1963 buick skylark LS1 swap project

[Omar-us]

Hello everyone,

I'm Omar from Saudi Arabia hope I'm welcome here 😎

I do have 1963 buick skylark 215ci with the 2 speeds transmission and I'm planing to swap LS1 and TH 400 transmission in it. all the swap matters are taken care of by my friend who has experience with swapping LS engines. As you know guys my car is very rare and few to no one has done any project to it, that's why I'm here and would like to ask you questions to help me getting my project done perfectly 😊

My first quiestion is the brake system. I would like to keep the 4 lug but I want to convert the front brake to disc brake and my question is how and does foxbody front brake fit into my car as it has 4 lug too !?

About the drive shaft and the rearend, can they handle the LS1 power ?

any suggestion welcome to say

[bob k. mando]

Scarebird sells adapter kits for the 61-63 Skylarks:
https://scarebird.com/index.php?rout...&product_id=62

you'll be able to keep your original lug pattern this way BUT you'll have to get larger rims than stock.


if for some reason you decide to keep the original engine around and play with it you should know that it's same ( except SAE dimensioning instead of metric, ie - inches instead of millimeters ) as a Land Rover 3.5L v8 engine that was in production up to 2004.


i'm not sure what that's got for a rear, 7 1/2" ring gear? probably be a little lightweight for an LS1.

[Omar-us]

Thank you for your reply,

about the engine, it's so cheap here in Saudi Arabia to swap LS1 engine ( will cost me around 20000 SA = 5300$ With AC too ! ) that's why I choose it and everyone could fix it compare it with the 215 that's no one has seen my engine before and no spare parts I could find 😆 < every time I go to any auto Shope they say that and I have to order online for the spare parts which cost me a lot $$$

I saw the adapter but could I use foxbody disc brake as it's 4 lug ? And the rims is 14 inc American racing. And the rearend is 10 bolts

thanks agian for your reply

[Omar-us]

Still waiting for answers 😊

[Bob]

Swapping out the engine is also going to cost you a lot of money. I think if you follow Bob's suggestion and describe the engine in your car a a '63 Buick version of the 3.5L Land Rover V8, your suppliers may be more able to accommodate you.

[telriv]

Don't cut the little 215 short as they CAN be made to produce the power I believe your looking for. One supplier is Wildcat Performance in the U.K. They, I believe, are the premier supplier of the little 215. The Land Rover bought all the rights from Buick/GM sometime in the 60's. Buick of course wished today they didn't do that. Imagine paying 50K-70K for a vehicle that has an engine in it that was starting the design process in 1959. The 3.5L was available until 2004 as has been mentioned. Wildcat has worked them up to 6.6L. I know you can swap in a 300 V-8 crank to gain some cubes, but Wildcat would be much more knowledgeable than I. They used these engines in NASCAR I believe in the formula series under the guidance of Mickey Thompson. They performed admirably. So they CAN be made to produce the performance you may be looking for.
Looking at the engine compartment it is very, very small. The transmission tunnel even smaller. And, you must remember this is a uni-body car. It has NO FRAME!!! Too much power & the car will simply twist it self apart, Unless of course you build a frame under the car.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do. I would hate to see you cut up a fairly original/rare car to only find out it's a HUGE PROJECT you will be taking on & maybe not finishing. Now you have a pile of steel that's not worth anything to anybody & you have to end up scrapping it. I know someone in Ct. that put a 401 in an early Skylark with a 4spd. & there was alot of hacking done.
Most of ALL, HAVE FUN!!!!


Tom T.

[raycow]

I saw the adapter but could I use foxbody disc brake as it's 4 lug ?

The wheel bolt circle on your Buick Special is 4-1/2". Early 4 bolt Mustangs also used 4-1/2", but they were not available with disc brakes. The later 4 bolt Mustangs with disc brakes had a 4-1/4" bolt circle.

If you want disc brakes with 4 lugs and a 4-1/2" bolt circle, look at Acura, Mazda, Nissan and Toyota. I am not aware of any US cars with disc brakes and a 4-1/2" bolt circle.

Ray

[bob k. mando]

telriv

They used these engines in NASCAR I believe in the formula series under the guidance of Mickey Thompson.


this is a different deal than the 1980s Grand Nationals? if so, what years are you talking about, ~62-66?








<i>Omar-us Thank you for your reply,
no one has seen my engine before and no spare parts I could find</i>


like i said, take it to a Land / Range Rover dealer or mechanic and explain to them that it's an SAE / US version of the British Leyland v8. items such as the timing cover and oil pump and headers can be direct swaps between the engines.

if you still want to do an engine swap, a modern cross bolt main 4.6L Range Rover with Fuel Injection, serpentine accessory belts and distributorless ignition would be a near drop in swap.


if you still want to do the LS swap you're going to have to get a new transmission as well or an adapter plate because that bell is not going to bolt up to the Chevy.


we've also got several old magazine articles in the reference section on the alum v8 as well as the v6 which is related to it. here's one with recipes to bump displacement up to 305ci / 5.0L:
http://www.teambuick.com/reference/l...uminum_v-8.php