I currently have an odd-fire 231 in a 1971 vega. I've heard that the buick 350 uses the same motor mounts as the 231 and is not all that much heavier. Is this true? From what I have been able to find out, the 350 weighs only about 80-90 lbs more. Is the motor mount location on the block relative to the trans end (back end) of the block the same between the v6 and v8? I'm not happy with how the odd fire runs-it seems kind of "lumpy" for lack of better words. There seems to be some inbalance that is there throughout the rpm range, which increases in frequency as the engine is rev'd. I was thinking of switcing over to the buick 350 since it sounds like it may be a bolt in swap without adding too much weight to the front end. Any thoughts or information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Dan
Sounds like a great idea to go with a buick 350 in the Vega, I'm sure youd have no problem fitting it in! Even with iron heads and intake it's a lot lighter than a cheby smallblock, and better in my opinion. These are great motors, go for it!!
Sounds like a great swap, I have too been considering this swap for quite awhile, but so far, no money or time to do this so I will have to wait for awhile before I can swap out my odd-fire 231 V6 to a Buick 350. :TU:
231/350 dan : motor mount to bell hsg same distance . extra cyl is on the front end . the v6 is based more on the older 300 style motors ( or visa versa ) so the 350 is quite alot wider . i've never seen a sbb 350 in a vega but have seen a 300 and the fit was ok . hot rod mag or car craft a long time ago did a v6 swap into a vega using basic cam/headers/4 bbl intake mods and was very pleased with the results . in the late 70's one of them did the same with a regal i think ( this was a much more in-detail series including brake and suspension mods ) and in the end had cale yarborough ( spelling? ) road test it on a nascar track and the thing flew . that was back when nascar was rumored to be contimplating going to v6's . if looking for a modest power ( basic stock motor with a couple basic power steps ) increase the 300's are out there and may be a little easier fit . if you are gonna spend some $$$ then maybe put in a newer v6 - lose the shakes and probably have the widest selection of power options by far . including the turbo option of course . i talked to a guy last year that was using a non turbo v6 and was claiming almost 500 hp using nascar busch/v6 parts . don't get me wrong my v6 car is getting a 350 but thats a 65 special and there is pretty good room in there , i'm just saying do some research before jumping in . del
What kind of mounts are ya using? Maybe thats were the vibrations are coming from. Probly just the odd fire design though. Goodluck!
I ran a Buick 350 in a Monza by using V6 Monza mounts/frame plates. I even bolted all of the front end accessories in place using the V6 brackets. Easiest non factory swap I ever did. The only tricky part is the exhaust manifolds. On the pass side, I had to slightly notch the rear brace that goes up to the upper control arm. On the drivers side, I used a late 70s manifold because it has a pocket(part of the passage for heating air to the air cleaner) that the steering shaft would fit through. Nothing else was a problem. The V6 wiring harness fit without any mods. And with a short water pump, a fan clutch would even fit. If you already have a V6 in it, all you need to do is to find a 350 with the correct manifolds.
To all, Thanks for the input. David, when you installed the 350, did you notice any difference in ride height due to the extra weight of the bigger engine or was it not changed too much? I think that the weight difference is not that siginificant where the ride height would be altered much. Also, it sounds like the v6 and the v8 are the same width-is that true? Thanks again for your input. Dan
Dan, this car started out with the iron duke 4cyl. So I used springs from a car that had V6 and air conditioning, which was the same car that I robbed all of the V6 brackets from. The ride height turned out ideal. I guess the added weight was balanced out by the fact that I did not put the A/C back on. The four cylinder springs were insufficient though. The Buick 350 is wider than the V6 partially because it is taller and partially because the exhaust ports protrude more. But since the engine compartment also grows as you near the hood, most of the added width followed that same profile except for the manifold issues. At the time I had both a Buick 350 powered, and the 327 Chev powered Monza that I still have. The Buick engine actually fits better. Headers for either engine are a hassle though. If I had it to do over again, I would consider the Buick 300 just for the cool factor.
Vega I have always love them cars!!! If you want to do something different put a GN Turbo 3.8 under that hood :Brow:. I have heard the old 215 nail head is a easy route to go, AL.
Just curious, why did the chevy engine fit worse? I would have thought it would fit better as that it is a more compact engine. I have a few Chevy buddies and figured I'd ask. Patrick
As for engine fit, the Chev small block does fit as it was the factory V8. But it takes all Monza specific alt bracket, pwr steering pump brackets, engine mounts, water pump, and oil pan(vs generic Impala, Camaro, truck, Malibu, etc). Although it is not as wide, it's really too long of an engine for that compartment, and with how the spark plugs are positioned, they run straight at the steering shaft. Plus the distibutor is very tight to the firewall. The Buick small block fit directly with all generic V6 brackets and mounts, no special oil pan, and even the long water pump clears with a flex fan. The spark plugs miss everything and point right at you. The distributor does not interfere with anything, and the V6 harness stretched around the V8 with no modifications. The only problem that I just now remembered is that the oil filter hit the frame, so I used the smaller V6 filter/pump cover. Here is a picture of the Buick 350 being test fit into an H body.
wow that looks really nice!!!!!!!makes me want to do it now!what was the firs year for the monza/vega??i live in cali and smog restrictions are pretty hard! also how much do they weigh??2200 lbs or so??350 horse 400 ftlb of torque buick 350 with a shot of 150 should really get things going and cheap !!!
Thanks AL. That was into a Sunbird that I eventually turned into a Monza and sold to another boardmember. I drove it for several years though. That was one of those projects that was put together with 100% random parts just laying around from all of the 350 to 455 swaps I had been doing to my fullsizes. I found this perfect Sunbird body at a local yard with a blown up 4cyl one day and got it for near free. Then from being into Monzas already, I had a posi just waiting for it. That 350 was stock 1976 and all torque, so it wasn't super fast, but it was a blast from light to light around town. It ran mid 14s. Burnouts were a riot though, you could just nail it with the wheel turned and spin in circles until the tires blew. I can hardly imagine what it would have felt like with some of the recent 350 buildups on here. As for the Vega's first year, I think it was 71. Then the Monza in 75. So a Monza without a catalytic is probably not around from the factory. But the Vegas have a nearly identical engine compartment. It's just a little shorter, so with a chev small block, you really need to move the radiator to the front of the core support. But since a Buick 350 is shorter, it might just fit without doing that.
V8 In a "H" Body David, I worked with a guy who had a 71 V8 (327) Vega wagon and what a kick in the pants to drive!!! I thought about building one years ago but never did because of the Corvette project. I will probably own one before my time is up. AL :TU:
That's why I've kept the 327 Monza around. It's a total blast to hop in every now and then. I've nudged 11s with it using a 3800 RPM converter and 4.10 gear. It wasn't fun driving it on the street like that though. So I like better how it drives overall with the lower gear and tighter converter. ETs suffered, but MPH is still there and it can be driven all day. It's one of about five Chevrolet projects that I've kept around from before my switch to Buick. I was putting 327s in everything back then.
V8 In a "H" Body David, I can relate to that. I guess thats why I still have the best of both worlds, a 72 GS 455 Stage1 4-Speed (3:42) and a 68 Corvette 327 4-Speed(3:55)! Do you still have a Buick powered "H' body? I plan on having my 68 done this spring, it looks a little better now then when I bought 20 years ago. AL.
David, Thanks for all your input-it really is getting me psyched! I bought a 350 and automatic yesterday and will be picking them up after the first of the year. I can hardly wait to get started on it! If there's anything else you remember, please let me know. I'll keep you posted on how it goes. Thanks again, Dan
Does anybody make an aluminum intake manifold for the 350? I found 1 place - ta performance - and I was wondering if there are others. I tried summit and jegs, but no luck. Does anyone have 1 for sale? Thanks, Dan
