3800 with a carb?

[Darkness]

There are way too many posts to search relating to a 3800, so I am just going to ask.

 

Has anyone dropped, or heard of someone dropping, a 3800 with a carb in a w-body? Basically, the 3800 engine is a Buick 231ci engine. Those have been around for decades. I pulled a 231 odd-fire out of my first Firebird (a '77) back in the 80's. There is some good speed equipment available for that six-banger, and Edelbrock even has a cam, intake, carb kit for it. Slap on a regular distributor for spark, and I think you might have something there. The older w-bodies, like my 89 TGP did not have electronically controlled trannies, so that would not be a problem.

 

Would an older 231ci block mate to the tranny, or have the basic block designs changed too much?

 

I think it would be quite interesting to get a 231, deck and port/polish the heads, basically balance and blueprint the engine, slap some Edelbrock Performer parts on it and add a 100HP Nitrous shot to it.

 

If getting a 3800 with a supercharger would cost me $1500+ to drop in, I am just looking around at alternatives, just in case, you know.

[slick]

The bell housings are most likely different, but if it is the same as the rwd v8's, they do make adapter plates out there.

[biff85ta]

When the series one 3800 was introduced there where some major revisions. The old 231 3.8 does not even have the motor mounts in the right place for starters. I would however expect the bellhousings to have the same pattern. Anything can be done but how much work do you want to do to make it happen?

[Darkness]

A little welding here or there doesn't scare me, but if it starts to be too much work, when the engine goes I might just part the car out and get back into an F-body.

 

Mostly just wondering if something a bit different could be done with a little effort.

[THe_DeTAiL3R]

Sounds like a step backwards to me... a waste of time/money.

 

JMO

[DaveFromColorado]

Muscle Mustangs & Fast Fords did an article years ago about carb vs. fuel injection - and they found that a properly tuned carb/intake manifold setup will make more torque then a properly tuned fuel injection setup. Take that for what it's worth they were testing with a 302 V-8.

 

--Dave.

[White93z34]

hell i've considered finding a 3.1 car, slaping a set of iron heads and a carb intake on it for shits and giggles.

[Darkness]

The engine compartment looks too small to put a small block chevy in there, and mating it up to the existing tranny would be an adventure. I'll have to see what V8Archie might have to say on the subject. My younger brother just got a new Lincoln welder last Christmas, so he is still pretty psyched about doing all kinds of welding stuff. If I could build up a 383 motor and drop it in my car, I would really have something then. I'd like to stay old school, 'cause all this feul injection and computer stuff just makes me scratch my head sometimes.

 

If I did want to stay with fuel injection maybe I could pick up a L98 (no LT1 because I don't want to mess with the opti-spark) and squeeze it in there.

 

I guess as a cop-out I can just rebuilt a 3.1 and transfer the turbo stuff over when I need to replace the engine.

[bluegp]

This is something I've also thought about from time to time, but have not researched it. The series II 3800 came out in '95 & the 3800 in '88, but a 3.8 FWD car could be had as early as '84 (Buick Century T-Type). I think by '86, the engine was less exclusive and used "across the board". I'm not sure on the changes made to each generation of the engine & I think the FWD ones were all FI, but maybe those first few years it was FWD could be converted to carburetion & use the "old school" hop-up parts (I think the RWD heads & intakes will interchange).

 

There have been some books on 3.8 performance. There was one put out in the mid/late-80's called V6 performance from Cartech Books. I can't find mine right now, but IIRC, it had some FWD info (I remember a Citation with a blower turned sideways sticking through the hood). Also, check out the GN/turbo Regal forums - there may be some info there on head/intake interchange.

[biff85ta]

A 3.8 could be had in a FWD in the 70's. It was called a Riviera or a Toronado.

[Darkness]

Thanks for the info, guys. Gives me a direction to search, at least. I'll post anything interesting that I find.

[94CutlassSLCoupe]

The engine compartment looks too small to put a small block chevy in there, and mating it up to the existing tranny would be an adventure. I'll have to see what V8Archie might have to say on the subject. My younger brother just got a new Lincoln welder last Christmas, so he is still pretty psyched about doing all kinds of welding stuff. If I could build up a 383 motor and drop it in my car, I would really have something then. I'd like to stay old school, 'cause all this feul injection and computer stuff just makes me scratch my head sometimes.

 

If I did want to stay with fuel injection maybe I could pick up a L98 (no LT1 because I don't want to mess with the opti-spark) and squeeze it in there.

 

I guess as a cop-out I can just rebuilt a 3.1 and transfer the turbo stuff over when I need to replace the engine.

 

Well there was that 305 AWD Lumina concept...and well people put 350's in fieros all the time so between that the problems will most likely be solved lol.

 

Well that is except for getting the 4T60 (and variants) to hold up to that much torque