260/350 olds smog question

My 1979 cutlass supreme brougham has a 260v8 with at least a blown head gasket. My question is about smog control. I live in California and my car must be smogged. Instead of pulling the 260 and rebuilding I would like to buy a 350 olds from a wrecker. Since this motor was an option for my cutlass, will the smog specs be the same? My way of thinking tells me that there should be no difference in smog equipment adaptation since the only difference is the bore. I need to know if I am thinking correctly or am I wasting my time? I would like the slight increase in power and, let's face it, it just sounds better to say 350 rather than 260? Thanks for any help or advice offered.  

most of the time this can be pulled off with success...   if they really get in under the hood.. very few smog shops check casting numbers... so as long as it looks bone stock.. you can get by with a ton of stuff....

one thing...   81.. california car...  does it have a feed back carb?????  if so.. you really need to get a feed back carb from a 350...  as the jetting is not able to compensate for the increase in cubic inches...   but the carb may be for a 350 chevy... as i don't think they made one for a 350 olds... they did make them for 307 olds... with feed back...

you might be better getting the entire system and motor from a  later model 307 olds motor... as it plugs through the fire wall and can be connected with care to the existing dash wiring...

the 81's did not have an aldl...  they used feed back 307's until 87 and the computers and diagnosis with a scan tool is far better...   and then you don't have to mess with the jetting...

i wonder if you really have a blown head gasket... most of the time on 260 olds motors.. the intake manifold valley pan corrodes out leaking coolant out the front or back of the motor..

i have also had to repair corrosion problems with the intake...     a drill with a drill bit .. some wd40 to stop it from sticking to the drill...     cheep brake cleaner to clean off any residual oil...   packing it with JB WELD....   waiting for it to dry... sanding the area flat with care...     and with blocked passages stuffed tight with paper towels;.. then washing it ...

this has repaired a lot of leaking intakes...   and is a ton cheeper than welding...

when replacing the valley pan...  ultra silicone on both sides of the gasket around the water openings....

oh... 307 olds intake manifolds also have corrosion problems...  

I will research the feedback carb situation. This is the first olds I have ever owned. I'm not sure if the head gasket is blown or not. It is blowing oil out of the breather under throttle. No water in oil or oil in water. I really hope it is not rings. I am going to do my investigation today to see how far I need to tear it down. Still need to do compression test and check plugs and all the simple stuff. With the Olds 350 are the exhaust manifolds different than the 260? Motor mounts should be the same. Did Oldsmobile use different transmissions with these motors? The car is a 1979. So does that mean that I need to get a 350 from 79 or is the range wider than that? Thank you for your response, I appreciate the help.  

check the PCV system ...   make sure that the hoses are open... and that when you unplug the pcv valve from the end of the hose... that the engine .. at idle... dies..

this verifies enough flow...

if it has electric wires to the carb.. it has a feed back system...
some california cars starting in 78 had feed back carb systems...

what i was talking about.. the 260 is a very small displacement motor... all the external components on that are sized for a 260 ...  intake manifold, exhaust manifolds, exhaust head pipes..   i was just forward thinking...


if it just blows a little from the breather ... do the pcv test.  

I have good compression in all cylinders...........except one. I have zero compression in one. I'm going to pull the head and check it out. If only a head gasket I will replace both and clean up everything as I go. Kinda looking forward to tearing it down. I have other transportation so no big tomato. My grandpa wanted me and my son to have it and keep it in the family. My son is super excited to have such a plush smooth ride for his first car. It is better the head gasket blow while I am driving it than him. I really want a 350 in the car but it is more prudent to repair the 260. We live on flat ground so the 260 will be good for around town and a great first car for a first time driver. I plan on tearing it down over the next day or so. Finally a break from the heat wave so it wont be so hot in the garage. Thank you for all of your advise and info. Please keep it coming. I have always been a Ford and Volkswagen guy. Still have my 66 mustang but no more old veedubs. Smog equipment is miserable but I guess necessary. Like I said before, my first olds and only my second GM. My father in law is die hard Chevy and so is my Brother in law so I catch *** all the time. Maybe they will leave my Oldsmobile alone and not pick on me too bad!  

if your in-laws are worth their bowties, they should be happy with your "religious" conversion and help all they can

congrats on the end of a heat wave...here, we had the ONLY july in recorded history with no temps in the 90's

before pulling the head, pressurize the cylinder (i use an adaptor between my air compressor hose and the hose from my compression guage) make sure both valves are closed...find the air leak and find the problem...could be as simple as a head gasket or as bad as a cracked head

if the motor doesn't overheat, a head gasket breakage between the cylinder and the coolant passage seems improbable as does a cracked head

are the valve springs in good shape, i.e., not broken ...seen that too

good luck with what ever the problem turns out to be...and the heat wave  
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the red-headed step-child of the mailing list

fuzzy dice, air shocks & N50's rule

Broken piston. Now I really need to find a 350. I refuse to rebuild a 260. Why rebuild a motor just to be disappointed when you fire it up? I have to go shop around the local junkyards for a decent candidate. Really wasn't expecting a broken piston. Might be able to get around most of the smog laws. Next county over only requires a smog inspection at the transfer of title. After that you're golden. Time to get organized and clean the garage before the big teardown and buildup. As far as the bowtie thing goes.........Chevy's are like tampons, every *** has to have one  

ouch!! that was below the belt...

i was just trying to be nice...maybe a little sarcastic too

glad you found the problem...sorry it had to be catastrophic

can't say that i blame you for going bigger since it is what you really wanted anyway

good luck with the smog nazis  
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the red-headed step-child of the mailing list

fuzzy dice, air shocks & N50's rule

just curious if you ever figured out if it is computer controlled??????/   got more than one wire to the carb????  

Don't take it that way. Just a stupid saying. I like pretty much anything with 4 wheels and a motor.(especially when they don't have a broken piston.) Besides, my favorite car we had when I was growing up was a 1975 Pontiac Grand Prix. White with white interior, console shift, beautiful car. My dad has a Cadillac 1973 stretch Fleetwood with jump seats, two separate A/C systems, all that good stuff. I love big cars no matter what manufacturer. The only thing I will say about Fords is that generally they come up with a new idea; for example the Mustang in 64', and it took Chevrolet 2-3 years to come up with an answer. Now we have had the mustang in its small block form kicking ass for a long time. After the remodel of the mustang for 05' it took the mopar guys a couple of years to put out an answer and Chevy 5 years to come up with an answer. If you haven't seen the new Taurus you are in for a surprise as well. Puts the Charger to shame. I don't think that Chevy even tries to compete in the full size car category anymore. I just get tired of every hillbilly with any car with a small block chevy and a summit catalog thinking he is Dale Jr. Quoting HP figures based on reading all of the bolt on HP and adding it up. Believe me, we Ford guys take way more crap than anyone. And btw, the new Hyundai sports car smoked the new camaro in Road and Track.  

As far as I saw, the carb only had one wire. I need to find a good 350 used. I am going to the wrecker today. Love looking around the dismantler.