Everyday I keep getting more and more impressed with the Buick 3800 V6. Being that it's an OHV pushrod engine with roller lifters and roller fulcrum rocker arms; a single camshaft with only two valves per cylinder; a very short timing chain; and multi-port fuel injection which keeps the valves nice and clean; what would you say is the closest GM engine in a V8 version?
What is the V8 version of a Buick 3800 ?
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https://www.enginebuildermag.com/2008/03/rebuilding-the-3-8l-buick-engine/
Take your pick, GM reuses block patterns for decades
Take your pick, GM reuses block patterns for decades
The basic design goes back to the 300 cuin Buick v8 from the 60's.Buick basically chopped off 2 cylinders. Started as a 225 cuin v6. Then became the 231 which morphed into the 3800.
OK let me narrow it down: What would be the closest V8 engine to the Buick 3800 produced during the years 2000 thru 2005 ?
I currently have two Buicks with the 3800 series 2, one wth 186000 miles, and my cream puff with 18000 miles. A third one was gone when a deer totalled my Lesabre, which had 60000 miles. My family has put most of the miles on these cars.
I've had these cars going back 15 years, only problem so far has been oil pan gaskets. No intake manifold gaskets yet. Anyway, great engines. Torquey and very good fuel economy.
Sorry, I don't know how close any of GMs V8s are in design.
I've had these cars going back 15 years, only problem so far has been oil pan gaskets. No intake manifold gaskets yet. Anyway, great engines. Torquey and very good fuel economy.
Sorry, I don't know how close any of GMs V8s are in design.
The Buick 350 is probably it's closest iron V8 sibling, The Aluminum Buick 215 is also related.
They are not quite directly related like the 3.8L & 4.3L Chevrolet engines are to their V8 counterparts.
Series 1, 2, & 3 Buick 3300/3800 engines have different oiling systems than the original 3.8L Buick & Buick V8's.
They are not quite directly related like the 3.8L & 4.3L Chevrolet engines are to their V8 counterparts.
Series 1, 2, & 3 Buick 3300/3800 engines have different oiling systems than the original 3.8L Buick & Buick V8's.
Originally Posted by das_peikko
OK let me narrow it down: What would be the closest V8 engine to the Buick 3800 produced during the years 2000 thru 2005 ?
The 4.8/5.3 liter LS engines found in C1500 pickup trucks.
You won't find ANYTHING else in the GM lineup that comes close to the reliability that you seek.
OK let me narrow it down: What would be the closest V8 engine to the Buick 3800 produced during the years 2000 thru 2005 ?
The 4.8/5.3 liter LS engines found in C1500 pickup trucks.
You won't find ANYTHING else in the GM lineup that comes close to the reliability that you seek.
I can confidently say with a high degree of certainty that the Buick 3800 is the world's easiest engine to change a water pump on. You don't have to pull the radiator; you don't have to pull the cooling fans; you don't even have to remove a hose! The lower radiator hose is going into the front cover! 30 minutes and your water pump is changed out.
Originally Posted by das_peikko
I can confidently say with a high degree of certainty that the Buick 3800 is the world's easiest engine to change a water pump on. You don't have to pull the radiator; you don't have to pull the cooling fans; you don't even have to remove a hose! The lower radiator hose is going into the front cover! 10 minutes and your water pump is changed out.
The Northstar & 3.1L/3.4L is even easier...
I can confidently say with a high degree of certainty that the Buick 3800 is the world's easiest engine to change a water pump on. You don't have to pull the radiator; you don't have to pull the cooling fans; you don't even have to remove a hose! The lower radiator hose is going into the front cover! 10 minutes and your water pump is changed out.
The Northstar & 3.1L/3.4L is even easier...
GM should have put it in pickup trucks as the cheap work-truck engine after 2008 when they stopped production. Their supercharged version maybe too. It was perfected.
Originally Posted by Linctex
The 4.8/5.3 liter LS engines found in C1500 pickup trucks.
You won't find ANYTHING else in the GM lineup that comes close to the reliability that you seek.
That's amazing. In order to get close to the reliability of a Buick 3800, you gotta go to a truck engine.
The 4.8/5.3 liter LS engines found in C1500 pickup trucks.
You won't find ANYTHING else in the GM lineup that comes close to the reliability that you seek.
That's amazing. In order to get close to the reliability of a Buick 3800, you gotta go to a truck engine.
Originally Posted by Chris142
The basic design goes back to the 300 cuin Buick v8 from the 60's.Buick basically chopped off 2 cylinders. Started as a 225 cuin v6. Then became the 231 which morphed into the 3800.
The original 1964 aluminum version of the 300 in³ was a disaster. I know because my parents owned one. Soon Buick switched to a more reliable iron version. There was a 215 in³ aluminum V8 version as far back as '61. The design has evolved a lot since then.
The 231 to 3800 change wasn't physical "morphing" of the engine, but simply a change in units used to designate displacement, from inches to rounded metric units.
The basic design goes back to the 300 cuin Buick v8 from the 60's.Buick basically chopped off 2 cylinders. Started as a 225 cuin v6. Then became the 231 which morphed into the 3800.
The original 1964 aluminum version of the 300 in³ was a disaster. I know because my parents owned one. Soon Buick switched to a more reliable iron version. There was a 215 in³ aluminum V8 version as far back as '61. The design has evolved a lot since then.
The 231 to 3800 change wasn't physical "morphing" of the engine, but simply a change in units used to designate displacement, from inches to rounded metric units.
Originally Posted by oil_film_movies
GM should have put it in pickup trucks as the cheap work-truck engine after 2008 when they stopped production. Their supercharged version maybe too. It was perfected.
The bellhousing bolt-pattern isn't big enough to accept anything over @250mm diameter torque converter, Fullsize trucks require a 298/300mm torque converter. Besides.....A Vortec 4.3L will walk all over a 3800.
It would have been a nice base engine in a S-10 instead of the putrid 2.2L Cavalier engine.
GM should have put it in pickup trucks as the cheap work-truck engine after 2008 when they stopped production. Their supercharged version maybe too. It was perfected.
The bellhousing bolt-pattern isn't big enough to accept anything over @250mm diameter torque converter, Fullsize trucks require a 298/300mm torque converter. Besides.....A Vortec 4.3L will walk all over a 3800.
It would have been a nice base engine in a S-10 instead of the putrid 2.2L Cavalier engine.
JHZR2
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I thought the 305 was the v8 version?
Wasn't there a 4.3L V8 as well, used in caprice classic (square version) and others?
Wasn't there a 4.3L V8 as well, used in caprice classic (square version) and others?
Originally Posted by PimTac
I would have thought the old 300 or 305 would be the 8 cylinder version just by running the math?
??? Yes, the early 300 was a V8, as Chris132 said. So was the aluminum 215. There was a 340 V8 version a little later. The later (1970s) 305 (Chevrolet??) V8 was unrelated.
I would have thought the old 300 or 305 would be the 8 cylinder version just by running the math?
??? Yes, the early 300 was a V8, as Chris132 said. So was the aluminum 215. There was a 340 V8 version a little later. The later (1970s) 305 (Chevrolet??) V8 was unrelated.
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I'm thinking the Rover V8 used for almost 3 decades in many Land/Range Rovers until the BMW takeover of Land Rover might be the closest thing to the Buick 3800 V6. I could be wrong. That's if we're talking related development.
If you need to do a swap, LSx it.
If you need to do a swap, LSx it.
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Here's my understating for many years and I could be very wrong. The 4.3L V6(as we all know) was a Chevy small block V8(90°) with 2 cylinders lopped off. And although the 3.8L V6 was always designed as a V6( back ~ 1962) but originaly started out in a smaller displacement.
However, as Chris142 & CR94 have mentioned, it actually does derive from a V8 block
However, as Chris142 & CR94 have mentioned, it actually does derive from a V8 block
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Originally Posted by Char Baby
Here's my understating for many years and I could be very wrong. The 4.3L V6(as we all know) was a Chevy small block V8(90°) with 2 cylinders lopped off. And although the 3.8L V6(60°) was always designed as a V6( back ~ 1962) but originaly started out in a smaller displacement, it really has no V8 big brother.
Nope, there was a 300V-8, a 215 Alloy block V-8, that also had a turbocharged varietal.
Later sold to Rover, it became the Rover 3.5, and in Oz the Australian P-76 V-8 of 4.4 litres.
The V-6 started odd fire (I'm sure, but might be out there), but became even fire with the split crank throws.
Here's my understating for many years and I could be very wrong. The 4.3L V6(as we all know) was a Chevy small block V8(90°) with 2 cylinders lopped off. And although the 3.8L V6(60°) was always designed as a V6( back ~ 1962) but originaly started out in a smaller displacement, it really has no V8 big brother.
Nope, there was a 300V-8, a 215 Alloy block V-8, that also had a turbocharged varietal.
Later sold to Rover, it became the Rover 3.5, and in Oz the Australian P-76 V-8 of 4.4 litres.
The V-6 started odd fire (I'm sure, but might be out there), but became even fire with the split crank throws.
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