Olds 307 to SBC swap

[racerx1965]

I know this is the most heinous of subjects and it's upsetting for some and rightly so. But in some situations it's practical I think. Anyway, what I wanted to ask or maybe add rather is this; has anyone ever thought of putting 79 and older Corvette Alt and AC brackets on their SBC doing a gbody swap? While normally the Brackets swap from Olds to Chevy on opposite sides but I noticed on Corvettes they are on the same side as an Olds. I'm sure this has something to do with underhood packaging but I was curious if I was right in my thinking? Any help would be appreciated..I'm new to the Forum BTW but I've stalked for quite a while lol. Just want to say hi to everyone and this is a great site and I'm glad I finally joined up. I've had 3 Gbodies in the past I had a 85 Monte Carlo SS that is much missed and I've had two Cutlass's, a 80 with a 260 and a 82 with a 3.8. I've always had a soft spot for 78-87 Cutlass's and hope to have another hence the interest in the bracket question. 🙂

 

[BuWaGone]

That sounds like a good idea. Instead of having to get a complete SBC A/C set up you just need new lines depend how far off the original location is. And you won't have those ugly lines running across you engine bay.

 

[crucial118]

I used a 3rd gen, f-body serpentine setup and kept the alternator and ac on the same side as the original 307 had. Everything fit the 3rd gen ac compressor and held vacuum, haven't recharged yet, but I'm expecting it to work. Don't forget, you have to use a reverse rotation water pump with the serpentine setup.

 

[jetsetw31]

Having the Alt wires on the same side is only half the issue. The starter battery cable has to be mounted around the block to the passenger side where the Chevy starter is. The only factory GM cars I ever saw that had that long starter cable was the Corvette and the factory V8 Monza. in the 70s they both had a shielded power cable that ran from driver side to pass side routing under the balancer and along the oil pan. The 60s Vette went over the engine along the firewall. The 80s Vette was like the 70s. To run a SBC with the battery on the driver side you have to acquire or duplicate that cable and shield. I haven't seen another factory GM car with that set up. Might be others. ???

 

[racerx1965]

Well the starter is still an issue but to eliminate two problems right off the bat seems like a win win to me. And while the serpentine set up would be great and it would be a great fix, I'm thinking more of a stealth setup. Obviously anyone familiar with Olds engines wouldn't be fooled, but then again a fake oil filler tube could perhaps be fabricated. But that's a lot of work and really not my intention. But the engine bay would look more stock and again stealthy. 🙂

 

[racerx1965]

BTW guy's, thanks for the replys. I was afraid I might get pelted with stones. LOL! 🙂

 

[racerx1965]

That sounds like a good idea. Instead of having to get a complete SBC A/C set up you just need new lines depend how far off the original location is. And you won't have those ugly lines running across you engine bay.

Exactly what I was thinking.