Hobby Build 3.8L 1948 Fargo Pickup

Hey guys, my brother and I are chewing on doing a one of a kind build with a few bits and pieces we have on hand at our farm. Project vehicle is a good solid 1948 Fargo pickup (flat head six) parked due to bent valve eons ago but very good body for a resto. Power plant is a rebuilt 1976 Buick Skyhawk 3.8L engine we have had for years waiting for something to go into. Comp cams does offer a cam,lifters,t-chain kit for it, but we had also tossed around the idea of perhaps fitting a M62 or M90 into the mix, of course there is the obstacle of carb to injection but there must be a way over that. The 3.8l would easily fit under the hood even with the lack of space (kind of why we're shying away from a V8 swap). I guess the real question here is would it be possible to adapt an M62 or an M90 to the factory intake via a custom mounting plate, or a series 1 or 2 aluminum intake perhaps? I am certain the highest the compression ratio is on the old 3.8L is 9:1, so is that still safe to boost or will we encounter problems? I have access to both the M62 and the M90 just not sure on which to choose for the old motor. Thoughts?

Me personally I don't know the answer but it sounds like a super project!

Hometown Hero wrote:

Hey guys, my brother and I are chewing on doing a one of a kind build with a few bits and pieces we have on hand at our farm. Project vehicle is a good solid 1948 Fargo pickup (flat head six) parked due to bent valve eons ago but very good body for a resto. Power plant is a rebuilt 1976 Buick Skyhawk 3.8L engine we have had for years waiting for something to go into. Comp cams does offer a cam,lifters,t-chain kit for it, but we had also tossed around the idea of perhaps fitting a M62 or M90 into the mix, of course there is the obstacle of carb to injection but there must be a way over that. The 3.8l would easily fit under the hood even with the lack of space (kind of why we're shying away from a V8 swap). I guess the real question here is would it be possible to adapt an M62 or an M90 to the factory intake via a custom mounting plate, or a series 1 or 2 aluminum intake perhaps? I am certain the highest the compression ratio is on the old 3.8L is 9:1, so is that still safe to boost or will we encounter problems? I have access to both the M62 and the M90 just not sure on which to choose for the old motor. Thoughts?

Go for a 3.8 Turbo Buick motor!!! You can do FI from a speed pro or FAST system. Check with the turbo buick guys... turbobuick.com is a great place to start. I wouldn't mess with trying to adapt an M90 etc unless you were already confident about the system. We have a FAST system on our old 455. Reasonably easy to manage and learn. It's where I learned custom EFI before I got into the GM tuners.

Would that old school 3.8L handle that amount of boost though? I would like to keep it within a decent dollar range as I have immediate access to everything with the exception of a series 2 intake. But working at a wrecker I can easily track one down. It would be a relatively inexpensive build if I use everything I have at my disposal, even if a little more complex. Time is the only catch as I'm getting my Javelin ready for the show in September. Would like to get the powertrain ready before winter. Or at the very least a solid plan of attack.

Well, whatever you decide on make sure to keep it unique and special. I hate it (even though they are really cool) when people just drop a modern LS into an older Camaro or Mustang or whatever. As fun as the cars probably are to drive, they aren't very original. Are you getting what I'm saying? It's why I like modding this car so much. Not many have done it, hardly anyone understands why, and it's always an interesting challenge making everything work.

That's pretty much what I figure. I can pretty well promise that it will be the only 1948 Fargo in existence with a 3.8L Buick whether it be a NA/SC/or Turbo. Besides doing all the work ourselves will make it that much more fun to do, even if we are re-inventing the wheel so to speak. I can't imagine there is a massive Fargo following that would string me up for my choice of powertrain;)

I don't think there was a lot of difference between the original 231 block and the GN motors, besides maybe some improved oiling. Check w the turbo buick guys to be sure. I'm sure they know if there are any major changes you can't do