I have a 1986 Caprice estate wagon currently using a 307c.i. Olds engine with an overdrive trans. I want to put a 454 and turbo 400 trans in it. What am I going to need to change to make this happen?  

I just put in a 359 ZZ4 in my 87 Wagon and used the same tranny.
There Should be room for the rocker covers by the fire wall. There are MANY bolt holes for motor mounts, I would be surprised if a big block didn't line up. The 400 tranny is a different length than the 200-4r, shorter i think, so you would probably have to move the crossmember and might need a new driveshaft.
Headers might be tight and 2 1/2" pipe is the most you can get over the rear axle. I bought a radiator for an early 80's Diesel caprice wagon and it is a 4 row aluminum radiator with tranny and oil coolers that drops right in.
the other things i can think of is if that 400 bangs gears real nice... do you self a favor and check how sound the tailgate latches are. I use mine on a daily basis and the latches got sloppy, and when the car use to bark into second the tailgate would swing open!!!
if ya got anymore question just ask and keep us updated on how it turns out.

And one last thing, the faces kids make when it sinks in that the new 5.O Mustang daddy bought them was ROASTED by big ol' ugly wagon is SO worth building one.  

Thanks for the info. The engine is getting ready for machine work now (read: saving money for it) but I want to have all my parts ready so I can drop it in. I didn't know the caprice came with a diesel. the 400 that I have was professionaly done by someone well qualified so it should bang gears pretty well. I have long tube headers with 3 inch collectors. Haven't decided if I'm going back to the rear bumper or if I'll dump them out in front of the rear tires. The latches in mine are really tight, almost like the tailgate never got used by its previous owners. as far as on the street, I don't know what part of the country you are in but down here in South Florida its the rice burners we want to silence. That would make me happy. And besides, we all know that wagons rule right. Thanks again.  

For the Dual exhaust you are going to have to either modify your cross member or make a custom. Don't forget you have to move the cross member for the TH-400 and shorten the drive shaft. Plus the Critical Speed of the stock Drive Shaft is only about 4500rpm so that means when your in 3rd gear @ 4500rpm your at risk of blowing up that drive shaft. And they DO go, mine blew apart into 3 pieces at 5600rpm which is 143mph with 3.42's in the rear.  It blew holes in the floor and everything. Drive shaft loops are only $25 from Jegs or Summit... I recomend

Ya in the yearly to mid 80's the Wagons came with 350 Oldsmobile engines that was a modified gas block with a very beefy bottom end, they make good high HP motors.


I'm up in Massachusetts, we have rice-burners too, but I embarrass them with my extremely loud, half assed stereo.

All it is, is a Nice CDA-9855 Alpine deck, a $30 amp IN the dash to power the Boston Acoustics 4x6's and then under the seat is a Alpine V12 amp 400W's i think and it pushes 2 Boston Acoustic 6x9's in trapezoid boxes that are Velcroed in place between the 2 rear seats and it puts about 170w to the 8 year old 12" MTX sub that is facing down into the foot well, that is dyno-mated, in the way back. And the whole thing is feed with a 140amp Alternator and 2 980A Optima Batteries.

It may not sound like a lot but the acoustics of the wagons is unbelievable. Not at will but during the right songs it will do a pretty good job of blurring your vision. And the when I drive buy it is not a boom boom car. You can hear the highs before you hear the lows. Again I know its not the loudest or the best, but for roughly $1300 its hard to beat and still louder than Many (not all) Rice-Burners  

That's good advice about the drive shaft. The cross member I'm not too worried about as I work in a sheet metal and welding shop. Won't take long to whip up a cross member if necessary. My stereo is no slouch either, I have a pioneer head unit, MTX speakers in the dash, and I have a subwoofer box that holds my MTX 6x9's and 2 12" subs with a no name 400 watt(advertised) amp. I listen to hard rock and heavy metal and it sounds beautiful. The rice burners down here still think they are in the Fst and Furious. You are also right about the acoustics. Maybe I'll just make my exhaust louder than everyones stereo.