Buick/Holden V6

[NJV6]

We have got a 252 (4.1litre) Buick V6 in the jetboat, just wondering if any of you guys have come across this engine before and whether the EFI gear from the Holden motor (inlet manifold etc) will fit. I'm picking it would be cheaper to EFI it (know where there are a few blown engines) than to get the carb (Rochestor 4 barrell) sorted to help cold starting and fix its dam full throttle splutter.

No idea on the internals of the motor but pretty sure its doing well over the 125hp originally produced.

[SMOKEY]

Hi Glen, sorry I can't answer your question regarding EFI but I can tell you that the Buick V6 was a popular jet boat motor in the 80's and early 90's, they where imported by ----- sorry I've forgotten his name , but from CHCH, oops just remembered, Noel Jeffries. He had a class "B" marathon boat that he campaigned very successfully with a competitive reliable Buick V6, the boat was named " RUGGLES" after Ruggles Performance Products specializing in Buick V6 parts--- Google it has got a lot of info;. After winning the "B" NZ marathon champs in the early 90's he was telling my mate who ran a very successful sprint boat that the motor was that good that you could put it in the sprint boat and win the NZ champs, so after a few more bevies we decided to do it, the motor was fitted to the sprint boat in time for the NZ champs the following weekend,trailered to Outram and without touching it got driven by two different drivers one in "A" class and one driving "B" class , the results where 1st in "A" and 2ND in "B" 2ND place was due to driver error, as far as I know the v6 is still going.
I know Bulletproof (Richard) will tell you that SIX is no good and it must be EIGHT, but for me,

SIX IS LIKE SEX,

FITZY.

[NJV6]

Hmmm thanks Fitzy, the plot thickens, that name rings a bell. I think that is who our boat came from when bought in 1996.....

Edit - Upon thinking about it, it didn't come from him but the old owner told us that it was him that imported it. We do know ours was in a marathon back in the early 90's (Sonic)

[Petemcc]

I'm picking it would be cheaper to EFI it (know where there are a few blown engines) than to get the carb (Rochestor 4 barrell) sorted to help cold starting and fix its dam full throttle splutter.

Really Glen... or do you just want to modify it haha.

Has the carb always behaved badly? If not it shouldn't be to bad to fix I wouldn't have thought.

Then again if you can get your hands on all the injection bits it wouldn't be to hard to see if the inlet manifold would fit......

[SMOKEY]

Glen , you are rattling the old memory box now, John Gallagher built the Sonic hulls and campaigned a sonic sprint boat, I am not sure but think he also built a longer hull for river racing and may be it was named Sonic ?. The ORE old members may be able to help out here because John was ( I think ) a member here using the name SONIC, when John stopped building jet boats he got into 4WDing and built a Rangerover up using Nissan Patrol running gear, engine, trans, and axles, he was and may be still is a member of the North Canterbury Club. DOWN MEMORY LANE, FITZY.

[NJV6]

Yea I had heard the John Gallagher tie in with the Sonic, and you reminded me of his RR although I had heard it was the Toyota running gear. There were two sonic's, essentially a long and a short. The long is 15ft and short 13. Our one is a long one, I might try looking into the rochestor carb on it to sort out some gremlins.