Curing "Smog Dog" angst.....

I hear a lot of people griping that some of the buff magazines say what a great base for a hot rod the 1978-88 GM "G" bodies are, Except the engines are anemic "Smog Dogs", and GM was playing musical engines because of regional smog laws.  If you live in a cave-in 1978 GM downsized the "A" bodies-i.e.-Chevelle, Monte Carlo, Cutlass, Buick Regal, Pontiac Gran Prix etc. They were about 600 lbs lighter than the models they replaced and for whatever reason the moniker was changed from "A" body to "G" body.  If you want to hot rod one of these you just have to have a little ingenuity and take advantage of GM's famed parts interchangeability.  If you can, avoid the V6 models because you'll have to change EVERYTHING if you want to swap in a V8. There is one instance where you can use a V6 model, and I'll touch on that later. For starters let's look at the V8 models.  Here's the ones to look for.  # 1. 305 Chevy Models. Whether it's a Malibu or a Gran Prix or a Cutlass, or whatever-this is easy as pie. A stompin' 350 or 383 or 400 small-block Chevy is a bolt-in swap. Depending on model year the transmission will either be a TH350, a TH200R4 or a TH700R4, all of which can handle up to 500 hp with only the addition of a cooler and a shift kit.  # 2. 301 Pontiac models. These were dropped after '81 but you see a good number of GP's and Regals with 301s. I've even seen a Monte Carlo with a 301 under the hood. The downside is there is zero aftermarket parts available for the 301. The upside is a 400 or 455 is a bolt-in swap. The motor mounts are in the same place on the larger engines and they share the same oil pan and tin and water pump. A 3,200 lb "G" body with a 467 inch Pontiac under the hood?  That's a monster sleeper.  # 3. 307 Olds models.  These have great potential because a 350 or 403 Olds is a bolt-in swap.  Edelbrock claims 397 hp and 400 lbs of torque from their "Performer RPM" package on a 350. 400 honest hp in a 3,200 lb car?  That sounds like a rocket to me.  # 4. 231 Buick V6 models. These will be dirt-cheap because nobody wants them.  If you have one, or can buy one cheap, this is what I'd do. Go to a junkyard and find a late '90's Buick Riviera or Pontiac Bonneville SSEI or GP SSEI and get the supercharged 3.8 V6 out of it. These cars had sequential port fuel-injection with a roots-type belt driven blower on the engine. Get the wiring harness if you can, otherwise you'll have to contact Painless wiring. Ditto for the fuel pump. Anyhow they were under-rated at 240 hp stock-which is double what the normally aspirated V6 wheezed out, and you can get over 300 hp easily by changing the pulleys on the blower. Slap some 3.73:1 gears into the rear end and You could give those smug Grand National owners a run they wouldn't forget!  Ford and Mopar and AMC guys really cry the blues. But they just need to think outside the box.  There's quite a few '83-88 T-Birds and Mercury Cougars with 302 V8s under the hood. Anything that fits a Fox Mustang will fit these cars so there's tons of hot rod parts available.  1989-95 T-Birds could be had with a Supercharged 3.8 V6 or a "5.0" V8.   AMC engines are like Pontiacs-from a 290-401 they are externally identical. That means you could buy a late-'70's Hornet or Gremlin with a 304 V8, and a 401 would be a bolt-in. If you can't find a 401-there are millions of 360s in junkyards in Jeep Grand Waggoneers built through 1993. Edelbrock claims 433 hp from their Performer RPM package on a 360. In a Hornet or Gremlin that weighs 2,800 lbs?  Like Jules's wallet it's a Bad Mo#$%*ucker!!  Mopar guys could buy Dodge Diplomats and Chrysler Fifth Avenues from the late '80's and early '90s dirt cheap. Granted, their not sexy-but most have 318 motivation, which means a 360 Magnum out of a Dodge Truck or Jeep Grand Cherokee would be a bolt-in. A Diplomat with dog-dish hubcaps and a 408 inch 360 Magnum-based stroker?  Mastermind