I've been away for a while and this is what I'm up to. It's my daily that I purchased from the father of a friend. I knew it would need a good going through and that time is nearing. I'm not looking to have, "The fastest car in the valley." I want reliability and fun. The interior, body and glass are in good shape.
First order of business will be an engine swap. It's got the factory 260 Olds motor and she's only running on 7 cylinders. I have located a running 350 SBC at a good price. I may or may not keep the 200TH transmission. Engine mods will dictate whether or not I go to a 350TH. I just had the rear end done, so it'll stay as is.
So, what I'd like is advise from those familiar with this swap. I know the SBC is a drop in, from Google searching. What I'd like to see is exhaust recommendations, cooling even a little wheel and tire chat would be cool.
So, tell me what you think. Post pics for inspiration. I'll post pics soon.
Was going to reply last night but I was tired, lost the thread and then went to bed.. Growing up my dad bought a '78 from a coworker. It ran with a light knock the entire time he owned it but he thought it was lifters.. Till the day it spun a rod bearing and put a hole in the side of the block.. It was white with red leather interior and back then it was just an old car.. I'd love to have it today. He donated it to the Kidney foundation. He wanted to do something with it but money and my mom was against him
Not sure if engine's frame mount and the location it is bolted to the frame is the same between the 260 Olds and a SBC, so you'll want to check that out. Holes should all be there for the SBC location, just figuring out which ones is the tough part, there are about five different sets drilled into the frame to match up to all the different BOP, Cadillac, Diesel, Chevy engines that were used in this chassis.
Don't expect the TH-200 to handle much power, it's a pretty weak player...I'd definitely just plan for the TH- 350 if you have one, will bolt right in.
Some wiring, fuel line mods will be necessary, as Olds starter and fuel pump are on opposite sides of the motor from the SBC. Battery on opposite sides of engine compartment IIRC. Exhaust differences.
Beyond that, it is he same chassis as the Malibu/Monte Carlo, so that is your blueprint, so to speak.
Yea, that's what most of my researching has turned up, so far. I'll probably end up using '79 V8 Monte Carlo specs for headers and other brackets. Thanks for the reply's guys.
A friend suggested going BBC. But I don't have BBC money.
does the metric 200 have dual bolt pattern? of not you are buying another trans as the olds bolt pattern isn't the same as the chevy..
why not dump a 307 in it.. 85 up have roller cams, bolts to your trans, and all the brackets work if your cheap sbc didn't come with the front dress alt/ps/etc and brackets your olds 260 ones won't work..
Here's a coincidence for you, I have had one car stolen in my life - a 79 Cutlass Cruiser with a 260. The head gasket was on the way out when it was stolen and 8 months later, when I got it back it was blown and missing on a cylinder. Fortunately for me, this happenned about 25 years ago. I lived and learned regarding how I insure my cars.
Making lemonade from lemons, I'm back to devoting all my spare thoughts, time and money, into my T Bucket. The first thing to get done, was mounting the alternator down low, next to the oil pan.
I had this set up, when I first built her, but had changed to an upper mount to display a chrome alternator that I talked myself into. But, my thoughts and likes are always changing. So, when I discovered that the chrome alternator was going out, I purchased an OEM unit and made the change. It looked kinda stupid having the OEM alternator mounted high, poking out in plain view, with a chromed, billet bracket. :embarrass
The price total for the chrome goodies was roughly $200. The new bracket, OEM alternator and belt was about $100. I'll probably leave the zinc coating alone, instead of painting it black, like I had planned to.
Get that POS plastic fuel filter off there before it comes unglued and burns the whole thing to the ground ain:
You can get the same filter in an all metal can for about $6 at Autozone or similar.
Hate to see you lose a neat ride because of that filter, only place that belongs is on a lawn mower.
A friend had it happen to his '67 Fairlane,. made a mess under the hood, burnt all the wiring up, ruined hood and cowl paint, and melted wires even up under the dash pad. Lucky next door neighbor had extinguisher handy and he was at home in driveway.
I hate those plastic filters with a passion. One came uncorked and hosed down a guys truck...I'd like to pummel the moron who thought to put those on the counter as an "impulse buy". Id even feel marginally better about an old-timey glass one. Until it gets hit by a chunk of gravel LOL
.
. Yeah, the clear filters should just be used temporarily for diagnostic purposes... see if gas coming up, if air bubbles in gas, gas draining back, etc...
1) You could put those clear plastic filters on the suction side.
The glass see through ones that can be clean are just as bad. I have a friend who put one on his 85 Monte Carlo SS and one day he started smelling gas so he shut it off and called me. I looked and seen that it came apart due to poor design where two threads is all that hold them together.
2) For low mounting the alternator on a SBC on the drivers side I just use a p/s bracket from the years that they were mounted to the two lower bolt holes in the front and fabricate or alter an upper ajustment bracket from another make or model. They even look like they were made for that and a lot cheaper.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Hot Rod Forum
2.2M posts
175.7K members
Since 2001
A forum community dedicated to hot rod owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about restoration, builds, performance, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more!