definitive weights because I'm tired of speculating
Moved around a bunch of stuff in the garage and thought I'd weigh some of it. This is definitive according to my bathroom scale. All went well until I tried to weigh the 300 and broke the cover on the dial indicator, so 300 weight is approximate.
Bare Olds 215 block 64lbs Bare Olds heads 13lbs Buick 215 heads with springs and valves no rockers 18lbs Bare 4.0/4.6 block with caps 76lbs 4.0 rods 11lbs 4.0 crank 43lbs 4.0 pistons and pins 8lbs camshaft 8lbs 4.6 short block with cam and double row timing chain 153lbs. Deducting 12 pound for cam and timing setup and your right at 140lbs or so. 300 short block with pan and oil pickup, no cam, somewhere near 220lbs. I weighed a bare 300 block once and came up with 126lbs or 62lbs more than the Rover I weighed at the same time. So I think its safe to say the 300 block is 60 to 70 lbs heavier than the aluminum block. Add rotating assemblies and that number goes to 70 to 80pounds. I'll add more after I get a better scale. There are multiple Buick 215, Olds 215, Rover 3.5, 3.9, 4.0 4.6 and Buick 300 engines out there now in multiple states from bare blocks to fully assembled. Also got lots of the other goodies like bell housings, transmissions, intakes etc that I can weigh if someone wants a specific weight on something. I have some bare 3.5/3.9 blocks out there and I really want to see how they compare to the 4.0/4.6 blocks and the Buick/olds blocks. Someone has mentioned a 30 pound difference. I'm seeing 12lbs between olds 215 and a Rover 4.0 block. |
Re: definitive weights because I'm tired of speculating
This is great info, it's nice to see the comparison. In some ways the weight difference between the 300 block and the Rover makes a pretty strong case for the 300 given the increase in reliability vs expense, but then the size difference and the fact that 70lbs is getting tacked onto a vehicle that only weighs around 2000lbs makes you realize why the 215/Rover has been so popular.
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Re: definitive weights because I'm tired of speculating
Upon further reflection, I think the math provides a near absolute case for the 300 based build:
Car weight - 2000 lbs/ 1600 lbs Engine HP - 300 / 300 Lbs per HP - 6.6 / 5.3 Weight loss - 100 lbs / 100 lbs New Lbs per HP - 6.3 / 5 Effective HP gain - 17.6 / 20 So dropping 100 pounds of weight only reflects a 20hp gain in a 1600 pound car... Granted this doesn't take into account differences in handling and braking, but the reliability, cost, and ease of making more power with a 300 is to be considered--if it fits of course. |
MGBV8 Carl Floyd Kingsport, TN (4511 posts) Registered: 10/23/2007 11:32PM Main British Car: 1979 MGB Buick 215 |
Re: definitive weights because I'm tired of speculating
IF it fits? It will fit. An LS1 fits.
GT6 [www.britishv8.org] MGB [www.britishv8.org] [www.britishv8.org] [www.britishv8.org] Chris Gill's Buick 300 [www.mgexp.com] Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/16/2016 07:27PM by MGBV8. |
Re: definitive weights because I'm tired of speculating
What if its going in a Nash Metropolitan? Just kidding, but there are bound to be projects where the size is a make-it or break it.
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Re: definitive weights because I'm tired of speculating
That make it or break it weight is going to depend on what you plan on doing with the car. A heavy cast iron small block chevy may work well in a MGB used for drag racing, but not so much on a road racer. For my purposes, the LS3 and its accompanying 6 speed transmission weighed a total of 640 pounds when I removed it from the 2010 Camaro it previously resided. I've since and will continue to reduce its weight by removing unwanted parts and going with a lighter flywheel. So in my case, something that weighs lets say 625 pounds and makes roughly 500 hp at the wheels with the upgrades I will be doing, its a pretty fair trade off. Seeing how there are lots of heavy pieces on a stock TR8 that can be removed, the swap weights should end up about equal in the end. The other big reason for going LSX, is the cost factor. My buy in was $9300 for the salvaged Camaro with 11,000 miles. After selling off Camaro parts, I should be into it for 5 to 6K. I can spend that on rebuilding a 4.6 and still be looking for all the other parts I need to install it in a car. In fact, I'm doing that exact thing on another TR8. Just got back my 4.6 short block. Nothing wild. +.020 pistons and a cam. I'm into that for over $2K not including the original cost of the engine. Still need to do heads, induction, exhaust, ignition, transmission, clutch. Luckily I have those things in spades laying around, or I wouldn't even consider doing another Rover/Buick engine.
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