Ive seen quite a few people do these buick v-6 swaps. are they good motors? what sort of power do they put out. i seem them mated with the th350 auto trans? good set up? thanks for the info guys.

 

the th350 is probably the best and most common small block tranny around... (the th400 is better, but those arent as common...

the buick 231 i beleive v6 is a common swap and a lot mroe powerful than a stock v6..... its not a v8 however.... if i weer ever going to crossbreed makes of vehicles it would be a 350 v8 into the yota

 

i hate autos, but by far the easiest route to run a 231 is using a BOP th-350. if it was me, i'd put an NV3550 5 speed behind it with a toyota transfer case.

the buick swap isn't as common as the 4.3 swap is now. however, i like the buick engine better. it's lighter and shorter than the 4.3, and the distributor is in the front which makes for a little better clearance. however it's a hot running engine so a good 3 core radiator is a smart investment.

it may not be a V8, but who really needs one in something light like a toy? it'd be a lot less headache to put in, get better mileage, and have more than enough power. remember, 3.8L is a pretty good sized engine, and these things make something like 200lbs of torque at 1800RPM.

 

I have an '80 with 3.8 buick v6/th350/toyota case, that I bought with the swap already done, I've only drove it around the block a couple times before tearing it apart to start on the fab work. It felt very peppy power wise, the engine fits very well, and the swap looks really easy and striaght forward, I can't wait to get it done and hit the dunes

 

a buick (Grand National) swap?

 

that'd be a cool engine...especially with an aluminum TA performance block...

 

What about a Buick GS 3.8 Supercharged?Is that the same engine?I got two of them!1996 model.

 

it's related, but not the same. the 231 had a standard BOP bellhousing pattern and mounting, and was known as a RWD buick engine. the engine you have is a FWD buick engine(though it's been used in late model camaros etc). it has a 60* chevy bolt pattern like a 2.8, 3.1, 3.4 v6 etc.

 

The 231 swap is fading fast in popularity. This is mostly because all the RWD Buick engines are now 20+ years old which can cause severe emissions headaches.

 

Hell ya, like an 86 or 87.............

 

very true, but i think also a lot of the "bigger is better" mentality that the 4.3 puts in a lot of people.

i'd love more power, but would also like a bit better gas mileage. my 22R is a bit of a compromise, but it gets the job done