Hey everyone, This is my first post on this board so I would like to say hi to everyone. Few days ago I turned around and bought a 1980 Regal. It barelly runs, all transmission fuel is in the drip pan underneath the car, basically its in a very rough shape. Ohh and its pink . I got it for $200 as a project car for this fall. This will be my first big project. I was reading around and saw that there are ways of putting a chevy 350 engine in this beast. Now I need someone to elaborate that for me and tell me what has to be done for this to happen. What kind of transmission I should put in. Anything else you Buick gurus know and could share with me. Thank you very much for your help Dan
Help Honestly I have the perfect solution............Dont put a chevy 350 in it thats like a bad word around here.
Yeah, you could put a chevy in the regal, but is there a reason besides that you heard it can be done? A Buick 350 would most likely be easier to install. If the car is a V6, then the motor mounts are the same as the V8 ones. If its a V8 then its probably either a Buick ( in which case you just replace the engine and trans and you're set) or an Olds engine ( in which case you're gonna be changing as much stuff to put in the Chevy 350 as you would for a Buick engine). As to the transmission just about any good th350 would work as long as the bellhousing is correct for the engine. There is actually a forum section here that deals with installing Buick V8's into G body regals like yours, you may want to take a glance at it to pick up some info. You'll find out that, around here, talking about putting Chevy 350's into Buicks is like handing out your favorite bbq recipe at a PETA convention. BTW, :TU: welcome to the board
Another person coming to the buick guys on how to install a chevy motor in a car ou: ou: ou: ou: :spank:
Welcome to V8 BUICK .... Pink Buick with a Chevy motor ... ou: I can overlook the pink but please power it with a Buick engine !!! :3gears: p
Thanks everyone for a welcome. Sorry I forgot to mention its a v6 3.8 on its last legs. As for why I want to change to chevy 350 - well chevy 350 is everywhere, easy to work, easy to replace & find parts for. Also where I am it would be hard to find a buick 350 engine, Thats why I need you Buick gurus, to tell me what needs to be done for such transformation. Thank you
Well isn't that something......I'm just the opposite. I'm installing a Buick small block 350, (from a 71 Buick GS), and TH350 trans in my 69' Chevrolet C-10 Pick-up ! ! I get "odd-responses" to this on the Classic Chevy Truck Board ! Buick Engines are awesome ! Truly built to a "higher standard" that the mass-produced Chevy small blocks. True, parts are more expensive and harder to find, but if I had a small block Chevy in my Chevy I'd be just like the other 1,000,000 classic truck owners out there !
Since we now know that the car has a 3.8, we can tell you that the easiest (by far) and most logical (and ethical) swap is to go with a Buick 350!
if ya want a 350 chevy powered g-body , please , buy a monte , im not in favor of "cross-breeding" gm's either . and what the h*** is transmission fuel ?
Hey Buds lay off my case, ever had an odd day? well i did so i got typing in a hury and wrote fuel instead of fluid big deal. For the others who are not looking to pick on peoples writing, thanks for the responses, I am from a little town up north in canada. so its almost impossible to get an engine here, but someone has a 455 engine so I am gonna look into it. thank you again
it would be nice, but if i have a hard time finding a 350 engine, it would be even harder finding turbo
If you'll browse around the web, you'll find re-manufactured Buick 350 long-block engines for around $1,800 (or less), and many come with a 3-year/36,000mi. warranty. You'll still need a 4-barrel intake & carb, and a pair of exhaust manifolds, as well as a HEI distributor, and a set of pulleys & brackets. These items can be bought on-line from various salvage yards across the country. Keep your Buick all Buick!
Hi and welcome, A Buick 350 in that Regal would be a great combination of power, reliability and not terrible gas mileage. The 3.8L V6 is essentially a 350 missing 2 cylinders, that's why it'll be the easiest swap. The Buick 350 and Chevy 350 are very different. The transmission bolt patterns are different, engine mounts etc. etc. People here prefer Buick power for Buick cars philisophically, but it's also a practical matter. You'll be in for lots of little hassles trying to put in the SBC. I think the cheapest route for you is to find a full size 4 door Buick with a Buick 350 engine that's dented, rusty but running well for $1,500 there are lots of them out there. By the time you add up carb, intake, manifolds, pulleys, brackets etc. etc. you'll be saving serious money over buying the peices individually. It will also be the easiest to swap because you'll have everything you need. The 4 barrel engines (Wagons often had them) don't need more than some tuning tricks to run circles around a chevy. Buick engines make a lot of torque, power where you need it :3gears: . Chevy's make horsepower in the higher RPM range that's not as useful on the street. There are more parts for Chevy engines, but Buicks don't need a lot of replacement parts to be stout engines. The stock intake manifold is only 5 or 6 hp behind the aluminum replacements, no big gain beyond the weight savings. There is a Buick 350 on this board that made more than 500 HP!! This sounds like your first swap, give yourself the best chance of success and save the Chevy for another project. John
If you have an address, you can get anything you need. Just takes $$$$$. Check out some of the Turbo Buick sites and see what you find. :TU: People on here are always willing to help get parts to you guys up north. :TU:
Guys, Guys, none of us has the megabucks to build our dream rides. I've heard that Buick 350s are very scarce in Canada from more than one source. If bucks say that all he can afford is the Chevy engine, then thats that. I'd like to see Buick power too, but sometimes you gotta go with whats available.
Walnuts Wow what a warm welcome! Im just curious why would anyone paint a car pink? No offense or anything but your gonna need a shat load of horsepower hauling that sled to keep people from pointing and laughing at the color. My brother who is in Germany at the moment has a 455 half built in the garage with all the bearings and cool crap like that sitting on the engine stand for the last 3 years collecting mice poop so maybe if your interested I can make talk him into making a deal???? Justin
Pink is easy Mary Kay cosmetics used Buick Regals heavily in the late 70's and early eighties. They where painted Mary Kay pink, most had white landau tops but not all. Good chance this is why his Regal is pink.
