29th Jul 2021, 18:47
Especially since he had a 6 cylinder. I believe the V8 was 260. I had a 305 V8 in a Monte Carlo. Going 350 a great choice. You can find affordable used 350 Chevrolet’s that are ideal. A crate 350 new would be as much or more though.
30th Jul 2021, 16:17
Why buy a Olds engine? Spend more and get a less weaker motor. Not a collectible car and the 350 has millions on the road. Much stronger motor, more power, parts everywhere. One of the most popular engine swaps ever in many models. You can keep the engine quiet and smooth. Or endless performance upgrades. The 350 is better than the engines that came stock in the Cutlass, Grand Prix and Monte Carlo (same platform). A mid size car lineup.
30th Jul 2021, 17:14
V8 was a 307 Olds which is a great foundation to swap an Olds 350 or 403. You can do this in a day because everything lines up.
30th Jul 2021, 21:33
Good point :) All the G-body cars are great candidates for engine swaps and to build a sleeper. The Cutlass on review is more logical to find one with a 307 V8 already in there as the car on review was born with a V6 which means you have to change and alter a lot stuff. With the 307 already there the Olds 350 is pretty much direct bolt in. Same goes for the Chevy 305 (an alternate engine in some Canadian models) and going with their 350. I myself like the tooling, high compression and durability better on the Olds engines.
31st Jul 2021, 16:35
I don’t. This car came with the 305. The 307 in my opinion was a lousy earlier engine . Or as in this case a 3.8 6 cylinder. There is a definite difference...
The low end torque of an Olds can be seen on paper too. Compare the HP & torque graphs of an SBC and Olds, and you'll see very different looking curves.
A Chevy is a revver, with tall peaks, steep curves that really come alive past 4000rpm. Torque is a similar story on an SBC, very steep, peaky curve.
An Olds is a lazy low revver, with barely any peaks. It's got a very broad curve that dies past 4000rpm. Torque peaks just barely above idle.
Compare dyno numbers too, and look out for "average" numbers. A SBC might peak at 300HP, but the average HP is likely less than 100. An Olds may only peak around 250HP, but I bet the average is very close to a peak... again due to the broad power band.
In the end, it comes down to what you need... in stock not much difference at all... but don't rev it, cuz it's outta puff around 4500rpm.
31st Jul 2021, 20:52
The Buick Grand National was a pretty slick G-body car even with the stock engine.
1st Aug 2021, 17:02
I saw one really bad black Grand National beating everything in its class. Great suspension set up with slicks. Likely nitrous. 1/4 mile cool drag racing car. Not a fan of the interior and 80 mph dash; sure the speedometer was easily pegged beyond.
29th Jul 2021, 17:59
Too popular that is. Go with the more rare Olds motor. Then the car is technically a genuine Oldsmobile with the division's own engine under the hood. Nothing wrong with a Chevy if that's what you like go for it. We all have our own preferences.