Thread: need help putting an olds v8 in a g-body malibu

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I'm looking for help in dropping an olds v8 in a 80 malibu. As far as i know, i have all the parts i'm going to need to get started. (frame mounts, motor mounts, tranny mounts) The malibu chassis has SEVERAL different holes in the engine crossmember for frame pads, but none of them match up exact with the olds mounts. Does anyone know of an "easy" way to get figure out where the frame pads need to be before I get the engine up on the cherry picker?

a tape measure might help a little. by " Frame pads" do you mean motor mounts? you could drill corect size holes where you need them, drop just the motor in to see where they need to be then pull it out, but you need to measure to make shure the engine will be mounted center of the car and angled 3 degrees back for proper instalation. I'm not even shure what olds motor your using other than it's a V8, if it's the motor from your '72 Cutlass, I have to assume it's a 350 Rocket. I'm also assuming that you want to get rid of the V6 or 267 V8 in the malibue, if it's a 267, woulden't bolting a 350 in place of it be much easier, the mounts and stock transmission bolt up cause there both SBC's.

The motor I want to drop in is a 4.3L Olds V8. There's nothing in the car as we speak. The only reason I don't drop in a chevy 350, or 305, is simply because I don't have the finances laying around. I picked the 4.3L out of a 75 cutlass that I was junking originally because I was told when I bought the car that it was an olds 350, and it wasn't until I had it out and cleaned it up enough to find the block numbers that i came to the grimm realization that I had a cast iron paper weight. don't get me wrong, I know it's a dog ass motor, but it always ran strong and reliably. I've got the BOP 350 tranny out of the car too. I just want to put it in because I've got it. I don't even know what the last motor in the car was, According the VIN's, it was a 229ci motor

Couple of things. 1) the olds 260 is a tough motor. You can run it hot, frozen, low oil, itll take almost anything you throw at it. 2) chances are thats a t-200 tranny, not a t-350. Its possible, but I would make sure. 3) the Olds motor mounts from the other car are what you need. The holes are in place for the mounts, just bolt them in and go. Measure from the rear of the motor to where the mounts origionally were. The locate where the factory tranny ended. It wont put you dead on, but youll be in the ballpark. As for the Dog @ss motor, there are a few tricks to improve that engine. Bring up the timing a bit(2-4 Degrees) Rebuild or toss the Dualjet. I reccomend a Edelbrock replacement. Gap the plugs @ .30 or .40 . Also, down on the driver side there is a exhaust shutdown valve. More often than not, these dont work. Wire it open. It'll be a bit cold blooded, but youll get a lot more response. If you need anything else, just ask

Did you get the mounts from a 78 to 87 cutlass,if you took them from the 75 they will probably not work.

I got the mounts off ebay, it didn't specify a year for the mounts, all it said is that they were olds frame mounts.

To help the pep of the 260... Don't go running the plug gap at .30 or.40 unless you plan or running a points dist. But I am assuming you have an HEI and those like to be run around .60 maybe .50 if you just have a desire to shortrn the gap. Since all Olds small block parts are 99.9 % interchangeable (330's being the exception because of a different cam bank angle) I would go back to the wreckin yard and find a set of heads off a 307. This will yeild good compression, and give you just about double the flow because 260's come with stupidly small restrictive valves and runners. Also find an A4 alluminiom ( <----yeah I can't spell) intake off a 307 this was the best stock intake from this year range and has large good flowing ports that will also make power. Run the timing between 12 and 16. Also try to use Accel ignition parts, Olds likes them. What ever you do don't just the plainum plugs Olds V8's hate them. But remember it is still small even if you get these better parts don't over carburate her, with these improvments she will breath much better but I wouldn't go over 600 CFM. Hope this helps and you get your 260 flyin

Oldsmobileboy, i'll have to disagree with you. .50 or .60 gap is just too wide for a 260. Leads to a tendancy towards preignition at high timing. 307 heads on a 260 have too large of a combustion chamber without machining. As such, you will lose compression. On a motor with 7.5-8.5 compression stock, this is suicidal for power. the 307 heads will not match up to the factory intake. You will have to get the proper intake for the heads, or an Edelbrock intake for the pre-85 307 heads. Bosch platnium X1 plugs work well in the 260 Oldsmobile. The multi-contact plugs dont seem to work well. And Always check your coil and contact plates under the distributor.