New G-Body Owner (85 cutlass)

[JCD]

hey everyone, I just picked up my first g body. An '85 Cutlass. It has a very well maintened v6 and a reasonably aged interior. My question for everyone is, are there any websites where I could buy goodies and replacement parts for it? I'm in need for some visors, weather stripping, rear side indicator lights, front bumper "Oldsmobile" badge, etc..
I'm also interested in swapping out the six cyl for a v8 and was wondering if there were any tips and tricks to doing so or perhaps recommendations as to which SB would fit and perform the best.

 

[MrSony]

If it's a 229 V6, a 350 chevy drops right in. If it's a 3.8 231 (front distributor), a 350 Buick would literally drop right in. V6 out, V8 Buick in. No changes. If you want to keep it olds, you could go 350, 403, or 455. An Olds 350 is a great motor. Giant bore, short stroke. Put a forged 330 crank in there after some mild machine work, and you can rev the thin past 6k. If you put any v8 in there, get a stout TH350. It will drop right in in place of the TH200c or weak Th350 that will be in there. Or if it's a 4 speed overdrive, and it doesn't show ANY signs of slipping or dark fluid, put a shift kit in it to firm it up and/or get it gone through. In g bodies, once you creep past 400hp, you break stuff. You tear welds. You twist the chassis. Build the car for what you want, starting with the suspension. No sense in having all that potential power if you A) Can't put it down or B) Can't control it.

As for parts sites, eBay, craigslist, and Gbodyparts.com to name a few always have stuff. Gbodyparts are actually somewhat of a retailer now that they've gotten bigger. They make some reproduction parts. They'll have everything you will need. Welcome to the site! Lots of cool people and info on here.

PS: If it is a 231, don't knock the 350 Buick just because it's an olds.

 

[Texas82GP]

There are several threads on here that explain the Buick V6 to Small Block Chevy swap and I'm sure there are some that describe the Buick V6 to Small Block Olds swap. I prefer a Google search over the site's search engine. For example, try "V6 to SBC swap G Body forum". Don't be afraid to alter your search a few times to help you find what you are looking for.

Another great source for parts (I think the best) is from other members on this forum who have parted out cars and/or are in the junk yards often. Start a thread in the Wanted section. There are some guys on here that have a lot of nice parts. You will save money over the reproduction stuff and factory parts just fit better.

Welcome to the site from Houston. Good luck with your project.

 

[Injectedcutty]

First off, welcome aboard from KY. Nice to see another G being saved and from the pic, a little tlc will make it a decent ride.

As the others said, there are plenty of places to acquire parts for pur cars as they are becoming more popular. There are some great chassis/suspension companies out such as umi and bmr to name a couple.

As far as emblems go, do a search on ebay and and filter through exterior mouldings. I see emblems and badges on there all the time.

Bunch of great guys and knowledge here so you found the right site to get your first G looking and running right!

 

[Alerch]

Big block Olds fits nice as well.