I am looking to swap in a turbo V6 from an 87 GN that I may be able to pick up. My question is what is involved with this swap. I have an 85 Olds which originally had a 231 and now houses a 350 Buick, so it is already set up for a SBB. I know I will have to get an electric fuel pump for the SFI, but do I require an ECM for that engine/ is there an aftermarket computer that I will need? Never dealt with turbo before, but I have been interested in the swap and now I have a chance to do it. I was wanting to do a BBO eventually, but I would rather keep a healthy V6 turbo as I intend to drive this car a lot. I have an 8.5 ready to go in the back with 3.73 and a 200-r4 that I will begin rebuilding soon. Anyone who has done this swap or has information I would greatly appreciate your input. Basically is the juice worth the squeeze or should I just go with the original plan of SBO/BBO? Thanks.
Turbo V6 swap
- Thread starter alphamale
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The engine your getting is the trans available? Wiring harness ecm etc.....
You would want to get as much as you possibly can to make it easier. I would run the ecm that was used for the engine already.
When we sell a conversion kit I yank the front clip of the Buick off. We then roll everything back on to the engine. This makes your wiring removal & things like your power steering reservoir etc easier to do the re-install.
The main thing is to make sure you are starting with a good known running transplant. If you need to do the rear main seal, valve springs or timing chain it is a lot quicker when the engine is pulled out. Check the Driver side header to see if it is cracked .
You will need to get the Fuel pump Baffled gas tank etc..
If you get the trans you will need to swap out out the speedo gear for the 3.73 rear. the drive Gear should be the same if I remember correctly.
You would want to get as much as you possibly can to make it easier. I would run the ecm that was used for the engine already.
When we sell a conversion kit I yank the front clip of the Buick off. We then roll everything back on to the engine. This makes your wiring removal & things like your power steering reservoir etc easier to do the re-install.
The main thing is to make sure you are starting with a good known running transplant. If you need to do the rear main seal, valve springs or timing chain it is a lot quicker when the engine is pulled out. Check the Driver side header to see if it is cracked .
You will need to get the Fuel pump Baffled gas tank etc..
If you get the trans you will need to swap out out the speedo gear for the 3.73 rear. the drive Gear should be the same if I remember correctly.
Here is what I know so far about the engine, I'll be going to look at it after Christmas sometime soon. From the seller, it was rebuilt with a few hours on it for break in. It doesn't come with the Turbo, but everything else including the wiring harness is there. I didn't ask about the ECM, but I'll probably call him next week and ask. No transmission, but I do have a 200-r4 that I will be rebuilding with the better parts for it. He wants 1100$ for everything, is that a good price? I haven't dealt with turbo buicks before, just 350s and 3800 series. I have seen grand national motors sell for much more than that, although the lack of turbo concerns me. Is an original turbo hard to find in good shape or are there better aftermarket ones now? Thanks for the help.
Your swap idea is a good one. Done correctly, you'll have quite the sleeper on hand. As stated though, there's much to consider. Definitely chase after the correct ECM. Make sure your 200-4R core has a valve body/governor calibration compatible with a turbo V6. This is important to driveability.
Stock turbos can still be had in usable condition but yes, there are a plethora of aftermarket choices out there. Knowledge will equal success here. I highly suggest spending some time poking around gnttype.org and joining turbobuick.com; the premier forum for the turbo Buick.
Stock turbos can still be had in usable condition but yes, there are a plethora of aftermarket choices out there. Knowledge will equal success here. I highly suggest spending some time poking around gnttype.org and joining turbobuick.com; the premier forum for the turbo Buick.
You will need an ECM, the 87 turbo motors besides having EFI also use DIS, no dist. Best thing is to buy the whole car as a donor so you can pull all the parts you need.
Well I went and looked at it yesterday. It was missing the turbo and ECM, but otherwise all there including the manifolds which are hard to find. I decided against it though, just bad timing for me. I appreciate the replies and if I may decide to go the turbo route later down the road.
If that person is interested in selling the drop out I would be interested in buying it for my Cutlass, which will be my intercooled monster. Missing the turbo/ecm is no big deal.
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