My wife was in the Buick and I was in the Firebird, she never let me forget it. I always figured a plug wire was off or something but alas it was just a pig out of the hole.
-- Edited by 73SC on Monday 22nd of March 2010 10:03:10 PM
OLDS engine guru Mondello likes Hi Po building these 403, good engines when done right, just like Buicks and American Pontiac V8, they have to be built right.
Good excuse Ray, maybe the timing was off as well or carb set-up, who knows ! My car was dangerous, the older guy (my boss ! ) who sold it to me ( young lad 24) didn't take care of it at all, everytime I was turning a corner I would feel and hear this loud bang, found out later the trany mount bolts were gone and 3-4 bellhousing bolts The battery ground cable was loose so was this little wire under my HEI distributor, no wonder my car would die from time to time at the worst places like on the bridge to Trenton downtown ! I had to fix alot of stuff on my 75 Firebird, good learning experience.
1978 Oldsmobile 98 Regency Sedan 403 V8 review from North America
"Poor man's Cadillac, rich man's Chevy"
The engine has got some serious balls. The local drivers of wimpy stock 80's Firebirds, Camaros and Stangs crap their britches when they see me coming, knowing my car will eat theirs alive at the stoplight anyday.
It's quieter than most modern 4-cylinders or 6's, but will rip up the blacktop on demand.
1978 Buick Electra Limited Sedan 403 V8 review from North America
"A low cost, high performance pimp ride"
This car looks like a barge, but it sure fools people on the strip when it smokes the tires and shoots off like a rocket. I'm tellin ya, there's nothing like rollin in a big ghetto cruiser, chrome mags, stereo bumpin', hunnies in the back, fool!
This is the quick Buick probably was fast too, come to think of it I buried that speedo many a time as well, but it only went to 85.
I'll never forget being so p o'd when it took my Firebird.
My 1976 400 was rebuilt by me. I upgraded the cam, added a better intake, added a 750 holley, some roller rockers and #12 heads. It is in my 1978 T\A along with 3:42 gears in a Posi rear end. I added a 6AL MSD ignition system and changed to an electric fan. All in all, it's bolt on upgrades and I dare anyone to try and beat me out of the hole. This thing has tremendous torque.
The rear frame rails are rotten on this Grand Prix and it needs a hood and trunk lid and lots of lower quarter panel repairs. I have owned the car for 5 years now and have costed out the parts for a restoration. I would have way too much money into it for what it would be worth when restored. I have checked ebay many times and you can buy rust free 69-72 Grand Prixs for $12000-$15000 and have no work to do. This is one of those cars that has just not caught on with the public value wise. It is worth more parting out and I will at least get to recover my investment . The money will be used to complete my 55 stationwagon that I will be eventually using as our Florida car. I have not advertised the GP parts anywhere except on this site as of yet but when I return from Florida in May I will start to ebay the parts. Hopefully the GTO ,Tempest ,Firebird owners will want some of the stuff it has.
I dare anyone to try and beat me out of the hole. This thing has tremendous torque.
Anybody out there got a 403 luxo barge from 77 to 79?
Well in stock form 0-60 in 9.8 and a 1/4 time of 16.8 is pretty darn unimpressive, so what if 403 Buick could beat it. I liked the car anyway it was a really nice cruiser and turned heads, besides Street Racing is illegal. I couldn't believe it when my wife, then 19 and my girlfriend dropped the hammer and started putting fenders on me. I still wouldn't believe but a few hours later I did the same thing to my cousin in his 80 Z/28, that Oldsie Buick was a fun ride.
Its dam hard to get any power out of a motor that has 7.6 to 1 compression and a cam with .364 lift. I had a 454 in my 74 caprice that could not turn the tires in the rain. Those mid to late 70's engines were so detuned. Changing the cam in the 400 would help wake it up and also higher compression heads or shave the 6x heads to get it over 8 to 1. Pontiac engines like to be geared up a bit, 3.73 would get it out of the hole a lot quicker. Shifting over 5 grand has never been a problem that I have ever heard of. 5200 to 5500 at the strip for those engines no problem. I have seen them shifting at 6000 with the right cam and valve train upgrade.
The battery ground cable was loose so was this little wire under my HEI distributor, no wonder my car would die from time to time at the worst places like on the bridge to Trenton downtown ! I had to fix alot of stuff on my 75 Firebird, good learning experience.
