350 Buick Interceptor.. will it fit?

[Jimbotronics]

I just talked to a guy that has a 95 buick 350 interceptor for sale, he said he was t-boned and it bent the frame. He said the motor runs perfect and can be test driven. My questions are: Is it a good engine and will it fit?

Thanks,
Jim

[CHEVYE]

i`m sure it will fit. the question is, will it be worth all of the hassle??? you would probably have to redo the engine mounts, crossmembers, driveshaft, i assume being a 95 model engine that it is fuel injected? i`m not sure they make a carb conversion intake for that either. might bump into a whole mess of things to rig up is all i`m thinking.

[Jimbotronics]

True - I can't find much information about it. I know nothing about buicks but aren't they a gm product?

[724wdcopper]

buicks are a GM product, therefore, the engine would be a standard chev 350. but i dont know of a buick with a V8 in MANY years. perhaps i am wrong, but sounds fishy. are you sure they guy said it was a 95 and not a 75?

[Jimbotronics]

I'll call him back and verify and also see if he can get me the block numbers.

[CHEVYE]

those old roadmasters and rear drives should`ve had 350`s just like the caprices did,

[Jimbotronics]

From what i've found the mid 90's station wagon roadmasters had 5.7 350 LT1's.

[CHEVYE]

should be the same as a caprice mid 90`s 5.7. i don`t know if the mounting pads and heads are the same. might not be as hard as i thought.

[Jimbotronics]

worth checking into - unless of course the guyswants a grip for it. Right now he won't give me a price, says come drive it and make me an offer...

[CHEVYE]

looks like 288 horse power on that engine.

[CHEVYE]

pm txfirefighter. he is a tech for a gm dealer i believe, anyway, i bet he will know the interchangeabilty of the 2 for sure.

[Jimbotronics]

I'm sure that's better than what I've got now - don't know what the hp is but currently running an '87 350 that's extremely tired

[biglou55]

I have a complete 455 buick big block with tranny carb and motor mounts that you can have really cheap if you really want a buick motor. 73 electra the only draw back is you have to come and get it.

[Jimbotronics]

lol - it's not a matter of wanting a buick engine, if fact really prefer chevy. I'm just hoping to get it real cheap and it last until I can afford something more like I want.

[Dick Dale]

That is a Chevy LT1 in that Buick. The Roadmasters and the Caprices had the same engine in those things. Good motor with a lot of kick in the a$$ but the computer crap will be hard to set up. Also, they have that $800 dollar distributor deal on them.

[Jimbotronics]

So I should be able to get the intake that chevy offers and convert it to carb? Still trying to get a hold of the guy to find out more info. He did say I could have the tranny to which from what I can tell they came with an 4L60E. Any opinions on the tranny? I currently have a TH350 that was just totally rebuilt.

[Jimbotronics]

I just got off the phone with the guy again, he won't give me a price. Says come test drive it (it's still drivable even though the frame is bent) and then make him an offer on the engine and tranny. Can anyone tell me what I should offer without offending him?

[sdmahr]

Offer him $500.00. You have a fair amount of work and additional expense ahead of you.

[moneyguru]

Originally Posted by Jimbotronics

I just got off the phone with the guy again, he won't give me a price. Says come test drive it (it's still drivable even though the frame is bent) and then make him an offer on the engine and tranny. Can anyone tell me what I should offer without offending him?

My theory is he won't give you a price because either:

1. He who offers the first price loses a certain amount of bargaining power

2. He isn't sure what it's worth.



If it runs good I'd offer him $250 and see what he says.

Preface your offer by mentioning the following things.

* you'll have to do a custom install of this "buick" motor into a chevy
* You don't have much $ to spend and are interested in the motor to save $.


Now with that being said I'd make sure he includes all the wiring and ECU components in the deal. If the car is a total wreck offer up that it would be probably be best if you took the whole car and got rid of the chassis as a favor for him.


HTH

[Jimbotronics]

From listening to him I would tend to think that's it's a little both. As far a components, he said I can have everything from underhood.. I definitely make it clear that isn't something that I just gotta have...

[saulgoode]

Just curious why you would want to convert from injection to carb?

So I should be able to get the intake that chevy offers and convert it to carb?

You may want to poke around at ls1tech.com, they have a section about hybrid conversions, which may get you started and let you know what kinda mods you will have to do.

Also check this thread out, it's also an ls1, but the mods should be close to what you would have to do.

Hope this helps,
Saulgoode

[Russell]

If you decide to go with this engine, and convert it to carb, I'd be interested in the LT1 intake, fuel rails and injectors... (don't need the throttle body, EGR etc)

On the other hand, if you decide to run with the EFI, I'd suggest buying the whole car, you are bound to need more off it than you'd initally think...

PS -- I'd keep the injection myself, esspecially if the engine is running good, just pull the whole drivetrain / EFI setup off, and transplant it to your truck. The 4l60e is a fairly decent tranny

[Tx Firefighter]

Be very careful, make sure it's a 5.7

Some of those grandma boats in the early to mid 90's used a 265 inch small block that looked just like the 5.7. There should be a decal on the core support.

[Jimbotronics]

Excellent info guys, I'll make him an offer for the whole car. If I decide to sell the intake I'll make sure you get first dibs Russell. I'm hoping I can find someone locally that's willing to help me along with it. I wanna do the work just want some guidance.

[Tx Firefighter]

I looked it up some more with a Google search.

Lots of those cars had the 265 CID L99 engine which looked just like the 5.7 LT1 you want, but smaller internally.

Do a google and read up on it if you're interested.