So this kid I work with tells me he is going to buy a 1980 Trans Am parts car that has a 400 BB. Which after some research I've found the 80 TA had the 4.9 turbo piece, but anyway if what he says is true and I buy this engine will it drop in?

Looking to drop it into an 86 IROC.

 

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/engi...-v8-swaps.html

 

¿big block?

A 400 out of an 80 model Trans Am isn't a big block; it's a Pontiac (400) or Olds (403) motor. Neither of which brands have "big" or "small" blocks; that's a peculiarity of some other brands. Pontiac and Olds do have "short deck" and "tall deck" versions of their blocks, but they're all the same size. One could argue that a Pontiac 326 is a "big block" if one equals "tall deck" with "big block", or an Olds 403 would be a "small block" if "short deck equals "small block". Makes alot of sense, eh? But that's the way it is, sense or no.

You'll also find that an 80 400 has about 180 to 200 HP; roughly the same HP as the L69, a 305, came with. In other words, they're just a very typical 70s smogger sedan turd, which will retain no memory whatsoever of its romantic screaming bird on the hood and will no longer be a "torque monster" or any of that stupid crap, once it's removed from that car. It'll be demoted to just another 70s grandpa sedan smogger turd that had used to be stuck off in an obsolete heavy chassis, just like it was in 1980.

As you'll find out by reading that post if you're able to filter out all the spank-off people who are partisan to one brand or another and get down to some specifics, putting one of those "foreign" motors into one of these cars is ahelluvalot more involved than just a "drop in". They're perfectly good engines, as far as being good engines goes; but, the hassles and expense of putting them into a tight-fitting chassis that was never equipped with one, is best left to the people who know them well, have a stash of goodies for them, know what fits what, know where to come up with the various parts to make them run good, and so forth.

Now, if you had a GOOD Pontiac or Olds motor, from a muscle car of the late 60s or very early 70s before they nutted them so bad, maybe the results might justify the effort it would take (which is why, for some people and some motors, it might be a good idea FOR THEM but not necessarily FOR YOU); but to spend THAT much money and go go to THAT much trouble to put THAT motor in your car, would be a gigantic waste of resources and a disappointment.

 

grrrr........

Anyway, I don't think it's anymore difficult than an LS1 or any other "foreign" swap. A tranny adapter is an easy score and the "smogger" Pontiac 400 is a camshaft and intake away from remembering it's former glory. Just like chevy. The third gen was in fact designed for Pontiac power but the plan was pulled at the end. The 301 turbo was slated to go from the 80-81 Turbo Trans Am and continue on in 82. That engine has a slightly narrower deck but if you're not getting nuts about intake selection you don't have too much trouble.

When the search function works again, search for "Magilla." This guy put a 455 SMOGGER Buick engine (71, I think) with a mild cam and was in the 11's.

Don't mind me; I'm one of the scroungers that still uses old 60's heads to bump compression on BOP engines when I can get them from the wrecking yard. Lots of them are still out there.

An 86 IROC with a 305 can be a gigantic waste of resources and quite a disappointment as well. It's all in what you want to accomplish and what money you have to do it with.

 

the other divisions of the bigger v-8s were smoggers and low hp sure but they had some low end torque they could move a house

and they did it with horrible axle ratios, such as 2.21, 2.41, 2.56 in which such ratios were common with these engines in cars such as the de villes and electras and so on

iv had a few so i know first hand, a 74 delta 88 455
a 77 electra 403
a 79 de ville 6 door limo 425
all of them ran and drove great and hauled some serious ***

lots of bottom end low RPM power


in which is what they were good for

no need for 3.42 or 3.73 or 4.10 ratio with these engines


the factory engine mounts for these engines, some kind of exhaust to make it work, and BOP/caddy tranny and you can have one of these in any car or GM truck, the truck factory mounts for putting these engines in were the 78-85 C-10 pickup oldsmobile diesel 350ci ones






good luck

 

i had a 79 ta w/a 403 olds, 185 hp, but the torque was much higher it felt more pwerful than any factory corperate chevy engine of the 80's and early 90's, just my opinion, and it would fry the tires off without a brake stand.with posi

 

Well OF COURSE it did.... it had 400 cubes, but the biggest Chevy (except for the 454, which obviously wasn't included in this comparison) was a 350. There would be something SERIOUSLY WRONG if it didn't produce more torque.

You weren't feeling "Pontiac torque" or Olds torque", you were feeling "400 CID torque".

Incidentally, not all 80 TAs had the turbo 301; only a handful. IIRC most of them in those last few 2nd gen years had the Olds 403. Only a few had the Pontiac 400, and most of those were 4-speeds. Some of you Firebird guys can probably fill in ALOT more details than I can, I'm no expert, just going by memory here of what I recall seeing in them on the dealer lots in those years.

 

1979 was the last year of the large cubes for firebird. 400 Pontiac went to lower emission rated states and 403 Olds went to places like New York and California. Olds engines did better than any GM offering during emission testing.

In 1980 the top rated T/A had a 301 Turbo. Same for 81; the firebird options layed out with V6 231 Buick, 265 Pontiac, 301 NA, 305, 301 Turbo...

Not great choices and most of the 4 speed cars were 305 Chevy powered.