What engine will work best in an '84 cutlass the 3.8 i believe is on its last legs atleast from the sounds of it, it is knocking and it won't start it has been suggested that the timing is off and the timing chain maybe the source of the knocking (no clue how factual that is) but any ways i was thinking maybe an Olds 350 or sumthing that would bolt on fairly easily and not cost me a fortune as i'm a student and money is limited for the most part but if anyone has any ideas all suggestions are welcome or if you have a working Olds 350 that you would let go for cheap that would also be appreciated, another question would be if i were to put a 350 in would i need to change the transmission or would the old one work? and also what other parts would i need to change? are there any easy ways to set the timing or do i need to pull a few parts of the front end? and again i state that i'm still somewhat interested in buying a working cheap Olds 350 or even mabe a working cheap 3.8 if all else fails.
Question about an engine?????
- Thread starter Afroman2007
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There is nothing that is just going to, "bolt on," other than another identical Buick 3.8. You would do about the same amount of work to fit a Chevy 350 in it as you would an Olds 350 (307 not worth it) Chevy being be the cheapest route for V8 power, and IMHO you are better off with the SBC- It's not a real hard retrofit, (motor mounts, some wiring, A/C if you want it, climate control, exhaust, a few other tidbits) and while at it I'd find a suitable TH350 transmission and do the two at the same time.
The knocking on your 3.8 is not likely the timing chain, but worn bearings. Valve gear wise the 3.8 Buick V6 is better than the SBC, with timing chain guide and tensioner and shaft mounted rockers. But like everything else it wears out eventually, and the SBC is the best cost effective bet to use as a replacement engine IMHO.
-Mark-
The knocking on your 3.8 is not likely the timing chain, but worn bearings. Valve gear wise the 3.8 Buick V6 is better than the SBC, with timing chain guide and tensioner and shaft mounted rockers. But like everything else it wears out eventually, and the SBC is the best cost effective bet to use as a replacement engine IMHO.
-Mark-
How can I disagree with any of that?
SBC is def cheapest and prob easiest of swaps. Parts are everywhere and front accessories are readily available. Monte parts are direct fits for it as well as decades of other Chevys.
I've done the Olds swap also. Just about as easy, but parts availabilty is a little tougher.
Easiest way would be to replace the worn out V6.
The Chevy won't bolt to the trans u have unless its a 200-4r or another one of the universal bellhousings with 8 bolt holes. The Olds will bolt up to the trans but will kill it due to the extra torque. GM only built them strong enough to handle the engine they were mated to.
SBC is def cheapest and prob easiest of swaps. Parts are everywhere and front accessories are readily available. Monte parts are direct fits for it as well as decades of other Chevys.
I've done the Olds swap also. Just about as easy, but parts availabilty is a little tougher.
Easiest way would be to replace the worn out V6.
The Chevy won't bolt to the trans u have unless its a 200-4r or another one of the universal bellhousings with 8 bolt holes. The Olds will bolt up to the trans but will kill it due to the extra torque. GM only built them strong enough to handle the engine they were mated to.
I agree that it is likely bad bearings in your 3.8. These engines are notorious for doing this because of a poor oil pump design with an aluminum housing and steel gears. Couple that to the fact that most were neglected and owned by non car people, and the failure rate makes sense. Stick with a Chevy 350 as your swap candidate. I would advise you to use a TH2004R trans with it because of the overdrive, and swap to a GU4 3.23 rear axle at the same time. You likely won't lose much fuel economy and may even gain some!
and about how much would that cost me and what other parts would i need i just need a general figure for about what it would cost me in NY?
Call around and find a reasonable 3.8 replacement. Accessories and locating them for the V8 swap will kill u. Nothing will be the same. Motor mounts and oil pan to carb and radiator to driveshaft all are different for the V8 swap. Lots of parts to figure in.
Motor Mounts, Motor Mount shells, Alt & bracket, water pump, power steering pump & bracket, rad hoses, radiator, intake manifold, t-stat and housing, carb, air cleaner, valve covers, breather, headers or manifolds, exhaust to hook up to factory pipes IF they r large enough, oil pan, distributor, cap, rotor, wires, plugs, transmission, trans crossmember, possibly shorteneing your driveshaft, wiring haircut, throttle cable and bracket, ign coil (may be the same), detent cable, fuel lines, fuel pump....
And this is just off the top of my head.
Motor Mounts, Motor Mount shells, Alt & bracket, water pump, power steering pump & bracket, rad hoses, radiator, intake manifold, t-stat and housing, carb, air cleaner, valve covers, breather, headers or manifolds, exhaust to hook up to factory pipes IF they r large enough, oil pan, distributor, cap, rotor, wires, plugs, transmission, trans crossmember, possibly shorteneing your driveshaft, wiring haircut, throttle cable and bracket, ign coil (may be the same), detent cable, fuel lines, fuel pump....
And this is just off the top of my head.
To do a used V8 swap at a reasonable price you would need to locate a complete engine, that being with all the accessories and brackets. An exhaust system and some other items would still have to be put together, but that might not be too much. If you can find a complete engine in good shape for say $600, it might cost another $600-800 to have someone do the swap for you if you can't do it yourself. So if going the used V8 engine route bargain about $1200-1400.
A rebuilt 3.8 V6 long block is running between $900-1100 these days. Here again about the same $600-800 to get it installed, more if you need hoses, new water pump, etc.
All might not be lost with your old Buick 3.8 though. One good thing with this engine on the G bodies is the oil pan can be removed without lifting the engine up, all you need to do is drop the crossover pipe from the manifolds and unbolt the pan. Then the bearings and crankpins can be inspected, and new bearings installed on the rods and mains if the crankpins are OK. If there isn't a lot of bore wear or oil consumption, this can put new life back in the old engine. I would also install a new high volume oil pump (to solve the forementioned problem) and at the same time take the front casting and intake manifold off and replace the timing chain, cam and lifters. A shop might charge around $800-1000 for all those items, but if a compression test reveals the cylinders are strong, it might be the cheapest route to keep the car on the road.
Just some ideas 🙂
-Mark-
A rebuilt 3.8 V6 long block is running between $900-1100 these days. Here again about the same $600-800 to get it installed, more if you need hoses, new water pump, etc.
All might not be lost with your old Buick 3.8 though. One good thing with this engine on the G bodies is the oil pan can be removed without lifting the engine up, all you need to do is drop the crossover pipe from the manifolds and unbolt the pan. Then the bearings and crankpins can be inspected, and new bearings installed on the rods and mains if the crankpins are OK. If there isn't a lot of bore wear or oil consumption, this can put new life back in the old engine. I would also install a new high volume oil pump (to solve the forementioned problem) and at the same time take the front casting and intake manifold off and replace the timing chain, cam and lifters. A shop might charge around $800-1000 for all those items, but if a compression test reveals the cylinders are strong, it might be the cheapest route to keep the car on the road.
Just some ideas 🙂
-Mark-
Afroman2007 said:
i would do a olds engine all the way and wouldn't look back
i had a chevy in my 79 supreme and it was laid up more than i drove it so i pulled that out and dropped a 150 dollar olds 350 in there and never broke it it's in there until this day!
srercrcr said:
The Buick 3.8 (231) is a 5 quart engine. The Chevy 3.8 (229) is the 4 quart V6.
Although the V6's aren't mega-powerhouses (The stock V8's of the A/G time period really aren't either), getting 20 MPG with the Buick 3.8 still makes it practical to use the car for a daily driver, gas prices not being a laughing matter anymore.
-Mark-
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