1981 GP with a 3.8 231

[LilSpann601]

Whats up everyone Im new to the forum and I was sort of curious what could I do to this 231 v6...I planned on doing the head gaskets soon and was wondering is there anything i can change and add to get a little bit more power....and is there anything i can do to elimnate the tv/detent cable?

 

["Turbo-T"]

If your car has the 200-4R automatic you have to keep the detent cable (it's called a TV cable for the auto overdrive trans) AND set correctly or the trans will be toast in short order.

On a TH350 I have heard you can get away with not having a detent cable. In my experience I purchased an S-10 someone converted over to a 350/TH350 and didn't have a detent until I put one on, because the big $50 question is "why take it off"?

 

[Robert Wilson]

Whats up everyone Im new to the forum and I was sort of curious what could I do to this 231 v6...I planned on doing the head gaskets soon and was wondering is there anything i can change and add to get a little bit more power....and is there anything i can do to elimnate the tv/detent cable?

The NA 3.8 will respond to changes the same as any other engine. There are cams, headers and intake manifolds out there that will fit. You could even find a 4 barrel intake from a 4.1 in a junk yard and swap it on if you wanted.

I had an old (1980) H body Sunbird with a 3.8 that had Kenne Bell headers, cam, and 4 barrel intake. I never had it to the track but it was a lot of fun.

 

[LilSpann601]

how hard is it to change the cams on this motor....Ive changed them on a ford since the cams are under the valve covers

 

[Robert Wilson]

how hard is it to change the cams on this motor....Ive changed them on a ford since the cams are under the valve covers

Since the Buick 3.8 is a push rod engine, its a little more involved. intake, valve covers, rockers, and front cover have to be removed.

 

[LilSpann601]

oh ok cool... i plan on using the edelbrock 5487 how much should i gain if i try this? and while im doing my head gasket what else should i change while im inside

 

[LilSpann601]

well today i removed the carb, the left exhaust manifold,egr,almost got the intake off theres one bolt that is a torx head...well I was looking at the manifold and noticed there are 2 circular ports and a rectangle port in front of them(the carb sits over this part of the manifold)...there was oil in the rectangle port...is this a sign of a blown head gasket?

 

[Robert Wilson]

Not sure what the cam would be worth horsepower wise.
If you really want to increase the performance you could try to locate a carbureted turbo system off another Regal and swap it in.

As for the oil in the intake, it probably is from the PCV system.

What was making you think it had a blown head gasket to begin with?

A better indicator of a blown head gasket would have been to have done a leak down test or at least a compression test. You could have also pressure tested the cooling sytem if the compression was good.

The torx head bolt was used to allow clearance for the HEI distributor so you will need to put it back in the same place.

 

[LilSpann601]

do you know what size the torx screw is??? the reason i figured it was a blown head gasket is because once the car reaches operating temps tons of smoke comes out...when i let the car cool and crank it it doesn't smoke......The motor doesn;t knock so i elimnated it being a oil ring....i plan on putting in the edlebrock cam then trying to find a turbo setup...do i have to run the elderbrock intake with the cam

 

[Robert Wilson]

Don't know the torx head size, just remember dealing with it myself.

Are you losing coolant from the reservoir or radiator?

You do need the Edelbrock intake if you are going to find the turbo parts. Intake is part of what you would be using.
If you choose to stay naturally aspirated, the stock 4.1 intake is as good as the Edelbrock.

 

[LilSpann601]

my car always lost coolant due to a cracked water pump...the oil looked normal...its just after the motor warmed up and you drive it the temp would rise then trails off smoke would follow....I took off the intake manifold...now i can see the rods...I can also see parts of the camshaft in the middle of the motor valley...does this partion of the block suppose to have holes so the cam can be visible?????

 

[LilSpann601]

well is the little holes in the motor valley above the cam used for pushing the lifter up so they can be removed........and will this cam work...can someone tell me is putting a cam in this 231 worth it...seems like no one answers...like it might be a bad idea

eBay Motors: PRO STOCK PERFORMANCE CAM BUICK 231-252ci LIFT 472 496 (item 300236157395 end time Jul-23-08 12:27:24 PDT)

 

[mikestertwo]

well is the little holes in the motor valley above the cam used for pushing the lifter up so they can be removed........and will this cam work...can someone tell me is putting a cam in this 231 worth it...seems like no one answers...like it might be a bad idea

]

That's too much cam especially on an old motor. JMHO

 

[LilSpann601]

so the best thing to do is just repair my head gasket and find a turbo for my 81

 

[Robert Wilson]

I agree with mikestertwo with that cam being too large.

You need to make sure your engine is mechanically sound before doing any modifications.
Your best bet, especially if your on a tight budget, would be to make sure your heads aren't cracked and put the head gaskets on.
If the engine seems ok after that, then start modifying.

 

[LilSpann601]

Well today i got both heads off...the heads dont seem to be cracked...the gaskets that were only look alright...I did notice water in the 4th cylinder it could of been from me taking the heads off...the pistons dont seem to be damaged and the walls are smooth

 

[Robert Wilson]

You should have the heads checked for cracks at a machine shop. Did any of the combustion chambers look alot cleaner than the others? The clean ones is where your problem will be.

 

[LilSpann601]

Everything looked normal...There was alot of oil gunk on the valve assemblie and top head..There was oil all over the intake manifold gasket which was a sheet of metal with gaskets...the piston heads had no scraps or cracks..everything looked normal... I know the motor is strong I use to drive the car like 4 years ago then the car started overheating everytime I drove it and when I shut the motor off the car would backfire and it would sound like somebody shot a gun...after that I put a waterpump on it and the backfiring stopped..then I parked the car for about 2 years...once i got it back running the car wasn't smoking or nothing just water dripping out the tailpipe at a cold start..after letting it sit there the temp gauge would rise to 220 then white smoke starts to come out the exhaust...then if i hit the gas smokes starts pouring out leaving a trail...when you let the car cool and start it back up it stops smoking into the car warms up

 

[LilSpann601]

Well today I dropped the heads off at the machine shop...they charging me 25 to pressure test both heads. Im still trying to decide whether I should throw a cam in this baby...the motor had no knocks or rattles when it was together...any opinions?

 

[LilSpann601]

uhhhhhhhhhh hello????????????