Originally Posted By: eljefino
Yup but the 307 in those is SLOOOW. And didn't they have carbs until 1990?
Yes, the Olds 307 was carbureted until the very end. It was the last of a long line of Oldsmobile small block V-8 engines. Many Oldsophiles belived that it held many advantages over the Chevy small block, but GM simply dropped development of the Olds version after about 1985. The last version of the 307, in 1985, had an aluminum intake manifold, roller cam followers, and a very smooth operation. It had a computer-controlled Rochester Quadrajet carburetor. I had a 1984 version of this engine; it had the aluminum intake, but sliding cam followers. It also had a computer-controlled Qjet. Interesting little animals.
And you can repair the Northstar engine quite easily, even while still in the vehicle (although removing the powertrain cradle does make the job easier). The only proper repair is to install Timeserts into the block. Not Helicoils, but Timeserts. There are tons of improperly repaired engines out there and that's half of the reason this motor gets a bad rep. Most of them are long-lasting anyway. I had a '97 that was in the family from almost new at 39k miles until about 190k miles. The engine was never opened up; the transmission fluid was never even drained. It's a tough powertrain. Some of them do have issues, but a skilled mechanic can have it back on the road, with a permanent Timesert fix, for about a grand. If you can pick up a used one for a song, you can have a bulletproof runner for not a lot of money.