67 sportsman van and engine pics

matthies · Feb 26, 2015

See if these come through, maybe doubles.

Steve@Advance · Feb 26, 2015

Mid 60's Buick.

Mark - IN. · Feb 26, 2015

That's a strange looking engine. The valve covers don't exactly look familiar, although they look to have 4 hold down screws similarly placed to small block Chevys, BUT the distributors on both small and big block Chevys were at the rear of the engine, through the top of the intake manifold. That's a Delco Remy alternator and looks to be a two barrel Rochester. The valve covers look similar to those that Rambler used on the 327 Chevy engines they used, but still, the distributors on Chevy V8s were at the rear of the engine.

Thats a strange looking critter. Back then Oldsmobiles were painted gold, Buicks green, and I think Pontiacs were green too...maybe red.

Mark

Chuck (CA) · Feb 26, 2015

I was ready to agree with Steve about it being a Buick, commonly known as a Nailhead, but the distributor is throwing me off.

2x4 · Feb 26, 2015

is it military surplus by any chance? Any sign of it being painted olive green at one time? I had a mil. surplus Dodge van once that had a 318 V-8. Military ordered special made vehicles.

gab · Feb 26, 2015

I think it's a buick engine, middle 60's plus or minus a year or 2.

John M · Feb 27, 2015

Reversed 283.

Dieseltech · Feb 27, 2015

Could it be the 215 V-8? Don't remember where it had the distributor...

Aaron Ford · Feb 27, 2015

The nailhead swap was pretty common as it was the narrowest v8 that commonly would fit where the old stovebolt 6 had lived. I am going out on a limb and calling this one a 1962 215. Cool swap.

Aaron

BANDITFARMER · Feb 27, 2015

I'm not positive but that looks a lot like 231 V6 Buick engine to me. The intake looks like a V6 intake to me, But I could be wrong cause its been years sense I've seen one. Bandit

BANDITFARMER · Feb 27, 2015

DUH Boy do I feel dumb for not counting plug wires! But it still looks like a Buick. Bandit

D7fever · Feb 27, 2015

Sure looks like a Buick engine. Tight squeeze to put that v8 in that van. Chevrolet stopped using the stovebolt 6 in 1962. made a different inline 6 after that. I think that '67 was the first year Chevrolet made the van. Or maybe '66.

Jo Bird · Feb 27, 2015

aarron , I agree, the block identification #'s should be on the front of the block. The last eight characters will be the engine code..

Aaron Ford · Feb 27, 2015

Yep, you are right. I call all Chevrolet inline 6's up to a 1988 a "stovebolt" but true "stovebolts" did end in '62. This would have originally had a third generation inline 6.

I saw one mounted mid engine in a mid 70's Camaro. The guy was racing SIFER (Seattle International Figure Eight Racing) and did pretty well with it. Surely the only one I had seen before or since.

Aaron

John M · Feb 27, 2015

Still saying its a reversed 283. Look how low the water pump is setting, distributor in the front. That engine was used like that in marine applications reversed as well. I know, we had one.

Sprint 6 · Feb 27, 2015

Buick 215 V8. Take a magnet to it, I bet it is aluminum.

Mike in Mn. · Feb 27, 2015

That's an early Buick, look at the engine lifting tabs, distributor, water pump, valve covers and color and breather, Rochester 2 bbl. carb, there is NOOOOOO question about that. I used to work at a Buick, Pontiac and GMC dealer, could take that engine apart and back together in my sleep, they were east to work on. But it didn't come from the factory with it. Would have had that little straight 6 like the Chevy II's had, I think it was a 194 Cu. In. Been too long ago.

oldtanker · Feb 27, 2015

(quoted from post at 06:48:08 02/27/15) Still saying its a reversed 283. Look how low the water pump is setting, distributor in the front. That engine was used like that in marine applications reversed as well. I know, we had one.

Look at the last picture from the OP. You can see the water pump. Not right for an early small block Chevy. It is an V8. Count the plug wires. I'd have to go with Buick too. Wasn't all that uncommon back in the day for an owner or a mechanic to do that kind of swap. Most often to keep something running when they ventilated a block. Sometimes they would swap engine and tranny together or they would buy the necessary adapters to just bolt it in.

Rick

John M · Feb 27, 2015

I see the waterpump, down low, just like it was on
our boat. Same valve covers, carb, everything just
like it was on our boat. Maybe Im thinking 283 since
it kinda sounds like 215. I know the guy who has the
boat, Ill ask him next time I see him.

wisbaker · Feb 27, 2015

Back in thee day engine swaps where a lot more common. Sometimes it was because that's what they had and needed to get something else running, like say a 292 Ford v-8 in a '66 Chevy pick-up (I suspect some alcohol was involved in that one). But other times it was a creative attempt to make something better. A few of the aluminium Olds/Buick V-8s found there way where 4 and 6 cylinder engines once lived, theory being they were the same weight or lighter and had a bunch more power, handy if say you wanted to pull a trailer with the van. Some where just to meet the challenge, I once saw a article about an early Porsche 911/912 that someone put a 425 Oldsmobile engine in with a turbo hydramatic 425 (Toronado engine & transmission), what a beast! To keep it tractor related how about a Massey Harris 33 that some how or another got an air-cooled Wisconsin V-4 engine installed? It raked hay and ran elevators during hay and ear corn season but wasn't much good for anything else. I was always tempted to paint it Deutz Green and see how many people could be made to believe it was a factory job.

Ron in Nebr · Feb 27, 2015

I've got one just like it that came new in a 1965 boat, so I did some research on it. They are the same basic engine as the aluminum 215, but are all cast iron. 300 Cubic inches.

RandyB(MI) · Feb 27, 2015

Early to mid '60,s "nailhead" Buick. 215 0r 300ci. Nothing interchanges with small blk Chevy. SBC and AMC both have straight up dist,rear and front respectively. Buick only one with dist on that angle to driver side in front. Also , if you look close you can see a clean white spot on the front mounted oil filter down on rt. frt. under alt. Probably a 300.

Mike Henry · Feb 27, 2015

Seeing the pic of that old van brings back memories. My 1st vehicle was a 64 chevy van. It only had the 250 6 cylinder with 3 on the tree. So much fun to drive. A hippy had it before me and the driver side had a mural of a hells angel type riding a Harley chopper with the forks leading down to the front tire of the van. Lost it when I was going home from school and a guy hit me and took out the front suspention. The windshield was a flat glass that broke and I got some cuts and some bruises. Was a long time before I drove again but I do.

centash · Feb 28, 2015

AMC (Rambler) made their own 327. It was in no way similar to a Chev 327 other than displacement. AMC also made a smaller version a 287---both of these were made from the mid to late 50's up to the new generatiom AMC V8 engines introduced in 1967 which included the 290, 343, and 390---all later stroked to get the 304, 360 and 401 CID engines. Ben

67 sportsman van and engine pics

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