I have 89 Buick LeSabre wagon which has 2 more years before emissions expire. The 'Y' block Olds does OK although I think the tranny needs rebuild. A thought I had was to replace the Olds and 200R4 with a newer LS engine and tran. Anyone done it? Another option would be o go old school and find a good old Buick 400-455 for it (keep it all Buick!) A real wild idea is to install a 6 speed stick in with the LS! Since most are hydraulic controlled it might not be bad. Having a stick shift wagon would be fun, expecially at cruis'ins Any ideas / input is welcome for it will be a year before I get into this drivetrain.
You could even stay pretty cheap with the build and keep the carb. Grab a 4.8 truck pullout with the harness and sensors still on it from a junkyard, pick up a 700-R4, buy the Edelbrock kit with the ignition box and carb'd intake, then drop a carb on it, and go. The Edelbrock ignition box uses the pulses from the stock sensors to generate the info needed to fire the stock coils. Very slick! You can even mount the coils remotely and have traditional plug wires go from there. Would look VERY factory if done right. This is on my to-do list for a B-body Olds CC at some point in my life. Would be even better if you swapped cams while it's out. Those 4.8's really wake up with a carb'd intake and a step up from a mild cam. Hot Rod did an LS turbo build at one point they thought was a 5.3 but it turned out to be a 4.8 and it did 1000-1200hp on the dyno! 300-400hp is easy with an LS without spending big bucks or using a big block!
Check out the wagon owned by a member Wicked on here. He has a LS wagon he built and could probably answer any questions you have.
They've really come down in price, too! Recently found a whole setup, [5.3 engine , trans and computer] for $1200!!!
Go to LS1tech.com and check there classifieds. They have 4.8, 5.3, 5.7 and 6.0 selling all the time at a reasonable price. thanks Chris
After driving my new Eagle with the 5.3L swapped in, honestly, I wouldn't want an old carbed engine. It runs so smooth, has lots of power and gets 17.5 mpg with 35" tires.
