dmano

I'm a total newb here and came across a 72 Cutlass for sale with a big block 396 in it.

Has anyone heard of a big block 396 in a 72 Cutlass before?
What can I expect from the car overall with this engine as oppose to the 350?

MDchanic

396 is a Chebby engine.

With enough work, you could put any engine into an Olds, even John Deere tractor engine.

What to expect from the car will depend on its condition, how it's been treated, and how good a job they did on the engine swap.

Welcome to Classic Olds.

- Eric

TripDeuces

Pictures of the engine will determine if it's really a BBC in it.

Allan R

It's been done before. In this case, prolly by someone who had a 396 and wanted a street/track car, or someone who likes messing with Olds purists. IIRC that requires a revamp of the electrical wiring under the hood. If they put a 396 in the car, you better hope they also put in a TH400.

More power and possibly more headaches with any wiring issues. Who's kidding who? The 396 is a great engine. Just that you'll find a lot of guys on this site do NOT like seeing anything but an Olds power plant in an Olds. If you like the car, buy it. If you don't like the 396 and want to change it to a 455? You can do that too. My opinion is I don't think you'll see much difference in performance between the two. The motor mounts would have to be different for a chevy engine - stock Olds ones won't fit. That means someone either had to fabricate a mod on the mounts for that car or they may be welded to the engine cradle. Can you post a link to show the car?

rocketraider

I would argue that point. My experience is they are worse than a G-block 400 for slinging their guts thru the side of the block.

380 Racer

I've had 3 good ones over the years.

oldcutlass

If your going to post some pics, you might consider doing it in the non-olds section so some of the purists don't toss there cookies!

I hope you have thick skin as you will get some flack. Just remember it's your car!


Welcome, I for one would like to see some pics!

ah64pilot

So when I build my '72 Supreme with a 5.9 liter Cummins turbo diesel do you think I'll get banned? I am going to do it...I've just got to finish the projects at hand first. I wonder what people will think seeing black smoke pour out of a '72 Cutlass...oh wait, they'll probably think it's par for the course.

a64olz

ummmm.... it will be a little faster?

oldcutlass

Twin stacks up through the roof would be awesome! And a big air horn!

ah64pilot

Don't poke fun lol! I'm gonna do it! Maybe not stacks, because I think they're dumb even in a 2500 or 3500 diesel truck but I think marrying my two passions, diesel tuning and Oldsmobile Cutlasses would be cool! Plus it'd be amazing to see an 11 second diesel Cutlass that gets 25 mpg and runs on bio-diesel

ziff396

Note my ziff396 screen name. It's old.(Circa 1995) I have had a few. And NO, there is no comparison in the torque the 455 put's out compared to the 396 (or 402), Night and day.The 455 even stock pulls very hard from idle. If you can keep from breaking the tires loose. Mine is not stock, so I am not comparing that.

Wills72455

If you really want to do it go with a Duramax. The package will fit a ton better under the hood and require far less fab work than the Cummins would. On top of that it's a GM engine, making it only minor heresy for the purists.
Plus lets face it, you have to spend some serious bucks on the older diesel motors to make power where as a newer one is usually a programmer away from some really respectable numbers. I haven't gone crazy with my 05 Silverado because I don't want to build my tranny for a while. Still it pulls away from my friend's 14 second car pretty handily and all I have done is a full exhaust(down pipe and all) and a tune. It would be silly quick in a car that weighs 3-4klbs less.

ah64pilot

Well, I don't think putting an Isuzu motor in a Cutlass is any better than putting a Cummins in one...I would use a '06 - '07 5.9 or even a newer 6.7L because that is what I have most of my experience with. But in any case, you can program a newer engine to make more power but that doesn't mean it's the right way. Sure, you can program it to boost the fuel pressure to the injectors but the right way to do it is to get bigger injectors that can handle higher pressure.

Still, I think a Cutlass with a big "C" sticker on the back window would look cool

captjim

How much does one of those things weigh? Gotta be pretty heavy, right?

Wills72455

Not all that much more than a big block, at least with the Duramax. I would imagine a Cummins is similar in weight. There's a few guys over on Duramax Forums that have Duramaxes in their muscle cars. Seems like a pretty cool swap to me.

ah64pilot

I believe the Cummins is a little heavier than a big block, but not by much. However, the 6.7L Cummins makes 650 ft/lbs all below 3,000 RPM lol! They'll scoot boots regardless of weight.

oldcutlass

So now that we totally hi-jacked and turned this into the new deisel powered thread... Aww wtf, the biggest difference in using a duramax, is the sound! I've seen those engines modified into super hi hp and torque. They sound incredible! Don't get me wrong, the Cummins is my choice in trucks but they still sound different.

Wills72455

V8 layout on the Duramax vs. I6 on the Cummins has a lot to do with the sound. From a packaging standpoint I know which one I'd rather try to stuff in a car. I'm hoping that ah64 pilot is able to make his dream a reality on this one, as much as I like to Dodge truck guys a hard time it would still be a really cool swap.

MDchanic

And why not?

The OP never reared his head after his first post.

- Eric

oldcutlass

Think he got scarrrrrred off? I hope not!

nonhog

Hasn't been that long. So OP where are the pics?

ah64pilot

It's been long enough...maybe he's scared one day his 396 Cutlass will run into a Cummins or Duramax powered Cutlass and blow his doors off and cover him in black smoke to add insult to injury? We really did get this thread off track...like so far off we should be on www.cumminsforum.com or something lol!

Allan R

Guys, I think you've got this all wrong. He was just saying he came across one FOR SALE with a 396. Didn't say anything about it being his. Sounded more like he was feeling out whether it would be a good car to possibly purchase.

ah64pilot

He posted one time and it's in this thread...I don't think he'll be back. But I would like to see pics of the car he looked at.

Wills72455

I think the outcome of this thread is much more interesting than the title suggests, even though AH64pilot is a Cummins apologist.

2blu442

Pictures from the OP would have been good. I've seen more than one Cutlass for sale listed with a 454 that turned out to be an Olds 455

ihengineer76

Man, the Cummins Olds would be pretty awesome! You may need to put a cowl hood on just to clear the valve cover and keep the pan from dragging on the blacktop. The old smokers are pretty tall, but hey man six in a row makes it go!

ah64pilot

Hey, the Duramax swap has been done...if I can do a Cummins swap it'll be original lol! Or something like that Who knows, it may not even fit, it is a damn tall engine.

Care to give me a hand on the engineering side of the house? lol! I may have to cut the frame to make it fit. I know one thing, I won't be swapping it into a good body car or anything...it'll have to go into a junk car because I really am an Olds purist so I won't tear up a good car to make it fit.

ah64pilot

Uh oh! Looky what I found!

http://www.competitiondiesel.com/for...riviera&page=6

garys 68

Stranger diesel swaps have been done.
How about a 77 vette (oh wait, it was done by a canadian, should be "How aboot a 77"
http://www.thedieselpage.com/readers/vet.htm

ihengineer76

You got it! Just point me toward the plasma cutter, tig welder, and flat stock and we'll have her looking like she was born there!

Wills72455

Something about a diesel Riviera just sounds sweet.

ah64pilot

Those videos are cool...the guy posted them on his photobucket account. That car competed at the Diesel nationals here in Texas. It just sounds weird to hear a twin turbo diesel under the hood of a classic car lol!

turbobill

They'll think you put an Olds 5.7 diesel in it.

BTW, the Cummins weighs in the 1100 to 1200 pound range.........about 400 pounds more than a big block.

ah64pilot

I checked it right after we were talking about it the other day and I noticed that too. But 400 lbs isn't too much more...maybe stiffer springs and shock and a big thick sway bar

MDchanic

Aw, c'mon. If you're headed there already, why not go all the way?

How 'bout one of these:

• V-12
• 702cid
• Low compression, 87 octane version has:
  • 425HP
  • over 600ft/lbs
  • at 4,200 RPM
• and only 1,405 pounds!

- Eric

ah64pilot

Holy Cow! That would be cool! But I think that would REALLY be tough to wedge in there!

TripDeuces

Would probably fit in a Monte Carlo np

MDchanic

HA! You're right!

I had a '70 Monte for a while ($400 salt car - drove it like I stole it, tapped a few too many things with it, dumped it), and DAMN, there was a lot of length in that engine bay.
The fan shroud looked like a wind tunnel.

- Eric