possibilities for a

[DrRansom442]

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).

yes you are correct, USUALLY (not always) the Pontiacs were 4 speeds and the Olds were autos....also I beleive the Pontiac equipt cars had shakers that read "T/A 6.6L" whereas the Olds typically read "6.6 Liter"...I say typically as we know anything GM did was subject to change by the day, not to mention parts being swapped out after the fact

 

[1980supreme]

sure did change a bunch. the girlfriends dad's got a 79 firebird formula (403 with auto transmission, last year they put 403's in firebirds). apparantly it had several cracks in the block, before it was rebuilt, around the head boltsish area? is this a common thing? (girlfriends dad says it is)...

 

[grandbonnevillecreature]

The information I got about my engine came from a web site chronology of the developement and evolution of the 3.8. I understand that there are major differences, but that they're both 3.8 liters and have both been refered to as 3800's by alot of people, though probably never in an official sense. When I thought my car had the same thing as a 260, I was mistaken. I think what my Bonne has is called a 231 CID (cubic inch displacement I guess?) Just a mixup on my part. All these numbers start to sound the same. I guess that 260 V8 probably is one weak performer if it has all the weight of a V8 but barely any displacement over my V6. Now what about powering up the V6? It is lighter, so I figure there probably is value in tuning it, but that would probably just get you somewhere around what a stock V8 (one of the lesser powered ones) would crank out. Any thoughts?
Also, a secondary question for you REAL car guys - my car has 3.8 liters. Of what??? It displaces 231 inches of something. Please direct me to some kind of tutorial where I can read up on all this and try to understand what it means. Yeah, it's embarrassing to admit I have no idea what all this means, but it's substantially worse to go through life never understanding it. Thanks. Try not to make fun of me to much. My ego bruises easily!!!

Wes

 

[SBCregal]

I think your best bet still would be to do some sort of v8 swap, either a 350, or a pontiac v8 of some variation. As for the second question 3.8 liters, or 231cid is roughly the same. Engine displacements can be in cubic inches, liters, or cubic centimeters. Here is the definition from the wikipedia website.

Engine displacement is defined as the total volume of air/fuel mixture an engine can draw in during one complete engine cycle; it is normally stated in cubic inches, cubic centimeters, or litres. In a piston engine, this is the volume that is swept as the pistons are moved from top dead center to bottom dead center.

Try going to www.howstuffworks.com its a great website and has a lot of automotive stuff on it.

keep learnin,

Ryan

 

[87MonteSS]

3.8 litres or 231 cubic inches of displacement.

The displacement is calculated by determining the volume of a cylinder by using the bore (piston size if you will) and the stroke (how far the piston travels from TDC [top dead center] to BDC [bottom dead center]). Once the displacement of the cylinder is calculated multiply it by the number of cylinders.

So, V = (pi)r^2 x h

V=Volume
r= radius of the clylinder (or bore)
h = stroke

Take the result and multiply it by the number of cylinders to get total displacement. Keep in mnd that it's a lot easier when working in inches.

 

[grandbonnevillecreature]

Don't you guys know that math makes my brain hurt? Okay, so I checked out the "How Stuff Works" website. You're right, thats a damn good site. I feel smarter already! (geez I sound retarded.) I also got some nice pointers from the site about how to add power for cheap. So as my wallet allows, I'm going to start putting some of those things into effect. Mind you, I am NOT trying to turn my car into a performance machine or a racer, but a few more horses would be cool. So over time I'm going to pick up a less restrictive air cleaner setup (think Edelbrock chrome air cleaner), a better exhaust system, probably with dual pipes, and if it's affordable enough, maybe a performance chip for the computer. If any of that is available for the 231CID Buick engine. But I would guess it is, based on the fact that my brother-in-law was able to locate an air cleaner for his 1978 Corolla. Anyways, thanks for the help and info, and keep any ideas and suggestions flowing freely. Turn me into a car guy!!!

Wes

 

[DrRansom442]

Don't you guys know that math makes my brain hurt? Okay, so I checked out the "How Stuff Works" website. You're right, thats a damn good site. I feel smarter already! (geez I sound retarded.) I also got some nice pointers from the site about how to add power for cheap. So as my wallet allows, I'm going to start putting some of those things into effect. Mind you, I am NOT trying to turn my car into a performance machine or a racer, but a few more horses would be cool. So over time I'm going to pick up a less restrictive air cleaner setup (think Edelbrock chrome air cleaner), a better exhaust system, probably with dual pipes, and if it's affordable enough, maybe a performance chip for the computer. If any of that is available for the 231CID Buick engine. But I would guess it is, based on the fact that my brother-in-law was able to locate an air cleaner for his 1978 Corolla. Anyways, thanks for the help and info, and keep any ideas and suggestions flowing freely. Turn me into a car guy!!!

if you are determined to keep the Buick, I'd suggest looking for a turbo Regal, sure there are hipo parts for Buick 231 cids but you really aren't going to see huge gains (afore mentioned turbo V-6s aside)

 

[dexter047]

check Kenne Bell and Poston's(sp?) for buick parts. they have stuff for turbo, and N/A 6's and 8's.