It's suppose to be Sherwood Green, but I've had some guys tell me it appears a bit to dark to be Sherwood???? Sherwood Green is a factory 1970 color and that's what I requested from my Painter?!?!?
Update: 10-11-10 We dynoed my 1971 Base Motor today and will be installing it tomorrow. The 71 Motor is purely a stock rebuild w/ only a cam upgrade and will be used as a base line until the "Stock Appearing - Race" motor is done. This thing would pass a Pure Stock Certification with flying colors! 8.5 to 1 Factory Pistons (Std Bore Still) Stock Small Valve 1971 Heads - No work what so ever other than a std valve job. Cast Iron Intake - No port work. Stock 1971 QJ Cast Iron Manifolds TA Cam ( 288-98H ) HP 388 TQ 464 As mentioned this will be a base line motor to see what a stock motor would do in our car after the weight mods we've done. (Car should come in under 3,200 Pounds) I'm hoping to get the "Race" motor done next year. Hoping to achieve at least 600 HP with that build up and still retain the Factory Stock look. Engine bay pictures coming soon! Here's a picture of the 71 Motor (on the stand) Race motor in the background waiting for Port Work. For those interested there's a Link to this build up in my signature.
Todd, Looking Great! I too cannot wait to see this car in person. What paint is on that 71 engine? Dan
That is a beautiful machine. I am very glad to hear that you are taking your time and not cutting corners. The finished product will be worth it. It sounds like you are getting some good help. I cant wait to see another update on this car. It will be really nice to see another Buick in the FAST series. Keep up the good work. Cant wait to see it done....make us Buick guys proud and the competition nervous. :TU::3gears:
Base line motor now installed! I have two motors, this one is a totally stock - low compression 1971 455 that we threw together over the last month to use as a base line. This motor made 388 HP and 464 TQ. (Totally Stock 1971 455 with just a cam upgrade) We will run this car at the track in the spring to see what kind of times we can turn with a "Certifiably - Pure Stock" motor in a much lighter than normal GS. Then if all goes as planned I will finish & install my Stage 1 motor. (This will also be a stock appearing motor but with higher compression, bigger cam and Gessler Port Work) So for now, the car is close to being road worthy! (I need a full exhaust system and a driveshaft and it's ready to test drive) I will post more pictures as progress continues. Here's a picture I took today: (Pretty much Stock Parts except for the Disc Brakes - which were added for safety) Thanks for looking. More (and better) pictures coming soon. . Note: I am in need of a NICE 1970 Fan Shroud for this car if anyone has one???
I'm curious as to the reasoning behind running a 1971 spec engine as opposed to a 1970 spec engine as a baseline. With the difference in compression ratio, carb set-up, etc. Or did I miss something from the past like you had been running a '71 spec engine before and ...?
I will be running 1970 Specs when we build and install the "Real" motor. The 71' Motor was something I came across for the right price and thought it would be neat to see what we can do with the weight mods done to the car with a totally stock - low compression motor. I'll be weighing the car next week and assume we'll come in under 3,200 pounds. So, it's really more for fun and it allows me to get the car running and work out some of the bugs before we put a higher Horsepower motor in. By the time the 70' Motor is done I should have the rest of the car dialed in. I'm not sure what kind of times the guys run with true "Pure Stock" motors but I think even with a low compression motor we should be in that area simply because of the cars weight. I'll post the cars weight next week and plan to take some better quality pictures soon! Thanks for checking it out. .
Great stuff Todd. Holy moly I am at 4050 LB's with me in it. Your car should rip. Good luck. Bowling Green this week to test and tune the new T converter. I need to get good tires! (Yeah I know Greg!)
My guess of 3,200 or less is based on other cars I've had so I hope I'm correct. Since this car was a frame off I was able to do more to this car than my last 70 GS. (That was my silver car that weighed 3,060 but also had aluminum heads & intake) This car has steel wheels and cast iron heads/intake so I'm adding a bit more for those parts. 3,200 is still my estimate. We'll find out next week when a buddy of mine brings his 4 corner scale over. I'm taking this project very seriously so I took weight out in alot of places most guys wouldn't waste time or money on. I've always had less horse power than my chevy buddies here in town so I learned long ago the advantages of paying attention to the cars weight. It was the only way I could run with my buddies with 100 to 200 HP less! We did all the common weight loss stuff and then some! Also, my GSX only weighs 3,300 pounds and that car is loaded with Air, Tilt, PW, PB, PS etc.... (and we didn't even chase the weight that much on that car) It can be done! Stay tuned. Thanks for checking it out.
I had a chance to scale the car this weekend. Now I don't have the exhaust system on the car yet nor was there any fuel in the tank. (So for now we'll have to add a "few" pounds to the overall number) I originally figured I could get this car down to "around" 3,000 pounds and still retain a stock appearance. I based that on the knowledge I gained from building my Silver 1970 GS back in 2002-2004. That car weighed 3,060 pounds but also had Aluminum Wheels, Aluminun Heads & Intake and a Fiberglass Front Bumper. This car has the Factory Steel Wheels, Factory Steel Bumpers and the Factory Cast Iron Heads, Intake and Exhaust Manifolds which I figured would add at least 200 pounds. Here's the scale readout (Again, no exhaust or fuel in the tank) Everything else is on the car including Factory Stock Bucket Seats - which will DEFINATELY NOT be stock after this winter. My builder and I have a plan for these seats which may cut the weight in half. (So another 40/50 pounds off the car eventually) So overall for now with exhaust and some fuel I should be around 3,200. I know the possibility is there to run TA Aluminum heads and still appear stock so that is a possibility depending on what class the car is set up for. There are a couple other tricks I know of to shed roughly another 100 pounds. So realistically I could get this thing down to 3,0_ _ something and still look totally stock! I plan to take some more engine bay pictures soon so you guys can see how truely stock this thing looks when the hood is popped. The interior is already 100% stock except the roll cage. We've even hid the aftermarket temp and oil gauges. I didn't want any aftermarket parts visible! The last race of the year at my local track (Rock Falls Raceway) is next weekend so there is no way for me to get this thing on the track this year. It without a dought should be ready in the spring though. I'm curious to see what kind of times we can turn in a light weight car with a truely stock 71' motor. More pictures coming soon. Thanks again for all the comments and interest. .
Here are some more engine bay pictures: . I still need a nice 1970 Fan Shroud if anyone reading this has one?!?!? .
Thanks Dan. The alternator was rebuild here in town by Ron Mahder. (Chippewa Valley Starter & Alternator Service)
Installed Carb & Air Cleaner today: I still need an exhaust system and a front end alignment, other than that it's pretty close to hitting the road.
Amazing estimate on your weight, you really did think it through. Super cool! What is the diaphragm looking gizmo on the intake next to the throttle return spring? Something for emissions? James
