Does anyone know if or when Buick changed their bellhousing bolt pattern? The Rover 3.5 and 3.9 blocks are basically the same as the Buick 215 so in theory I should be able to take a Buick 300 or 340 and mate it to a ZF with out an adapter...right? Possibly the later Buick and Olds 350? From what I understand the front of the engines are almost identical across the board and they all used the same accessory mounts…even the Buick V6. Tried a search and didn't find anything specific, maybe I didn't word it right. Thanks in advance...

Mike M

Mike:
The front of both Buick and Oldsmobile V-8s are not at all alike either between themselves, nor the Rover engine. Furthermore, there are few similarities between the Buick and Oldsmobile V-8s.

While there are some similarities, to make such a blanket statement goes too far.

Paul

Paul

Yeah I guess that would have been too easy. I don’t know much about the ‘60s model BOP engines other than all three used a version of the 215 V8 and you can use the early 300 or 340 V8 cast iron heads on a Rover block. It would be interesting if the bellhousing bolt patterns were the same and I was wondering if someone had actually compared the same period cast iron engines to a Rover block.

Mike M

Not all of the Buick heads are able to be interchanged either, some of the older Buick engines were of the nail-head variety similar to current SBC design. To make things even more complicated, should you wish to have cast iron heads, you can (I believe) swap some of the old Oldsmobile heads onto the Buick blocks. IIRC, the buicks had iron blocks/Al heads, whereas the Oldsmobiles had Al blocks and Fe heads.

The Ponchos are in a league of their own, but they do share a similar bell housing pattern for some years.

Hope I didn't come off too hard, didn't mean to be insulting (A kinder and gentler PBB?)

Peace,
Paul

I've also wondered some stuff about the 340 components...

if you can fit 340 heads, then the bore spacing is the same between the 340, 300, and 215. If so, why not use the 340 crankshaft in the 215?

Maybe clearancing is an issue, but I know larger stroke cranks have been used in the Rover (you sure don't get a 5.2 from boring...)

what i have heard is that the 340 blocks being cast iron could take the larger bore and using the 340 heads is not a bolt on takes other mods. to get it to work with coolant passages and intake bolt holes