So my special stands to be extra special. I got the new engine mocked up today..... its a rebuilt 302 with a c4 and 8.8 rear. I will post pics soon. matt
I seem to remember reading about an option for the rear end in this car where a later center portion could bolt in to eliminate the torque tube. Now I can't find it. Anyone recall what this is?
why a ford in a buick,get a buick 359,buford owner ---------- Post added at 09:16 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:15 PM ---------- meant to say 350
very nice,i remember my father ran a similiar setup on a 79 benz 300sd with parts he cobbled from various fords,down to the modified ranchero motor mount,frankensteined it in there and after making his own drive line conversion left the original german rear end intact and with the independent rear suspension that was on it that was one of the smoothest cruisers ever got my hands on,called it the tourenwagen(probably mispelled that) replacing the original 178 cubic inch diesel and trans with the 302 actually shaved quite a bit of weight off the rig despite the increace in displacement,(the germans cant build a toaster light let alone a diesel)i would say back then that it would stack up well against even all but the most modern police caprice ltd type interceptor vehicles and all but maybe the highest echelon of new cadillacs back then(2005)and definetly better than the 2000 and whatever dodge intrepid company car had access to at the time.when i last saw it earlier this year he had lowered it over a set of amg rims he sourced from an auto yard and now he doesnt want to let anyone drive it.
yeah he originally intended to put another 178 out of a standard 300 d he found on the cheap,cant remember what kind of gypsy deal he got on it,but ended up using that as a daily driver for a while.took it out for a spin and the 178 wasnt too bad a motor,pull wasnt quite up to snuff in my oppinion,but was smooth and held speed alright would maybe be a cool project in a midsize buick to source something a bit newer or just more powerful than that.know you can do some crazy things with newer turbo diesels like tri turbos and direct propane injection.could also be especially useful in applications where all out torque is concerned.wouldnt be a bad set up for a full size like the old electra if you didnt have access to a 455 or other more traditional torque monster.
just remembered a good diesel frankenstein car heard of which was the i think it was pre 86 light bodied rx7 with the 4 cylinder mazda diesel geared for fuel economy.and remember talking to a guy who was considering the opposite(only with a post 88 motor,as from what i can recall even though the pre 87,s were far superior to original wenkels with the leather gaskets in terms of reliability,were still not a far cry from crap in almost all categories)on his flatbed.
Motor mounts in, cutting the cross member for the transmission. Going to pull-a-part this weekend to find a rear axle. Pics soon!
Motor in... Close view of the mount, there is a rubber mount you can't see between the engine and the perch
Engine and trans are fitted in nicely! Now what to do with the rear? It seems as though the suspension fab is going to be $$$$. Is there no adapter kit out there like there is for the ford rear to put an open drive on it? Anyone have any other ideas/stories to share on this? Thanks,!
I have started the rear end work. I have fabbed up trailing arms and brackets. I am just using the original springs, S-10 rear, and metal from the scrap bin at work.
So I ditched the trailing arms and ordered a triangulated 4 link kit from http://www.welderseries.com/ Any tips from anyone before I start welding stuff in?
I've still not put the suspension on the first buick and now look what I got myself into.... http://www.v8buick.com/showthread.php?266600-Totaled-55-added-to-my-garage&p=2191988#post2191988
