A freind of mine may be aquireing a Skylark that has a 340 in it, i looked in a book here at the house and saw they were 66 and 67 only then being replaced(?)in 68 with the 350. What kind of trannies do they usually have behind them? Are parts interchangable with any other motors, maybe like the Buick 300 which was discontinued the same year? Deyomatic has that big book of V-8s and both of the 4bbl units put out 260hp and 365ft/lbs while the 2bbl puts out about 220, do these #'s seem right. Any help would be great thanks. -Jesse
Jesse I had a 67 GS with a 340 and a factory 4 speed..., I never took it apart so I can't tell you what other trany's will work, but I believe that they had 400 trany's also! By the way the GS with the 340 ran 15.3 in the Quarter with my crappy shifting in a 3,400 lb car! Outta scoot in a smaller car! Mark
Those hp figures sound about right. It wasn't exactly a "hot" motor or anything, just the standard V8. The 340 had a taller deck height than the 300, so intakes are wider for the 340. Not too sure about the trannies used in those cars though. I think that the 215-300-340 are all related actually. I know that there's a guy over at the GSCA named Sean Etson or something like that, and he is THE guy to talk to about these motors. I believe he runs a 67 special or skylark with a modified 300 that runs low 12's in the 1/4. I'd tell your buddy to join the GS club and hunt down Mr. Etson. That's all I really know. Good luck.
Very cool, this one has a BOP powerglide I think(it is a 2 speed)but hopefully I'll know for sure this weekend. I wonder if parts are hard toget for them or not. -Jesse
That tranny is an st300, which is a variable pitch 2 speed. Also, Sean Etson is one of the tech talk moderators at Buicks.net, so your friend could probably go & find him there to pick his brain. He's definitely the guy he needs to speak to if he plans on doings some performance mods.
Repoguy is correct, the trans is a ST300, a 2 speed. Not a powerglide. It has the switch pitch converter, and is the low-buck upghrade to a higher stall switch pitch used in the ST400. The converters interchange. The bellhousing pattern on the 340 should be same as the standard B-O-P, so you can use any T350 or better yet get a 200R4 and use the OD gear for freeway cruising. There is nothing inherently bad about the 340, but it does have limited production. Go to www.V8Buick.com and you can learn lots about it there.
Those engines are great and dependable as far as I am concerned. My dad has one in a 66 LeSabre with a 400 trans behind it, it pulls that big beast down the road like a champ. I wouldn't hesitate putting one in a car, the only problem, like said before, is getting replacement parts, or dress-up items. Below is a pick of my dad's big Buihog. -Joe
i have a 65 skylark and am trying to switch out the 225 fireball and tranny with a buick 340 with the t350 tranny, i am new to restorations, any help or suggestions
The 340's did have a good power band with really good torque for the street. It should fit right in there... But I'm not familiar with what things you'll need to change to make it work.
I have a couple/few 340 Buicks. The hp rating of the 4 bbl version is 260, as stated. Also, they are BOP trans pattern as stated. The 340 has the 300 exhaust manifold configuration but the top of the heads and valve covers are more like an 350 Buick or an SBC instead of the faux Nailhead appearance of the 215/300/ V8's and the V6's of the era. The 340 is kind of a transitional engine between the 300 and 350. The Buicks are fairly lightweight, only a bit heavier than a Chevy, if at all. I like 'em. Mothman, you should find that an easy swap, using mostly stock bits and pieces. The motor mounts should be in the same location. The trans mount I am not sure about, but the crossmember in that era was, I think moveable along the frame side rails to accommodate the trans mount position. Ray
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