wanted...231ci V6 advice!

[h-bot]

From: fyrftr50_REMOVE_663036_THIS_@yahoo.com


After reading dozens upon dozens of H-Body site
posts, I've come to realize I may be the only V6 owner
out there, lol. Oh well, I'm a fan of the 231, what
can I say?

This is my 3rd Monza and 2nd V6 and
I'm sticking with it. I guess it comes down to cost
really, I already have the V6 siting in my engine bay and
have a friend who will be assisting me (OK, who am I
kidding here, I'll be assisting him) in the V6 rebuild. I
get the mileage of the V6 and with the extra ponies I
can milk out of the 231 rebuild, I should be more
than satisfied with the cars performance and fuel
economy as well (hell, gas is over $.70 a litre again,
uggh).

I don't have the expertise to maintain a
V8 monster like a lot of other members here do
(besides, any motor you need to jack up off the mounts in
order to get to a spark plug is way too much effort for
me, hehe).

OK, now the point of all this
rambling is this ... I want to get some ideas flowing for
when I get my engine rebuilt sometime in the fall
(whenever my buddy gets a free moment from rebuilding
Hemis). What are some of the things I need to
do/acquire/consider in order to maximize the performance and
durability of my 231 V6 engine. I want an engine with plenty
of ponies (to eat up the rice burners with their
whiney cherry bomb pipes out the back... oh, and 'stangs
as well, of course) but also want it to be able to
withstand regular use in the summer (no Canadian winters
for this ex-California car) including extended
highway mileage when necessary. Any thoughts/suggestions
would be very much appreciated. Thanks in
advance.
Bryan


[This is message #199 by user fyrftr50 on Yahoo! Club Marco's Monza Messageboard: http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/marcosmonzamessageboard ]

[h-bot]

From: chevyman43055_REMOVE_747335_THIS_@yahoo.com


find a wrecked grand national or t-type regal,'84
or newer and rob all the go fast goodies off of
it
a monza with a grand national motor would spank any
corvette.did you know the FASTEST trans am ever made was v6
powered? its true.1989 turbo trans am was the fastest
production t/a ever built

so if you got the
denaro,build a turbo v6,hell the parts are plentiful.make sure
you spend the money on a high quality oil pump
rebuild kit and buy a NEW,not used front cover.i have
built a few big block buick motors and i can tell you
from experience,BUY a new cover! even if it looks like
yours is ok,its not.get a new one
just my 2 scents


[This is message #200 by user chevyman43055 on Yahoo! Club Marco's Monza Messageboard: http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/marcosmonzamessageboard ]

[h-bot]

From: bgammons32_REMOVE_176185_THIS_@yahoo.com


No, you are not the only H-body owner with a
Buick 231 V6. I have a 78 Monza Spyder that came with a
Buick 196 (3.2L) V6. I stored the original engine and
dropped in a 231(3.8L). I had an engine shop build it for
me. He had built other 3.8L's so he HIGLY recommended
a high volume oil pump. Poor oil flow is what kills
these engines. I opted for forged AL pistons, molly
ring, a hotter cam (one up from stock, but not to
radical), and had all the internal engine parts balanced
for smother running and longer engine life. On top I
had an old Holley AL dual plane intake and an
Edelbrock 650. The engine is strong. At idle, has a little
skipping like the hotter cams. I did not put on the Hooker
headers I have, but maybe sometime in the future. I am
not sure what the horsepower went up to, but it was
very noticeable. I ran the car at a track in Maryland
and it did the ¼ mile in 17.14. Not to bad
considering road test of a stock 75 Monza V8 stated times of
17.10. One great thing about the V6 is the car can
corner very well. Many people I have talked to that had
a V8 Monza that tried to corner the car hard ended
up flying off the corner and wrecking their car.
This leads be to believe that that remainder of the V8
Monzas are becoming even harder to find! Hope this helps
you in your project !
Bradley


[This is message #215 by user bgammons32 on Yahoo! Club Marco's Monza Messageboard: http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/marcosmonzamessageboard ]

[h-bot]

From: fyrftr50_REMOVE_434694_THIS_@yahoo.com


Bradley
Well, what you have in your engine bay
sounds very much what I'm looking for. I'm not building
a pro street dragster or anything radical. My car
will look stock right down to the Spyder detailing but
I just want the engine to have a few more ponies
and last as well as drive regularly in city and
highway. I already looked into an oil pump but the brand I
was recommended to only sells a rebuilt kit for the
V6 not a whole new pump, not sure if this is good
enough, I'll keep looking for a decent high
velocity/volume oil pump.
I intend for my Monza to corner very
well, once I've added another set of anti-sway
bars.
Thanks for the info I really enjoy getting others
feedback and ideas, it will help me in my Monza. Thanks
again.
bryan


[This is message #216 by user fyrftr50 on Yahoo! Club Marco's Monza Messageboard: http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/marcosmonzamessageboard ]