is it possible to swap the heads/intake/fuel injection from a 1991 3.8L onto an older 70'* 3.8L odd fire buick motor? i have a donor car and want to know if they will bolt on with little or no modification or if they're totally different. thanks for any info!

I can't remember, does odd fire mean the firing order isn't typcal? If the head bolt pattern is the same, and the space between cylinder banks is the same, I suppose it'* feasible, as long as you connect the injectors in the appropriate "odd" order.

Yeah, IIRC odd-fire engines had two pistons on each journal..or something along those lines. From what I've seen of the coolant ports just a few years apart, I'd be temped to say 'heck no' but stranger things have happened.

yes odd fire means that the firing order is different. i think it was 1-6-5-4-3-2 but i'm not positive. you know, i never even thought of the injectors being wrong lol, good call. i haven't really thought much about this swap past "do the heads physically bolt on" becasue if it physically fits together i'll figure out the rest! thanks for the reply!

Do you have the block handy? If you have the block, i'll show you some pics of my block, to see if the coolant ports align up. If they do.. yeah they should bolt up. However, the original 3.8L [LG3, VIN "3", in '87 on our B'villes] doesn't bolt up to our LN3'*.. so my guess, is it may not work.

The only problem other than the above is you'd need an ECU to control the fuel delivery system.. and you'd need a helluva lot more electronics on the car for the ECU to create a proper setup. My suggestion.. leave the heads/intake from that old 231 on there. Betcha they flow better than our LN3'* induction system, and if it'* an EGR-Less engine, then those heads will probably flow several CFM better.


-justin

the block isn't exactly handy, it'* still under the heads, which is still in the car, which is actually still running and can be driven. it is a 1991 park avenue. i'm not sure exactly what type of system is on the car, if it'* an electronic trans, if it'* sequential fuel injection or not. i haven't really taken a look at it yet. i picked it up for cheap, drove it home and parked it. now someone with an older buick 3.8L (which is currently in a jeep) wants to swap fuel injection onto it because the carburetor doesn't like off camber driving, which he does a lot of. it'* not a horsepower issue, it'* a reliability/driving on a 45 degree angle issue

physically ... won't fit... the 3800 is an even block... the 3.8 buick is an offcenter block

as for efi swap... you need to find another 3.8 buick (offcenter block) Ala regal/GN or fwd LG3 (vin 3) H body

the BIGGEST problem with swapping a carb 3.8 buick to EFI is the other sensors... cam, crank, knock, etc etc etc etc

if you want to save yourself some MASSIVE headaches and probabaly some money in the long run... go order one of Holley'* 4bbl truck avenger carbs.. they are made for offroad and being at stupidly fun angles, get a DUI HEI distributor .. and a jacobs offroad ign box/coil/wires set. if your looking for even more power and torque outta the already torquey 3.8 there are odd and even fire 3.8 buick cams available.... a set of LG3 heads and if the LG3 heads fit snag an edelbrock aftermarket intake for the pre GN 3.8 carb regals

should be able to knock that 3.8 up to about 300hp and 375 ftlbs... without having to rev over 5600 rpm

and fyi, the odd fire refers to the rods being on a 90 degree crank that was meant for a v-8 (minus a little, obviously), instead of a 60 degree. so when the motor is running, you have fire-fire-fire-miss fire-fire-fire-miss, etc. etc.
with the 60 degree crank, it'* fire-fire-fire fire-fire-fire...

have fun...

odd fire - 2 cyl on 1 bank fire, then 2 on the other bank, etc etc etc

aka 1-5-2-6-3-4 (or something similar... I don't remeber the exact fire)

even fire is bank to bank

aka 1-4-2-6-3-5 (again something like that)

and FYI both the 3.8 buicks (odd and even fire) were built off a cut up v8... the buick 350 hense the off center block ...they are both 90 degree V6'*