As far as the swap goes, if your Cutlass is the rear wheel drive Monte Carlo clone, you will need V8 motor mounts and to relocate the frame mounts. You will likely also find you need the bigger V8 radiator. If it's the 229 Chevy based V6, a small block will bolt to the original trans, but if it's the 231 Buick version you'll need to trade out transmissions.

I've seen more than a couple of posts lately about 283/327 chevy small blocks, and on another forum about 289 Ford SBs vs their newer counterparts (350s and 302 Chevys and Fords respecitvely (sorry streets were not talking about 302 Z28 engines). ) ).

For their time these were very good engines and in certain factory configurations made very impressive HP to CI numbers. Modified correctly and in the right cars these engines were the terrors of their day. Even today when us old farts get together and stories are told about them they just seem to get faster and faster (in direct ratio to the number of barley pops we drink).

Just my opinion, but I'm afraid I'd have to say the day of these engines has passed just as it did for the flathead. That is not to say that they arn't good engines, but if originality isn't a factor, they are not what I'd generally recommend for an engine swap. I have several reasons for saying that.

1. Real horse power numbers. Generally when we bench race about these old engines we're talking about the factory hi-performance versions or ones that were heavily modified. In reality the majority of these engines were the low HP versions that need to be extensively modified to make the good numbers.

2. To get the good HP numbers the factory generally used extreme compression ratios (by todays standards) in the 10.5 and up area and 11:1 and even 12:1 was not unheard of. This was also usually used in conjunction with a radical solid lifter cam, better heads, intake, and exhaust than found on the more common low preformance engine your likely to come across.

3. Cost and availability. The supply of these older engines is drying up and the engines I've seen seem to fall into 1 of 2 catagories overpriced or free. In the case of the free ones, you generally get what you pay for. In most cases, the engines are generally worn out and will need to be completly rebuilt prior to being placed into service. There is also the problem of identifying what you are getting, you'd be amazed at how many "Corvette" 283 or 327s that I've had customers bring in over the years that turned out to be low HP 2BBL engines and in one case a 307.

4. Actual cost of rebuilding these engines. As these engines are no longer as popular as they once were, the parts to rebuild them have been going up for the last several years, to the point where they are not the cheapest thing to rebuild (definatly more expensive than the 350s and 302s). Additionally, when the heads are rebuilt besides the standard valve job and guides, the additional expence of harded exhaust seats (or latter model heads) should be added.

5. In the case of the SB Chevy the 68 and earlier heads did not have bolt holes in the end of the heads and require the earlier accessory brackets that are becoming difficult (expensive) to find.

I'm not saying that the 283/327/289s arn't good engines, just that 350 and 302 are GENERALLY a smarter choice.


TRUE STORY: Last Fri I took the wife's 302 powered Cobra II into town to talk to a friend. While we were BSing, a 20 something kid came along and was admiring the car. His comment when I told him it was a 302 was that I should "put in either a 289 or a 5 liter to make it go faster".