Monte Carlo - Feeling Nostalgic

[TFB1]

Originally Posted By: michaelluscher
Save the G bodies! Keep them from being altered or donked!


Donk NO, but they make great race cars... Lotsa engine bay space, a small block is almost lost in there... Drop a 383 stroker in one and it can be lots of fun...

I'm a hard core Ford guy but did pull a seven year hitch with the General driving G bodies... We had a '78 Malibu 2Dr with the gutless wonder 3.3L V6, plus a '81 Cutlass Cruiser wagon with the 350 Diesel(bought for $300 from Pontiac dealers wholesale lot)... Yeah the diesel was a POS but got 32 mpg highway when fuel was maybe $1.00, or 'bout same as a sardine can 4cyl MPG Stang I had prev... A big plus was I had a connection for ultra cheap diesel parts... Over five years I spent maybe another $300 on it and resold it for $300, was defiantly a $300 car...

Also owned half dozen or more short timers incl V6 Monte Carlo(at least it had the 229), Buick Regal, a couple other MC, a 305 Cutlass Calais and a Cutlass Brougham with diesel(was a really nice car but compared to the Wagon it's engine was a POS)...

BTW I've always heard the 350 Chev was a option in the early years but don't remember seeing one... For Calif in '75 or '76 the V8 option in the Monza was a 350 as the 4.3(262) or 305 couldn't pass smog regulations... Knew a guy who had one, brought it back from west coast after he was discharged released from service... Across a intersection could annihilate about anything, but soon ran out od steam because of the 2bbl carb and soda straw exhaust system...

 

[SumpChump]

Originally Posted By: BurrWinder
This thread is very funny for me to read ! I started reading it first and went..."Man, this sounds like someone back in my HS days"... and then read the "where" part of the thread ! I grew up in Monroe and live by Madison now and can TOTALLY RELATE to this mostly WI/Midwest musings of this thead...!!


We'll then wouldn't it be fun to have a get together at Kopp's Custard or do some one wheel burnouts in front of the cheese factory.

Here's a funny thing. The TH200 in my Cutty always revved high before a shift. I later learned after selling it for college that it was likely a lockdown or other cable maladjustment.

 

[BurrWinder]

Originally Posted By: SumpChump
Originally Posted By: BurrWinder
This thread is very funny for me to read ! I started reading it first and went..."Man, this sounds like someone back in my HS days"... and then read the "where" part of the thread ! I grew up in Monroe and live by Madison now and can TOTALLY RELATE to this mostly WI/Midwest musings of this thead...!!


We'll then wouldn't it be fun to have a get together at Kopp's Custard or do some one wheel burnouts in front of the cheese factory.

True that...!! My oldest uncle lived in Brookfield and that was a place we usually frequented in the summer trips to his house for the zoo or Brewer/Packer games at County Stadium !!

 

[aquariuscsm]

I wish I could find a bone stock mint mid-late 80s Buick Regal. White with blue or burgundy interior. A two tone blue one would be my second choice. This is actually one of my dream cars. I was in high school 1983-1987,good days and awesome times!! If I could only find a little old lady who bought one new,and kept it garaged,and is wanting to get rid of it

.

 

[440Magnum]

Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Originally Posted By: 440Magnum
The nice thing about the Olds 260 is that a 350 or 307 is just about a drop-in...


Don't forget about the 403. I bought a clapped-out '87 Buick Regal in college with a knocking Olds 307.


Well heck, there's always the 455 too.

I've always been an admirer of the Olds engines, even though they're kinda the antithesis of my familiar Mopars. The Olds tend to be long-stroke engines, whereas the Mopars are relatively big bore/short stroke. But the Olds engines just seemed to have it all over the Chevies of the same era in materials and overall ruggedness.

 

[Brian Barnhart]

I always liked the 1st gen. the best. You could choose from among various 350s, a 400 or a 454. Even a 4 sp. manual was available the first couple of years. As time went on, the 454 and 400 were no longer offered. But the 350 was still available thru '77. A manual trans was also offered again for a couple of years in the late 70's.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: 440Magnum
Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Originally Posted By: 440Magnum
The nice thing about the Olds 260 is that a 350 or 307 is just about a drop-in...


Don't forget about the 403. I bought a clapped-out '87 Buick Regal in college with a knocking Olds 307.


Well heck, there's always the 455 too.


True, but the 260/307/350/403 are all small blocks and are directly interchangeable (for the most part). The big block 400/425/455 were also swappable in place of small blocks, but there were certainly additional considerations to be made then.

 

[440Magnum]

Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Originally Posted By: 440Magnum
Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Originally Posted By: 440Magnum
The nice thing about the Olds 260 is that a 350 or 307 is just about a drop-in...


Don't forget about the 403. I bought a clapped-out '87 Buick Regal in college with a knocking Olds 307.


Well heck, there's always the 455 too.


True, but the 260/307/350/403 are all small blocks and are directly interchangeable (for the most part). The big block 400/425/455 were also swappable in place of small blocks, but there were certainly additional considerations to be made then.


Isn't the only real difference between an Olds "Big" and "Small" block the deck height? Or am I mis-remembering? I know, taller deck height makes the whole installation wider, affects exhaust routing, accessory brackets, uses a different intake manifold, and a lot of things so I'm not downplaying it. But its not like the Mopar world where the smallblocks are shorter in length, have a different bellhousing pattern, different distributor location, different motor mount attach points... totally different designs.

And back to the G-body family of cars, I've always thought it was too bad Buick didn't plug their V8 family in that chassis- although its hard to criticize them given how stout the turbo 3.8 was. Plus there's the small detail that the Buick division went out of the V8 business in 1980 altogether. But think about how much fun a G-body would be with a Buick 455 which can be set up for as much or more power than any other GM engine, and only weighs maybe 30 pounds more than a Chevy 350.

 

[GMBoy]

I am blessed in that I still own the same 1987 Buick Grand National I purchased brand new. Never a regret or dull moment. I have several fun cars including a Corvette etc and that Buick always is my favorite.

I say go get what you want and enjoy it. Buick turbo prices are higher than the Monte Carlos so buy now while they are still reasonably priced.

 

[Robenstein]

I still have my 86 Monte SS. But will be unloading it after 15 years of ownership. They are getting hard to find rust free. They were hard back when I got mine. Honestly, the SS, 442, 2+2, and GN/T types you find more often in good shape. The stock car fellas shredded many of the base models.

I bought mine for 4,500 in 2000 with 90k on it and rust free. Now have 120k on it, and the book is currently 7,200 for it with its options.

The stock 305 is VERY anemic though. Many guys around here with beater G bodies have put 350 or 383 stroker engines in with beefed up 200r4 or TH350 transmissions.

If you want to go cheaper, you could also look for an 80's Camaro. They go for much less around here, are relatively easy to modify, and still have that 80's High School look.

 

[earlyre]

Originally Posted By: Robenstein

My cousin had nearly that exact car in 96/97 while he was in the army. Until he got cut off on I75 somewhere in Tennessee, spun the front end into the center divider, at speed, bending the frame amongst other things. ( he was making the 13hr drive home from ft. Benning on a 3 day pass) replaced it with a black on black trans am of a similar vintage( that the tranny died in a little over a year later)

 

[TFB1]

Originally Posted By: 440Magnum


Isn't the only real difference between an Olds "Big" and "Small" block the deck height? Or am I mis-remembering? I know, taller deck height makes the whole installation wider, affects exhaust routing, accessory brackets, uses a different intake manifold, and a lot of things so I'm not downplaying it. But its not like the Mopar world where the smallblocks are shorter in length, have a different bellhousing pattern, different distributor location, different motor mount attach points... totally different designs.

And back to the G-body family of cars, I've always thought it was too bad Buick didn't plug their V8 family in that chassis- although its hard to criticize them given how stout the turbo 3.8 was. Plus there's the small detail that the Buick division went out of the V8 business in 1980 altogether. But think about how much fun a G-body would be with a Buick 455 which can be set up for as much or more power than any other GM engine, and only weighs maybe 30 pounds more than a Chevy 350.


Buick's V6 wasn't all that great till they did some re-engineering after buying it back from AMC in the '70s...

I believe you are correct about only deck height differing on the on the Olds engines, maybe Buick & by this chart Pontiac had same deck height on all engines... May want to take that with a grain or two of salt, as a few omissions and at least one glaring error in the Ford mod motor specs... The 5.4L has a 10.07 deck height...

http://victorylibrary.com/mopar/deck-height.htm

 

[440Magnum]

Originally Posted By: TFB1


Buick's V6 wasn't all that great till they did some re-engineering after buying it back from AMC in the '70s...



Well, they changed it from a low-RPM very odd-firing engine that was rugged, reliable, and OK in a Jeep to a much smoother running, far less odd-firing crank design that made it... pretty darn amazing in all applications. ;-)

 

[threeputtpar]

Wow, thanks guys for the walk down memory lane! I graduated in '93 from high school, and drove a 1979 Grand Prix for the entire time in school. It came with the Pontiac 305 2bbl, but shortly after purchase it had some rod knocking problems. My dad found an old '74 Grand Prix in someone's field that had the Pontiac 400, and that was the first project car I worked on. Over a weekend, we pulled the 305 and the 400 and dropped the 400 with the better trans into the Prix. The speedo was waaaay off, but I didn't care because now the "one-wheel peels" were even better. Yes, it got a cherry bomb glasspack.

Unfortunately, when I left for college the parents didn't think me having wheels was a good idea so the car was swiftly sold to dad's friend. The guys son drove it for a month and rear-ended someone at highway speed and it went straight to the junk yard.

 

[TFB1]

Originally Posted By: threeputtpar
Wow, thanks guys for the walk down memory lane! I graduated in '93 from high school, and drove a 1979 Grand Prix for the entire time in school. It came with the Pontiac 305 2bbl, but shortly after purchase it had some rod knocking problems. My dad found an old '74 Grand Prix in someone's field that had the Pontiac 400, and that was the first project car I worked on. Over a weekend, we pulled the 305 and the 400 and dropped the 400 with the better trans into the Prix. The speedo was waaaay off, but I didn't care because now the "one-wheel peels" were even better. Yes, it got a cherry bomb glasspack.

Unfortunately, when I left for college the parents didn't think me having wheels was a good idea so the car was swiftly sold to dad's friend. The guys son drove it for a month and rear-ended someone at highway speed and it went straight to the junk yard.

Pontiac never built a 305...


Build lineup for different GM divisions in late 70s & early 80s(some dropped, others added in the '77-'83 period)

Pontiac 151 4cyl(Iron Duke), 265, 301, 350, & 400 V8 - (no 6cyl)

Chevy 140 4cyl(the atrocious Vega engine), 200 & 229 v6, 250 inline 6, 267, 305 & 350 v8 ('77 was last year for 140 & 250)

Olds 260, 307, 350 & 403 V8(gas) plus 263 v6, 260 & 350 diesel V8

Buick 198, 231, 252 v6 & 350 v8

Caddy 250, 368, 425 V8(these engines used only in their models but Cad also used engines from other divisions)

There were other engines for FWD models not listed..

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: 440Magnum
Isn't the only real difference between an Olds "Big" and "Small" block the deck height? Or am I mis-remembering?


Yes -- the deck height is taller on a big block which affects a few things, but there's a vast amount of interchangeability between big and small block Oldsmobiles. To me, this is one thing that makes the engine so versatile, and fun.

For any Oldsmobile nut, or any aficionado of American muscle, the Olds FAQ is a great resource for identifying engines, heads, intake manifolds, etc.

http://www.442.com/oldsfaq/oldsfaq.htm

 

[threeputtpar]

Oops, I meant to type Pontiac 301 2bbl. Being sick sucks most times.