Engine swap into a 96 Buick Roadmaster
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Teching In
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From: Rockford, Mich
Engine swap into a 96 Buick Roadmaster Thanks for the birthday wishes. It has been a long time coming but the time has come. A 2016 Camaro LT-1 with an 8L90 transmission, in what is called a Master Kit, has showed up for sale. Very low mileage and expensive, but just what I want to stuff into my 1996 Buick Roadmaster Limited. The kit is being assembled as we speak and delivery will be very close to the new year. There is a lot I don't know about this swap but if the engine runs on a shipping pallet it will run in the car. Anybody got a big shoehorn? I know i'm going to have to fab a larger transmission tunnel. I'm thinking of getting a clip out of a 6L80 Camaro body. The casings for the 6L and 8L are identical. So I am told.
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Teching In
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From: Rockford, Mich
You all remember when Buick quit making a rear wheel drive car; Yeah, that was 1996 and they marketed that car as a collector's edition. Guess who is collecting the 1996 Buick Roadmaster? NO-ONE or at least to my knowledge. I have taken delivery on a portion of the Engine kit taken from a 2016 Camaro with an 8L90 Transmission from the Parts Farm in Lyons, Ga. Less than 19,000 miles on it. FYI, they have one with only 250 miles on it. Only "a nickel" more. I had to pass on that one. I have found one brave soul to help me with the heavy lifting and has expertize in LS swaps into the F body cars. My original 96 Roadmaster came with the LT-1 5.7L engine with 260 HP and the 4L90E transmission. Today that engine and transmission combination is just short of 261,000 miles. the only work on it has been the ordinary starter, alternator and ignition wires and plugs of course; I.E. normal maintenance issues. The engine has had the famous GM tick ever since I bought it used in 2001. The stock differential ratio is 2.58:1 and those gears will not except an Eaton Tru-Trac Posi. So my first line of business is installing a 3.08:1 gear ration that will accept the tru-trac posi unit. Now I wait to be scheduled for engine transplant. I'll keep you all posted with the hiccups a unforeseen fitting problems. I have gutted the interior in anticipation of the transmission tunnel alteration. OOPS! their are holes in the front floor sheet metal. Now how could that happen in Michigan?? This is not going to be a racing car. it will be an exciting grocery getter.
Funny, I had a roommate in college from Lyons. Small onion town next to Vidalia.
Why would you go with a 3.08? I see it's a marginal improvement over the original gear, but it's still a little tall for a hot rod feel. I'd suggest a 3.42 if you're still looking for some economy. The 8 spd trans should make up for the rest.
Why would you go with a 3.08? I see it's a marginal improvement over the original gear, but it's still a little tall for a hot rod feel. I'd suggest a 3.42 if you're still looking for some economy. The 8 spd trans should make up for the rest.
Thread Starter
Teching In
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From: Rockford, Mich
Good question Bud and a good observation. This car is not going to be raced: it is going to be an exciting Grocery getter and everyday transportation with the gentle road feel of the B Body GM Buick Roadmaster. I just like that car. But the old LT1 is getting tired and it was tuned down from the 1995 Corvette application. I'm retire and need the fuel economy. Yeah it wont be there when I stick my foot into it so I will have to be careful. But the heavy body will settle the car down to just a ho-hum driver. Because I was born 11 days after the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor and now I am just a ho-hum driver myself. Sounds like a good match don't you think?
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Teching In
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From: Rockford, Mich
I agree and that was my long time dream when I bought this car in 2001. The master kit the engine came with should solve all the wiring issues. If it ran well in the Camaro, it should run well in the old Buick. Time will tell. The work starts in about one week giving me time to fix the Michigan rust issues. I have far more than I reckoned for.
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Teching In
Joined: Jan 2013
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From: Rockford, Mich
All you folks that cautioned me against this swap will get your chance to say "I told you so"! I have already gone through two shops that wanted the work only to say we don't want that much work. So I'm down to a one man shop that does specialty work on old Z28 F-Bodies. He looked at what I got and said it was a "rat's nest." But if GM can take a barrel of ABS pellets and sheet metal squeeze and bend all that material into a 2016 LT-1 Camaro; these two body styles can be made to work together. I have noted one weird thing, in the course of buying the engine and transmission kit. The salvage yard does not sell the catalytic converters. They say the EPA does not allow them to sell to anyone but a rebuilder. That I don't understand. The ECU needs those converters to talk it. Why are the Cats not part of the whole engine.? Anybody have an answer to that one?
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Yeah, I wonder about that too. I think the thing is, if you are gonna use a salvage engine, you ARE gonna use fresh converters on it! They are SO afraid you are gonna use some cooked-out old converters in your project. Paranoia....
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Teching In
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From: Rockford, Mich
That sounds like a logical explanation of the EPA tact. But less that 19,000 miles on the original converters?! They can't be burned out yet. The EPA needs an oversight board of common sense mechanics. I measured the 8L90 and now have dimensions I can use to cut the transmission tunnel in the B-body to fit the larger transmission. I'm still waiting for the ECU from the parts farm. That was not shipped with the engine crate and Kit boxes
I don't know why. maybe the commuter has to be tweaked for security functions or whatever.
I don't know why. maybe the commuter has to be tweaked for security functions or whatever.
Funny, I had a roommate in college from Lyons. Small onion town next to Vidalia.
Why would you go with a 3.08? I see it's a marginal improvement over the original gear, but it's still a little tall for a hot rod feel. I'd suggest a 3.42 if you're still looking for some economy. The 8 spd trans should make up for the rest.
Why would you go with a 3.08? I see it's a marginal improvement over the original gear, but it's still a little tall for a hot rod feel. I'd suggest a 3.42 if you're still looking for some economy. The 8 spd trans should make up for the rest.
Thread Starter
Teching In
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From: Rockford, Mich
Why a 3.08:1 differential ratio? That is the closest to 2.58:1 as I can get, that will accept an Eton Tru-trac Posi unit. I need the car to be economical as well as exciting performance. I have no intentions to race the car or to bet I can out run a super charged, bottle fed Honda. I will enjoy the ride and watch the cops stop the road races. In actuality; the 8L90 does not have all that much better Overdrive ration than the 4L90E. It's the 4.5:1 1st gear that got my attention. Compare that to the 4L60E"s anemic 2:54:1 1st gear. I'm going to need that posi unit. I might be able to play with tire size to get my original tire travel back. I'm not good at adding and subtracting gear ratio's but I can calculate tire rotation and circumferential distance. I'll get close and that will have to do for my application. I will take it to the strip and get a track time. If some one wants to race I'll just show them the official track time of my car. I've watched to many guys lunch their gear boxes to enjoy doing that over an argument of my cars is faster than your car. If someone asks me if I want to race; I'll just say; NOPE! I can do that, because I'm old and experienced. I have nothing more to prove.
So is this a wagon build? I'd love it if so. As the owner of a 96 RMW, I feel your pain on the lack of "collectors." Finding body and interior parts is a nightmare.
It sounds like yours has treated you much better than mine. I hope you plan to drop in rear discs when you rebuild the axle.
It sounds like yours has treated you much better than mine. I hope you plan to drop in rear discs when you rebuild the axle.
Thread Starter
Teching In
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From: Rockford, Mich
Reality has hit the fan! The big Buick engine room is not so open as I expected it to be. The issue is a cradle mount 2016 uni-body construction verses a full frame engine room and there is not enough clearance for the PS, AC and alternator, as mounted in the Camaro to fit into the 96 B-body without hitting the steering gear. Need to buy the brackets to mount all that stuff at the top of the engine. I have some good "gear-heads" working on it for me but this swap is going to have to sacrifice the ABS system. Not a problem for me as I grew up without that system anyway and I'm not going to be racing it. More to come!
Thread Starter
Teching In
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From: Rockford, Mich
Roger that G.A. I should have thought of that but I'm not in the business of doing engine swapping I only have the urge to do this one. I was interested in the Fuel management system as well as the 8L90 transmission; So the cost to fitting it in the 96 Buick is just something I'll have to swallow. I likely will have to buy a LS truck application water pump. Now I want to use the Camaro instrument cluster to monitor this new stuff. Any suggestions where I can go to figure out that wiring trick?
Last edited by Grey-96; May 10, 2018 at 11:06 PM.
I'm betting that you can save the ABS with the right bracketry
if LS motor will fit in a S body why not yours.truck or aftermarket brackets for PS and Alt
and I though at first it was a joke seeing the roadmaster engine into the 2010 Camaro post
if LS motor will fit in a S body why not yours.truck or aftermarket brackets for PS and Alt
and I though at first it was a joke seeing the roadmaster engine into the 2010 Camaro post