Topic: buick 350

[Nothingface5384]

hi guys,i have an engine conversion ?
would it possible to drop in the buick350 and fit everything in the engine bay, mainly concerned about space for the rad.
i'll be using the buick 350 from my 72 skylark along with the "bop" th350
put in a 4x4 output shaft
to hold the engine i'll use the v6 motor mounts from Advance Adapters
i'll get the tranny to 21 spline xfercase adapter from AA
86-88 toyota manual transfer case
160 tooth flywheel
dual electric fans
and pretty much everything would be from donorcar and or AA

does this sound possible?

i figure it shouldnt be anyharder  then doing the buick 3.8 as the 5.7 is pretty much the same but with 2 extra cylinders, bellhouseing for engine to tranny are same, v6 motor mounts hold the 350 engines for fact
still gets me why aa doesnt list the buick350 as a conversion as it;ll be practicly the same minus the bigger rad..

hope to hear your thoughts
mike

[Makman]

Sounds like a good project.

I'd guess you're going to have a hard time fitting the radiator inside the engine compartment.  Most V-8 swaps require some extensive remodelling of the radiator support to move the radiator forward and then end up running an electric pusher fan.  It's going to depend on what the front of the Buick looks like.  In particular, how tall is the water pump, does it have multiple V-belts or a serpentine arrangement, and how close can you get it to the firewall.  An alternate option is to renovate the firewall but then access to the back of the motor can become questionable.  If you want to have to pull and engine to change spark plugs, then just buy anything new from the dealership.

Whatever it takes, don't skimp on the cooling systems for both the engine and the transmission.  I ended up punishing a 4L60E behind my 4.3 Vortec for a little while and will be paying the price for it shortly.