Thirdgen6.6l

Any one doing or know any body that already done swap trans am 6.6l 403 old in their third gen ? I just wonder how much hp can these engine handle before it have to tear every thing apart. Cause im plan to stroke this engine or going back to 350 for 383.

jj74sd455

if youve got access to a pontiac 400-455 you can make plenty of power cheap. the olds 403 was a terribly restricted engine, they mostly came in trans ams built or sold in california due to emissions regulations.

Air_Adam

There are some good Olds parts out there to build up a nice engine, but they aren't cheap. A friend of mine built an '87 442 with an Olds 425 that was running in the low 12s, but it was expensive to get there. The 403 is actually a pretty decent base to start with, as the bores are HUGE - something like 4.35" or something. Just massive. The 403 was the std engine for the Trans AM everywhere starting in '79. There were a few 4-spd cars that got 400ci Pontiacs, but that was just to use up the leftover engines from '78. Basically all '79s that got a 6.6L got the 403, regardless of where it was going after assembly.

If you just want to be able to say "I have a 6.6 TA" though, a 400 sbc is a much easier way to do it.

jj74sd455

ta's never had a 6.6 chevy,i find that offensive lol

Atilla the Fun

It was dumb of GM to not put the SBC 400 in the '80 T/A, but taking offense at something not aimed at you, well, that's worse.

jj74sd455

honestly id rather see a buick,olds,or pontiac in any pontiac rather than a chevy.sounds like thirdgen6.6l is on the right track.

Thirdgen6.6l

I just wonder is their a head/cam packet for this engine.

jj74sd455

edelbrock does offer heads for the 403 olds if you wanna spend the money

Thirdgen6.6l

include cam ? intake ?

link pls.

jj74sd455

the heads link is http://www.edelbrock.com/automotive_...ain_olds.shtml and it reccomends the edelbrock intake #7111 and if you call their tech line they could suggest a cam and lifter kit for you

face215

Im in the middle of a tpi to carb swap!!! but some day i would love to put a true pontiac 400 or 455 in with a 200r behind it!! why are there not bolt ons for our 3rd GENS to drop in pontiac motors and trannies? But there are plenty of bolt ons for LS swaps???

//<86TA>\\

iTrader: (15)

because many many more people use the lsx than pontiac engines.

KrisW

iTrader: (5)

Well, its their loss hehehehhe....

Anyway, it seems that lots of us are dumping the sbc, one way or another...

face215, people have done these swaps already and if you search around here, you'll find what you need to get the job done. If you ever do take on this project, start a new thread and there will be tons of people to help you get to the end of your goal.

Air_Adam

The 403 is a small block Olds, but I know LOTS of parts between the SBO and BBO engines interchange... if the cranks interchange, which they might, then using a 455 crank in a 403 block would create something like a 515ci engine. I can't remember the specifics now, but I did the math on it years ago and it comes out around 515ci.... big mill

87 player bird

Don't cause unnesasairy headaches, Not a really great engine, 2 bolt mains, smogger heads, pig on fuel, low compression,etc... If you are going to dump money into a big block, I say 455 poncho.

TA

iTrader: (1)

Another issue is that the Olds 403 has thin cylinder walls (poor sealing under higher pressures) and a weak main bearing webbing design inside the block, plus a weak crankshaft design. These engines were never designed for high performance use, so there are no forged cranks or other performance parts around in any numbers. If you ever get any serious power out of it, all of that stuff becomes a concern. There are plenty of performance parts for the 400 Pontiac or a stroked 350 Chevy, and the development already done will result in more power and much higher reliablitiy for less money than the Oldsmobile 403.

ex-x-fire

The olds 403 has some advantages like the best rod stroke ratio of any domestic engine, pistons bigger then most big blocks. You can swap a forged crank from an olds 330 or get a nodular iron one from a 68-70 350.
With a good set of alloy heads or add the biggest valves to 350 heads & a modern cam, it'll make some serious torque.

84CAMARO28inFL

Nice

Hey, didnt the 80 and 81 Firebird have some sort of HORRIBLE Turbo engine??? Please tell me about this!

As to Olds engines, they are always tops in my book.

Put a "Rocket" 307 Old sin there from a 1982 olds 88! 5.0L, Carb'd! THAT was an engine that went over 350,000 miles in that fine car, the Delta 88 Royale.. Chevy was quicker from an 81 Caprice V8, i wonder what engine that was? i like it but OH YEA! OLDS!

or what about a Buick GTX engine? What engine was THAT!?

ex-x-fire

You are thinking of the poncho 301 v8, a low deck version of the pontiac v8. They had siamese intake ports if I remember correctly.
I always wanted to build an olds 350 using these parts, an early 400 olds big block machined out for 350 pistons, a diesel 350 crank, a good set of heads w/ big valves, bbo rpm intake, & a custom cam. You'd need a custom cam to take advantage of the short stroke w/ 7" rods. With a great rod ratio the piston dwells longer at TDC & BDC. I think that combo would make great torque all over.