Stock 307 to ????

[don4life]

I would think a SBC would be best option since they are everywhere and parts are readily available. 455 would be nice but unless you get lucky they are more expensive to buy and build. Plus with the gas mileage and cost to build my vote would be a vortec SBC because of availability decent heads and cost to build

 

[DoubleV]

Your car is set up for an Olds engine. Put an Olds engine in it and everything bolts right up. Switch to a Chubby and it becomes a lot less simple. Chubby engines are overdone anyway.

 

[pencero]

I don't have my own garage space right now either. The 350 olds will slide right in stock. I know how it is to be standing outside working on something. You want to go w the 350 olds in this case so everything just drops right in. The chevy engine is worth the extra work for the hp gain, but not when you're standing outside on front street. Any delays in finishing the installation could cause parts to come up missing stolen so you want it to slide right in 1 smooth move.

 

[1986OldsCutlass]

A 350 SBC crate motor from Jegs or Summit is pretty easy on the wallet. You will need a trans adapter if you stay with the stock Olds transmission and motor mounts, but it's a straight forward swap.

 

[joe_padavano]

A 455 drops right in and all the 307 stuff bolts up with exception to the AC bracket which just needs two tabs extended.

It fits without much trouble, but it is significantly heavier, you might need to upgrade the suspension and brakes, and it will generate more heat, so you will need a radiator capable of dealing with this.

Sorry, but I call BS. The difference is about 30-40 lbs. You do NOT need to change suspension and brakes. In fact, put an aluminum intake on the 455 and the weight is about the same as for an SBO. Use aluminum heads and it's lighter. I have personally weighed a bare 455 block and a bare 403 block. The 455 was 200 lbs. The 403 was 170 lbs. Add about 10 lbs for the longer rods and slightly heavier crank in the BBO and the difference is about 40 lbs, as I noted. The amount of heat generated (and radiator size needed) is a function of HP being generated, not engine size. At the same HP levels, both BBO and SBO will need about the same radiator size.

 

[MR442]

A 350 SBC crate motor from Jegs or Summit is pretty easy on the wallet. You will need a trans adapter if you stay with the stock Olds transmission and motor mounts, but it's a straight forward swap.

Straight forward in that all brackets some wiring and a trans adapter. OK

 

[joe_padavano]

A 350 SBC crate motor from Jegs or Summit is pretty easy on the wallet. You will need a trans adapter if you stay with the stock Olds transmission and motor mounts, but it's a straight forward swap.

Straight forward in that all brackets some wiring and a trans adapter. OK

Well...

Trans adapter
Different exhaust
Different starter and wiring (it's on the other side)
Different accessory brackets
Different wiring and hoses to the accessories (they are in different places)
Different motor mounts
Different engine-side mount brackets (Chebby uses the rubber mount on the frame, Olds on the block)
Different radiator hoses
Different distributor
Different accelerator and TV cable brackets

You get the idea.

Oh, the distributor cap and rotor are the same.

 

[truracer20]

Go with an Olds. 260, 307, 330, 350, 403, 425, 455 they all bolt up the same as the 307, plug and play. Anything 330 and up will wake your car up. You will need to replace or modify stock exhaust with a BBO. Headers look cool but the W/Z manifolds will get the job done.