I'm new to the forum and new to working on cars but I have always loved G body's. Last year i came across a 84 Cutlass for 800 dollars in decent condition but it came with the 3.8 motor, I have a very very small budget so i wanted to keep the 3.8 in and try to get some power from that but everyone says the engine is slow no matter what and to just swap it with something else. I just wanted to know if i could at least get close to 300hp with the 3.8 without throwing a endless amount of cash at it, if so what power adders should i use. Any info would be greatly appreciated because i have no idea of where i should start.
New to forum and need serious HELP!!!
- Thread starter Dstew319
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The most power I have ever heard of somebody getting out of a 3.8L was 200hp. I had a brand new, crate engine, 3.8L with an Edelbrock cam, 4-barrel intake and carburetor and a set of headers, and it was still super slow. I put $4000 into that setup and it was thoroughly dissappointing. You cannot get respectable power from a 3.8L without putting a turbo up to it.
You can get 230 out of a 231. Theres a lot to gain in the heads. The best 3.8 heads are equivalent to the worst SBC heads. A port job gains a lot. The secret to big power is boost or high compression. Unfortunatly there is no drop in high compression pistons for a 3.8.
A 4.1 can make 300 easy with good heads, cam, and a splash of nitrous. 8)
A 4.1 can make 300 easy with good heads, cam, and a splash of nitrous. 8)
The obvious thing to do is put in an Olds 350, don't forget you need to upgrade the whole package, suspension, transmission, cooling system, maybe brakes as well.
If you can find a G body donor car you would be off to a good start, you won't find a 350 in one though.
If you aren't fussy about keeping it all Olds maybe a Malibu donor would suit, there has been a lot of debate about the merits of Chevy vs Olds, but hey! it's your car and you can do what you want with it
If you can find a G body donor car you would be off to a good start, you won't find a 350 in one though.
If you aren't fussy about keeping it all Olds maybe a Malibu donor would suit, there has been a lot of debate about the merits of Chevy vs Olds, but hey! it's your car and you can do what you want with it
Just throw a SBC 350,Dstew319 said:
You can easily find them used and there is endless parts in the bone yards. If money is tight just throw block spacers on your springs till you can buy new ones to compensate for the weight of the v8
If you have a tight budget and this is your daily driver, I would say to keep the V6 in that case. The high cost of gas isn't really worth sacrificing gas mileage for power. On the other hand, if this isn't your daily driver, I say go for it....swap the engine out!
Id gladly give you my v8 307 4bbl but thats probably slower than the 3.8 LOL!!!! Seriously as everyone mentionned 350 swap but unfortunately a cheap purchase but everything else you need to change so it fits isn't .Trust me I know ,im doing it now....well done the part purchases and diff / trans rebuilts.6K later , 8k with exhaust and rad and I still haven't got the engine yet and I do all my own work.Good luck bud 😢
I had two G body wagons, a Buick century with a 231 with mild cam, headers, edelbrock manifold all done by a reputable builder, the other a stock Cutlass with a 307.
No question, the 307 was heaps faster than the 231, no question, the 231 gave better gas mileage than the 307.
No question, the 307 was heaps faster than the 231, no question, the 231 gave better gas mileage than the 307.
keep the 3.8 but never stop looking for that 350 sbo, or if you cant find that, a 350 sbc, they made a ton of those. The sbo is a good strong power plant that will last probably longer than the car... :lol: I got lucky when I found my engine, because it was cheap, and complete, and right down the street from my house. But I would have driven many miles for it if I had to.
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