Hoarding disorder
Vehicle Sightings - A Diverse Bunch in Fort Collins, Colorado (Part 1)
- Thread starter Number_35
- Start date
1977. That’s when GM started the “engine game”.
Prior to 1977, Buicks had only Buick engines. Chevy had only Chevy. Oldsmobile had only Oldsmobile engines. Pontiac only Pontiac.
But in 1977, GM started putting Chevy engines in Oldsmobile cars, due to engine production shortfalls.
Oldsmobile owners were not happy and filed suit. The issue wasn’t the engine itself, it was that GM had not disclosed the substitution.
In 1981, GM settled, and paid those Oldsmobile owners, but GM had continued putting Chevy engines in various makes since 1977.
You are somewhat correct for the "GM Corporate" motor for 1977. BUT Buick kept the 350 till 1980(I thought 81 or 82). Can't speak for other GM lines as I never owned any except for trucks and 1 Monte Carlo.
Buick V8 engine - Wikipedia
You’re clearly missing the point. What I said was correct.You are somewhat correct for the "GM Corporate" motor for 1977. BUT Buick kept the 350 till 1980(I thought 81 or 82). Can't speak for other GM lines as I never owned any except for trucks and 1 Monte Carlo.
In the mid-1970s Buick's 400/430/455 big blocks became unable to meet fuel economy/emission requirements and were phased out, with the Buick 350 remaining as a factory option until 1980. In their place were a variety of GM V8s were offered, both as standard equipment and factory optionsBuick V8 engine - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
GM started swapping engines across makes in 1977.
The majority of Oldsmobiles for that year had Olds engines, for example. The lawsuit was from those who had been sold an Oldsmobile that had been built with a Chevy engine. GM didn’t tell the customers about that little detail when they bought the car, which is why GM lost the suit.
The Buick V-8 was produced until 1981.
But starting in 1977, many Buicks were delivered with Oldsmobile engines, including, notably, the 403. That was the engine swap game to which I was referring. I would have to check on what year Chevy engines were installed in Buicks, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was also 1977.
So, starting in 1977, not every Buick with a V-8 was actually equipped with a Buick V-8. So, back to my point - in 1977, your Buick might have had a different brand of engine.
The Oldsmobile V-8 was produced until 1990, by the way, with the final versions being a 307 gasoline with anemic performance and a 350 diesel that had its own issues.
1977 was the year. Not 1981. 1981 just happened to be the year that Buick built its final V-8. All Buicks after that had a corporate V-8.
But some had corporate V-8s, starting in 1977.
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I am not missing the point. I was answering post #9, Number_35 question about what was in the 72 Buick he took a pic of. That is all.
I know the history of GM engines and I was there during the 60's and 70's when this all took place.
As for the 350, Buick only used theirs in their cars but you will find 260,305,307,403 V8s from other manufacturers in the Buick.
I know the history of GM engines and I was there during the 60's and 70's when this all took place.
As for the 350, Buick only used theirs in their cars but you will find 260,305,307,403 V8s from other manufacturers in the Buick.
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You may have been talking about Post #9, but then, you quoted me, in my post #22, and said I was “somewhat correct”.
However, if you know the history of GM engines, what I said was completely, not somewhat, correct. GM started mixing and matching in 1977.
I was there, too. In fact. I owned a 1977 Oldsmobile.
Because they think they are going to fix them up but they never do.
Understood but the Buick 350 was never used in other GM brands even though the other brands were used in the Buick. This internet stuff is kinda confusing to get the point across because in essence we are both saying the same thing
I didn’t mean to imply that the Buick was used in others. Forgive me if that’s the case.Understood but the Buick 350 was never used in other GM brands even though the other brands were used in the Buick. This internet stuff is kinda confusing to get the point across because in essence we are both saying the same thing
I meant to bring up the presence of both Chevy, and Olds, engines in other marques as GM was playing with engine production capacity across the lines.
Knew a guy with a 1978 Electra 225. Clearly an Olds engine in that one. Almost bought a 1979 T/A. It said “6.6 liter” on the hood, but it was a 403 Olds underneath. At least one ‘77 Olds I found in the junkyard had a SBC in it.
A VIN decoder (found in my Chilton’s at the time) was very helpful, particularly before you went to buy parts…
I had always thought that the diesel V8 that GM offered in the 1980s was based on the small-block Chevy 350/5.7.
Was it actually an Olds engine?
And if so, was it a clean-slate engine, or was it a converted gasoline engine.
One more possibility: Did GM offer two diesel engines, both 350/5.7?
I’m going off memory here, but I believe the first generation of GM diesel V-8’s, roughly 1978-1985 were all based on the Oldsmobile block. They beefed up the block a little bit… four bolt main bearings, and a higher iron content.
Those blocks are very desirable now for racing. Because of their higher strength.
They were notorious for problems, Primarily because they use the same head bolts and tooling on the gasoline and diesel versions of the V-8, and there were a lot of head bolt failures. Some other problems came from people putting the wrong fuel or additives in them, not maintaining the fuel filters, or not allowing the glow plugs to cycle before they try to start.
Diesel fuel back, then was not of uniform good quality. So a lot of Oldsmobile diesels were killed by bad fuel, fuel that had water in it. My brother‘s car had a water separator, I believe, but earlier versions did not.
The 5.7 L diesel V-8 was solely an Oldsmobile block. It was used across the GM lineup, because that was the time when GM was swapping engines across marques.
My kid brother had a 1984 Old’s custom cruiser station wagon powered by the 5.7 L diesel. It was actually a good car, and he took it over 200,000 miles, before it saved his life when a semi rear ended him at the tollbooth. My brother was stopped. The semi wasn’t even close to the same. Crushed the entire back half of the wagon. And my brother walked away.
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That’s exactly what I just said.
Same tooling. Same head bolts.
Heavier casting for the block, but the head bolts failed. The engines failed for a variety of reasons - some of which I mentioned.
My apologies. Working off an iPad. I speech to text then edit. Doesn’t always work well.
Allow me to add that in 1977 Oldsmobile went from a 7/16” size head bolt, which had been the standard since the early sixties, when the 330 V-8 was first made, to a 1/2” head bolt.
It was a big jump in strength. It is my belief, though, I’ve never read it anywhere, that Oldsmobile was strengthening the block, and the bolts, for the upcoming diesel engine introduction.
I discovered this running change, in the worst way, when I swapped a 1970 old 350 V8 into my ‘77 Olds.
When I did a head gasket, and timing chain, on that 1970 engine I used the 1977 torque specs… Not realizing that there had been a change.
Snapped the first head bolt clean off. It is a truly sickening feeling to hear a bolt “snap” before the wrench clicks…Which sent me to a Meridian, MS junkyard in search of an older model head bolt. I found it after some searching.
Got a new head gasket, and dug up the 1970 torque specs, which were considerably lower.
This does illustrate character though.
A friend messed up an oil change when he was quite young, and has likely not touched a wrench since.
To realize that mistakes are inevitable, and to learn from them and press on, are important life lessons.
This would only be true if you don't count GM's H-body, RWD X-body, A-body, and Pontiac Firebird F-body cars. In reality, the "engine game" started in 1970. The Pontiac Firebird used the Chevy I6 as it's base engine beginning in 1970 as did the RWD X-body cars beginning in 1973. Also, in 1975 and 1976, GM A-body cars came with the Chevy I6 as their base engine.
Technically Pontiac's SOHC I6 was also a Chevy engine that had a Pontiac cylinder head on it.
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4WD
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All my Chevy's have GM engines - See ? Simpler that way
