Let's get some respect for the 350!

[Darryl Roederer]

:o No respect, no respect I tell 'ya....
The Buick 350 has got to be the "Rodney Dangerfield" of all engines!!!
Nobody even gives 'em a second look...
And that's sad, because they dont know what they're missing.

I think this is great, a forum exclusively for the sbb!!!

Maybe now us 350 guys wont get lost in the "ocean" of big block questions... Maybe now we can get some respect!

[David Gramlow]

Darryl, I'm with ya baby!:D

[RACEBUICKS]

I have a 84 regal with a 350 from a 70 GS I am working on around all the other things Im doing. It will be a 350 5 speed w/ a 342 rear should be a screamer!! :D

[Keith Conkle]

I've had two 350s and both ran flawlessly and required little, to no maintenance. Kinda reminds me of those Toyota commercials where they weld the hood shut and just drive!

[David Gramlow]

Any of you guys have the same lifter noise problems the 455's have? Aren't they the same lifter? Just before I garaged mine for the winter, I started to notice a little noise on the driver side, pretty much constant, warm or cold. I haven't done the hose test yet to pinpoint the location, but seemed to be under the valve cover. There's about 5000 miles on a $2800 rebuild, done about 4 years ago, I just bought last fall. For all I know, someone may have been doing 1/4's with it too. The th350 has pretty crisp shifts. It was rebuilt about the same time. Any tips on diagnosing the "ticking"? I'm not equipped to do any work myself at this point, and will probably be trying to locate a Buick-experienced mechanic soon, for working on it before spring comes. Any suggestions? Maybe I can make the 4hr drive over to Jim's shop this spring with it. I wonder just how busy he is these days?

[Darryl Roederer]

I personally have never had a lifter problem with a 350, with the exception of having the oil passage in one lifter bore get clogged up once.

Drove me crazy, replaced that one lifter twice B4 I figured it out.

I have had noise from the valve cover because the plastic button that holds the rocker in position on the shaft boke, and let the rocker move off the valve stem, caused a little "click-click-click"...

[LARRY70GS]

Dave,
I agree with Darryl. I would pull the valve cover and check for the obvious. I have seen the nylon buttons break and also pushrods that pushed through rocker arms from too much preload. Do you have an adjustable valvetrain??
Larry

[David Gramlow]

Thanks for the tip Darryl. That's the first thing I'll check when I get some spring temps up here in the cold northlands. I didn't feel inclined to check things out right before I put 'er into storage in the fall. I suppose TA or Year One have the buttons? Or might they be available at my local NAPA? Larry, I only bought the car in Sept, and I drove it 1400 miles home without a glitch(or click). It ran great for the next 6 weeks or so. At this point I assume it's a non-adjustable valve train, won't know 'til I crack it open!

[Ken Stasiak]

Testing avator trying to get the picture of our 70 to work but were having Brad's problem


Ken

[GS69350]

I used to have a 69 GS 350 with a 70 350-4 low compression... only mod being a poston GS114 cam. Never had any lifter noise but it had an exhaust leak on the drivers side rear that sounded exactly like a lifter noise.

Btw, car ran 14.990 @ 93 w/ 70 350-4 9:1, GS114 cam, TH350, 3.23 non-posi, street tires. :stmad:

[71Custom455]

I had a noise in my 350 that sounded alot like a lifter or a bad valve. It turned out to be the rocker arm assemblies, specifically the shafts were worn and damaged. I bought a pair off a buick performance list member installed them and no more problem

Mike
71 Skylark Custom Convertible

[TimR]

I have a 72 GS 350 ragtop that I am currently restoring. It is #'s matching (not that i really care about #'s matching) and of course my plans initially called for dropping a 455/400 combo into it...

The more I think about it, the more I feel I should keep it as original as possible, its such an odd car. I could sell all the parts needed to put the 455 in and use the money for the resto, but I really enjoy the torque of the big block....

Of course the small block is lighter (better handling) plus I have three sitting around (hell, you can buy a rebuilt Buick 350 for the price of a decent set of 455 pistons anyway)

I also considered dropping an LS1/auto into it if I could do it without modifying anything....

yeah, ok, I'm confused....350 or 455????

:Dou: :Dou:

Tim

[GS69350]

Originally posted by TimR


I also considered dropping an LS1/auto into it if I could do it without modifying anything....

yeah, ok, I'm confused....350 or 455????

:Dou: :Dou:

Tim

Ok, do the LS1 thing and I think thats grounds for being kicked off the board... Remember v8 BUICK...

72 GS anythings are kinda rare, especially converts. It all depends on what you really want to do with the car, not too many people are going to like you less for putting a 455 in the car, as long as you don't hack it up or anything..

My 72 SportWagon has the original 350 in all its smogged out, single exhaust glory and I'm actually impressed how it moves that 5400 lb chunk of metal around...

Get yourself a set of 10.25:1 350 pistons and build yourself a 400 hp Buick 350 on a budget.

[TimR]

Originally posted by SprtWgn72


Ok, do the LS1 thing and I think thats grounds for being kicked off the board... Remember v8 BUICK...



You know, if GM ever were to build a real kick ass new buick GS, guess what they would use???LOL then whatta ya gonna do???:Brow:

later
Tim

[GS69350]

Originally posted by TimR


You know, if GM ever were to build a real kick ass new buick GS, guess what they would use???LOL then whatta ya gonna do???:Brow:

later
Tim

Fat chance of GM coming out with any NEW cars that will have a driveline capable of handling anything more than a v6. With trucks being the exception. Hell, even those are starting to get FWD v6's... Thing a Buick 350 will bolt in place of a 3800 Series 2??


Dan

[Darryl Roederer]

Originally posted by TimR


You know, if GM ever were to build a real kick ass new buick GS, guess what they would use???LOL then whatta ya gonna do???:Brow:

later
Tim

Read my post in the bench titled "GM--finally getting it right!!"

Read very carefully the part about the "new":rolleyes: Buick V8!!!!

There may be hope yet!

[TimR]

I doubt very much that GM would spend the money on another v8 when the LS1 series is already proving to be an awesome engine and it meets the LEV specs too...

Hopefully GM will build a RWD high perf car of some sort in the future, if not they will lose my following for sure. All the other manufacturers have them(or have them coming) in one form or another....

later
Tim

[Darryl Roederer]

Have faith Tim...
The "C5" LS1 is the "high performance" V8
The Northstar is the luxury car motor
The only other V8's in the GM lineup are truck models

There is no "middle of the road" V8 for regular passenger car or light truck applications... The way I see it, the new buick V8 has a good shot... Especially since it would cost GM a lot less to re-design the 3800 than an all new made from scratch V8.

[GSXMEN]

Darryl - I would have to agree with that. The 3800 is such a good motor - just make a V-8 version. Shouldn't be rocket science...it came from a V-8!

Scott

[TimR]

All of GM's truck engines are basically LS1's, just don't have the aluminum blocks (not sure about heads on the trucks)...the LS6 is king of the hill, somewhere around 405 NET hp, down to the 260 hp 5.3 in the trucks, all based on the LS1, that was GM's reasoning, all the development costs could be absorbed by the truck sales they would surely get...

Its an awesome engine, I drove my friends 99 TA with a six speed and 4.10's, that thing was crazy....

later
Tim

[Phil]

The motor I'm putting into service was built over time between 1993 and 1995.

72 350 Buick block
Poston Hypereutectic 10.25:1 CR pistons (Now only available in 10:1 I think)
75 Buick crank and rods
Poston camshaft (I don't remember which but it's a .480 intake .495 exhaust)
Competition Cams rockers, shafts, and lifters. (I don't think they make these anymore)
Original T/A Performance Stage1 350 Buick Intake
Rochester Q-Jet tuned to work with a TH350 TCI 2800 stall / 3.70 gear and 265/50-15 BFG T/A Radials
Hooker Super Competition Headers
SuperTrapp 5A Stainless mufflers
75 Buick HEI distributor
Accell HEI Supercoil
MSD 6AL Ignition with a 5200 RPM limiter
Holley blue pump in the trunk.

The small block Buick is so under rated it's pathetic. A vast majority of the technology in the widely accepted and popular 231 V6 Buick and the later 3800 series GM motors has its basis in the Buick 350.

The 350 has the same 3.80 in bore as the 231 and a 3.85 in stroke like the 340 it replaced. The 350 Buick has the benefit over the other GM 350's because of deep skirt block construction, higher nickel-content cast iron, external oil pump, under square bore sizing, 3.0" crank main journals, and 6.5" connecting rods. The Buick 350 has the longest stroke of all GM 350s which lends to making significantly more torque than any of the others.

Whenever anyone says something like "put a Chevy in it" I feel like slapping them on the back of the head.

:)

[Da Torquester.]

Whenever anyone says something like "put a Chevy in it" I feel like slapping them on the back of the head.

:)

Amen to that !!! :Dou: John B.

[monetpit73]

i got my respect sat nite! beat up a 77 cutty with a sbc and a 75 malibu, again sbc.man, were they pissed!! they said 'you got NOS, man' i popped the hood and let them have a look!! not there...... yet!! p.s. i won 50.00!!!woop woop

[David G]

Talk about bringing back the dead, this thread is 7 yrs old guys...

[Phil]

Yeah.. ain't it cool!

[TimR]

Talk about bringing back the dead, this thread is 7 yrs old guys...

yeah but the cars are pushing 40 now so....:laugh:

[Rivi75th]

I've had two 350s and both ran flawlessly and required little, to no maintenance. Kinda reminds me of those Toyota commercials where they weld the hood shut and just drive!

Yeah well be carefull those Toyotas can Kill Ya!! Killer Gas Pedals! LOL

Please dont compare the Reliability of my Buick to a P.O.S. Toyota.
Let's support some American Jobs here!

I Love All 350, 305, Gm Makes Awsome Power Plants that are reliable.
My Daily Drivier is a 78 Buick Riv with 116000 miles, Most Reliable car I own!:laugh:

However sorry to say, while I rebuild it I will be running a 430 Big Block!:Brow:

[Ken Mild]

:o No respect, no respect I tell 'ya....
The Buick 350 has got to be the "Rodney Dangerfield" of all engines!!!
Nobody even gives 'em a second look...
And that's sad, because they dont know what they're missing.

I think this is great, a forum exclusively for the sbb!!!

Maybe now us 350 guys wont get lost in the "ocean" of big block questions... Maybe now we can get some respect!

I have to admit, the only thing that gets less respect thant the 68 and 69 GS 400 is any GS350. You need your own forum, because in any other forum, if you have a question about performance enhancements, all you're gonna hear is "drop in a 455 instead". Whether you want to or not. That's what I got when I originally asked about rebuilding the 400. (but I did drop in a 455 in the end to preserve my numbers 400)

[Rivi75th]

IMPALA SS 5.3 V8---- Chevy Colorado 5.3 V8, Half Ton Trucks 6.0
New Chevy Camaro 6.2 426hp I would say Gm Could Bring Out a New Riviera??????



Have faith Tim...
The "C5" LS1 is the "high performance" V8
The Northstar is the luxury car motor
The only other V8's in the GM lineup are truck models

There is no "middle of the road" V8 for regular passenger car or light truck applications... The way I see it, the new buick V8 has a good shot... Especially since it would cost GM a lot less to re-design the 3800 than an all new made from scratch V8.

[Nothingface5384]

Yeah well be carefull those Toyotas can Kill Ya!! Killer Gas Pedals! LOL

Please dont compare the Reliability of my Buick to a P.O.S. Toyota.
Let's support some American Jobs here!

I Love All 350, 305, Gm Makes Awsome Power Plants that are reliable.
My Daily Drivier is a 78 Buick Riv with 116000 miles, Most Reliable car I own!:laugh:

However sorry to say, while I rebuild it I will be running a 430 Big Block!:Brow:


but ah.. i see you were talking about youre gms and not the new ones...so nevermind haha

ah...pretty much every company got it back wards now....gm doesnt have much state job they source from crap..japs and kpreon cars have plants in the us...

and as for the recall for toyota...theyes are only effected from the ones made in usa...the same car mad in japan arnt effect...go figure lol

I'm just thinking toyota is getting to big and lost sight of quality for $$$ just like gm and all the other domestices have been like for years..