Starting over with new engine..a little help?

T

triumph/buickv6

Member
Joined
Nov 11, 2009
Well my die hard 1978 231cc that had been donated to my 1972 Triumph Stag is dying a slow but sure death...low end rod-knocking noise from the oil pan area. Seeing as how this engine sat for 5 years before being resurected...I am not excited about a rebuild. I am going to look at a 1980 NA 231cc from a Skyhawk today. Not being one to leave well enough alone...good time for some modifications, right. I was following another thread about boosting HP and would like some input: Looks like the most sensible thing would be to...
1. change to 4 brl intake. Edelbrock performer or 4.1L (modified or not..Charlie?) i heard these are hard to get...any thoughts? spares?
2. cam swap ..Edelbrock 5487?
3. port the heads. whatever "ported and polished" means

Any thoughts on how much HP each mod would gain? different ideas? and what the heck does "ported and polished mean?

By the way, at the same shop they have a 1984 Grand National motor :eek: for $1995 that I will fantasize about, but that would require way too many mods and $$.:frown:

Thanks for the help!
 
so now I'm confused. I went to look at the '80 231cc from the Skyhawk, and the distributor is in the back!. The '78 I'm replacing it is in the front. Is this right?? On which years/engines is the distributor in the front??
 
triumph/buickv6 said:
Well my die hard 1978 231cc that had been donated to my 1972 Triumph Stag is dying a slow but sure death...low end rod-knocking noise from the oil pan area. Seeing as how this engine sat for 5 years before being resurected...I am not excited about a rebuild. I am going to look at a 1980 NA 231cc from a Skyhawk today. Not being one to leave well enough alone...good time for some modifications, right. I was following another thread about boosting HP and would like some input: Looks like the most sensible thing would be to...
1. change to 4 brl intake. Edelbrock performer or 4.1L (modified or not..Charlie?) i heard these are hard to get...any thoughts? spares?
2. cam swap ..Edelbrock 5487?
3. port the heads. whatever "ported and polished" means

Any thoughts on how much HP each mod would gain? different ideas? and what the heck does "ported and polished mean?

By the way, at the same shop they have a 1984 Grand National motor :eek: for $1995 that I will fantasize about, but that would require way too many mods and $$.:frown:

.


Thanks for the help!
Click to expand...

dont get a edeljunk cam. there a big waste of money i had one and all i had was issues.
Edelbrock.com - Manifolds - Buick - Performer V6
look at the power graph to see how much it will give you
 
triumph/buickv6 said:
so now I'm confused. I went to look at the '80 231cc from the Skyhawk, and the distributor is in the back!. The '78 I'm replacing it is in the front. Is this right?? On which years/engines is the distributor in the front??
Click to expand...

wait, are you SURE the 1980 Skyhawk is a RWD car? I dont recall any of the buick v6s ever having had the rear mount distributors regardless of years....I could be wrong though.....I'm pretty sure for the majority of the buick 3.8s, the distributor is in the front.....
 
Chevy had a 3.8 V6 - it was a 229 with the distributor in back (not sure why that would be in Skyhawk). All buick V6's have the distributor in front.
 
Thanks for the replies. I found somewhere, maybe wkikpedia:redface:, that it was a RWD car. Who knows, maybe it was mislabeled. Anyway, now I have to find a good engine.
If not Edelbrock, then what brand would you recommend?
 
wow i just read charlie's head porting and polishing thread, some great stuff in there...
 
Thanks. I've got 2 members I'm waiting on to send their heads to me. I'll add them to the pics when I get them so you can get a better idea of what you need to do. It really isn't rocket science but you need to take your time and pay attention when you do the work.
 
Absolutely agree. Charlie's been there every time I've posted. Thanks. I've just received my remanufactured 4.1 I had them add a 'Delta' cam upgrade with similar specs to the edelbrock. I have a ebrock intake to match the ebrock carbs I have. Also going to get some stock headers. Any guesses as to HP now?
I have both a 500 and 600 cfm carbs, which one? The 600 was a little much for the stock 231.
Thanks for your opinions
 
With a non stock cam you should be able to run the 600 without any issues but I thik you might be happier with a (I can't believe I'm saying this) Holley.
 
You've recommended a Holly earlier if I remember. What's the advantage? I'm already 'carb poor' after buying the 2 Ebrock carbs
 
Holley is much easier to tune than the E-brock carb. The E-brock has 2 power valves for each primary which is a little weird and you have to buy a tuning kit for them. The Holley you can buy individual parts as you need them.
 
OK thanks. So worse case scenario I have the Ebrock adjusted by someone who knows what they're doing. Ill accept that. I am already on thin ice with the missus. Now I need a plan to pull the engine...should I pull the tranny with it for ease of working, and so I can roll the car around?

Also, is there an advantage to painting the engine, or is it all cosmetic? All opinions welcome.
 
triumph/buickv6 said:
OK thanks. So worse case scenario I have the Ebrock adjusted by someone who knows what they're doing. Ill accept that. I am already on thin ice with the missus. Now I need a plan to pull the engine...should I pull the tranny with it for ease of working, and so I can roll the car around?

Also, is there an advantage to painting the engine, or is it all cosmetic? All opinions welcome.
Click to expand...

i would just pull it all it is easyer. the only reason to paint a engine is for looks. if your pulling it why not paint it. it will only cost you a few dollars.
 
mat231v6 said:
i would just pull it all it is easyer. the only reason to paint a engine is for looks. if your pulling it why not paint it. it will only cost you a few dollars.
Click to expand...

Not exactly Matt. Depending on the color of paint you chose can effect some factors on how the engine runs. Lighter colored engines have a tendancy to run internally hotter and darker ones run a little cooler. this has to do with heat transfer. I prefer Buick red or a bright orange for several reasons. One of the biggest is finding leaks on the engine.:biggrin:
 
charlief1 said:
Not exactly Matt. Depending on the color of paint you chose can effect some factors on how the engine runs. Lighter colored engines have a tendancy to run internally hotter and darker ones run a little cooler. this has to do with heat transfer. I prefer Buick red or a bright orange for several reasons. One of the biggest is finding leaks on the engine.:biggrin:
Click to expand...

ok i get it. i guess your right. its like the old racers use to do; paint the under side of the intake white and the top black.
 
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