Story by Phil

“If someone had told me in the 60s that the Buick V-6 would be the most common engine found in all GM cars I would have laughed at them…”

In 1960 Buick was interested in producing a small car with higher gas mileage. AMC’s Rambler American, Ford Falcon, and Chevrolet Corvair were all doing well. Buick thought a small luxury car would do well also. Introduced in 1961 were the Buick V-6 Special and Skylark series. It was a 198 cubic inch one-barrel carb ODD fire engine. They were called odd fire because like the V-8 two connecting rods shared the same crankshaft journal. This meant that a 360-degree rotation could not be divided equally with only six cylinders. Four cylinders would fire on equal degrees, and then a coast period, then two more would fire then another coast. If you look at the distributor cap you will see the wires are not spaced out even. Because of this the engine idled very rough. Soft engine mounts were used to try to prevent the shaking from being transmitted into the body of the car.

In 1964 the V-6 was enlarged to a 225 cu. in two-barrel carb engine. Rated at 155 HP it had a lot of torque and was quite peppy. Still an odd fire engine with the rough idle. It stayed this way until 1967. Buick decided they no longer needed the engine and would use the 250 cubic inch Chevrolet in-line six in its place for 1968. They sold the engine to AMC for use in the Jeep. The Outboard Marine Corporation (OMC) also used the engine for its stringer mount out drive boat applications.

In 1973 Buick came out with the Apollo, a modified version of the Chevrolet Nova. Two engines were available, the Buick 350 V-8 and the 250 Chevrolet in-line 6. They were sorry they sold the V-6 and went to great expense to buy it back. Reintroduced in 1975 it came back as a 231 cubic inch. odd fire engine rated at 150 hp. The Apollo was renamed the Skylark and the V-6 was the primary engine. Also the 1975 Skyhawk came out and the V-6 was the only engine available. In 1976 it became available in the Regal.

The rough idle from the odd fire V-6 was getting to be a problem. The rough idle just didn’t go with a luxury car. In 1977 ½ the crankshaft was reworked. Each rod had its own journal. Now the 360-degree circle was divided equally. Still a 231 cu. In. engine it now had a smooth idle. Horsepower was now at 105. The EVEN fire V-6 became the primary engine for the redesigned 1978 Regal. At 750 pounds lighter than the 1977 model the engine was adequate.

In 1978 a turbo charger was add on the Regal Sport Coupe. The idea was good gas mileage AND the extra power when it was needed. This version was rated at 165 horsepower. It was a great idea on paper but Buick wasn’t the car for a turbo in 1978. These engines mandated a 3 month or 3000 mile oil and filter change to maintain the turbo. Buick owners tend to over look service intervals. Many turbos failed because of this at a high expense to the owner.

Because of gas mileage concerns the V-6 found its way into the Electra 225 and even the Cadillac Deville in 1981. GM had been delaying fuel injection for a long time because of the expense. New smog standards forced them into it in 1985. Buick’s first model was the 1984 Grand National. Fuel injection and a turbo made it a runner for its time. This gave the V-6 a real boost in horsepower. The engine was also reworked for use in front wheel drive cars like the 1985 Century at 150 horsepower. A very lightweight car it was a good runner also. Up to this point the V-6 was referred to as a “231″ or “V-6″. In 1985 it was called the “3.8″

1986 brought Buick back to the performance car it was in 1970 with the GSX. The Regal T-Type and Grand National sported the 3.8 with fuel injection, large Garrett turbo, and an intercooler. At 275 horsepower it ran the quarter mile in under 14 seconds. Zero to 60 times in less than 5 seconds. These intercooled cars were built from 1986-87 and are considered collectors cars now.

1987 ½ the 3800 came out. This was a front wheel drive 3.8 with a counter balance shaft. A real smooth engine rated at 165 horsepower. We called it a “thirty eight hundred” so as not to be confused with the 3.8

1990 a tuned port intake plenum was added and horsepower now 170. We called this engine the “3800 tuned port”. 1991 on the Park Avenue Ultra a super charger was added. Unlike the turbo that had a low rpm power lag the belt driven super charger didn’t have this problem. It was no Grand National but had a lot of kick for a front wheel drive car.

The current version is called the “Series II”. Its smooth as glass, high torque, good horsepower, can take heavy loads, and great gas mileage. It is used in many GM models including the Camaro and Firebird. If someone had told me in the 60s that the Buick V-6 would be the most common engine found in all GM cars I would have laughed at them.

Phil