I will agree with you about the loudness and roughness being taught as fast. Over 43+ years of teaching auto shop many students thought a loud car was fast but as I always told them let's just go to the strip and we will see. We used to go on Wed. night to the track and many lessons were learned about loud and fast. They were always shy of my Buicks but I did suck several in with an old 454 Suburban. It was not your usual truck 454. It had an early high compression (70 model) engine with head work, cam, good intake, trick Buick carburetor, headers, free flowing mufflers and big exhaust with a built 400 turbo and 3.73 posi and big sticky tires. It had been a State of Tennessee highway department truck and it sure hurt these guys the next day when the other students would rag them by getting their Smokey and the Bandit TA beat by a highway truck. I know, not 350 Buick but it was fun. A 350 story is the class in 1995 built a 68 Skylark as our school project drag car. We did the suspension setup and rear end for a drag car and lightened it up and was going to put a 455 in it. We ran out of money and school was going to be out soon so we slapped the orginial 350 in it and started racing. The 3rd night we took it to the track we won Sportsman class. We were waiting to run the final aganist a brand new Z28 and it was a SLP car and he was bragging about all the money he had spent on it. I told him we had about $300. in our whole car. Then we go out and beat him. You should have seen those students. You would have thought we won a NHRA National event. Good fun. Jim Netherland
Did some calling. A & A Auto Salvage has a 1978 complete 350 for $500 111 William St SE, Albuquerque, NM 87105 (505) 242-9358 J & E Auto Salvage has a 1967 Buick small block complete for $350. Could be a 300 or 340, they weren't sure. 203 Prosperity Ave SE, Albuquerque, NM <NOBR>(505) 877-7573</NOBR> If you go have all the info you need to properly identify all Buick small blocks. Paul
And if you go there,be careful,thats where Bugs Bunny always takes a wrong turn.(Albuquerque) :laugh:
The Ecotec engines have a different bellhousing pattern of their own. However, the Aisin 5 speed tranny in the Solstice and Sky that is used behind the Ecotec engine, can be used behind the 3800 (or Chevy 60* engines). Just grab the bellhousing off a 96-2000 4 cyl. Dodge Dakota. They both share the same Toyota style tranny to bellhousing pattern.
i may be calling it wrong. im talking about the 4 banger that was in mid 90s s10s. they had 4l60es same one as a 4.3 v6 but would also bolt in the same place as 3100 or 3800 v6. also all those 2.8 s10s are the same as a 60 degree. vortec 2200 i had to look it up but those trans will work behind it.
I've thought about calling Jerry(J&E) but I'm all tapped out at the time being. There's a fresh 350 on Cragslist for $350 as well. Till I can get some funds raised, It doesn't matter if it's $50.00 or $500.00. This will happen in time while I work on reassmbling the car. A time for everything, and to everything a time, or something like that. The trouble with the 3800 swap is all the extra stuff like high pressure fuel pump, and all the stuff that comes with fuel injection.
Thats why I suggested an '80s 3.8. They are carbed and HEI. They are also dirtier than dirt cheap. If you keep an eye out you can find one for free:TU:
I am glad to see all the discussion about this one! I'm a big fan of the 3800 motors, I've had probably a dozen cars with it and love it's performance and fuel mileage. What I can say about the swap ideas here are all about time and money. Can't say you'd ever come out ahead with all the headaches and time it'd take to do a swap like that. Keeping it simple is always the best. I believe fuel mileage is overrated as that comes down to driving habits, city/highway variables the most. It nearly all comes down to this, if you want better mileage get a different car and have a different car for fun! Let the better mileage pay for things on the fun car? Anywhooo, my input to this thread is about the Buick 300 option and the 200-4r swap. Doing the tranny swap from the 300-st to the 200-4r was very easy to do and turned my Skylark into a different car. The 300 with the 2 barrel has enough cubes for a badass sound through the Flowmasters, and with the tranny being a 4 speed with full lockup it's pretty darn quick for a larger car. I have the 2.73 gears in it and run about 1550 rpms at 60mph. My speedo is off, but with some math I am easily pulling 20mpg's on the highway. I was able to get a low mileage cz code tranny for 300 bucks and with very slight mods, tranny crossmember relocation and the adapter for the tv cable on the carb, went in without incident and worked right away. I opted for the B&M lockup up kit (totally worth it) 165.00 and I have a good all around daily driver. That being said I did just go out and buy a 340-4 to start building and will swap in next winter. Still keeping it simple - a lot of parts interchange and I'll see a bump in horsepower of 75 or so. And then maybe I'll pop the hood at the car shows!
Guys, guys, guys. I can't afford any more cars. I have 3 right know and only two are registered, and insured(the two that I'm using). I already have a fun or toy car, and it's not the Skylarks. I WANT the 70' to be my daily driver. You guys just don't understand because you don't have all my bone pain/issues. I've lost over 1/2 of my bone density and have compression fractures in my back, along with breaking rib after rib. Multiple Myeloma is a real bitch to live with. I want my DD to have a soft ride, and be smooth and easy on me. I just can't get that with my 72' AMC Javelin, so I built it to be my fun car when I'm feeling up to dealing with a high strung beast. The Buick is to be much more refined to keep you from getting tossed about. I'll take the ride of a Buick A-body over a uni-body car any day. That's my story and I'm sticking to it! We'll see just what motor pops up when the time comes. Yes the 3800 has a ton of pain in the you know what wiring, plus the fuel system upgrades, but I might be able to get it for cheap. I think the 300 T-5 will also pull good if not great gas mileage. If I end up with a 350 T-5, so be it. It might get a throttle body and injection to help it out. I have access to one for little or nothing. :laugh:
