Engine in a '79 Buick Regal
Gary H
My dad has a 2 door 1979 Buick Regal. It's either a 3.6 or 3.8 liter engine.
My question is, what type of engine is in there and how many horses do these
engines put out? It leaks oil like there's no tommorrow and I'm thinking of
helping him put a hi-po engine in it (any suggestions?).
Gary
Steven J Orlin
It's a 3.8 V6. They put out about 105, if they are lucky. (un turbocharged,
unmodified). I have a 1981 Regal, and my 231 leaked like there was
no tommorrow also. I replaced it with a Chevy 350. If you want
details on the swap, email me and I can help you out. But you'll
have to let me know what your goals are, for performance, economy,
driveability, and emissions.
Steve
Darin M. Gilbert
Swapping out that 3.8 is pretty popular. A Chevy 350, or 305 is popular.
There is a variety of ways you can do the swap, depending on how much you
want to spend. You can skip things like air conditioning, bigger
radiator, bigger front springs, and added niceties, and save a bit of
money. But the option is there. And going with the 350, you have wide
access to parts, and you can go with a 150 horse 100,000 mile $100 engine,
or go hi-compression $3000 350hp screamer. For my Cutlass, I went with a
low mileage 305, 350 trans, and it's got the highway mileage and chirping
second gear. A good balance. --
*************************** /~~~~~\ ***************************
* Darin M. Gilbert * | | | * -BIG BLOCK- *
* dmgi...@mtu.edu * | /T\ | * -BIG BALLS- *
*************************** \__|__/ ***************************
sek...@bb1t.monsanto.com
>
> My dad has a 2 door 1979 Buick Regal. It's either a 3.6 or 3.8 liter engine.
Its a 3.8, most likely. Buick V6.
> My question is, what type of engine is in there and how many horses do these
> engines put out?
Probably sub 125 HP.
> I'm thinking of helping him put a hi-po engine in it (any suggestions?).
You've got enough room to put just about anything in. If you want
to make it all Buick, a Buick 455 will fit nicely and give you plenty
of grunt. Since its in the same family, most things will already be
oriented toward the correct sides of the car and all the accessories
and bracketry will just bolt up.
No matter what you do, the transmission and rear end probably won't
handle a substantial power increase.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scott Keller +1 314 537 6317 The Agricultural Group of Monsanto Company
sek...@bb1t.monsanto.com KA0WCH packet: ka0...@k0pfx.mo.usa.na
Moderator of the Grand National / Regal T-Type / GNX Mailing List
ROLAND DISHONGH
-> Subject: Engine in a '79 Buick Regal
-> Date: 30 Nov 1995 21:36:43 GMT
-> Message-ID: <49l85b$m...@hobbes.sco.COM>
->
-> My dad has a 2 door 1979 Buick Regal. It's either a 3.6 or 3.8 liter
-> engine. My question is, what type of engine is in there and how many
-> horses do these engines put out? It leaks oil like there's no
-> tommorrow and I'm thinking of helping him put a hi-po engine in it
-> (any suggestions?).
->
-> Gary
the engine you have is a buick 3.8. And it can be rebuilt to really
haul. believe me you will be suprised.but if you would like to change
eng. any thing from a 350 chevy too a 500 in caddy will fit. the 350
would be the cheapest.next the 454. the cad is not all that exp.but
regardless the rad and trans will have to be changed.and probably the
rear at a later date. so the old saying goes.how fast you wont to go,how
much money do you have. speed is expensive. if the budget is tight fix
the little buick. it can be powerfull and lite. if i can help let me
know. good luck roland
Gary H
In article <49ncqa$g...@login.ee> dmgi...@mtu.edu (Darin M. Gilbert) writes:
!
!Swapping out that 3.8 is pretty popular. A Chevy 350, or 305 is popular.
!There is a variety of ways you can do the swap, depending on how much you
!want to spend. You can skip things like air conditioning, bigger
!radiator, bigger front springs, and added niceties, and save a bit of
!money. But the option is there. And going with the 350, you have wide
!access to parts, and you can go with a 150 horse 100,000 mile $100 engine,
!or go hi-compression $3000 350hp screamer. For my Cutlass, I went with a
!low mileage 305, 350 trans, and it's got the highway mileage and chirping
!second gear. A good balance. --
How many horses does the original 3.8L have?
If I put a 350 or 305, what else do I need to replace/change to get it to
fit in the buick regal? Will the 350 mate up with the stock tranny?
Thanks,
Gary
Rod Rickenbach
Jim Stoltz <chea...@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
>>Can u tell me more about the buick 455? (hp, torque, etc). Is it a
>>direct bolt in? If not, what needs to be changed?
>
>You'll never get past a sniffer if you pop a 455 in your '79 Regal
>(unless you make sure you hook up all of the smog and pollution control
>devices and the cats),
That's pretty much a given on any motor you put in. Many states will fail you
if you don't have a cat on a car that came with one from the factory.
>and you'll have a hard time finding springs for
>that car to support the load of such a huge motor (they can be bought,
>but you may have to have them custom made).
Nope, a 455 Buick weighs the same as an iron Chevy 350.
>If you're just looking for
>some more grunt, a junkyard tuned-port motor can be dropped in easily,
>Painless Wiring even sells the wiring harnesses that have all of the
>sensor plugs and everything you need. You'll have a fast, reliable,
>and fuel efficient car in the end. I'm considering doing this with my
>'78 Monte Carlo when the 305 finally packs it in.
I vote for the Buick 455. :)
-Rod
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rod Rickenbach Delaware Tech
r...@dtcc.edu Computer Services Department
http://www.dtcc.edu/~rod Stanton/Wilmington Campus
Jim Stoltz
> r...@dtcc.edu Computer Services
Department
>http://www.dtcc.edu/~rod Stanton/Wilmington
Campus
Yeah, yeah - my Buick ignorance is showing here. I have this
impression (misconception?) that the 455 is a dinosaur. Big,
inefficient, and a step backwards for a '79+ car. To me, a TPI motor
is the way to go for a street/strip fun daily driver (unless it's a
pre-74 or so). When was the last time they offered a 455 in a Buick?
My uncle has one in his '70 GTO, it's got enough torque down low to
pull the front end off the ground, but fizzles out quickly. The
faithful small block Chevy has a nice powerband, is a dime a dozen, and
you'll get 20 MPG and 300+ horse out if it if you do it right. To each
his own.....
Jim Stoltz
Gary H
In article sek...@bb1t.monsanto.com writes:
!In article <49l85b$m...@hobbes.sco.COM>, ga...@sco.COM (Gary H) writes:
!>
!> My dad has a 2 door 1979 Buick Regal. It's either a 3.6 or 3.8 liter engine.
!
!Its a 3.8, most likely. Buick V6.
What is the engine referred as (350, 305, 22R:), etc)?
!You've got enough room to put just about anything in. If you want
!to make it all Buick, a Buick 455 will fit nicely and give you plenty
!of grunt. Since its in the same family, most things will already be
!oriented toward the correct sides of the car and all the accessories
!and bracketry will just bolt up.
Can u tell me more about the buick 455? (hp, torque, etc). Is it a
direct bolt in? If not, what needs to be changed?
Thxs!
Gary
Kenmosher
It is. Even fire 3.8 (231) V6 in those years.
[...350 Chevy swap deleted...]
>!You've got enough room to put just about anything in. If you want
>!to make it all Buick, a Buick 455 will fit nicely and give you plenty
>!of grunt. Since its in the same family, most things will already be
>!oriented toward the correct sides of the car and all the accessories
>!and bracketry will just bolt up.
>
>Can u tell me more about the buick 455? (hp, torque, etc). Is it a
>direct bolt in? If not, what needs to be changed?
A 455 can be had in many flavors ... they were put in everything from
Electras to Gran Sports. You can build a nice car starting with any
decent 455 ... parts are available to make any amount of power you want.
The stockers were oriented towards stump pulling torque and not high
winding HP.
[...You'll never get past a sniffer if you pop a 455 in your '79 Regal
(unless you make sure you hook up all of the smog and pollution control
devices and the cats),....]
The same is true of any motor you swap in.
[... and you'll have a hard time finding springs for
that car to support the load of such a huge motor (they can be bought,
but you may have to have them custom made).....]
Nope. The 455 fully dressed only weighs 40-50 lbs more than a fully
dressed 350 Chevy. The 455 is the "thin wall casting" design, so they
aren't as heavy as you might think from looking at their displacement.
The advantage is that all of the guy's original equipment (tranny,
brackets, etc.) will all bolt up ... even the air conditioning will (have
to bend one bracket), since the V6 and the 455 share the same front cover
design. His biggest challenge will be the tranny crossmember with the
455.... a pretty easy swap.
[... If you're just looking for
some more grunt, a junkyard tuned-port motor can be dropped in easily,
Painless Wiring even sells the wiring harnesses that have all of the
sensor plugs and everything you need. ...]
True enough, but if he goes with the Buick, he won't need any new wiring
harness, etc.
[...I'm considering doing this with my
'78 Monte Carlo when the 305 finally packs it in. ...]
This makes good sense, since it started life with Chevy motor in it. You
can reuse most of you accessories and hookups.
Ken Mosher
'87 Buick GN: Stock appearing, 11.21@121.5 thru the exhaust
'93 Buick Regal GS: Blue, gray leather, 3800 V6
'95 Dakota 4WD, Extended cab, blue and silver
sek...@bb1t.monsanto.com
> In article sek...@bb1t.monsanto.com writes:
> !In article <49l85b$m...@hobbes.sco.COM>, ga...@sco.COM (Gary H) writes:
> !>
> !> My dad has a 2 door 1979 Buick Regal. It's either a 3.6 or 3.8 liter engine.
> What is the engine referred as (350, 305, 22R:), etc)?
Its 231 cubic inches.
> !You've got enough room to put just about anything in. If you want
> !to make it all Buick, a Buick 455 will fit nicely
>
> Can u tell me more about the buick 455? (hp, torque, etc). Is it a
> direct bolt in? If not, what needs to be changed?
HP depends on what car it comes out of and what year. The 'Stage 1' 455
as used in the '70 GS put out 360 HP and 510 lb/ft of torque. Post smog
('71-'76) models put out somewhat less, but can easily be made to
exceed the specs stated above. Though not a 'direct' bolt in, its pretty
easy. You'll need the frame mounts for the 455 (from a donor car) but
the accessory brackets from the 231 V6 will fit right to the front of
the 455. The transmission should bolt up, but you may want to have it
rebuilt a little stronger. Note that the transmission you have will
likely not bolt up to a Chevrolet engine, as they have different
bellhousing bolt patterns.
Steven J Orlin
In article <49vdhm$j...@ixnews6.ix.netcom.com>,
Jim Stoltz <chea...@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
>Yeah, yeah - my Buick ignorance is showing here. I have this
>impression (misconception?) that the 455 is a dinosaur. Big,
>inefficient, and a step backwards for a '79+ car. To me, a TPI motor
It is. And unless you land upon a high output buick 455, you're going
to be dumping a lot of money into it to get it realiable, strong,
and efficient like any other engine.
>is the way to go for a street/strip fun daily driver (unless it's a
>pre-74 or so). When was the last time they offered a 455 in a Buick?
>My uncle has one in his '70 GTO, it's got enough torque down low to
AAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!! What did your uncle do to that poor GTO??
:-(.... (I'll assume you really mean a Poncho 455).
>pull the front end off the ground, but fizzles out quickly. The
>faithful small block Chevy has a nice powerband, is a dime a dozen, and
>you'll get 20 MPG and 300+ horse out if it if you do it right. To each
>his own.....
yup.
Steve
Jim Stoltz
>
>
>In article sek...@bb1t.monsanto.com writes:
>!In article <49l85b$m...@hobbes.sco.COM>, ga...@sco.COM (Gary H) writes:
>!>
>!> My dad has a 2 door 1979 Buick Regal. It's either a 3.6 or 3.8
liter engine.
>!
>!Its a 3.8, most likely. Buick V6.
>
>What is the engine referred as (350, 305, 22R:), etc)?
Don't quote me on this, but I think it's a 231. A local guy has a
Grand Prix that's a little newer, but the chassis on those GMs are the
same from '78 through the mid-80s. He put a Chevy 350 TPI engine with
a Vortech supercharger in it. It used to be a stealth-mobile, but he's
dropped the nose, added drag-star rims with skinnies up front, a cowl
induction hood and blacked it out. It's got cats and is street-legal
and runs mid-12s. My point is that anything will fit in your '79. You
just have to bear in mind that you have legal issues to deal with, and
you have to consider how (if) you want to drive the car. Believe me,
you can make the car damn unpleasant to drive everyday. The back of
this Pontiac says "Barely Legal", but I applaud the guy for staying
within the emissions, noise, and inspection laws while building a nice
looking, very fast car.
>
>!You've got enough room to put just about anything in. If you want
>!to make it all Buick, a Buick 455 will fit nicely and give you plenty
>!of grunt. Since its in the same family, most things will already be
>!oriented toward the correct sides of the car and all the accessories
>!and bracketry will just bolt up.
>
>Can u tell me more about the buick 455? (hp, torque, etc). Is it a
>direct bolt in? If not, what needs to be changed?
You'll never get past a sniffer if you pop a 455 in your '79 Regal
(unless you make sure you hook up all of the smog and pollution control
devices and the cats), and you'll have a hard time finding springs for
that car to support the load of such a huge motor (they can be bought,
but you may have to have them custom made). If you're just looking for
some more grunt, a junkyard tuned-port motor can be dropped in easily,
Painless Wiring even sells the wiring harnesses that have all of the
sensor plugs and everything you need. You'll have a fast, reliable,
and fuel efficient car in the end. I'm considering doing this with my
'78 Monte Carlo when the 305 finally packs it in.
Jim Stoltz
>
>Thxs!
>Gary
>
Jim Stoltz
sor...@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Steven J Orlin) writes:
>
>>is the way to go for a street/strip fun daily driver (unless it's a
>>pre-74 or so). When was the last time they offered a 455 in a Buick?
>>My uncle has one in his '70 GTO, it's got enough torque down low to
>
>AAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!! What did your uncle do to that poor GTO??
>:-(.... (I'll assume you really mean a Poncho 455).
>
It came that way - he bought it new with a 455 and a 4 speed. I didn't
think there was really any difference between a Pontiac 455 and a Buick
455 as far as efficiency and power. Different heads, I would imagine,
and the bracketry and stuff is "backwards" on a Pontiac, but it's still
a 455, right? Wrong?
Jim Stoltz
>Steve
sek...@bb1t.monsanto.com
> In <49vtl9$i...@charm.magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu>
> sor...@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Steven J Orlin) writes:
>> When was the last time they offered a 455 in a Buick?
>>>My uncle has one in his '70 GTO, it's got enough torque down low to
>>
>>AAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!! What did your uncle do to that poor GTO??
>>:-(.... (I'll assume you really mean a Poncho 455).
>>
> It came that way - he bought it new with a 455 and a 4 speed. I didn't
> think there was really any difference between a Pontiac 455 and a Buick
> 455 as far as efficiency and power.
Buick 455 != Olds 455 != Pontiac 455
They are all completely different. You're talking about a Pontiac
455 if it came in it new. Each has their own subtle character and
tricks that make them run strong. Bore vs. stroke is different, etc.
Kenmosher
didn't
think there was really any difference between a Pontiac 455 and a Buick
and the bracketry and stuff is "backwards" on a Pontiac, but it's still
Yep. Dead wrong. Completely different animals. Nothing interchanges.
The Poncho 400, 455 were the same block. The Buick is completely
different.
Ken
Jim Stoltz
>engine in its meanest musclecar of 1970. Wasn't it later in the 70's
and
>early 80's that different engine/body make combos became prevalent?
(not
>that there wasn't some of this earlier, I just don't think it would
happen
>with a '70 showpiece for Pontiac).
>
>Maybe some Pontiac chiefs :) can set the record straight here.
>
>I think it's a Pontiac 455 in his GTO, not a Buick (yes, they are two
>different motors, with the same displacement)
>
>
>Steve
I'm sure it's a Pontiac 455, but my point was what's really the
difference between a "Pontiac 455" and a "Buick 455". If you're
questioning whether or not a '70 GTO even had a 455, I can assure you,
they did. Whether it's a Buick or Pontiac, I think, is irrelevant. It
really didn't perform any better (actually worse in the QM) than it's
400 CID brothers. Cubic inches isn't always the answer, I guess.
Jim
Steven J Orlin
In article <4a1f78$d...@cloner2.ix.netcom.com>,
Jim Stoltz <chea...@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
>In <49vtl9$i...@charm.magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu>
>>>My uncle has one in his '70 GTO, it's got enough torque down low to
>>
>>AAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!! What did your uncle do to that poor GTO??
>>:-(.... (I'll assume you really mean a Poncho 455).
>>
>
>think there was really any difference between a Pontiac 455 and a Buick
>455 as far as efficiency and power. Different heads, I would imagine,
>and the bracketry and stuff is "backwards" on a Pontiac, but it's still
>a 455, right? Wrong?
Bob0Barry
>It came that way - he bought it new with a 455 and a 4 speed. I didn't
>think there was really any difference between a Pontiac 455 and a Buick
>455 as far as efficiency and power. Different heads, I would imagine,
>and the bracketry and stuff is "backwards" on a Pontiac, but it's still
>a 455, right? Wrong?
>Jim Stoltz
No, the Pontiac and Buick 455's are as different as the Pontiac 301 and
Buick 215. Completely different design motors, different strokes, bores,
cranks, pistons, heads, intakes, oiling systems, etc., etc. All they
share is a bellhousing pattern, carb and distributor cap. Olds also had a
455 (completely different design), and Chevy had its 454 (yes, different
design as well).
As far as differences in output, the Buick 455 was a torquer (510 ft/lbs),
that gained a reputation from its installation in the Buick GS, especially
after Motor Trend ran a 13.38 1/4mi time with it.
The Pontiac 455 was nearly the equal of the Buick on paper, as installed
in the GTO; both made power way down low, with lots of torque, but not the
astronomical high-rpm hp numbers. Pontiac's 455 suffered in the image
dept, not because it was a poor performer (quite the contrary), but
because it was in the shadow of the 400ci Ram Air III's and IV's, which
had a reputation for high-rpm horsepower. The 455 HO might even have been
a better street motor, but didn't have the thoroughbred image of the 400;
it was more of a station wagon motor in a smaller car.
The 455 Super Duty of 73-74, of course, changed the perception of the 455
in the Trans Am line; too late to change the GTO image (though there are
rumors that some 455SD's snuck their way into the restyled 73 A-bodied
GTO's or Grand Ams; probably nothing more than rumors and wishful
thinking, though).
Gary H
In article <8B6248C.01C4...@bhabbs.com> roland....@bhabbs.com (ROLAND DISHONGH) writes:
!the engine you have is a buick 3.8. And it can be rebuilt to really
!haul. believe me you will be suprised.but if you would like to change
Hi Roland,
Do you have the specs on this engine? HP/torque figures, 1/4 mile and 0-60
times?
!eng. any thing from a 350 chevy too a 500 in caddy will fit. the 350
!would be the cheapest.next the 454. the cad is not all that exp.but
!regardless the rad and trans will have to be changed.and probably the
!rear at a later date. so the old saying goes.how fast you wont to go,how
!much money do you have. speed is expensive. if the budget is tight fix
!the little buick. it can be powerfull and lite. if i can help let me
!know. good luck roland
Sounds like it would be a whole lot easier to just rebuild the buick 3.8 engine.
Gary