SBB 350 swap and upgrade questions Found a deal on a 1969 Buick 350, to replace the 350 in my 1971. Will these interchange? The 69 is in a LeSabre, I want to put it in my Skylark. Also, it is a 2bbl, can I use my 4bbl intake on it without much modification? Are the exhaust manifolds the same, so I can use my existing stock exhaust,and will the motor mounts match up? Thanx
They will interchange perfectly. The 4 barrel intake will work but the carb might need to be tuned for best performance on the different engine. Also, I'd expect the exhaust manifolds to be the same but since they're not from an A-body car I can't be sure. Either way, the outlets should be in just about the same exact spot to easily bolt up your exhaust system.
Thanks Steve. I definitely want to keep my 4bbl set-up, so am glad to hear the manifolds interchange. As long as the bolt holes in the block for the motor mounts are the same, I should be good then, and I believe you are saying that they are. Does anyone know if the; A.oil pump, B.water pump, C.fuel pump, D.timing chain cover, E. distributor, etc. are the same as well, so I can pick which ever component is in the best condition and make one good motor? Also, what other inexpensive things other than timing chain replacement and oil pump shim kit should I do to the new motor before installing it? First time motor swap for me. Would like to perform any inexpensive upgrades while I have the motor out of the car. Thanx guys!
The mounts should be exactly the same. Most of the parts you listed are identical for each engine. The only problem may be the water pump because the shafts on some are longer then on others and could end up putting the fan into the radiator. Use one that came with the Skylark and you should be ok. One "upgrade" to do while the engine is out would be to replace the old rope rear main seal with a neoprene one. It's a simple preventive maintainence issue but the job is a heck of a lot easier with the engine out. Have fun doing the swap.
If I was already pulling the intake I'd take the extra time to pull the heads as well and clean them up (possibly even gasket match them to the intake/ remove any casting flaws), install valve seals and replace the head gaskets. If you foresee yourself wanting a new cam in the near future, now would be the time. And for Pete's Sake, paint it while it's out! Enjoy and post pics.
Okay, I found out the LeSabre is a 1970. As I read in my research here, the 70 block is supposed to be one of the better Buick blocks. This being said, I'm taking my compression guage tomorrow to check the compression. If the test looks good, and everything else looks okay, I will probably want to set this engine up with a few upgrades to increase performance and HP. (carb, intake, cam, headers, mild head work, etc.) I have to admit though, that I have never tore down and re-built a motor before, but am not afraid of jumping in and trying. I think I can do most of the work myself, but may enlist some pro help when I get to the valve train. What amazes me is the seemingly infinite variety of component combinations I see used here. Where do you begin? I see 10 different guys, with the same basic goal of building a mild street machine, spending about the same amount of money, and every one has a different list of components used to build his motor up. So, now I'm gonna take a good look at my tranny and rear end, see what I'm working with on that end, figure my budget, and start trying to figure what I need to buy. I don't want to just throw a bunch of mis-matched components together though, so I'm gonna be asking for a lot of advice here in the near future. I'll get back to you with my compression read-outs, and more info as I take a closer look at this motor and my tranny/rear-end specifics. I would appreciate any and all advice you guys care to offer. I do have the advantage of living about 100 miles from TA Performance, so if theres anything you think I should have them do, let me know. Thanks, as always. Kurt
I would have TA performance build your shortblock for you and re-build your heads for you while they're at it.... better off going the 100 miles to TA and have correct bearing clearences, instead of traveling 10 minutes to somebody who might screw it up.. ya know?
If motor needs bottom end work then start there with a rebuild from scratch but no need to tear down a good motor. If your lucky the shortblock (bottom end) may not need a rebuild. I've seen several 100,000 mile Buick 350's with great comp. and bearings. If it runs fine with no smoke or noises then I'd spend the $ on getting the heads ported and rebuilt with new parts, then go with ta intake or the stock 4 bb, a TA 112 cam or something close to that, with the headers and good exhaust. I'd get a Q-jet rebuilt to match your combo and a mild torque converter (2000 rpm) to help get into the powerband of the motor.
Well, the motor looks okay so far. Compression readings were 150# - 160# on all cylinders. I now find out the car had 96,000 miles, maybe even 196,000 miles. Should I just hold out for a newer, lower mileage block to build up?
Sounds like this one would be fine for a drop in replacement or a rebuild. By all means a full rebuild is great if you have the cash, but if not why not throw it in and fire it up and go from there. You could do what I'm doing and fully rebuild the original motor while you drive your car with a temp decent runner. Oh, and make sure you use a Neoprene rear main seal from TA before you drop another Buick 350. I wrote these instructions attached.
Okay, got the engine on the stand, going to start cleaning and dismantling later. It's loaded with grease! Thanks for the advice and tips so far, I am letting all your posts sink in, and trying to educate myself as I move along. The reason I bought this newest motor is because the motor in my car has a LOT of rust issues, and I am just trying to limp along with it, while I build another motor to drop in. I will post the block and head casting ID numbers as they become visible. As I already stated, would like to swap my 4bbl intake when I get to that part of the rebuild, but now I'm reading that the 1970 4bbl intake flows better, and is a better part overall. Is anybody familiar with this info?
what happened to the '71 350? Last I remember you didn't have spark and you were going to check the coil.
Andy, I put a ballast resistor in line to the coil like you guys recommended, and it started, and has been starting ever since. Running very rough though, and spewing alot of black smoke, running really rich. I'm still trying to limp along with it, it has no power, and I bought this latest motor to build up and replace it. Since I bought this car, I have had to replace 4 rusted out freze plugs, fuel pump, rusted out radiator, rusted alternator, oil pump, re-build the carb, replace lines, neutral safety switch, frayed wires, etc. I repaired the rusty exhaust manifolds, but got a new pair when I bought this motor, along with an AC compressor to replace my rusted one, and everything else under the hood for 2 hundred bucks! I bought a vacum guage, dwell tach, and timing light to help keep the current motor alive, while I build this newest one up. So, yeah I've been listening to you guys and taking your advice and doing all these repairs, it's been one thing after another. I'm eventually going to park it once I gather my replacement parts for rusty sheet metal, suspension components, etc. and hopefully have the motor done at that time. I don't get to work on it as often as I would like, but have managed to keep it alive so far. Thanks again for all the tips and advice. Now I need to start learning about how to build up this newest motor, along with whatever else should break next! p
