Hey There! I am putting a 350 Chevy small block with a turbo 400 in my wagon and would like it if you can give me some tips! Did you fabricate motor mounts or use OEM parts? Mine originally had a V-6 and the cross-member pads don't line up with my chevy 350. I heard that the frame is basically the same as a Chevelle. Any help on engine and tranny mount info would be great!
A much easier swap is to get a Buick 350 and put it in there. You'll have to move all the wiring, find mounts, etc, etc, etc, etc. on the Chevy swap. Most of your V6 brackets will work on the Buick 350. The Buick 350 will also bolt up to your current transmission. JMHO.... Oh, and
While you're at it, a Buick 455 would also bolt in That said, if you go with Chevelle motor mounts, brackets, and such, a Chevy would not be a hard swap. The basic body structures and frames were shared between divisions, even back then. But again, I'm not partial to putting Chevy engines in classic Buicks. A Chevy small-block is one of the great all-time engines, but it doesn't belong in your car. I had a 68 Buick Skylark Custom with a 350 in it, and that was a fantastic engine. Also tune-ups are super easy, the distributor is on the front of the motor. Great idea there! THe Buick makes more torque than the Chevy, and they run smooooth too. Look for a 68-73 Buick 350 or a 69-76 Buick 455. They are still common in non-rust-belt salvage yards, and are not a lot more to rebuild than a Chevy. Whatever you do, good luck with the project! -Mike
I agree. Go with a Buick engine. Much more torque, and because of that, you can tune for much better fuel economy with the Buick. There is nothing like that sweep of effortless acceleration that comes from a mountain of torque and the Chev 350 just doesn't have it.
I believe you should find all the bolt holes already there for you to use stock same year chevy motor mounts, same goes for the trans. Keep us posted on how you are doing with the swap. Over the years I've put Chev, Olds, Buick and then back to Pontiac engines in my 57 and am now contemplating (navel gazing is more like it at the moment) going to an LS engine. You've got to do what makes sense for you. No matter what you do, at some time down the road it can always be put back to stock if someone so wishes. Have fun - swapping powertrains is great fun, going to a non-stock configuration always gives you a chance to learn some new things to share.
It is easier and mor' better to do it da' Buick way. Dear airbrushjay and Buick wagon fans, You are doing what!!?!?!?! Why that's ground for excommunication from da' Brotherhood of Classic Buick owners!! I believe custom frame pads to put a Chebby engine into a Buick are out there, but don' t expect me to help you do that!! I know there are reasons to go that route, especially if you have a modern small-block engine. However, I'll chime in with the Buick brotherhood. If you take the time to do it the Buick way . . . you'll be glad you did! This is all true. The Buick 350 is quite common and a very capable engine. There is a lot of support for doing this swap. Uh, not quite as easy . . . . but there are . . . other rewards!! My 65 Special: Is getting this Jim Weise Tri-Shield Performance custom built big-block Buick engine as soon as I can arrange for the installation: It has been a long hard road for me, but ultimately I'm much happier to have done it 100% the Buick way. Give it some thought before polluting that Buick with a Chebby motor!! Cheers, Edouard
Chevelle mounts are a bolt-in, and I believe the trans crossmember will work, too. Move the wiring while the motor is out, will be more convienent, too
Hello jay, welcome here, even as a bath in fire with your engine swap. I believe in keeping an engine in its family, too many Chevs in other brands. The Buick would be a great engine in there but you still may have to change the frame mounts to suit the V8. However it is your car and you need to do what will make you happy and enjoy your longroof. Keep us updated whichever route you take. You may have to move the battery to the pass side as that is where the Chevy starter is, you could run a much longer cable. Also the start wire will have to be lengthened to the pass side and sensor wires will have to be relocated(no matter what engine you choose.
Forum for Buick engine tech info. Hi again Jay and station wagon lovers, Sorry if this seems like forum "poaching," but if you want more info specifically on Buick engine technology (and all sort of other things specifically Buick) you might want to check out V-8 Buick http://www.v8Buick.com/. It is arguably the best forum on the Internet for 60-70s era Buick info. Cheers, Edouard
Chevy person here, if you are more comfortable with or have in stock a Chevy engine, I say do it. But... You will need the correct Chevy V8 engine stands or mounting pads or whatever the sellers call them. Used to be they were trouble to find, they are probably repro'd now, but I would prefer factory over repop, so the price goes up. Then you have to remove the old stands and install the new stands. While this is not an undoable task, I can think of many horrible jobs I'd rather do on a frame that is assembled with suspension. Finally, the Buick guys will forever be busting your chops about this. Me, I'd find a nice Buick motor and put that in. Or better, figure out how to make the motor that is in there scream. Also, unless you need a brute force trans, go with a TH350. Soaks up less power than a 400 and weighs less too. Good luck, Tom
Do whatever you want and don't worry about what other people think, it's your car. The motor mounts can't be that big of a deal because I knew a few people that did the same swap when I was in high school in the early 70's, and they weren't engine swapping Brainiacs by any stretch of the imagination. Nothing against Buicks but those engines just didn't last for some reason because you could buy those cars dirt cheap with bad motors all day long in this neck of the woods back then.
I also have a 65 Sporty with an LT1, carburated, 2004r and a 1971, 8.5 rear, with 3.73 gears. All you need are Chevelle frame brackets.
