New guy from Ft. Knox KY

[amcnult1]

Hello everyone, my name is Austin and I am currently stationed at Ft. Knox, KY. I just recently inherited a 1986 Buick Regal limited from my father. the story behind it is when i was in college for Automotive Technology my dad let me rebuild this for the engine portion of my class. He is an older shade tree hot rodder and thought that as long as a V8 had a 4bbl carb, headers, and a cam then it would be a performer. Against my protest he did not want to swap it for a 350 so i build a 307. The 307 is a roller motor with a 268 duration .505 lift cam (something close to that) pretty big for the engine and possibly counter productive. It is bored 40 with hedman long tube headers.

Well my dad had it back on the road for about 500 miles before the transmission that was already going out finally kicked the bucket. well instead of replacing the engine he parked it under his back porch for 9 years. I finally got a 2 car garage so i took it home with me last time i visited him. I just recently cleaned it all up, got it running and then started to rebuild the carburetor only to discover it was completely shot. After talking to Cliff Ruggles and then Sean Murphy Induction i found out that even if i had rebuilt the CC carb it wouldn't have properly worked with the large cam and set up I had installed. So i bought a 800cfm non CC carb from SMI and had it built to my engine specs today and is currently where i stand.

I have read all over this forum trying to figure out a write up with pics on the removal/conversion to non CC carb. If no one has done a complete write up then i think i will do it when i do mine. That said if anyone has any pointers or can help, my biggest question is all the sensors on the intake mani. If i remove the ecm then what do those sensors send their signals to? And if they are not hooked up to the ecm then what are they hooked up to and why. All the stupid vacuum lines and these sensors and a lack of specific information has made this project a real challenge for my knowledge and skill level.

Excited to learn more about this stuff from you experienced G-body guys, thanks and take care!

 

[Injectedcutty]

Welcome aboard from South Louisville man!!! Good to see another KY guy, even if your stay on post isn't permanent while serving this great country of ours!!!! I'm actually on post every other wed as the document shredding company i work for takes care of ireland clinic, as well as other locations throughout the base. Pic attached for proof lol!

Nice regal btw, looks like with some more tlc it will be a nice cruiser! I can't help much with the carb or intake issues as my cutlass has had its sbc heart for over a decade. However, reach out to mr. sony on here....has a nice regal and has done all the work himself.

Im sure other guys will chime in, tons of knowledge here!

 

[blu402mally]

welcome aboard

 

[Texas82GP]

Welcome to the site from Houston. If you want to keep most of the smog functional, just set it up like an earlier non CCC car. What are the emissions testing requirements in your area? I suggest retaining a functional EVAP system at least. Don't be shy about asking a lot of questions. Thanks for your service. Oh, if you get rid of the ECM, you will need a non-computer controled distributor.

 

[Injectedcutty]

Welcome to the site from Houston. If you want to keep most of the smog functional, just set it up like an earlier non CCC car. What are the emissions testing requirements in your area? I suggest retaining a functional EVAP system at least. Don't be shy about asking a lot of questions. Thanks for your service. Oh, if you get rid of the ECM, you will need a non-computer controled distributor.

Jared, luckily there are no emission regulations in our neck in the woods! When i was first doing my sbc swap back in '03 we still had to do the sniff test, but the state ended it that year....whew!

 

[Longroof79]

Welcome aboard, Austin.
It looks your Regal will clean up nicely.
As Jared mentioned, to run with a non CCC carb, you'll also need an earlier non CC distributor. In other words, you'll have to set up the engine to run according to early specs.

 

[Bonnewagon]

Welcome! I did my Basic Training in Ft. Knox way back in Fall of '72. Some beautiful country there- except where the tanks have been! It is very easy to remove the CCC system. The only important systems controlled by the computer are the trans, ignition, and carb. As stated above, if you back-fit a non-computer distributor and carb and set it up to pre-CCC specs it will work fine. Unfortunately it will be hard to find a 307 specific HEI distributor so you will need to research and adapt the advance mechanism to your particular motor. But since you are dealing with an aggressive cam you are going to testing and tuning a lot before you find what works best anyway. Remember, by removing the computer you lose the benefits of the knock sensor, advance retard, A/F ratio and idle flexibility, all those things the computer did you will need to do with tuning skills. The transmission lock-up can be controlled by a remote switch on the dash. Any questions, this is the place to ask.

 

[Texas82GP]

It is possible to buy a new distributor that is custom curved to your specific combination. Check out Davis Unified Ignition. If you go that route, contact them directly rather than buy from someone like Summit so you don't end up with a generic setup.

 

[foxtrot]

I'm surprised that the CCC setup wouldn't work well on your modified Olds 307.. I remember back in the day, many guys ran the CCC on their modified SBO engines.　


Anywho As mentioned by TexasGP, DUI does make great products and their HEI units are really durable. If you do contact them via their website for a 'custom' HEI, make sure to include your engine details because it can't hurt. 　

For a non-CCC SBO, a total of 16 degrees mechanical advance all in at 3000 rpm would be great. It should also be noted that the non-CCC SBO base timing should be setup for 20-22 degrees @900 rpm. 　

 

[ed1948]

Welcome to this great forum. I enjoy reading and learning about everyone's projects.