hey all. i know a fair amount about my engine, i've been doing a lot of work on it lately. it's the good ol' Buick 231 even fire with stock 2bbl rippin' out 110HP. i was considering a small block swap, but that's too much work. i want to pop a turbo and intercooler setup on, but i don't know jack •••• about turbos and IC's. can it be done? what parts do i need? I would really appreciate it if someone could email me and help me out just a bit, ya know, help me get things moving. For your ref, the engine is basically 100% stock, roughly 8.5:1 CR. thanks!!!
Ryan A. Vessichelli
C420@optonline.net
Ryan,
Wow, if you think swapping a sbc into your '86 is too much work, you may not be ready for making your car a turbo. There are large number of changes that need to be made from the radiator to the fuel pump and nearly everything in between. (Rear end, transmission, headers & exhaust and about all of the engine components not to mention the suspension.) If you want to proceed, the best way would be to find a good donor ('86 or '87) car and start swapping parts. If your goal is to make your car faster with a minimum of work, the sbc swap is pretty easy by comparison. If you want to stick with the Buick route, look for a good turbo car to start with. HTH. Like Yogi Berra once said: "When you see a fork in the road, take it."
Your engine's internals are not the same as those of the TRs. Basically, the whole short block differs. The pistons are not the same. The cam is different. The TRs 'two dot' rods are believed to be stronger. The TRs rolled fillet crank is stronger. And your block does not have the hole in the front tapped for the oil return line for the turbo. In short, you can't just "pop a turbo and intercooler setup on", as you wish.
And that's just the motor. We haven't even mentioned exhaust plumbing, intake, fuel injection, ignition, etc. And as Fred stated in his response, the whole car is full of lines and wires that accompany the fuel injection and control systems. Not to mention the different rear end, transmission, fuel tank...ad nauseum. There are a LOT of parts that just aren't the same. Unless you start with a wrecked or parted TR as a donor, you're probably biting off a little too large of a project.
Another way to keep it Buick and be a little simpler: How 'bout a Buick 455 V8 swap? It actually goes in pretty easily. See http://www.gnttype.org/techarea/swaps/bbb_regal.html for more info.