It looks like the 75-79 rear wheel drive Skylark weighs about the same as a 78-81 Century. Which would make a better candidate for a 455 transplant? Is the engine compartment bigger in one or the other? I know the THM 400 was offered in the SS396 Novas, so would it fit in the Skylark? I'm looking for something lightweight that would accept a leftover 455 without too much cutting.
I honestly think the 75/79 skylarks are great cars for transplants. My buddy has a stage2 455 that runs low 10's and not to much change to the body other than frame connectors and slapper bars with good bushings. Here is a pic of the car I am talking about.
75 - 79 Skylark The 75 - 79 Skylark is not all that light. Mine is gutted with a 12 point mild steel cage and an aluminum head 455 and turbo 400. It weighs about about 3420 without me in it. Just compare the front subframe to some of the earlier x-bodies. 75 - 79 is much larger/heavier. I don't know much about the 78 - 81 centurys. Hope this helps!
. " It weighs about about 3420 without me in it." hehehehe why waste a good gs when you can run the later larks. the 78-81 centurys are tough to find in good condition. there was a 79 century w/455 on ebay about 2 weeks ago. saw on another site he was asking 8k, but it was already to race. besides, i always like the odd stuff. john
The Buick books say that the 75-79 Skylark has a slightly lower curb weight than a 70-72 Skylark. Most of the 75-79's seem to have gone to the crusher. Did they have rust problems or was it just that they were inexpensive cars and not many got taken care of? No one I know ever owned one.
