I have the 50 Merc with the ****ily done 84 Buick front clip. It has a 307 in it now. I need to replace the current clip and want to do so with a camaro front clip and rear end. My goal is to have a bagged reliable daily driver/cruiser, not a HP monster.(although a little oomph would be nice.) I can get the clip and rear end for around $500. But I can also get a complete running car with either a 350 or 400 for about a $1000. So my dilemma is do i go for a camaro clip and stay with the 307 or go for a whole donor car with its bigger motor? Will a Buick 307 even bolt into a camaro front or would I need to mod the mounts? What would you do?
Here's how it looks now. From other posts about my car the idea of a frame replacement has been suggested. I should still have enough original frame to replace the clip with a Camaro clip. Not to mention trying to locate a cost effective replacement Merc frame around my area is not very feasable. I sure as hell would like to know what the PO was thinking when he cobbled this together...
Probably NOT what you want to hear, but have you considered buying both? You need the Camaro clip. You also need Cheby engine , trans, and rear end that match. Now you will also have a drive shaft you can cut to length, and a M/C that matches the brakes. Might be cheaper in the long run to have a donor that you can strip all sorts of goodies off.
did you do a search here? lots of info posted : 49 Merc Build, !949 Merc Build-Any Ideas, 51 Merc Opinion, etc
Thats exactly what I was thinking! I have my friend, read damn near every Merc build and suspension thread - at least the first 5-7 pages worth of each anyway.
timd, The Buick engine should bolt in, but you will need a set of Apollo motor mounts (Buick clone of a Nova). Those stubs usually have various mounting holes drilled in them for the various companies engines. I posted my opinion about how to line up the stub and graft it on on your other thread.
Why not just cut that clip loose that is already there and properly install it? You are going to need to go right through and rebuild any clip that you are going to buy anyways. So I would just use that one.
How's he going to improve that when it's already cut too narrow? By the time he gets it all fitted up properly, the wheelbase will be off, and it will be way too narrow....
Is it a Chev 307 or an Olds 307 which has the oil filler sticking up just to p***enger side of the thermostat? Any of the 70's/80's GM V8 rear wheel drive engines will hook up to a Camaro subframe with the right mounts. If you measure the Merc part of the frame right where they cut it and measure the Camaro subframe you should find that the subframe will slide right between the Merc rails. At least the early rear steering ones will. Then you will figure out that with a bit of t******* at the back end the extended pieces of the Camaro subframe that normally go under the body of the Camaro should meet right up with the forward part of the Merc X member with a bit of t*******. All that will work if they didn't hack the Merc frame off too far back behind the stock crossmember. You won't win many drag races with the 307 but with it tuned well you should be able to reach out and drive across Montana at highway speeds and pull close to 20 mpg in the process. I ran a 72 350 Olds with a two barrel in my 51 Merc for years. It pulled about 18 on road trips and cruised at 80 going to Texas on one road trip. If that 307 doesn't have enough poop you can always replace it with an Olds 350R, 400 or 455 and then it will walk and talk.
If you can wield cover over bad area with steel plate,Is the wheel in center and width ok.Just fix it.All engines should fit.
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