67 Riviera 430 Build

Discussion in 'The Bench' started by johnriv67, Oct 8, 2018.

  1. yachtsmanbill

    yachtsmanbill Well-Known Member

    If they are already unbolted from the head an impact is gonna be your only chance. If they are still attached, an impact is gonna be your only chance.
    Even an el cheapo Harbor Fright electric impact may give you a fighting chance. Last try would be a hand held impact driver that you bang on with a hammer.
    If you use a deep well SIX POINT socket and a ratchet, you're only gonna twist them off. Impacts are weird like that. Always try a tad tighter, then loose; back and forth.
    The first step is to soak them with PB blaster. Wipe off the excess and make them as hot as you can. I mean like red hot (studs, nuts and the iron), probably beyond "propane" hot. When they are back to dull iron color, more PB.
    If ya be havin' the luck-o-da Irish, theres a very slight possibility that a SIX POINT box wrench and a hammer may break them free, but thats 1,000,000 : 1 shot. Again, back and forth.
    If you can get a torch ( or have a pal with one) the nuts are pretty easy to burn off clean. Theres always a chance the stud will unscrew from the manifold. At worst, the studs break off and the the manifold goes to the drill press
    Plan on all new studs etc and install them with silver never seize. If the pipes are soft, plan on replacing them too. The test is to givem' a squeeze with some channel lock type pliers. If they give they're gone. You shouldn't be able to distort them by hand. If theyre gonners just cut them and do the manifold job on the bench.
    If the motor is coming out, leave the manifolds and pipes behind and do them when you can get into the engine bay and sit on a milk crate. Its actually one of the more $hitty jobs on whole game but needs to get done. Good luck! ws

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    Last edited: Oct 19, 2018
    johnriv67 likes this.
  2. johnriv67

    johnriv67 Well-Known Member

    @flynbuick I might be needing a set of those manifolds if I finally say **** it and just twist the studs off. Thank you for the great information
     
    Last edited: Jan 28, 2019
  3. yachtsmanbill

    yachtsmanbill Well-Known Member

    Just an FYI... The manifolds were all bought by a guy near Milwaukee. I kinda regret that sale now as I wouldn't mind pulling the headers off and going with regular old dual exhaust. Another conflict of interest as the XGS has a new set of 3" duals all the way back to the bumper. Those headers are like squeezing 10 pounds of taters into a 5 lb. bag. ws
     
  4. johnriv67

    johnriv67 Well-Known Member

    Well that sucks. Both my manifolds are shot, even with the impact gun, PB blaster, and my stepmothers fathers air compressor. Life and family relations is confusing
     
    1972Mach1 likes this.
  5. johnriv67

    johnriv67 Well-Known Member

    If anyone has any manifolds laying around, look no further please. You have a buyer

    Or is there a way to get new studs and replace the old ones with them?
     
    Last edited: Oct 19, 2018
  6. johnriv67

    johnriv67 Well-Known Member

    Today was a wildly productive day. I am also running out of space to disassemble two 430s.
     

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  7. yachtsmanbill

    yachtsmanbill Well-Known Member

    A. You need to build some heavy duty shelves.

    B. If you have the wifes brother in laws uncles air compressor, get a cheap die grinder and some cut-off wheels. Slice a side off the nuts leaving most of the thread on the studs. Take a chisel and spread the nuts open a bit and theyll come off. We'll discuss manifold repairs after they are off the car:eek:... ws

    Wait a minute... the pics show them off. Whats the success story?
     
  8. johnriv67

    johnriv67 Well-Known Member

    Manifolds are both off of the car. What's bothering me is the studs. I've lost three of the four with most having about 3" exposed. Can it be repaired?
     
  9. telriv

    telriv Founders Club Member

    YES!!!! Heat is your friend. OR, take them to a machine shop. Do you frequent any repair shops/gas stations??? Stop by & ask if they have torches to heat the manifolds. Then take them to a machine shop & have them surfaced where they meet the head. REMEMBER, Buick DID NOT use gaskets. They were metal-metal & sealed quite well.
    Unfortunately costs are going to start mounting up. You WON'T be able to do it ALL yourself WITHOUT some outside help, BUT I don't knock you for trying. IT WILL BE A LEARNING EXPERIENCE!!!
     
    Lucy Fair and 1972Mach1 like this.
  10. BuickV8Mike

    BuickV8Mike SD Buick Fan

    Do you have a Dremel tool?
     
  11. johnriv67

    johnriv67 Well-Known Member

    A die grinder? Is that the same thing?
    I know death wheel=cutoff wheel, but not that one
     
  12. No Lift

    No Lift Platinum Level Contributor

    A '67 430 should have the slightly better exhaust manifold, at least for the driver side. If it has the flapper in the pipe outlet get rid of the flapper and block off the left over holes. That will help it flow even better. I'm not 100% if the pass side is better.

    I'd dump the 2.25" exhaust and get 2.5" mandrel bends on there even if you have to make it. With a good set of mufflers a 2.5" system would be just like open exhaust to those manifolds. You could also just run 2.5" mandrel bent headpipes from the manifolds to 2.5" good mufflers and continue to use the 2.25" tailpipes. If not that get rid of the glasspacks for some good 2.5" mufflers which you can use adapters for. The glasspacks stink out loud for HP use. They usually are restrictvie at a minimum because the louvers inside to quiet them down make the ID slightly smaller because they poke into the airflow. If you want to keep glasspacks get some 2.5" in/out and use adapters to fit the 2.25" pipes. That would at least help airflow through them.

    I believe the intake should also have the exhaust passage under the carb. When you block off the heat passages at the heads except for one 1/4" hole near the choke coil you will need to block off those passages at the carb. They must have figured the cars were running in Alaska with all that heat at the carb base which caused many of the original carb bases to go bad once the gasket wore out. I'd drop a performer intake on and paint it red if you want the stock look.

    X2 on dropping the oil pan to clean it out. Possibly not too hard to get out because yours should be the center sump model. As mentioned a good time to check #4 main and #7/8 rod bearing. 7/8 would usually have the most worn bearings. If you do pull the engine do not flip it over to pull the pan. Do it with the engine right side up because the goo in the pan will just ooze all over the internals. Even if you are taking it apart completely it just causes a mess.

    Something to think about is the worn out upper timing gear with the missing plastic was retarding the cam a few degrees, at least, plus the same goes for the very worn out timing chain. What do you thing that was doing to your cylinder pressure and ET?

    With the engine out it would be a great time to slap the 12" SP converter in there. Probably a stuck in low stall 12" converter has more stall than a working 13" converter in high stall.

    If you decide to do a valve job to the heads make sure they backcut the valves. Usually good for .1/1 mph of so without spending the money on Stage 1 valves. Upgrade the valve springs while there even if you keep the factory cam. Are you taking the lifters out? If they are hard to get out, and most likely they are depending on mileage, which means they are mushroomed and concave. Even if keeping the stock cam install some fresh lifters if what I mentioned is true about the lifters. Possibly a mild cam upgrade? Not too much of a cam to keep the smooth Buick idle.

    With just some freshening up of the stock engine and improving the peripherals you could get into the 13's with a basically stock setup. Cool!
     
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  13. johnriv67

    johnriv67 Well-Known Member

    I do have a bit to think about with the manifolds, now that they need a little bit of repair. The Magnaflow glasspacks that I've used don't actually intrude into the airflow. I've looked down them before and it is actually difficult to see the louvers, even when they were brand new. I am also actively trying to destroy/eliminate the flapper.

    The 12" converter is going in as soon as the engine comes out. I WILL NOT flip the engine after reading up on that GOO that you mention. I was debating the valve job, but I have enough overlap on a tighter 109 LSA that it will pull air strongly through the port even at low lift.

    Cam looks like this: Installed Dot to Dot-3* of advance ground in
    LSA: 109 ....106 intake 112 exhaust

    Advertised: 275/296
    @ .050: 219/238
    Lift: .490/.460
    TA Stage 1 springs will be used to tame the new cam

    All of the old lifters are mushroomed. The used lifters that came with the cam slide nicely in several of the bores that I have tested.
     
    Last edited: Dec 23, 2018
  14. Donuts & Peelouts

    Donuts & Peelouts Life's 2 Short. Live like it.

    To take out stubborn fasteners use heat. Get a torch and place the blue flame on the bolt till it lights up red and try to turn it.

    You should be using marvel mystery oil to soak in when ever your not in the garage
     
  15. johnriv67

    johnriv67 Well-Known Member

    Also, when installing lifters, do I let them soak in oil or what? What's the correct way
     
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  16. Donuts & Peelouts

    Donuts & Peelouts Life's 2 Short. Live like it.

    The hottest part of a flame is in the drawling below. That's what i ment by blue flame but its not always blue. 15400088840751178846745.jpg
     
  17. yachtsmanbill

    yachtsmanbill Well-Known Member

    All of the old lifters are mushroomed.

    What youre encountering is probably a "varnish" thats occurred on the part of the lifter that doesn't travel in its' bore. Sometimes a doosh of good carb cleaner can remove that, but more often than not a little finesse with some scotch bright will do the trick. A few may need to be reached with the SB taped onto a wood dowel rod. Theres also a puller for lifter that forces them out. That varnish is only about .001" thick. The bore clearance is almost .000".

    You can (and should) prime new the lifters IMHO. Submerge them vertically in oil, and pump them manually with a used push rod. Probably 3-4 strokes and they should be full. Caution needs to be observed when installing the rocker shaft and pushrod since the "open" valve unit will need to squeeze the oil out of that particular lifter. Just go a little at a time.

    Since the manifolds are now off (!) make the iron "ear" with the stud as hot as you can, like let the torch run and walk away for 10 minutes. Add a dab of P-oil every few minutes (not in the direct flame ya big dummy:eek:). A dab as in a Q-tip full. Get it hot again, Repeat. Finally after clamping the pipe down to a sturdy bench (or vise) lock the big vise-grips on as tight as you can and start wiggling. Keep oiling. They should come out. DORMAN used to sell replacements but the Die Cast model car guy here should carry them too. ALWAYS use never seize on this stuff.

    TTFN... gonna lift a 100 lb furnace into the garage attic this morning. ws







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    Last edited: Oct 20, 2018
  18. johnriv67

    johnriv67 Well-Known Member

    IMG_6243.JPG Other engine is off the stand and on the pallet. Just a bit more progress

    Also built the hoist last night
     
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  19. 300sbb_overkill

    300sbb_overkill WWG1WGA. MAGA

    Make sure the boom on your new engine hoist is long enough to reach the engine in the car's engine compartment without having to take the front bumper off!

    The newer hoist these days would seem to be made for newer cars that have WAY shorter front ends as the cool older cars had.
     
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  20. Donuts & Peelouts

    Donuts & Peelouts Life's 2 Short. Live like it.

    Oh yeah when the bolt is red hot smack it with a ball peen hammer. This can loosen it.
     

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