Well, I'm new to the board and I have a question. I'm cheap!
Very cheap. I have to be to own 12 cars. I generally won't pay
more than $500 to $900 dollars for a car. Any car! And before
you say anything, if you look around and can wait you can
find some good deals for that (like the 79 Lincoln I bought for
$600 dollars four years ago that had $4200! worth of reciepts
in the glovebox for work done for the four years prior to my
purchasing said vehicle including a engine overhaul). Anyway, to
the question at hand. There are quite a few third gen Camaro's
around my area advertized for $400-$600 dollars that have
fairly clean straight bodies, but no motor's or tranny's. The only
GM engine I have sitting around is a good running 4.1 Buick
V6 I pulled from a 80 (non CCC) Electra with a 200C transmission.
Are there any motor mounts available to put this into a
third gen Camaro (say a 82-86 model)? If not, then I guess
I won't buy one. I don't want to buy a 350 that needs an overhaul.
Too much money would have to be spent. And I won't pull the 350
out of my 74 Impala either. It's a 62,000 mile original that I
got for free! (Grandma's car!). Too nice to part out. So how
'bout it, can I get the Buick into the Camaro? Thanks for
any replies.

 

If you search the engine swap forum, you'll find that some of us (including me) have done similar swaps.

Search, FYI: Buick and Olds engines

You have a few options for what you can do. There was a Buick V6 used in our cars, once. The 1989 Turbo Trans Am had the 3.8 Grand National engine, with a set of FWD heads on it to clear the heater box on the passenger side. It used a 2004r overdrive transmission. Those cars were rare, and finding the proper mounts for the engine and transmission will be near impossible. It could happen, though...

I put a 350 Buick in an 84 T/A once. It is exactly the same process as putting your 4.1 in. They use the same motor mounts. You will need the lower mounts from any Buick small block or rear wheel drive V6 car so that you can bolt them into the f-body. First, you need a transmission.

I recommend using a 700R4 transmission from a V8 f-body with a B-O-P to Chevy adapter. That way you can use the factory driveshaft and torque arm mount. This will save lots of time (no fabrications) and money. Once that is accomplished, you can bolt the engine and trans together, stick them in the car (while the engine is still hangine from the chain) and bolt the transmission in place. Put your engine mounts on the engine and lower them to the frame. Mark where the bolt holes need to be, then pull the engine. Drill the holes, bolt in the lower frame brackets, and then drop your assembly in. Use a V8 radiator and use radiator hoses for the 82 regal with the 3.8 Buick V6. The throttle cable can be from a carbureted V8 car.

You will run into a slight rubbing near the heater box and you may want to notch it to give you some extra clearance.

Have fun and welcome aboard!!

 

Well, the 200C is the same length and uses the same slip yoke as the 200R4
and the TH350 so I would think that with the exception of the tourque arm
mount, I could use the existing tranny frame mount and driveshaft as the
200C is the same length as the 200R4 which was used in the Camaro's. And
I don't think I would be able to find a cheap enough 700R4 trans. I won't spend $1500 dollars to do this. Thanks for the reply though, I'll just try to find a cheap Camaro that's maybe a little beat up but that still has a engine and tranny. Thanks.

 

If you look for an 82 or 83, they all came with 200c transmissions. That could save you the time right there!

Good luck! Keep us posted on your swap. We can get your progress to show others that this is affordable and possible.

I can also add pictures to my engine swap archive!

 

Yeah, as soon as I find a cheap Camaro I'll keep you all posted with pics and such. I did see last night that a company had the motor mounts for the 3.8 in the 89 'Bird for $14.95 but only for the right side. And that does not help any with the frame mounts of course! I'll figure it out. Thanks for the replies.

 

While the TH200-4R is the same length as the TH350/TH200C, the location of the mount is different. Nor is it the same as the TH700R-4 Therefore, the TH200-4R will not mount the same as the TH200C or TH700.

The TH700R-4 was offered in 1983 f-bodies, so don't assume the driveshaft from an '83 auto will be the right thing. I just happen to have one from an '82 that will be available soon, though.

I can't imagine the Buick swap into one of these cars classifying as "cheap". Even if the engine and transmission don't require a cash outlay.

 

It's just as cheap as swapping in a chevy V8 - if you have the engine already! If he had an 82 automatic car, he just has to make bolt holes to bolt the frame brackets for the Buick motor mounts. Carbureted fuel system is easy to plumb, the wires are easy to splice. If it's a 700r4 car, you pay the 80 bucks or less for the tranny adapter and run the chevy trans. I did that once, as well.

I'm just saying... When I did the 350 Buick to replace a 305, the hardest thing was a slight re-shaping of the heater box. The throttle cable still worked right and I had to lengthen the wires to the HEI up front. You end up paying the exhaust guy a few bucks to fit chevy v8 pipes to your manifold dumps. Everything else that you spend money on is an upgrade that you would have spent on your chevy engined car anyway, such as sfc, exhaust, etc.., It takes time, yes, but not a lot of money.

 

I'll find a V6 camaro that had the 200C and the trans mount should be the same. I have the 200C not the 200-4R. And besides, if I have to buy the correct tranny mount, it's not going to be $1000 or anything like that. And it does not cost anything to drill bolt holes in a frame other than the cost of the correct size bit. So I figure a body for, say, $400 and maybe another $200 for parts and I have a $600 Camaro, which fit's in to my definition of affordable. Then I can relive my teenage years, just as I now relive my childhood years with my 70's car collection.

 

Exactly right!

You can find the beat up f-cars for less than 500 bucks if you look for them. I still think a v8 car from a newer year would be a better find, because you can re-use the overdrive transmission with an adapter to your V6.

Anyway, don't forget to start a thread in the engine swap section with pictures!

Good luck!

 

Yeah, I'm getting kinda excited about the project now. There is nothing I like better than geting out and roaming the streets looking for that great deal.
This afternoon I went to my shed and dug out the engine and trans. I'll give it a good going thru and get it ready. Ought to be fun.

 

The most fun part after it's running will be the little upgrades, one after another that start to make it a better car.

Converting to overdrive, then posi, disks all around, interior, suspension...

Wait! I think I'm dreaming about MY Buick powered car again! Stupid apartment! I can't do anything until I get a garage again!

Start your engine swap thread soon so that I can live vicariously through you until next year! Start with your pictures of the Buick engine covered with dust so that you can chronicle the adventure!

 

Well, It'll probably BE next year before I can get started in earnest! Hope you can wait. Even with the stupid restraining order, I still have to buy Christmas
(just kidding!). As far as the garage, I don't have one either. I have my car's (except the ones I'm driving now) in public storage. It costs me $290 a month to keep this hobby of mine in two 15*20's and twelve fence spots!

 

Yikes!

Well, I have a new baby and he has dictated the budget authority since before he was born, with his mother sitting in pro-tem...

I had to get a better paying job and move fast! So, I am in an apartment and stuck in a lease until January. I should have a place rented by then. Once I have a garage, it begins.

Anyway, take some pics of your engine and start the engine swap thread. You can always add to it as you go.

Where are you located with all of the cheap f-body cars?

 

Wichita Falls, Texas. And being a truck driver I can roam a bit more on company time than most folks. The one Camaro I was going to look at was a 84 T-Top in Iowa Park Texas which is 12 miles from here (it was on craig's list). But it sold quickly. Running around here there are several third gen F-bodies still around in pretty decent shape. I drive for Cypress truck lines out of Jacksonville Florida but I run out of the yard in Abilene Texas which is 150 miles from here.