Idiot's guide needed....

Hope someone can give some advice. I have an '86 Caprice Wagon with a 307 Olds engine (circa 90k miles). I am wanting to get a little more power out of it - just so it's a bit more responsive in normal use. I am in UK and here, because of the age of the car, it is not subject to any emission tests. Basically I dont need any of the emission stuff on the car and I can still get it through its annual inspection. I've done some asking around and get totally different answers as to what best to do or not do. Some say rip it all out no worries, some say dont touch - taking any of it away will screw up the whole engine. Hope someone can give me good advice - what's the easiest to do without spending a fortune or buggering up the whole thing? Also with gas here at the equivalent of around $6 a gallon I need to consider mileage (a bit).

Thanks for any help,

Gears, majorly, my car was good on the highway but around town it was slow. The rear gears are real low like 2:43's or something like that. Also make it breath better; headers and exhuast are good. Also i dunno if removing the emiisions stuff engine wise will make it run better but i think the removeing the cat might. I didn't really do much to mine b/c at +275k and rust didnt really seem like a good idea to sink money into it.

standpj,

Welcome in! Remember, most of the members here are in the land where we whine about $3/gallon, and forget that you're already accustomed to £4/Imp Gal. Then again, we like to complain.

So, you have an '86 wagon with the Olds 307? I'm sorry for you. I could have gone all day without hearing that. But as it stands, your options may be a bit more limited, so you may be sticking with the Olds for a while.

On the up-side, you have a roller cammed engine if it is an '86 or later (Olds started this earlier than Chevy), so longevity is a lot more probable. With a wagon, you probably have a 3.23 gearset in the drive axle, so the lack of cubic inches and torque are not as much a penalty as with a sedan.

On the not-so-good side, you probably also have a TH200-R4 transmission. Just keep clean oil in it and keep your fingers crossed. Actually, given the power levels it would see behind the typical 307, it shouldn't be a problem. You probably also have swirl-port heads on the Olds, which may be great for mileage and low-end torque, but are not so good for power at higher RPMs. If you clean off the heads around the #1 or #8 spark plug (#1 is easier) and see either a "6A' or "7A", you have the swirl heads with small ports. An aftermarket intake is not really an option with these heads unless you do some custom port matching on both the heads and intake.

But perhaps the most limiting of all is the lightweight rotating assembly that would probably eat itself at any serious power levels. Short of a custom build with a different crank, rods, and complete rebalance, you may be better off living with a moderate improvement in power and concentrate more on eeking the best fuel mileage from it.

Oh - And if you happen to find that "Idiot's Guide" save a copy for me. I've been needing one for a few years now.

Thanks for the information guys - helped me think it through....guess I'll probably put up with the lack of power for the minute. Thanks again.

Olds 307 eh? Well, traditional speed equipment is out. If you want more oomph off the line, I agree that gears are probably the only thing you can find. You could go with bigger exhaust plumbing.

Get a high-capacity transmission cooler if you want it to live.

Good luck

Yea...put some gears in it. Buy a used set cheap on Ebay..The whole thing including fluid, gasket maker, threadlock, axle seals, shouldnt be much over $150 if you get a good deal on gears. Something around 3.73 would help you through town alot. But with gas the way it is there - Id idle to everywhere I went!

And as far as the emmision stuff..Id leave it alone until it starts failing on you. Then you can gut the cat, remove the smog pump, etc..Get rid of some of those vacuum lines - just be sure to cap of anything you remove and track where they all go.