Alternate thermostat housing for turbos..

[Freddie's Buick]

Does anyone know if the V-8 Chevy thermostat housing covers fit the Buick intake? I know that there is a port design that feeds into the water pump from the housing specific to the Buick design.

There seems to be an alternate solution for this by adding in an aftermarket 1" spacer with ports for various sensors or feeds. The Chevy design with a vertical radiator hose opening is the closest to my needs. The horizontal/angled design is not.

My turbo has the 1982-83 style intake which requires a unique thermostat cover that nobody seems to make and is no longer availabe. It is made in a vertical design. Using any other year housing creates all kinds of problems with fit. Since I don't have one I used the N/A horizontal/angled style housing.

As a result, the radiator hose that leads to the housing hits the bottom of the alternator and produces a very tight fit. This ultimatley lends itself to all types of grief and frustration for me during repair and maintenance.

If the Chevy design fits, I can use it along with a 1" spacer.

So again I ask: Does anyone know if the Chevy V-8 Housings fit Buick intakes?

 

[v6tsportcoupe]

good luck. i needed one of those a few years ago when i rebiult the engine eventually had to fabricate a new one out of some of the old and weld some new pipes to it. works ok

 

[Freddie's Buick]

The one weapon I don't have in my arsenal is a MIG aluminum welder.

If I did I would of fabbed one a long time ago. The one I am using works. It's the N/A horizontal/angled type. Like I said though, it's tight, cumbersome and my knuckles and hands suffer if I have to do maintenance.

Here's a pic of what I'm getting ideas on, (the 1" spacer), along with a Chevy style vertical housing. The ports are great to put additional sensors on.

 

[charlief1]

You'd have to plug the small hole and weld over the 1 bolt hole and redrill and tap. Instead, take some steel plate and make the base then you can weld a heavier pipe as an outlet. See if you can find a 4.1 and you may be able to use it for the mock up.

 

[Freddie's Buick]

You'd have to plug the small hole and weld over the 1 bolt hole and redrill and tap. Instead, take some steel plate and make the base then you can weld a heavier pipe as an outlet. See if you can find a 4.1 and you may be able to use it for the mock up.

Yep, made from 1/8" aluminum plate. So its a three piece housing. No junk engines hanging around my garage for mock-ups. I'd be divorced and broke if I were to have that much stuff hanging around. :biggrin:

 

[charlief1]

Well post a pic Freddie.

 

[Freddie's Buick]

Not there yet. I won't buy those parts if I don't know if a Chev housing fits on a Buick. :frown:

 

[dr_frankenstein]

the chev housing will fit on the buick but it takes some massaging. That little port hole on the bottom needs to be plugged too.

it sounds like a great idea, but seems to be more work then its worth.


Now I do have a proposal that Charlie gave me, What if we used the 86/87 neck adapter and made another adapter to bolt to the intake manifold base, to allow the 86/87 unit to press in.

could be all aluminum, or stainless.... I would just need help getting the bits and my boys could machine the goodies using the CNC machines.

think about it.......

A.j.

 

[Freddie's Buick]

Great idea. It would be the Buick version of the 1' Chevy spacer with multiple ports. My idea is more trouble than it is worth? Yep. But no one makes 'em. So if you're like me and the housing crusts out on you, or you don't have one to begin with, you got to get inovative. I was thinking out loud.

The OEM water neck is carbed turbo specific. Maybe that's why they're not available.

dr_frankenstein.... If you fab one of these spacer things I'm sure you'll find a limited market. Especially if they're polished billet and look good. These OEM housings rot out after awhile so I'm sure there are others out there looking fo replacements that won't rot. :biggrin:

 

[dr_frankenstein]

Great idea. It would be the Buick version of the 1' Chevy spacer with multiple ports. My idea is more trouble than it is worth? Yep. But no one makes 'em. So if you're like me and the housing crusts out on you, or you don't have one to begin with, you got to get inovative. I was thinking out loud.

The OEM water neck is carbed turbo specific. Maybe that's why they're not available.

dr_frankenstein.... If you fab one of these spacer things I'm sure you'll find a limited market. Especially if they're polished billet and look good. These OEM housings rot out after awhile so I'm sure there are others out there looking fo replacements that won't rot. :biggrin:

well I dont figure it will make me any money, but if we can do some things to help the limited aftermarket backing of the non efi cars we can have more cars survive untouched. plus, I hate the damn stamped steel housings..... can have a fully nice and painted engine and WHAM ---- a nasty steel housing.... we gotta look good too!

LOL

I dunno, its just an idea...... thinking outloud too ........

A.j.

 

[charlief1]

If you make the adaptor out of steel (maybe stainless) then you can use the neck from the late SFI unit and block off the hose going to the water pump to keep the engine cooler. I always had a cooler running engine when I did this. Another option is to use the 4.1 outlet. The only diff is the large pipe has an angel to it.