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Thread: 401 nailhead or 3.8l turbo'd 61/62 Special

  1. #1

    401 nailhead or 3.8l turbo'd 61/62 Special

    So, here's a little background. I originally bought my 1962 Special SW when I was 16 years old. It was my first car. It was originally equipped with the 198v6 that had the worst knock I have ever heard. I have never driven this car. That was 9 years ago now. Now I have some spare change to throw at the car. I am just curious if anyone here has swapped in the 401/425 nailhead into one of these compact Buicks? Or how about the much more modern and sophisticated 3.8l Turbo engines from the GN's? I am completely comfortable with fabricating what I need to make this fit, just wasn't sure if anyone else had some pointers for me. I am going soon to pull a 401/tranny combo out of a junk yard for mock up, and I already have a 3.8l naturally aspirated job that has been rebuilt, just not sure which direction I want to go. Any insight would be appreciated.

    I am probably in over my head, but 1,000's of people have done crazier things and they were only human too.

    ~Dan
    Project car + budget = headache.

  2. #2
    Go with the 3.8.....

    The aftermarket speed parts are plentiful and you will have the mileage AND the power.

    Be sure to grab a BRF 200R4 to go with it.

    As soon as I get the body off of the chassis on the 64 in the next couple weeks, I'll be fitting the GN drivetrain as well.
    1987 Grand National (36K Un-Molested Stocker! - 2nd Owner)
    1966 Skylark GS (#'s Matching 401 Nailhead, 2spd Auto, Bench Seat, CA Black Plates)
    1964 Skylark (87 Buick 3.8 Turbo, 200R4, bucket seats, CA Black Plates (87' GN powered hybrid)

  3. #3
    Also, check out the Hybrids section on turbobuicks.com and turbobuick.com.

    A ton of good info on swaps from Celicas to VW's.
    1987 Grand National (36K Un-Molested Stocker! - 2nd Owner)
    1966 Skylark GS (#'s Matching 401 Nailhead, 2spd Auto, Bench Seat, CA Black Plates)
    1964 Skylark (87 Buick 3.8 Turbo, 200R4, bucket seats, CA Black Plates (87' GN powered hybrid)

  4. #4
    I am a huge fan of the Nailhead (401), but, in your case, I also recommend thee 3.8 turbo. The 401 is very heavy and will cause handeling issues in a smaller car.
    Steve B.



    67 GS 525 Buick Stage IV
    66 GS Convertible
    65 GS HT
    63 Riv
    02 Subaru WRX Turbo
    03 Ford Cobra Convertible (Factory Supercharged)

  5. #5
    I appreciate the opinions, and I have been going back and forth with which engine I want to put into the vehicle. Cost of the 3.8l is probably much lower to rebuild, but it has been almost impossible for me to get my hands on an 85-87 GN/T-type drivetrain. And we all know, that if your going to do it, you should do it right and you might as well do the intercooled 86-87 variants. Initial cost of the 3.8 is probably going to hurt, but I may just have to dive in. I'm not looking to drag this car, just want something I can call my own built by my own scrapped up burnt hands.

    Anyone have a complete turbo engine that needs a good home for a reasonable price in the North East of the great U.S. of A.

    ~Dan
    Project car + budget = headache.

  6. #6
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    Consider a blow-thru carburated turbo setup for that V-6. You can use many readily available stock V6 turbo components to keep cost down....
    There's a guy on www.turbobuicks.com that goes by 'Warwagon' that is building a very potent setup. Look in the 'Before Black' section.
    Walt
    65-66 GS's

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