I have a 86 Regal with a 307 and a 4 speed tranny. I need advice on what engine to put in and if my tranny will hook up to it or if I will need a new one. I am looking for an engine that will be easy enough to put it (not too much modification) and pretty easy to find. I want an engine that puts out as much or more power than a Camaro or a Mustang or something. I am trying to build the ultimate sleeper. Fuel economy is somewhat of a concern but is not my greatest. As for the tranny, I would prefer one with overdrive but most importantly it must be able to handle the power the engine puts out. Thank you
Buick 350's normally have very little demand and should bolt up. of course, for an 86 the best option would be a Buick turbo 6. clone yourself a Regal T-type!
What are the advantages/disadvantages to a turbo 6 vs. a v8 such as power, fuel economy, ease of repair, availability of parts?
turbo 6s are going to be the best on gas, like all the turbo guys say, you can get 24 miles to the gallon on the way to the track for your 10 second pass. the only downfall is that if your not really into turbo cars you will have alot to learn before you start the swap, let alone your going to drop some money doing it.being the v8 buick board, we will all try and get you to put a 350,400 or 455 buick motor in it. not a hard swap, plus unlike the turbo cars if you have fuel and spark its more than likely going to run. being a regal fanatic i have one of each. i love my 455 buick powered regal, what a blast. in your case the easiest bang for you buck would be finding an old olds rocket 350 and bolting it right in place of the 307. no changing mounts, will bolt right to your trans and everything hooks up on the same side. those motors always ran well. not sure if this helps but its my 2 cents.:TU:
What kind of power could I get out of a Rocket 350. How many parts are available for this engine? I think a v8 will be the route I choose to take because turbos are complicated. Chevy 350 vs. Olds Rocket 350? Advantages? Disadvantages? How much more power can you get out of a 455? Will my tranny bolt up to it?
as with any comparison to a Chevy, going with some other engine is going to cost more if you want to do a lot. that's just the way the world is. small blocks can normally be built to nearly equivalent levels with BB's but a BB at the same power output will be much more streetable, durable and cheaper to build. in order to get hp out of a SB you normally have to turn a couple thousand more rpm. any Olds block will be a much simpler swap (even over the Buicks) than any other option because all of the Olds blocks are the same for starter, electronics, filter, accessory mounting placements and such. any BOPC will bolt up to your existing trans. i know the Olds BB's are significantly lighter than the Chevy BB's (not much heavier than Buick). this might be true for the SB's as well but i don't know for sure.
I am 17 and I just use the car as a daily driver. I do enjoy racing my friends and (future) unsuspecting victims at stop lights and stuff and I want to be able to beat camaros and mustangs cars like that. Availability of parts, how easy the engine is to find, and and how expensive it is is important to me. Suggestions?
I have one of those 307 boat anchors in my shed just a short block, bot a pile of scrap none the less
Ahhh 17 I wish I could do it all over again. It is kind of hard to put speed and economy in the same package and I believe the GN does it best but it comes with a price tag. I would suggest you get a transportation car with great economy and then have your toy. I know it will fall on deaf ears but if you keep playing on the streets your going to have a lot less of a buget to work with - take it to the track. And if you want some cheap HP - spray it.
i agree with bowtie about the daily driver. we all know what happens when we start racing are daily driver. we end up looking for a ride to work or school monday when we break something. the only reason i didnt suggest the olds 455 was when i did my 307 to 455 swap i still had to move the frame pads forward for some reason. just trying to make things easier. makes me laugh, at 17 i had an inline 6 2 speed 1barrel 65 tempest that could go 60 before it even shifted.too bad it took 10 minutes to get there.
If you want a real easy swap,find a good running Olds 403 and drop it in. All of the brackets,accessories,engine mounts are the same as the 307. A stock 403 has 320 ft lbs at a low 2200 rpm. There is plenty of room for performance upgrades,the usual bolt on stuff and exhaust. Should be good on gas with the O/D and highway gears. And still have a good kick in the pants. This is a direct bolt in. An older Olds 350 is a good choice('68,'69,'70) also. Or a '73-early '76 Olds 350 shortblock with '68-'72 350 heads would give you over 9.0 to 1 compression. #7 '71-'72 350 heads have hardened valve seats and usually valve rotators on all of the valves. Many of the '71-'72 Olds Delta 88's equipped with a 350 engine,usually have the bigger 2" intake valves,even when equipped with a 2bbl carb. NOTE: Late '76 and up 350/403 Olds blocks have "windowed mains". In other words,the main bearing webbing has big holes cast in the webbing,for weight reduction. These are not the best for severe duty,but hold up quite well for regular street racing.
Not usually,unless there is some mechanical problem,or a block that has been bored out too much. I ran one hard in a '72 Cutlass for 4 years and never overheated. It has 200,000 miles on it (the 403). I still have it and would put in another car as is,but since it is out,I plan to freshen it up. It came out of a '78 Riviera . I think that the 403 is a great -big bore/short stroke engine. It has a larger bore than a 455 ,with the 350/307 stroke. As far as punching one out,I wouldn't go over .030 over bore. After that,the 403 block is DONE! It does have siamesed cylinder bores,much like the 400 small block chevy.
How hard is it to find a 403? How available are performance parts for it? Will I be able to hook up my TH2004R tranny to it? Do they make a good combination?
403 are most common in later 70s trans ams and some full size olds. its hard to find an olds motor with an overheating problem they run cool compared to most of the others. the 200r4 trans your running will like all of the motors we have mentioned. you may have to freshin it up with a few good parts at some point if you start putting alot of power behind it.
Get a cheap 4 cylinder commuter car. Get an older running Olds 350 or 403. Buy a nitrous kit and learn to use spray on your 307. Get some help from an experienced nitrous user. You can also buy headers, exhaust, Edelbrock performer RPM intake, anything that will carry over to your 350/403. Have lots of fun. Oh yea find a rear end, drum to drum out of MCSS. (an eazy swap) Salvage yard parts locator. This should get you good gears with the least amount of problems risk or expense. If the stock rear is in the MCSS you will get either 3.42s or 3.73s. This may provide the single biggest gain in acceleration. Anyway thats my 2 cents for you and your goals.
No I can't afford 2 cars. My insurance is already through the roof and owning two would just be ridiculous. "You can also buy headers, exhaust, Edelbrock performer RPM intake, anything that will carry over to your 350/403." So parts for a 307 will also work with any other olds small block?
I know it will fall on deaf ears but if you keep playing on the streets your going to have a lot less of a buget to work with - take it to the track.
307 not cut You could put in a Chevy TBI 305, remember emissions inspection time. I think the transmission is 200R4 with daul pattern bolt-up, put in a converter to match the engine. Does the engine have a computer? Diver
