Hey guys i'm new to the site but I am truly shocked that i found a great Buick site like this. Anyway i've got a few questions for you Buick gurus. I recently purchased a one owner 1971 Buick Skylark. The guy i bought it from had got the car from his grandfather. The guy was in the process of turning the car into a dragster so he had pulled the buick motor and sold it in order to set the car up for a small block chevy. He has already set the motor mounts in but the car doesn't have an engine or tranny as of yet. I already have a Buick 455 and tranny in my 1970 buick electra. I would like to put the 455 into the skylark. I was looking for help in doing so. What do i need to do in order to switch the 455 in??? I have seen tips in doing so before but cant seem to find them again. I know one of the thing was changing the front spings in order to support the extra weight. What else should i do in order to swap them? I would like to use as many parts out of the electra as possible to save myself some money considering McDonalds doesn't pay all that great. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, C.J. Myers
Skeeter Welcome. Go to Buickperformance.com and look under the engine section for the conversion directions. Jim Lore
Thanks guys that was the info i was looking for. In the list of things i will need it mentions a shortshaft TH400 and driveshaft yoke from a 73-77 Pontiac Grand Prix. So does this mean i need a different TH400? the one out of the Electra won't work because it is a longshaft?? Sorry for my ignorance but i really don't have much mechanical knowledge at all. What does it mean by "shortshaft" or "longshaft" I'm also lost about the TH400 having an electric solenoid rather than cable downshift like the TH350. What does the downshift do? something to do with WOT?? Thanks for your help. C.J. Myers
Here this one is the same but it has some pictures. http://www.buickperformance.com/conversi.htm I am planning on doing the same swap you are doing. I have the engine and tranny but i want to hop the engine up so i have not swaped out yet. The engine and tranny i have are from an electra. The tranny is a long shaft. So what i plan on doing is having the drive shaft cut down to fit and balanced and that should work. The long shaft has a long tail houseing and the short has a short tail. But you will need the th400 yoke. Now on the kick down. All it does is kick down a gear when you open it up like when you pass somebody. The 350 has a cable that runs from the tranny to the carb. The 400 has a solenoid that runs up to a switch that is under the gas pedel. I think that the wiring runs from the passenger side of the tranny. Dont take my word for all this because i got this information from reading to find out what i was going to have to do to make the swap. So if there is anyone out there that can stand to correct me, go right ahead.
I did almost the same thing to my '70. The springs: be careful. A lot of places will sell you Chevelle big block springs. The Buick 455 is much lighter. Make sure you get GS455 springs. I had a pro install my springs, I didn't want to mess with it. Engine: basically bolts up (it will also bolt to your TH350, BTW. My mild performance 455 has not killed my TH350...and I installed it in '92. It's a driver. The TH350 has handled the 500+ ft/lbs fine. But I always intended on a 4 speed swap...by all means, put in the TH400. It's the right thing to do, and the peace of mind is well, well worth the effort) The thing you need to pay attention to transmission wise is the mounting point- your tranny's mount is wrong, that's why you need the short shaft. Also, the TH350 is cable downshifted, the TH400 is electrical. Also, your fan shroud probably has to be changed. The motor mount frame pads need to be changed to 455 units, as well. Don't weld them- the engine makes too much torque, beleive me, I tried. Use a 4 row radiator, and a clutch fan. The Electra's radiator will probably fit...or was that a 3 row? It will work fine, most likely. Are you installing the engine/tranny as a single unit?
Well i'm not actually going to install it myself. I don't have the knowledge or the tools for the job. I'm going to have to take it to a shop and have them do everything. I need a shop that knows what they are doing, i'm sure not too many of the shops have a lot of Buick experience but i figure they aren't too much different than any other company. What should a shop charge me to pull the 455/400 combo out of the electra and put it in the skylark, including installation of the springs, moving crossmember, installing different mounts, etc etc.??? Anybody know any good shops around SW Missouri that can do it for me? I would appreciate any help.
Well, I can certainly understand that. I didn't really want to do my swap myself, but I was almost broke and the camshaft lobes went round, what can you do? It was the car I took to work, so I was forced to do it myself. Luckily, I found out that I liked turning a wrench on my car. That's OK, you can get the tools and know-how later on, no shame if you know you're in over your head! Nobody just "knows" how to do this stuff, they need to learn first. Always better to be smart and admit if you are in over your head, so you're taking the right steps already. I had a buddy with two Chevelle SSs years ago, and he thought he could wrench...man, he messed up those cars, got frustrated with the whole thing, and gave up. Skeetman, if you can at all, hang around the shop, without bugging them too much, and see the process. Take some pictures if possible. I wish I took more pics, you really miss having the visual record later on.
Thanks for the tips 462CID, i appreciate it. got another question for ya though, any idea on cost for the mod if i take it to a shop? I'm looking for someone to do it now and i'm not sure how much anyone should charge me for the conversion. Thanks again, C.J. Myers
Sorry, CJ, I've never talked to anyone that has had a pro do it...lets's see, 3 hours to yank the old one and get it on the cradle, couple hours to clean stuff up, and moved around so the other motor can be put in, couple hours to put the other motor in, then a few more to reassmble stuff and wire it up. Solid day's work, 2 at a shop, is my guess, that's only a guess. You have no engine in there right now, correct? That will save you time, but they also have to take out the Chevy mount pads and install your 455 pads. I know how long it would take me to change engines: 2 hours to pull the front clip off, two hours to yank the motor, 2 to install the other one, 2 to reassemble front sheet metal. But then again, none of the bolts in my car will break off, I've repalced them all, no wasted time figuring how to solve problems, I've done it a lot. Before the new engine goes in, while there's nothing under the hood, is a prime time to clean and repaint both the 455 and the engine compartment. It is not nearly so easy when the engine's in. It's ever so much more pleasant to work on the engine when it's clean.
Well once again, thanks a lot. Eventually i hope to have enough money saved so i can afford the conversion, until then i'll just keep hangin out here. talk to yall later, Skeet
