olds 350 swap - The 1947 - Present Chevrolet & GMC Truck Message Board Network

c10scotty · 02-16-2003, 03:35 PM

ok my dad has a 1986 oldsmobile 98 LS with a 350 and 4bbl carb. only 30,000 miles. he's selling the car but i think i could talk him into letting me swap in my tired old 305 into the car for the 350. im sure the 350 isnt as torquey as a truck 350, but it could be a good starting point. what do you guys think?? is it worth it?

Tom · 02-16-2003, 03:45 PM

that olds 350 is problably more torquey then a chevy 350. Its a strait foward swap, all you need are all the brakcets/mounts from a 350 diesel truck [same block]

c10scotty · 02-16-2003, 03:49 PM

the reason i say its probably less touquey is due to the fact that it is from a car rather than a truck....but i hope you are right. why a diesel??

Prerunner1982 · 02-16-2003, 04:20 PM

c10scotty the olds 350 is a diesel block so to speak, same bore and stroke. olds 350 is NOTHING like a chevy 350, well pretty much.. the olds 350 is wider (from observation) than the chevy. ALSO how about the trans? you going to use the car trans as well? or going to purchase an adapter? OLDS block will not bolt to a chevy trans..

i helped a buddy put an olds 350 in his 97 Jeep Wrangler. it was a new experience for both of us.. crank bearings went bad so we put a chevy 350 in.. had to swap out trans as well.. and rebuilt motor mounts.. the only thing we used from the Olds was th alt and carb.

EDIT: from the info i have there wasnt a 350 in any olds... last year for a gas 350 was 1980. last year for the Diesel 350 was 85..largest engine available in 86.. 307...

sam79 · 02-16-2003, 05:43 PM

My truck has an olds 350 in it. My truck was born a diesel powered truck but one of the previous owners has converted it to an old 350. Prerunner1982 is right about the transmission, I've got a th400 behind the olds which will not bolt to a chevy block so I'm stuck with the olds engine. For now that is cause I really would like to swap it for a chevy block with th700r in the future. When the money is there I will find myself a good donor for the trans and engine (It will be hard to find over here in the Netherlands). But that is my story.

If you need some pictures or other info about how to do the swap just send me an email at sandercalis@zonnet.nl and I'll do my best to answer your questions.

Tom · 02-16-2003, 06:02 PM

Engines power was not tailerd to vehicles. A chevy 350 in a car makes the same power/torque as a 350 in a truck. The deisel 350 block is almost identical to a gas 350 block [olds motors] In fact lots of people take diesel 350's and convert them to gas 350's because of how much beefier the diesel blocks are.

Big Paul · 02-16-2003, 07:53 PM

Olds 350: 4.05"x3.385"
Chevy 350: 4.00"x3.48"

The Olds 350 is a very different bird. But there good engines. I don't think it'd be as torquey, but I donno about that.

You probably could get a trans. from a late 70's Caddy with just about any engine in it. Most of the Caddy engines are Olds designs. Like the 350s in the Sevilles are Olds engines. Have a BOP TH350 behind em.

Tom · 02-16-2003, 08:24 PM

olds motors have crappy heads that keep volecity way up= torque. Like Paul said, most caddy's had olds engines. My 87 brougham had a roller cam olds 307 in it. That thing was a torque monster that never revved past 4000rpm. I think it had about 2.23 or so rear gears in it.

c10scotty · 02-17-2003, 09:11 PM

i forgot about the trannys not bolting up...i dont know waht kind of tranny it has. im pretty sure it is a 350 though, it was built 6/86 so it may have still had a 350 in it. i dont know if im gonna do it or not, my dad wants to get rid of the thing. thanks for the info though

02-16-2003, 03:35 PM	#1
c10scotty ~THE SILVER BULLET~ Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: WYOMING Posts: 285	olds 350 swap ok my dad has a 1986 oldsmobile 98 LS with a 350 and 4bbl carb. only 30,000 miles. he's selling the car but i think i could talk him into letting me swap in my tired old 305 into the car for the 350. im sure the 350 isnt as torquey as a truck 350, but it could be a good starting point. what do you guys think?? is it worth it? __________________ ~1980 c10 chevy scottsdale~ ~2.5/4 drop 305/th350c~

02-16-2003, 03:45 PM	#2
Tom driving is in my blood Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: Mesa AZ Posts: 5,748	that olds 350 is problably more torquey then a chevy 350. Its a strait foward swap, all you need are all the brakcets/mounts from a 350 diesel truck [same block] __________________ -78 c10 short/step: 388cid, M20, 5/5 drop, lots more. Playtoy and first vehicle. -98 c1500 x-cab: 5.7L, 17" rims, 5/6 drop, flowmaster, helper bags,NBS rear disk brakes. -02 Suburban 4x4: leveled front -CBR600F4i, CBR600RR, CBR1000RR, and standup skis DISCLAIMER: I cant spell for the life of me.

02-16-2003, 03:49 PM	#3
c10scotty ~THE SILVER BULLET~ Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: WYOMING Posts: 285	the reason i say its probably less touquey is due to the fact that it is from a car rather than a truck....but i hope you are right. why a diesel?? __________________ ~1980 c10 chevy scottsdale~ ~2.5/4 drop 305/th350c~

02-16-2003, 04:20 PM	#4
Prerunner1982 Registered User Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Edmond, OK Posts: 5,904	c10scotty the olds 350 is a diesel block so to speak, same bore and stroke. olds 350 is NOTHING like a chevy 350, well pretty much.. the olds 350 is wider (from observation) than the chevy. ALSO how about the trans? you going to use the car trans as well? or going to purchase an adapter? OLDS block will not bolt to a chevy trans.. i helped a buddy put an olds 350 in his 97 Jeep Wrangler. it was a new experience for both of us.. crank bearings went bad so we put a chevy 350 in.. had to swap out trans as well.. and rebuilt motor mounts.. the only thing we used from the Olds was th alt and carb. EDIT: from the info i have there wasnt a 350 in any olds... last year for a gas 350 was 1980. last year for the Diesel 350 was 85..largest engine available in 86.. 307... __________________ Jon 1982 Chevy Silverado 350/th350.... RETIRED 1993 Jeep XJ 2 door(Cherokee) 4wd 4.0ltr/AX-15 (5spd)/NP231 .... Oklahoma Roll Call Last edited by Prerunner1982; 02-16-2003 at 04:24 PM.

02-16-2003, 05:43 PM	#5
sam79 Registered User Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Hilversum, The Netherlands Posts: 74	My truck has an olds 350 in it. My truck was born a diesel powered truck but one of the previous owners has converted it to an old 350. Prerunner1982 is right about the transmission, I've got a th400 behind the olds which will not bolt to a chevy block so I'm stuck with the olds engine. For now that is cause I really would like to swap it for a chevy block with th700r in the future. When the money is there I will find myself a good donor for the trans and engine (It will be hard to find over here in the Netherlands). But that is my story. If you need some pictures or other info about how to do the swap just send me an email at sandercalis@zonnet.nl and I'll do my best to answer your questions. __________________ Sam 79 The Netherlands '79 GMC c15 '72 VW beetle http://home.zonnet.nl/sandercalis

02-16-2003, 06:02 PM	#6
Tom driving is in my blood Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: Mesa AZ Posts: 5,748	Engines power was not tailerd to vehicles. A chevy 350 in a car makes the same power/torque as a 350 in a truck. The deisel 350 block is almost identical to a gas 350 block [olds motors] In fact lots of people take diesel 350's and convert them to gas 350's because of how much beefier the diesel blocks are. __________________ -78 c10 short/step: 388cid, M20, 5/5 drop, lots more. Playtoy and first vehicle. -98 c1500 x-cab: 5.7L, 17" rims, 5/6 drop, flowmaster, helper bags,NBS rear disk brakes. -02 Suburban 4x4: leveled front -CBR600F4i, CBR600RR, CBR1000RR, and standup skis DISCLAIMER: I cant spell for the life of me.

02-16-2003, 07:53 PM	#7
Big Paul Iamnotanofficerofthelaw Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Turlock, California Posts: 352	Olds 350: 4.05"x3.385" Chevy 350: 4.00"x3.48" The Olds 350 is a very different bird. But there good engines. I don't think it'd be as torquey, but I donno about that. You probably could get a trans. from a late 70's Caddy with just about any engine in it. Most of the Caddy engines are Olds designs. Like the 350s in the Sevilles are Olds engines. Have a BOP TH350 behind em. __________________ ~Paul~ '96 C1500 Silverado- Vortec 5.0L/Exhaust/Stock '87 S-10 Ext Cab- 2.8L/700r4 KIA Caught fire 12/7/03

02-16-2003, 08:24 PM	#8
Tom driving is in my blood Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: Mesa AZ Posts: 5,748	olds motors have crappy heads that keep volecity way up= torque. Like Paul said, most caddy's had olds engines. My 87 brougham had a roller cam olds 307 in it. That thing was a torque monster that never revved past 4000rpm. I think it had about 2.23 or so rear gears in it. __________________ -78 c10 short/step: 388cid, M20, 5/5 drop, lots more. Playtoy and first vehicle. -98 c1500 x-cab: 5.7L, 17" rims, 5/6 drop, flowmaster, helper bags,NBS rear disk brakes. -02 Suburban 4x4: leveled front -CBR600F4i, CBR600RR, CBR1000RR, and standup skis DISCLAIMER: I cant spell for the life of me.

02-17-2003, 09:11 PM	#9
c10scotty ~THE SILVER BULLET~ Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: WYOMING Posts: 285	i forgot about the trannys not bolting up...i dont know waht kind of tranny it has. im pretty sure it is a 350 though, it was built 6/86 so it may have still had a 350 in it. i dont know if im gonna do it or not, my dad wants to get rid of the thing. thanks for the info though __________________ ~1980 c10 chevy scottsdale~ ~2.5/4 drop 305/th350c~



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