olds to chevy swap

[joe_padavano]

403s are not a good platform for a race motor but they are a good platform for a strong street motor...

Class record holder: 11.21 @ 117 miles per hour with a 403

 

[v8power]

Class record holder: 11.21 @ 117 miles per hour with a 403

big deal, and he had to stick 2 times more into the olds engine than he would have if he was running a SBC or BBC. immagine what he would run if he would have invested all that cash into a Chevy engine. hell of allot faster than 11.21. bottom line is, if you want to go fast for cheap, a chevy engine is the way to go. i know you can make anything go fast with enough cash, but why... its like trying to make a mopar fast, or wiping before you poop, it dont make sense.

 

[Uncletruck]

In the case of this car that has a 307 now, swapping to an Olds 350 or 403 is going to be cheaper than switching over to use a SBC. As a generalization, if starting from scratch, what you say about the SBC being a better bang for the buck is true. I think we are talking about a budget sort of swap here, not going all out either way Olds or Chevy.

If this is a car for the street, and drag racing and quarter mile times are set aside, you don't need to build an $8000.00 700 HP engine to get from light to light. An Olds 403 or 350 in a G body done up in the most basic form has more than enough torque to satisfy the heavy lead foot, and get respectable mileage to be able to drive the car regularly and be 100% reliable too. This could be done in this 307 equipped car for a few hundred bucks, or free if the cards are played right.

-UT-

 

[joe_padavano]

Class record holder: 11.21 @ 117 miles per hour with a 403

big deal, and he had to stick 2 times more into the olds engine than he would have if he was running a SBC or BBC.

Before you make a statement like that, you might want to do a little research on how class racing works, particularly stock class NHRA racing.

 

[joe_padavano]

Actually, you know what, you're right. Olds motors, particularly 403s, are worthless. Throw them away and swap in a Chevy. In fact, call me when you do and I won't even charge you to haul off your Olds motor...

:wink:

 

[brethenry_08]

i know chevy can produce more power but olds are not worthless due to the simple fact if they were then y do we even have a forum for our g-bodies lol so think about it does it really make sense to say they are worthless (imo)

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

Some people just like to try different things. If you plan on building up a complete car with racing as the sole focus, the SBC is the best budget oriented pick. However, it is not the best choice in every situation. For a tight budget street car it pays to stay within the family of engines you already have (where possible) since you can reuse the brackets, accessories, etc.

There are also cases where a more modern design would make sense too. If you could get a good running wrecked Nissan Titan, for example, cheaply and swap it's VH56DE V8 and manual trans into your car it may make more sense than an SBC if all you want is around 350hp. The point is, no one engine fits every situation and every possibility. It all depends on the car's actual use, what you have, what's available, your skill level, and your budget. Don't knock anything until you understand why it is being done. Now, does anyone have a Toyota 2JZ-GTTE they want to get rid of...cheaply?

 

[Uncletruck]

Like Joe said, to all those who's Olds engines are worthless to them I'll be more than glad to take them off of your hands 😀

-UT-

 

[brethenry_08]

my grandfather had a 79 trans am and it was far from slow and i could run with any sbc that would pull up to it not saying it would beat anything but it could run very quick

 

[dan2286]

Why is this argument reminding me of a Ford vs. Chevy fight? :lol: