V8 swap in buick skyhawk

[wasup23]

I have an old corvette 283 sb v8 that needs to be rebuilt...
i also have a v6t powered buick skyhawk. i need to know some stuff. Hardcore car nuts, you need to feed me. My skyhawk has the 1976's new option of the 5spd tranny. I need to know if I can use that transmission with the v8. or if i will need to change the wheel, or nothing, or the whole tranny.

Also i need to know if there is anything that will need to be changed in my car to accomodate a v8. it is the exact same body style as a monza, vega, sunbird, starfire, and astre. (all the H-body "expiremental muscle cars") since the skyhawks in particular are harder to find than a penny in amsterdam... i have absolutely no clue as to where or who i can ask for one. Not even the official buick website has any trace left of skyhawks. (i dont know why they are hiding them there one of the best ideas buick had) Anyways, yea i dont have that much expirience with cars that arnt chevy's

i'm not asking you to do homework and scour the internet like i have been doing for the last week, just any tips you have on installing a v8 in, or if you have a skyhawk, i beg you please let me know how and what you did to get the v8 in it. thanks very much for your help and if you have any websites please let me know. if you dont want to use this site pm me and ill give you my email. thanks a bunch

[MrPbody]

23,

Welcome to AF. I'm afraid there's bad news ahead. ZERO "H-bodies" were EVER considered muscle cars in any shape or form. It's a "subcompact", with "sporty" options.

The Monza was indeed available with the little 262 V8. That's where you will find your mounts and exhaust. OR... You could just go to Jeg's or Summit and buy the kit used to install it. As far as I can recall, the only other H-body that came from GM with a V8 was a limited number of 305 '78 Astres. We had one at a dealership in Idaho in '80. Low miles, on the used car lot. It had been sold new at that same dealer, so I know it was "factory". There may have been some Sunbirds, too, but I don't recall any.

283 is an early design, with no provisions for accessory mounting on the ends of the heads. It may or may not be a good choice. 283 is a good runner for a little engine, though. It would be worthwhile from a performance point of view, to "make" it fit.

The flywheel from the V6 will not fit. Nor will the bellhousing flange (same as Buick, Olds, Pontiac).

Jim

[MagicRat]

^^Good advice as always.

Originally Posted by MrPbody

I'm afraid there's bad news ahead. ZERO "H-bodies" were EVER considered muscle cars in any shape or form. It's a "subcompact", with "sporty" options.

Yeah, those Monzas were all too lightweight and fast to be confused with a musclecar! (just kidding!)

Years back, a buddy of mine had a small block Chevy V8 monza with a 4 spd. It was a nice car, for the time. It was not at all muscle-car-fast when stock (quarter mile in 16 sec. flat!) but had lots of potential when modified.

Anyone who was awake during the '70's knew there was a scarcity of new performance cars. Some H-bodies were one of the few bright spots at the time. Back then, lots of h-bodies were hot-rodded with considerable success partly because there were few alternatives.

Their chief performance advantage is that they are smaller and hundreds of pounds lighter than many true 'muscle car'. As anyone knows, less weight is equal to more power. Frankly, if you have set your sights on building a small block Chevy, then a sporty-equipped H-body is a reasonable chassis choice.

The H-body had a couple of disadvantages:
-A tight engine compartment, Yes, a small block V8 will fit, but some chores, like changing the plugs gets a little tight. Irecall the factory instructions say the engine needs to be shifted or raised inits mounts to gain access to the plugs. (Never tried it, through).

-I do not think there are any full-length headers for it, but some 'shorty' headers will fit.

-The factory 4spd trans was (I believe) a Muncie M20, which was a little weak for high-power V8's, but it sounds as if you are using an auto so that should not be a problem.

-the 4-bolt rims and smallish wheelwells somewhat limits the choice of decent wheels and tires that will fit.

-The final disadvantage is in resale value. The H-bodies simply do not have the same value as a true muscle car. Any money you spend on this project will not add to the resale value of your car, so be sure that this spending is for your own enjoyment, but not as an investment.