old motor

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78pontiac

Apprentice
Aug 26, 2008
75
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north carolina
well here is my old 301 it still runs but needs some help it can sit for mouths or years and it will crank right up what would you say that i can do to freshing it up?


SANY0246.jpg
 
It depends on how far you are willing to go into it. I would start by cleaning up the wiring, get a new air cleaner or paint it, paint the valve covers, paint all of the accessory brackets and pulleys, replace the radiator hoses and the wiring conduit.
 
if engine is in good condition , keep it !
otherwise dont put big $$$ on a 301 , they where weak!not recommndedfor any mods ....
unless you have the turbo crankshaft that had counterbalancers

Dan
 
I say take it out and put a 455 in it 😀 Otherwise what Dan said above and probably a good tune up, plugs, wires, cap/rotor, new filters ect. Has it been just sitting for a while???
 
I guess before yo put alot of time into it I'd get it running for a while and see how it does. Make sure it's worth the effort. If it's been sitting a qhile the first thing I'd do is check the gas/tank. Might be pretty old? If so drop it drain it and take it somewhere to have it cooked. Then put new fuel and filter(s?) in it. That's where I'd start.
 
It all depends on what you want. If all you want is the car to move under it's own power, a 301 can do that. If you want it to move with any sense of urgency, a 301 can't do that. It has less HP than a base 4 cylinder Camry does, and in a car of similar weight without the benefit of a modern overdrive transmission and a short final drive ratio. So, it all depends then. If you just want the car to be enjoyable to drive, consider a Pontiac 350 swap. A 455 is also an option, but it does use a lot of gas. Either engine can make great power, but for a mild street car the 350 is a better choice as it won't make the torque needed to break the fragile rear axle unless you really go through it (or run slicks).

Also, KEEP THE LEAVES OFF OF THE CAR!!! They will rot it out in no time and render the car useless. Anything that retains moisture is a bad thing for an old car.
 
well i was thinking like a 350 or a 400 engine but i have a universal 350 transmission that needs rebuilt would a 350 or a 400 pontiac engine bolt up to it?
 
I would recomend the 400 if you plan on doing a swap. Everything that bolts on to the 350 does so on the 400, but the 400 is better if you really want to do upgrades or make really decent power. The 350 is not a bad engine, but it is a small bore engine, and that hampers its abilities. It all depends on what you want to do with the car.
 
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