I currently have a 307 In my '84 Riviera right now. Is it worth keeping it and working on it or plopping in a 350? Pros/Cons? Will I have much trouble doing this? Any info appreciated. Thanks.
BOP 2 Be aware Buick-Olds-Pontiac bell housing bolt patterns are different than Chevys. Can someone remind me who made the 307? o No:
Re: BOP 2 The 307 is an olds engine...... you can drop a 350 Olds right in with no problems. A 350 Buick would require a few changes and a 350 Chevy would require a new tranny and more changes yet. Mike
:Smarty: its better to stick with the olds platform which your lesabre is done on...I had to covert a 79 Trans Am to a Chevy and I swore I would never do it again....too much stuff to change...right down to the wire harness (no engine in it...was a 403 olds motored car). An olds 350 is a drop in procedure for ya, and is the cheapest and a fast way to go :TU:
Mike and Olds- Thanks for the information. I have told the Olds 350 will go right in before too, I just wanted to confirm this. Only problem is where to find them without paying 3 grand off the net??? To be totally honest, I've been working on and building foreign cars. I'm absolutley in love with my Rivirea, but not it's engine. I'd like to find an Olds 350 in junkyard, but I have no idea what they came in? I'm not new to the automotive world at all.. Just the Domestic world, espically anything other than Ford. Are they difficult to come across???
Look anywhere between 1970 to 1980....delta 88's...98's...cutlass...mostly in the 70's had the 350's in them...I have a 307 in my olds and I couldn't be any happier with it for cruising around town, to a show, and the occasional flogging :Brow: (its slightly worked :Brow: ). 350 Olds is alot easier to come by in a yard...its time to get out there and start looking :TU:. Just be warned some 78-80's cutlass came with the ultra whimpy 260's :gt: so look at the engine info on the fan shroud before pulling :TU: .
If you get a 350, might as well make it a good one. After 76, Olds went to windowed main webs. Avoid those if possible.
Why stop at a 350? How about an Olds 403. Same dimensions as the 307/350. Look for 77-79 Delta 98s, Park avenues and some Rivs.
Wow, this site rocks... Everyone has been so helpful in all of my threads!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Didn't think my poor tranny could handle it! It was just rebuilt.. And I heard the 350's in the 79-84 Rivs are diesel! I could have heard wrong though. Olds- You said you were happy with the 307... I didn't think there was much of a market as far as parts go? (aftermarket and/or performance)
old 350 if you go to a junk yard for an old motor just take a good look at your valvecovers and match them to the motors your looking at . also a olds 350 diesel can be conveted to gas and has heavy duty rods and crank ,pistons , just need gas heads, a 403 would be nice too and still drop in like it belongs there .:eek2:
I'd go for the 403, 53 extra cubes is never a bad idea! Olds did have a desiel 350, that was absoulutly worthless. But during those years they still had the gas one.
Gotta write all this down for when I go to the junk yards. So pretty much I'm looking for an engine out of an 77-79 Olds ninty-eight for a 350? I didn't see anyone post any specifics on where I could find a 403?
http://www.442.com/oldsfaq/oldsfaq.htm & http://www.442.com/ The first link is a information page on oldsmobiles. The second link is an olds site, they have a message board like this one. We don't mind helping out, but the guys over there would probally help you out a little better when it comes to the motor :beer -Nick
As far as my 307 goes is that it runs excellent, and I have done some mods..gears, free flow cat...exhaust work..etc... The engine tag I'm refering to is the tag with all the info of the engine when you open up the hood of any american car. On that tag you fill find the cubic inch (CI) of what engine is in there if you dont know what your looking for. Thats if the original engine is still in there and the tag isnt fadded :laugh: . Anyway I'm sure you will find a 350 olds without a problem..just have to look around at a yard and you will stumble on them :TU: 403's came in the larger Olds..98's..and beilieve it or not any 77-79 Trans Am's too. The Trans Am's are easy targets..just look for the 6.6 sticker on the shaker :laugh: . HTHYO!
You would most likely have transmission problems, those FWD transmissions in the Rivieras weren't exactly known for reliability or power handling (my 307 chewed one up in my '85, and I see you've already had yours rebuilt as well). Back when I had my Riv, I contemplated an entire Toronado drivetrain swap...
Ron suggests you should stay away from '76 and newer 350's. I put a 403 in place of that same 307 you have, in an '83 Toronado. Piece if cake! :TU: (And those emmissions people were none the wiser. :Brow: ) I actually got that engine out of a '79 Toronado that I bought mainly for the transmission. It turned out that car was originally a deisel car and someone had ditched the deisel for the 403. A nice surprise, I thought it was another 307! 403's came in many late 70's Olds 98, Buick Electra / Park Ave, Probably the Pontiac Pariessian (sp?) also.
