The oil filler tube on Olds motors is at the front of the engine.That's the quick way to distinguish between Olds/Chevy.
307 Olds
305 Chevy
307 Olds
305 Chevy
What to put in my Regal?
- Thread starter 86RegalLimited
- Start date
- Status
86RegalLimited said:
Go back and read my original post. You asked about the easiest swap. Yes, everything for a Chebby bolts in, but it's more than just buying parts from the store.
First, the Olds mount have metal brackets bolted to the frame and rubber mounts bolted to the motor. The Chevy is the opposite. When you go to the parts store and get the Chevy mounts, those are the rubber frame mounts. You'll still need to hit a wrecking yard to get the metal brackets that bolt to the block.
Next, ALL the accessory brackets and pulleys are different. In addition, some of the units, like the A/C compressor, mount on different sides of the motor. That means you'll not only need to change the brackets and pulleys but also the hoses, wiring harness, etc.
Finally, I'm guessing you're not retaining the computer-controlled carb. Hopefully there's no emissions testing where you live.
It's your car, so do whatever you want. All of this is bolt-in stuff, it's just a question of how much stuff you really need to chase down. Personally, SBC swaps are like @$$holes, everyone has one.
If you do decide to put in something other than an Olds, I'll buy the Olds frame mounts if you get them out without destroying them.
Break it down this way:
1) Swapping in another Olds Motor will be easier as you can re use a lot of your existing accessories, don't need to change mounts, etc. The down side is the Olds motors are less plentiful and more expensive to build. This would be more unique as everyone does the SBC swap.
2) Swapping in a Chevy will be more work (But it is NOT hard), but options for perfomance upgrades are endless and less expensive.
3) Going with a Chevy may require a new Trans. The 307 you have now has a BOP Bolt pattern (Buick, Olds, Pontiac and Cadillac). I have heard that some transmissions had a dual bolt pattern that would allow them to bolt up to a BOP or Chevy pattern. If you are lucky that is what you have.
4) Crate motors aren't bad but your probably better off spending a little more and getting a higher performance one that has better internals and higher compresssion than buying the Goodrench Stock replacement and having to change a bunch of stuff. But even the stock replacement SBC engine with a mild cam, intake and Headers will be a big improvement over what you have now.
I swapped a Chevy 350 in place of a 3.8 Buick in an 81 Regal when I was 17 and it was not that bad. That was 20 years ago before the Internet and all of the help that is available here! I picked up a 1970 350 that only had 65,000 miles on it. All I did was put an edlebrock performer Cam and Intake, Holley 600 and headers on it. It was a blast to drive even with the stock rear end gears. Good Luck!
1) Swapping in another Olds Motor will be easier as you can re use a lot of your existing accessories, don't need to change mounts, etc. The down side is the Olds motors are less plentiful and more expensive to build. This would be more unique as everyone does the SBC swap.
2) Swapping in a Chevy will be more work (But it is NOT hard), but options for perfomance upgrades are endless and less expensive.
3) Going with a Chevy may require a new Trans. The 307 you have now has a BOP Bolt pattern (Buick, Olds, Pontiac and Cadillac). I have heard that some transmissions had a dual bolt pattern that would allow them to bolt up to a BOP or Chevy pattern. If you are lucky that is what you have.
4) Crate motors aren't bad but your probably better off spending a little more and getting a higher performance one that has better internals and higher compresssion than buying the Goodrench Stock replacement and having to change a bunch of stuff. But even the stock replacement SBC engine with a mild cam, intake and Headers will be a big improvement over what you have now.
I swapped a Chevy 350 in place of a 3.8 Buick in an 81 Regal when I was 17 and it was not that bad. That was 20 years ago before the Internet and all of the help that is available here! I picked up a 1970 350 that only had 65,000 miles on it. All I did was put an edlebrock performer Cam and Intake, Holley 600 and headers on it. It was a blast to drive even with the stock rear end gears. Good Luck!
I think what will end up happening is I will just go for what ever engine is available to me first for a good price. I don't want to buy an engine that requires a new transmission because my car only has 49000 miles and the transmission has overdrive which I dont really want to give up. How do I find out what transmission I have? It would be nice to know so I know what engine possibilities I have. What about Buick engines? Will they work? What is the deal with emissions testing? Why would my car fail?
http://www.technicalvideos.com/identify_my_transmission.phtm
The easiest way to tell what kind of trans you have by looking at the shape of the transmission pan and the number of bolts. The above link has drawings of the pan shape an pictures of the Transmissions.
http://tech.oldsgmail.com/trans_bp.php
This link shows you what the different bolt patterns are for the transmissions. The TH200 R4, which is likely what your car has, did come with dual bolt patterns but I don't know if they were all dual bolt pattern or just certain years. If you have a bunch of unused mounting holes around the flange, you probably have a dual pattern.
You could put a Buick engine in there as well, but I am not sure what mounts would work with a Buick, maybe someone else will know. But I am sure it can be done.
You definately need to look into what your emissions requirements are for your state before you do a swap. Do you have to get your cars inspected annually? Some states have physical inspections, some actually test tail pipe emissions. Some do nothing. We used to have tail pipe testing in Michigan but the discontinued it. The Michigan system was administered by private shops and was pretty easy to get around. In some States the inspections are done at State Run Centers that are pretty strict. If you don't have inspections in your state, go ahead and do the swap. If you do, make sure you understand the rules before you spend the time and money. In many states, cars become exempt from the inspections upon reaching a certain age.
The easiest way to tell what kind of trans you have by looking at the shape of the transmission pan and the number of bolts. The above link has drawings of the pan shape an pictures of the Transmissions.
http://tech.oldsgmail.com/trans_bp.php
This link shows you what the different bolt patterns are for the transmissions. The TH200 R4, which is likely what your car has, did come with dual bolt patterns but I don't know if they were all dual bolt pattern or just certain years. If you have a bunch of unused mounting holes around the flange, you probably have a dual pattern.
You could put a Buick engine in there as well, but I am not sure what mounts would work with a Buick, maybe someone else will know. But I am sure it can be done.
You definately need to look into what your emissions requirements are for your state before you do a swap. Do you have to get your cars inspected annually? Some states have physical inspections, some actually test tail pipe emissions. Some do nothing. We used to have tail pipe testing in Michigan but the discontinued it. The Michigan system was administered by private shops and was pretty easy to get around. In some States the inspections are done at State Run Centers that are pretty strict. If you don't have inspections in your state, go ahead and do the swap. If you do, make sure you understand the rules before you spend the time and money. In many states, cars become exempt from the inspections upon reaching a certain age.
You have a TH200-4R trans. Gee, I guess I'm a dumb *ss for forgetting about some $10 motor mount for the block also. 
I found this on wikipedia.org and I was wondering if it holds any truth: "Unlike the 700R4, the 200-4R has a multicase bellhousing for use with Chevrolet and Buick/Olds/Pontiac/Cadillac (BOP) powerplants."
Probably, the 200-4R was used on pretty much all the V-8 G-bodies from 85-88 and I highly doubt each division of GM had their own bellhousings.
I'd say it's very likely it has a universal bellhousing.
I'd say it's very likely it has a universal bellhousing.
- Status
Similar threads
