is a Buick. I was unaware that you couldnt machine them much.Im not really wanting one specific engine I have 2 chevy 350's I could build but the idea of keeping a car within its brand is appealing even if the engine didnt come in that model.
Oldsmobile 403's came in Buicks in the late 70's (full size), as well as Pontiacs (Trans Ams), and obviously Oldsmobiles. The Buick 401 (nail head) was from the 1960's and came in things like Rivieras. If you already have Chevy engines that you could use, I would say use them because by the 1980s everything became a "corporate" engine.
I'm no expert, but I would say a 403 would be cheaper and easier to build than a Buick 401. At least with a small block Oldsmobile you can get headers made for various body styles, and motor mounts/accessory brackets because G-bodies had Oldsmobiles from the factory in Regals and Cutlasses (307).
Above all else, Chevrolet stuff is obviously cheapest (for example, a rebuild kit for a pre-1985 350 Chevy is about $200).
I'm no expert, but I would say a 403 would be cheaper and easier to build than a Buick 401. At least with a small block Oldsmobile you can get headers made for various body styles, and motor mounts/accessory brackets because G-bodies had Oldsmobiles from the factory in Regals and Cutlasses (307).
Above all else, Chevrolet stuff is obviously cheapest (for example, a rebuild kit for a pre-1985 350 Chevy is about $200).
kustomkyle said:
If you listen to most people on this site, unless an engine has a bowtie on it, it isn't worth building.
As for the "Chevy is cheaper" argument, well, yes, you can get dirt cheap Chinesium parts for a Chevy that you can't get for an Olds motor (and yes, the 403 is an Olds motor). If, however, you compare identical quality parts, the difference is not very much. You can have a bellybutton SBC, or you can show some initiative and have something different. Your call.
Depends on what you want the motor to do? KB pistons and reworked stock forged rods or the soon available Rocket Racing SBO rods would make a nice street combo. Same intake and headers as the 307(early) and 350 Olds. Great tons of torque street engine.
joe_padavano said:kustomkyle said:
If you listen to most people on this site, unless an engine has a bowtie on it, it isn't worth building.
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joe_padavano said:kustomkyle said:
If you listen to most people on this site, unless an engine has a bowtie on it, it isn't worth building.
As for the "Chevy is cheaper" argument, well, yes, you can get dirt cheap Chinesium parts for a Chevy that you can't get for an Olds motor (and yes, the 403 is an Olds motor). If, however, you compare identical quality parts, the difference is not very much. You can have a bellybutton SBC, or you can show some initiative and have something different. Your call.
thats crap, you can get quality parts for sbc for cheaper... here is a example
edelbrock erformer intake, which is possibly the bes selling performance item ever
chevy 127.88 per summit
buick 403-summit doesnt even list a intake manifold for this motor, unless its a olds 403?
olds small block 229.95
cant call edelbrock chinesium!
summit is pretty good at using american companies for their house name products they sell rebuild kits for 199.99 with pistons, if you go up to a set that uses speed pro pistons, felpro gaskets, fm bearings and rings.... 409.99
the cheapest olds small block kit i could find was 550.99, and this had cast pistons, the 2 chevy kits had Hypereutectic Pistons
i dont know why everyone started bashing chevies lately. if you start with a olds 307 in a g body, a olds motor may be cheaper due to reusing the old worn out components that you can reuse, if you start with a 3.8 or no motor the chevy is gonna be more affordable
if that isnt enough look into header prices!
funny story, as i am typing this powerblock is showing a mustang drag car with a big block chevy LMAO
As far a more desirable 403's go, they were all from the late 70's, so they are all similar, in that there wasn't a 180HP version and a 400HP version. I think the ones in Trans Ams and Can Ams were high output though. Probably the best one to get would be from a T/A, I've actually seen a few for sale and the ads stated "I'm stepping up to a 400/455 Pontiac". The Trans Am/Pontiac people aren't too fond of the factory Olds power in their cars apparently.
Overall an Olds is not a bad choice at all. You can get everything you need to put it in a G-body off a 307 powered Cutlass/Regal (maybe even an earlier 260 car?). The main issue is there isn't quite as much available for other brands of engines, and yes, PARTS COST MORE. It's supply and demand. More people do Chevy and Ford stuff than BOP or AMC, and the prices reflect it. Companies have to have a higher price for parts that don't sell as much to compensate. I'd just be thankful that they bother to make parts for the less conventional cars/engines. Roller cams/lifters are usually 3X as much as flat tappet stuff, no matter the engine manufacturer. I think an Olds 403 with roller cam/lifters and fuel injection would be really neat and be great to drive, but it's going to cost a lot to do.
Still if you already have Chevy 350's, especially a 4-bolt main one, there really isn't much you can't do with one of those. If it bothers you that much, put "Buick" on the valve covers. That's what NASCAR teams did in the late 80's and early 90's. Buick engines and Chevy engines actually look somewhat similar, at least more similar than an Olds and a Chevy (Oldsmobile engines have a distinctive Y-shape).
Overall an Olds is not a bad choice at all. You can get everything you need to put it in a G-body off a 307 powered Cutlass/Regal (maybe even an earlier 260 car?). The main issue is there isn't quite as much available for other brands of engines, and yes, PARTS COST MORE. It's supply and demand. More people do Chevy and Ford stuff than BOP or AMC, and the prices reflect it. Companies have to have a higher price for parts that don't sell as much to compensate. I'd just be thankful that they bother to make parts for the less conventional cars/engines. Roller cams/lifters are usually 3X as much as flat tappet stuff, no matter the engine manufacturer. I think an Olds 403 with roller cam/lifters and fuel injection would be really neat and be great to drive, but it's going to cost a lot to do.
Still if you already have Chevy 350's, especially a 4-bolt main one, there really isn't much you can't do with one of those. If it bothers you that much, put "Buick" on the valve covers. That's what NASCAR teams did in the late 80's and early 90's. Buick engines and Chevy engines actually look somewhat similar, at least more similar than an Olds and a Chevy (Oldsmobile engines have a distinctive Y-shape).
why do we always have to have this argument???
there is no real proof that a chevy engine of similar size, is "better" than a BOP engine or vice-versa (, except for the LS series--but that's a completely different story). however there are millions of chevy engines out there as opposed to thousands of BOP's. therefore there's more aftermarket support and due to the whole supply vs demand thing, chevy parts are generally cheaper.
quite often the BOP blocks were made stronger, and produced more bottom end torque than the chevy's, in stock form. but the chevy's are known for a better oiling system (IIRC) but that has an easy fix, from what i understand.
in other words, yes the 403 is more than worth building, but do YOU want to do it? no matter what, people will give you sh*t over it. i say, if you're at all a purist, go olds, if you want to do it with less expense and easier parts sourcing, go chevy. just remember to factor in the cost of getting the chevy block, motor mounts, accesories etc.
there is no real proof that a chevy engine of similar size, is "better" than a BOP engine or vice-versa (, except for the LS series--but that's a completely different story). however there are millions of chevy engines out there as opposed to thousands of BOP's. therefore there's more aftermarket support and due to the whole supply vs demand thing, chevy parts are generally cheaper.
quite often the BOP blocks were made stronger, and produced more bottom end torque than the chevy's, in stock form. but the chevy's are known for a better oiling system (IIRC) but that has an easy fix, from what i understand.
in other words, yes the 403 is more than worth building, but do YOU want to do it? no matter what, people will give you sh*t over it. i say, if you're at all a purist, go olds, if you want to do it with less expense and easier parts sourcing, go chevy. just remember to factor in the cost of getting the chevy block, motor mounts, accesories etc.
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