[Hickson856]

I'm almost done with the swap and I'm ready to start wiring things up, a gearhead uncle of mine told me to take the temp and oil pressure sensors off the old v6 and put them onto the 400 so that the wiring wont be a nightmare. Only problem is I don't know where the temp or oil pressure sensors are located, anyone have any tips or suggestions? I'm pretty dumbfounded here since the ones on the 400 were so easy to find. Any tips I'm all ears, thanks in advance guys!

[rexs73gto]

The oil pressure sensor is the easy one it is in the same spot as the one on the 400. If it's a gauge it will be a bell shaped unit brass in color or dirty oil covered. HA HA. It will have the 1 wire hook up also. The temp sender is the unit on the left side of the T-Stat houseing & will have 2 wires to it. There will be another one also that is mounted to the left head between the 1 & 3 plug. It's a sorta back up to make a proper reading, it is about the size of a 50 cent piece with 1 wire to it. Take it to hopefully you will have a spot to put it in on the new engine . I will screw into a 5/16 thereaded hole (bolt hole) The temp sensor is about 1 1/2 inch tall has a rubber plug with 2 wires to it , again left side of the T-Stat house.

[Mr Twister]

Is that 229 a 3.8 buick even-fire V-6?

[Hickson856]

Thanks for the info Rex I was able to find one of the sensors between the two spark plugs, unfortunately the rest I couldn't find. The oil pressure sensor for the car never had a gauge, just an indicator light, so whereas the 400 had a sensor wire right where with the oil filter screws on with the bell shaped housing etc the 229 does not. And the temp sender #1 I couldn't find, there's a dual item to the left of the T-stat housing but it appears to be for vacuum lines rather than an electric sender hookup. I included pictures which I apologize aren't the best of quality a storm was rolling in and I had to rush, I can take clearer ones tomorrow if you feel it may help. Maybe with the pictures you can see what I'm referring to and point me in the right direction.
And Mr. Twister I don't know if it's a Buick even fire v-6, all I know is that it's a 229, 3.8 out of a 1980 Pontiac LeMans, if there's a way to tell other than that information let me know because I'd be curious myself.

[LPete]

I'm pretty sure the 229 was based on the small-block Chevy. Don't know much other than that -- I don't think they were around for very long.

Edit: Here's a wiki article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General...176;_V6_engine

[Hickson856]

Pete from what I can tell or at least have heard from other guys is that I actually had a Buick V6 because rather than the distributor being on the front of the engine at a 45 degree angle, it stood verticle in the back of it. That may not be accurate but at least what I was told. I've found the sensors, now its just a matter of finishing the hookup, one that has gotten me puzzled today was the transmission wire on the driver side of the trans, seems about all of my wires are hooked up, andd I can't find the one that's supposed to go there :\

['ol Pinion head]

231 Buick V6 has HEI in the front. 229 60 degree V6 was Chevy piece with HEI distrib in the back. The Chevy 229 was 1st introduced for transverse mounting in the infamous GM X-bodys, then Chevy came out with a traditional fore-aft version for use in the S10 pickups & early S10 Blazers. Your LeMans has the 229. What's the 5th digit of the VIN?

[Hickson856]

The fifth digit of my vin is K, which I thought meant it was a 3.8 229.

['ol Pinion head]

you're correct. What have you put in it for front springs?

[Hickson856]

Well the largest size motor that I could find was available for the car was a 5.0 v8 so I picked up a set of moog front springs and with any luck they'll be substantial enough for the 6.6. It's still got the v6 springs in it which aren't really showing sag, but then the car hasn't been driven since the motor got swapped.

[Mr Twister]

I researched front and rear springs for mine. I will post the Moog part numbers when I find them.

[camerjeff]

Well if it based on a late 70's SBC the oil pressure sender may be on top of block, on the distributor mounting pad, that is were it was on my 77 Impala with a 350 SBC. I know because I had to change it this spring as it sprung a leak out of the center of it and I thought I had lost the rear main seal!!!!

[rexs73gto]

The 229 is a 6 cyl version of the chevy small block. If you look at the pics you provided on the drivers side of the top of the engine right next to the dist. is a 2 prong sensor, that is the oil pressure switch. A switch is for a light & a sender is for a gauge. If you go & buy a sender for the 229 it will work with the gauge in the dash. If you have a light in the dash you will need to buy the sender for the 400 & use an after market gauge & wire it in to that one. But to anwser the question you OPS is right next to the dist. on the drivers side. The round 2 prong plug. If you can find an indash gauge for the car that is the wire that matches that plug to use for that one. Back to the 229 , it was designed by chevy for chevy to be used in the first front wheel drive cars & was used from 79 to 84. They needed a small light weight engine for that car so the small block 305 chevy engine was used with 2 less cylinders to use in that place. It was light & worked for awhile but it was to under powered for what was needed & other engine designs were used in it's place. Once the cars got a little bigger in the engine compartment they could use the buick engine which had more power with better miliage because it didn't have to work so hard to move the cars down the road.

[Hickson856]

Thanks for in the info Rex and Jeff! I actually did end up finding the OPS on top of the motor and already mounted it onto the 400, the LeMans came with no gauges just lights, same for the car that the 400 came out of, so for the time being I think I'll just hook up the lights, and probably add gauges later down the road.
And Twister if you can let me know about those moog springs!

[Lightfoot]

Originally Posted by 'ol Pinion head

229 60 degree V6....... The Chevy 229 was 1st introduced for transverse mounting in the infamous GM X-bodys, then Chevy came out with a traditional fore-aft version for use in the S10 pickups & early S10 Blazers.

Originally Posted by rexs73gto;

Back to the 229 , it was designed by chevy for chevy to be used in the first front wheel drive cars & was used from 79 to 84.

Moot point by now, I know.
But just so the original poster does not go passing on this mis-information on other automobile sites, I'm going to make a correction here.

Pinion Head is confusing the 229 with the 2.8 liter (173) that was designed exclusively for the new FWD X-bodies. Yes, it (173) also turned up later in S10 trucks and even F-bodies through the late eighties.
229 is not a 60 degree engine, as Rex pointed out it's merely a 305 (90 degree), minus one pair of cylinders. And as far as I know it was NEVER used in any FWD platform. It debuted in 1980, in RWD A-bodies and B-bodies. It actually replaced the 231 Buick V6 as the standard engine in Lemans that year.

In 78-79 There was an even smaller 90 degree SBC V6 that was used in Malibus and El Caminos. It was 200ci, probably derived from the 262 SBC V8.

['ol Pinion head]

Yes I was mistaken on the 229, the only small Chevy V6's I've worked on a lot have been the '87 or so 4.3's, mainly in S10's.

Over the years I've dragged in a few early 80's GM G-body's with 3.8's. Buick had the distrib in the front. Chevy 229 in the back. Have an '85 231 with a good crank in it at the warehouse, it's a rarity, most had oiling problems. The Regal it was supposed to go in was parted of nice plastic & sheetmetal & crushed. Most of the mid '80's Olds & Buicks I've had were locked up engine deals & made great junkers to winch up on the the trailer & load up scrap metal & parts from older GM's.