Im not 100% sure this is the right thread, so i apologize in advance if it isnt. I have a 78 Skylark with a stock 231 v6 and i was wondering what are the main things that i can do to it to get more performance from it.
we have one member here that built one and installed it in a tr-7 and its only going low 14's and that car is a whole lot lighter than ours...... i advise either a gn turbo swap or go to a 350 or 455 buick engine i am planning a 455 swap i just need more money:rant: scott
I would prefer to keep the engine thats in but modify it, Im still a 'high risk driver' as im 18. so a larger engine would bump my insurance trough the roof. Would adding after market exhaust, or anything like that to help. i have about $5,000 to work with for everything that i want to do to it. (i need new suspension really bad) And i was hoping to paint it.
That should be the even-fire 3.8L you have there. mid 77 was the switchover from the odd-fire to the even-fire. Lots of possibilities for you with it. You could either find a factory aluminum 4 bbl intake from the 81-84 4.1L Buick motors(they bolt right on, look in the salvage yards for the big Buicks, Electra, LeSabre, etc, they had the big V6s in them) or you could go with the aftermarket Edelbrock aluminum intake(or one of the other companies, I think Offenhauser is one of them, maybe Weiand, forget who else makes them now)... The other obvious upgrade is the cam, and some headers. Depending on how much money you really want to put in the motor, there are some really good aftermarket aluminum cylinder heads out there, TA Performance, Champion, etc. Check over on the TurboBuick.com website. you may be able to pick up a pair of ported stock heads from somebody upgrading to the aftermarket aluminums... You can make some surprising HP out of the "little" 3.8L V6. Good luck...let us know how it goes...
Thank you for all the great info! i will keep you all up to date with how everything goes! I dont know a lot about cars so could i ask what benefit after market headers gives? more flow? Also, would a new exhaust system from the headers down help HP?
I think you're going to be intake limited with the stock 2bbl intake. I put a kennebell 4bbl on mine with a ~430cfm carter carb for a while and it really woke up the top end. I had carb tuning issues though and never got the off the line bog sorted out. Had to swap the 2bbl back on for smog inspection reasons and started the 455 swap before getting around to putting the 4bbl intake back on. The advice on the 4.1L intakes should be good. The engine will respond to typical upgrades of headers and exhaust, but you really need a new cam to take advantage of them. The advice on new heads isn't too bad. Don't get too wild on pipe diameter unless you plan on upsizing your engine using the same exhaust.
BTW, you're insurance goes off of your VIN. They only know what engine is supposed to be in there. :Brow: What you really ought to do is swap in a Buick 350. Very simple swap. Motor mounts are the same, all the front accessories are the same. Pull the V6 out, swap the 350 in. Even a stock 350 will be plenty for you in the 78 Skylark. You could find a running 350 for a couple hundred dollars and have it swapped in on a Sat morning and be out Sat night with it. Very very easy swap.
Not only is it an easy swap, it's literally a "no-extras" swap. EVERYTHING from the 231 will bolt to the Buick 350, even the wiring harness is more than adequately long (it reaches on my 455 swap too). The trans bolts up, it uses the same motor mounts, all the accessories bolt up, etc etc. Wait, I take that back, you may have to buy a new upper and lower radiator hose, but the old ones may be trimmable.
I found a 1978 buick 350 with t350 trans, for 300 dollars locally on craigslist, they said it ran when pulled but is there anything that i could look for on it to tell if it really would without buying and installing it first?
You really can't tell if a motor will run just by looking at it. I've always thought of it this way- If the motor was running fine- why was it pulled? There are quite a few things I look at on a running motor to see how well it was taken care of- but I can't advise you on a 'maybe'. I would suggest half down and the other half once the motor is in your car and runs.
Thats a good way of looking at it, im still considering it im not 100% that i want to do an engine swap. I want to get mine running well first to see if i really want to keep the 231 or not.
I'm the guy with the TR-7 with a Buick V6 and yes the car runs low 14's (actually 14.10) but the car without driver weighs 2163lbs. No way will your car weigh anything close to that so my advise to you is don't waste your money on a non-turbo V6 motor. Go with the 350 motor and I think you will be happier. Just my two cents worth.
Remove the spark plugs and inspect them to see if they look nice and tan or if any of them are really oily. Then turn over the engine by hand using a socket on the front bolt inside the lower pulley.
in the picture it was just laying on some bricks like a walk way, so im not 100% sure unless i go look at it in person
Someone in your neck of the woods would seem to have a rough '68 GS350 he's going to part out at the end of the month, if he doesn't sell the whole car outright for $600. There you go - buy a GS 350 motor (maybe...check the numbers first) and get the car for free!:bglasses:
man would i want to, but where i live i cant have non running cars or i can get fined. are the 350s from all cars and years in the 60s-70s the same pattern etc. (really dont know cars very well)
There are both 2bb and 4bb for each year. Some of the 68-70 engines were 10:1 compression, others were 9:1. In 70 there was an optional 350 engine that was 315 bhp @ 4,600rpm, 410 lb-ft @ 3,200 rpm. In 71 they lowered the compression for all the 350s. Further on in the 70s they further lowered the compression to about 8:1. Due to a modern way of measuring the power output compared to the old style the later engines make about half of the power the early ones did. In reality the later engines are almost as powerfull and run better on regular grade fuel. Changing to a higher compression piston in any 350 can get any 350 close to the 315 hp rating with some tuning so for the most part the 350s are not a TON different from each other.
