For my winter project and am looking to give my engine a makeover. I want to paint the block, possibly rebuild, but it runs fine. My question.... What and where do I look for, for a after market(edelbrock/holly) carb and intake manifold. What should I pay, is getting one used a good idea?? Can any carb go on any intake manifold, I am totally lost, any light on the situation would be appreciated Thanks Neil 66 Buick Special
It depends on your engine. If its the 350 or 455, try TA Performance or Postons. Intakes and other bigger "hard" parts have to be bought by vendors that specialize in Buicks, but dont worry, Most all of them are very reputable:beer Mark
Hey Neil, Whats up buddy ? I know TA is offering a intake for your 350". As does Poston Both are dual planes and work good. I have no fear of using used stuff. In fact most of the parts in my racecar are used. I think the only "new" parts are the spool in the rear and the tranny(another plug for Scott King at heartland tranny in Kearney,lol). As far as the carb. goes, there are different flanges that have to matched up. You can buy adapters to mix and match but you have to know what carb. you want to run, and what flange is on the intake your gonna use. Good luck. later.......................
When I bought my car, the guy said that he pulled the engine out of a 68 buick. I have searched all around that block and can't find the numbers to see what it is. I know that it is a 4 barrell q-jet on top. But as far as the engine goes I am alittle lost. On the intake there is a stamp that says 350 - 4. If you guys know where to look for the vin number I would appreciate it Thanks Neil
Well its definitley a 350 Buick, with a 4 barrel carb. I do know my 71 block the number was between no. 1 and 3 cyls. on the deck of the block. My 78 block, its on the front machined face of the block where the timing cover bolts too. Mark
So are all 350 4 barrell the same from year to year. For application, is it important that I know the year on my engine to find an after market intake and carb.?? Thanks Neil 66 Buick Special
350 neil : 68-69 motors oil through the head and 70 and newer oil through the pushrods so be careful what you mix and match there . 73 and newer had capscrew rods and were prefered but now ta has rod bolts for the older/std style rods so thats a moot point . i think the earlier style rocker arms are stronger and prefered . earlier motors had better compression obviously , 68-70 best there . ta intake normally gets better marks here on the board . 650-750 cfm ( holley/afb style ) or 800 cfm ( quadrajet/spreadbore style with the smaller primaries ) on the carb should be a good starting point . good basic ignition , shift kit , dual exhaust , good air filter . if you can afford it stay away from used carbs unless you know the history on 'em or they have been gone through by a good carb person . check around . none of that will cost a ton and will make a noticable difference . del
Thank ya'll for all the help. I went to Postonbuicks.com, that website is really awesome. They had the intake manifold and carb. for my engine (if it is a 68) which looked pretty cool. I appreciate all the helpful and cheap ideas for this poor college kid. One more question, where do you get engine block paint?? Is that a hard procedure and should I even try to tackel it?? Thanks Neil 66 Buick Special
Welcome, 67BuickFreak! Painting the engine is easy, it's getting it clean that can be a pain. :gt: Just shop around for Buick Red paint in spray cans, and paint it like you would anything else, several light coats WAY better than few heavy ones. -------------------------- BTW, My 350 is built to '70 GS 350 specs (10.2 pistons, GS350 cam, 750cfm Q-Jet, 2 1/4" exhaust with stock manifolds, and it yanks my 4500 pound LeSabre around pretty well. :TU: I believe that the 'conventional wisdom' for more power is to get: aluminum intake, at least 750cfm carb (the 800cfm Q-Jet is better), do some head porting (see http://www.sa-motorsports.com/diyport.htm), some headers, a mild? cam (I'm looking at the TA212), HEI distributor (search this board for ignition curve info) A lot of this stuff you can do yourself, the intake, headers, and can will cost you, but if you can take your time and shop this site... Best advice I can give you is to read, read, read this site, ask lots of questions, and then decide what COMBINATION of parts etc you want. The guys at TA Performance are great to talk to, also http://www.buickperformance.com/page1.htm has some good stuff. Good Luck! James
Thanks a lot for all the advice. I want to make my engine detail my winter project (if the cash works out). Thanks again for all the help and any more suggestions are always welcome
