I have a 1986 cutlass supreme and I was curious what would need to be done to swap a 350 olds into my car, I was quoted 10-20k to swap in the motor. Guy said I would need new everything all around and that seems a bit much to me personally but I’m not very experienced in this matter so I can’t give a good opinion. But to me this seems quite excessive for a swap. This price is not including the cost of the motor

 

Where are you located? You need the Olds frame mounts or late 70's Olds 403 Trans Am motor mounts and Olds V8 accessory brackets and need to make sure the current trans is dual pattern or need an adapter plate from sbc to bop pattern. It isn't that hard with the right parts. Sounds ridiculous for the swap.

 

$10-20k, that’s the I don’t want to do it price. Find another mechanic.

 

^^x2^^ Holy Gaucamole

 

First, everything is different between an SBC and an SBO. That means you need frame pads, motor mounts, exhaust manifolds, starter, wiring to match, accessory brackets, pulleys, belts, hoses, fuel pump, water pump, and even a transmission. If you expect the shop to source all these parts, yeah, with labor I can see $10K easy. Frankly, a parts car is the least expensive way to get all these little items. Buying them piece by piece on ebay gets expensive fast (not to mention time consuming). Do you currently have the Olds motor? What does it come with? Is the trans in the car a BOP trans with an adapter plate for the Chebby, or did they swap the motor and trans together? This would be a weekend job for me, since I have pretty much all those little parts (OK, truth be told, it would probably take me a couple of weeks to FIND all those parts in my barn, but I have them).

 

For that money I would go LS all day.

 

 

^^^^X3, Absolute insanity.

Joe P is right maxed and by the book, etc, but its not worth it...

You can get a helluva A-body for 10-20K with a born in ready to roll 350 setup.

 

Are you kidding me? It's not like you are taking a factory W-30 ragtop and selling off the original drive train. We saw that happen already here.
Why even screw around. You want a great driver. LS that some b

 

Love it! The Sheeple have spoken. Yeah, no way I would pay 10 grand for any motor swap. If you can get every accessory with that 71 350 Olds and the TH350 trans, go for it. That just leaves 307 frame mounts.

 

 

The reality is that you can buy a clapped out 1980s Olds full size with a 307 for probably under $1000 and it will have pretty much all the parts needed for this swap. Yes, the frame pads are the same as on a G-body. Sell off what you can and scrap the rest and you're probably close to even on the money.

 

I already have and olds motor and engine mounts, I was thinking of running an adapter for the trans, I have all of the engine accessories. I am getting the motor built elsewhere completely. All parts including pumps, manifolds, accessories “, fuel pump, oil pickup and pump, all I need would be a starter, hoses and the electrical

 

Then it's a bolt-in. The Olds 350 is externally identical to the Olds 307 that was factory installed in these cars. When you say "I have the motor mounts", do you mean the frame pads? The G-body pads and rubber motor mounts are not the same as the ones used in a 1971 Cutlass. Also, you might get lucky. The original trans in that car would have been a unisex bellhousing.

 

Absolutely. That makes it worth it. The point I was trying to make was. Before I spend 10-20k on an engine swap. I'd rather buy an A-body, and not bother with a G-body at all. I've owned both several times. The G-body is a shadow of an A.

Then the quote sounds like highway robbery. They don't want to do the job ...

 

I missed the part that it was $10K AND the OP was supplying all the parts. As I said above, it the shop was intending to source all those hard-to-find parts, then it might make sense due to the time involved. Of course, they are assuming this "kit of parts" will be missing something and they don't want the car tying up their bay waiting for something to show up. There are always small parts missing.

 

I have the motor mounts from the original car/engine. I’m not sure if it’s the original tranny

 

Possibly, but I had told them I had/have every part aside from a starter, trans adapter and coolant hoses

 

So the motor mounts from the 86? Do they look like this? Note that they are RH/LH and go in the rear-most holes in the crossmember.


Use Anchor 2328 rubber motor mounts with these frame pads. They bolt to the rear two of the three motor mount holes in the side of the Olds block.

 

I have the motor mounts from the 71 cutlass

 

Which are not going to work in an 86

 

And since getting info from you is like pulling teeth, when you say "motor mounts" are you talking about the rubber MOTOR MOUNTS or the metal frame pads? You will need both for an Olds motor in a G-body, which are NOT the ones from the 71.

Look, sorry for the frustration but you are here asking for help, yet you don't read what people post, you don't answer direct questions, and you are making it as difficult as possible to provide you with correct information.

 

Call me a sheeple all day. I could care less. Someone looking at that kind of money for that swap? You can buy how many different trucks cars etc cheap cheap? I get putting a carbureted V8 in a spot. Trust me. If you are looking for a reliable daily driver car. You could put an injected motor in that car for a fraction of the cost. Hate on me all day. I am fine with it. Just giving an honest opinion.

I am so close to a new project car. I don't want to jinx it. But it will not get an LS motor. I am a mechanic. I can make a carburated motor run. There are fewer and fewer people in that boat.

 

Bah, take it easy. We all agree, 10K is too much, let alone 20 grand. He does need to answer if he has frame mounts. He may get lucky on his current transmission. Good to know about the B body frame mounts. I welded a set to square body truck frame to run Olds power, once upon a time. If he is getting it rebuilt, especially using something like the Mahle pistons, W31 valves and the right cam in his rebuild, it will be a worthwhile swap. Also don't forget a torque converter stall increase and better gearing for the swap. What transmission is currently in the car? I have owned 80's B, G and this 70 A body. The B body was by far the best but the A body has way better styling. My G body was a wiring nightmare and handled like a washing machine, non F41. The spindly 7.5" factory rear end will need upgrades. Something like used 4 gen F body 3.23 or 3.42 gears and a Torsen worm gear posi with 28 spline used GN or Moser axles will strengthen it a lot for reasonable money

 

My apologies, I’m not very versed in all this, I believe the rubber mounts. I haven’t seen all of the parts in awhile