Rebuild 231 or by 350

  • Thread starter Thread starter Don's 77 Sky
  • Start date Start date
anytime is a good time for an engine rebuild, check for coolent for oil as well...the one thing you DONT want is a some blown water jackets...although that was my excuse to buy a 455 for my skylark!
with any over heating problem, check the hoses for cracks and the radiator for any "strawberrying"

-jeff-
 
i just knowticed this thread was longer then the first page...haha :clonk:

sorry guys i have a bit of catching up to do^^

-jeff-
 
Run a compression test to see if you scored any cylinders or took out a head gasket. You don't have to have water in the oil to have a gasket problem. If you have inconsistant readings you probably need internal engine repair that should be addressed by a competent repair shop. You could also try a cooling system pressure test or just inspecting the spark plugs if you don't have access to a compression tester.
 
swap?

You can get cam kits and performance cranks for the 231,I swaped a buick 350 for a 231.It was a drop in and I lost no gas mileage doing it, I did it in 8 hours from start to finish.Use the wiring harness from the 350 to the fire wall,the motor mounts are the same ,the tranny mount is the same,you'll need to disconect the catalitic convertor and the y pipe should bolt right into place to the exhaust pipe.I even used the quadra puke that was on it and to be honnest i got a bit better mileage.Just stay out of the gas a bit,it will be a whole difference in performance.
 
Ignition Switch and Sector Gear

Ladies and Gents,

A couple of weeks ago I have the sector gear break, the sector gear for those that don't know is the gear that is behind the ignition switch that moves the steering wheel lock.

I got the gear out and installed a new one, but I can seem to find the secret combination to get it so the key will turn to the lock postion. Also my 77 Skylark is an Auto on the floor, and I think because I can't turn the key to the lock position, know the floor shifter will not work correctly.

I can pull it back to put it into drive but when I try and put it into reverse or park, it does nothing. Fortunately, on the column when you move the shifter it would also move a part of the column that move the indicator to show you what gear you are in. Now I have been turning it manually to put the car in drive or reverse, but still no park.

Does anyone know how to get this thing installed so that I can put the key in the lock position and what I can look for to check why the shifter now doesn't work properly.

Thanks and I look forward to your expert help.
 
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swap? buick 350 a drop in

I have been down this road not to long ago,I'd do the buick 350.It's an easy swap-the Y-pipe will bolt right in place of the catalitic convertor-unplug the wiring harrness from the firewall it will seperate half goes to the engine the other to the lights and stuff. The motor mounts are the same ,the harness will plug right in and work just fine,the Ypipe is a perfect match to the exhaust.Now what I found out was if I kept out of the 4's in town then I had better gas milage and longer tire wear.You are very limited to what you can get for the 231,crank,headers and a overhaul kit is about all you'll find.Also make sure you have a good rearend in your car beause if you slam it to hard you'll blow em fast I went through 3.It took me 8 hrs. from start to finish and drive it away for the swap and was so glad I did.Enjoy it will be a very enjoyable ride when you're done with it.Also no spring swap of any kind needed for this either they are the same springs and yokes on the drive shaft.:beers:
 
yer 231 woes

I have just bought a 75 century 231 odd-fire and i have many questions of my own that nobody seems to have answers for. I'm looking for a 200r4 myself near chicago. My newest question: did the 231 really LOSE 50HP when it switched to even-fire? the books say 75-77 oddfire=150HP while the 78+ evenfire=105HP.... is this true? did the torque at least improve with the evenfire? when did GM begin using roller cams in the 231? I'm looking to eventually replace my motor/trans with an evenfire/200r4. but I'll need to do something with my 2.73 rear also......thanx, brad
 
Hey, bbatka-

I wouldn't put the overdrive tranny in with a very tall rearend ratio. Even the torquiest 455 wouldn't like cruising 65 with a 2.73 and lockup OD...

-Bob C.
 
231 & 2.73 rear???

thats why I mentioned I would have to do something with it...... what rear gears would would you recommend? i know that the 86/87 GN's had 3.42 rears, but i'm looking for a bit more mileage from this 4 door cruiser. according to my aftermarket tach, i'm 2500-2600rpm @ 70mph/ 2200-2300rpm @ 60mph/ and 1800-1900rpm @ 50mph. according to the calculations I did that puts my rear closer to 3.08:1. however it is SOOOO sluggish from a stop...(almost embarrassing) it kinda feels like she's sputtering just off idle trying to get rolling- but that may be the tendency/characteristics of the odd-fire engine.... I would much rather the steeper ratios in the chevy7004r, but i'm not gonna fool with an adapter plate. so i guess i'm gonna have to change the rear gears. looking for sugggestions. thanx brad
 
forgot to account for trans slippage

just redid the calculations with 6% slippage and that puts me right back at 2.73:1 rear gears.... oops, my bad. so what rpm should I be shooting for at 60 mph & 70 mph?????? thanx, brad
 
staying old-school.... 231

found a mc culloch sn-60 s/c. I'm not gonna fool with the exhaust plumbing for a turbo. the supercharger is self contained (lubed with trans fluid). i'm gonna have to do something about my rear gears...... too sluggish. thinking 3.23.......hmmmmmm
 
With the 200-4R, the 3.42 is a terrific rearend ratio IMO. In OD it gives effectively a 2.29 ratio for great gas mileage, but in first gear you have a 3:1 ratio for a quick takeoff.

-Bob C.
 
Bobby Allison

l am a V6 believer.l have done 3 now but have gone to the 4.1Buick V6.l have one in a 79 Pontiac LeMans and it dino'd at 268 HP at the rear wheels.Parts are definitely more expensive but with the weight savings and a 3400 stall the car boogies with the big boys...and thats with no turbo.
 
I have a 2.8 with Turbo 350 in 35 Ford and 3.35 rear. Used for 20 years. Want to put in 4.1 with 200R4. What problems. Stall speed on torque converter, 4th gear lock up? Are all of my 3.8 brackets, exhaust etc compatable with 4.1? Thanks
 
go with buick 350

I had the same decission to make a year ago,I chose to go with the buick 350 once again.The swap is an easy one,you'll lose the catalitic convertor,the Y pipe bolts in place you'll use the same motor mounts and the tranny will bolt right to the buick 350.If you stay with the 2 barrel carb you will get better gas milage that the 231,If you unplug the harness from the fire wall with the 350 it'll plug right in place of the 231 and work fine for you.The one problem I had was that I kept wanting to get into it alot and blew the rearend for the 231 twice,it won't hold up to a hard driving.I did the entire swap in 8 hours in my driveway from parking it to backing it back out on the road.As far as the 231 hop up there is not a whole lot out there with out spending an arm and leg for it,but as far as the buick 350 goes there is alot more to be offered for it.Your local muffler shop can slap a dual exhaust on it if you choose to go that way fairly resonable.But just rememeber if you chose to get into it hard you could very well blow the 231 rear end, I went through 3 before I stopped racing it real hard.I did it in a 81 regal and was astonished with the inprovment with the gas mileage,I gained almost 10 miles to the gal. in town and 12 on the highway.
 
What's your rear end gear?

Many of the V6 cars came with 2.41 gears that was great for gas mileage, but lousy for performance off the line. I might suggest swapping out the rear end for a 3.08 or better rear axle, to improve acceleration. The small rear end can only be built up to 2.73, where as the larger crown gear rear ends can be built up into the 4's, and will launch you like you fired off a rocket on your butt. Somewhere in between you will find a happy medium that you can live with. I am going with 3.42 (or close to that) for my project 85 with a 350.

Good luck with the overheating problem, check your temperature sending unit for failure first before you spend a lot of money, they are easy to test, and cheap to replace.
:shifter: Time to put the hammer down.....
 
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