possibilities for a

[1980supreme]

possibilities for a 260?

alright, i have a nice and rusty 1980 cutlass supreme
( http://www.cardomain.com/ride/601000 ) with a wickedly powerfull :?: 260 in it . are there any possibilities of getting any sort of power out of a 260? i know that they've got a ridiculously low compression ratio and there aren't a ton of performance parts out there for em. say i got some headers, cam, planed heads/intake manifold to match, 4bbl carb, true dual exhaust, msd ignition setup w distributor, maybe some higher compression pistons or something?... is it worth being different? also, how many of these cars are still around? it's got a/c(someone took out the compressor) and rear defog... that's about it. oh, it's also got a custom wound 200A alternator for when the new stereo comes in

 

[mrapii]

Don't waste your time or money.

 

[scottb]

I agree, the 260 won't respond very well to bolt-ons. The heads don't flow, and the small cylinder bore prevents you from swapping anything with decent sized valves on.

Best bet is to keep your eye out for a good deal on a 350 or 403 Olds, either will swap in directly.

Dual exhuast would at least bring out the V8 rumble.

 

[grandbonnevillecreature]

My Bonneville (1983) has the 3800 V6. I'm not sure if thats the same engine you're speaking of or not. I have no plavs for making mine a performance car. I know that may not make me especially popular on this board, but oh well. I didn't buy it for power, I bought it because it's in great condition and I can haul around my people in it. Mine is also missing some AC parts, and it needs some of the pulleys switched bacause the engine is from a 1978 Grand Prix. So, some of my pulleys line up funny (my PS belt twists alot.) My plans are to put dual exhaust on the car, mainly for looks but also for the sound and mildly better exhaust flow. I also hope to put some nice cruisin' rims on it. But thats about all. I'll have me a performance car one day, but for now, cruisin' in style is enough to make me happy.

 

[mrapii]

The 260cid is a V8.

 

[1980supreme]

ah it's barely a v8... performs like a 4 banger. alright i guess the plan of attack is to find either a donor car with a 350 or bigger with a bigger transmission or find a rebuilt eng somewhere. is there anything in paticular on a 350 or 403 to look for? will a 403 out of a pontiac drop in as easy as one out of an olds? and to answer the question i know you're all thinking... yes it feels amazing being floored and accellerating the speed of traffic 8)

 

[clean8485]

If you're getting a 403 out of a Pontiac, just make sure its the 403 Olds engine, and not a 400 Pontiac engine. As long as you get the 403 Olds, you should be OK. You're probably going to have to use the necessary accessory brackets from the 260 in your Olds, and switch them over onto
the 403 before installing it in your Cutlass.

 

[1980supreme]

ah swapping brackets isn't so bad. it's more likely that i'd be getting a 350 as they're more common. i know that on a 350 i should look for 7a heads... how do i tell which are which...this will all be coming from a donor car so i can use all the random parts that come with it (trans and maybe rear end.) i do believe my car has a 3spd transmission in it, which is retarted. if i drop a transmission that's been mated to a 350 from factory will it just bolt up, or will i need to make mounts and swap driveshafts? if i put up some codes from the factory build sheet could someone tell me what kind of transmission and or rear end i've got in my car? trans says 7LD and i have no idea where the one for my diff is... all i can find is axle which is 6AH... thanks. and believe me i'll be writing this stuff down so i don't forget.

 

[DrRansom442]

an 83 3.8L Buick isn't the same thing as a 3800 series, The engines are VERY loosely related and a 260 is definately an Olds V-8. It is the same externally as a 307/350/403 and a 403 is a 403 no matter what car it comes out of. A Pontiac 400 also used in the same era Trans Am would have noticible differences

 

[clean8485]

I just made mention of the Pontiacs because the Pontiac division used both the 400 Pontiac and the 403 Olds in some car lines, but would often badge both engines as a 6.6 liter engine, most times in the Firebirds, and sometimes in the Lemans (1977 Can Am as an example).