What would you do?

57poncho · Uber Guru

What would you do?

Rolilk · Guru

I Have seen you car..Its way too nice to go sbc. For me I would stay with the orriginal. But thats the purest in me. If you had one thats not so nice and welding all kinds of tin then go ahead. But also if your not going to cut anything up, and be able to put the six back in then..well I would think about it long and hard too.

57poncho · Uber Guru

I would not need to cut a thing in 57 you could get a 283 so its all bolt in and drive

CdnGMfan · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

You don't want to know what I would do. Then again I am a freak. I have a hopped up six nearly ready to go; its destined to go under the hood of my Chevelle.

Those inline sixes have some surprising low end torque. If you can address the restrictive manifolding you are doing some good. I think there is a transmission adapter for running the TH350 behind the old generation Blue Flame and their ilk.

sixtywagon · Uber Guru

I would stay with the 6. Even though I like the power of a V8. Maybe put an auto behind the 6 for sure, I had that 60 Biscayne and it was a 6 std, and it was rude to drive everyday. Did have some fun revin it and dumpin the clutch though.....
It is your car and you will make the choice that suits you best...
GOOD LUCK!!!

4SPEED427 · A Poncho Legend!

I just had coffee with a couple of car nuts and we were discussing exactly this! Not your car specifically but 6 cylinders. I understand your need to change. I can't stand driving a 6 cylinder. Well, with one exception............ Our Grand National was bearable with a 6!!!!!

Beaumont4008 · Uber Guru

I would say, since you already have the motor and parts, Go for it. You can always put the six back in if you do not like it.

CdnGMfan · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

I don't want to talk out of both sides of my mouth, but a wagon will have some heft. The added displacement of a V8 will give you added torque, plus the small block Chevy has an entire industry of hop up parts devoted to it. The SBC is a bargain as far as cost effective horsepower. All that, plus you already have the 350 anyway. I think you would be happier with the upgrades drivetrain.

Personally I don't mind rowing a 3-in-the-tree. As for driving one in modern traffic... (I live in Toronto where the roads are swollen with traffic & crazy drivers)

davelacourse · Poncho Master!

57poncho wrote:

... I am getting tired of oil leaks and no HP and the 3 on the tree really sucks and I can get my hand on a factory 2 speed auto column and put it in so I don't have to hack up hack up the floor. Also if I put in the SB I can also add air and power steering. So what would you do.

Wrassling with those old 6's gets tiring (even though everything is right there where you can get at it). And I'm sorry, maybe before the 327 a 261 could hold its own on the road, but if you want some get-up-and-go the 6 has to get-out-and-be-replaced.

I'd go for more modern power/comfort/convenience - V8/AC/Auto - with your great wagon you could do a summer trip and not roast to death, and be cruisin' in style, eh?

My

Dave

ga · Addicted!

depends on what u do with the car??

i did a swap recently in my 60 pick up, the automatic made more
of a diffrence then the v8, i just cruise around and the 6 vs a mild
v8 wasnt that much different, but not always rowing through the gears is nice,
i guess if i had my choice, id go for the automatic, but then i got
caught up in the usual, ive done this much already so..... 2nd time for that

i used to be v8 only, but really my old parisienne with a 6 and
powerglide was the smoothest ride ever, it just couldnt get
out of its own way power wise, when i changed it to a 283 v8
it sounded cooler, but it wasnt a rocketship either,

i guess im too lazy to shift gears, but 6 or v8 either will make
cruise night fun

455gto · Poncho Master!

If it's a driver......I would go with the power and A/C. Plus you can always put back the 6

57poncho · Uber Guru

Thanks guys, I think the jury has spoken 68.8% say go for it. I will most likely be putting in the SB this winter. And yes ga it is a driver I put on about 2000 miles a year and with the updates it will be a lot more. I don't know if it will get PS & air this year but it will be going in for sure. With the changes I will be able to go on longer road trips and that would be great. Now the farthest I go is a couple hundred KM and with the changes I can see 1000 KM road trips in the old girls future.

66 Beau · Poncho Master!

I'd probably go with the V8 but it would depend on the car.

Is it stovebolt stock? It looks like you've at least changed wheels - can't tell about the rest of it.

If you want to give it a real boost, a 383 stroker would be ideal for a wagon... Once you go with the auto, I think you could probably put a 200R4 in it without cutting anything either and use the column shift with a Shiftworks conversion... The lower first gear and 0.67:1 OD would make a great cruiser!

Sure is easy to spend others people's money!!!

-- Edited by 66 Beau on Wednesday 2nd of June 2010 02:01:35 PM

66 Grande guy · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

Yeah just stick it in, find some old stamped Canadian Pontiac valve covers and tell everybody its a 265.

Everybody's happy includiing you.

65 SD L79 · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

Carl Stevenson wrote:

I just had coffee with a couple of car nuts and we were discussing exactly this! Not your car specifically but 6 cylinders. I understand your need to change. I can't stand driving a 6 cylinder. Well, with one exception............ Our Grand National was bearable with a 6!!!!!

know how you fell Carl, my Typhoon is bearable with a 6!!!!

-- Edited by 70 SS ACADIAN on Wednesday 2nd of June 2010 06:44:52 PM

48 poncho · Addicted!

good decision i was gonna say your gonna hit yourself in the forhead and say i coulda had a v 8 if you dont go with the 8