Buickpowered vs. Buick Bodied

Another opinion question! Seems there is a lot of hostility towards a Buick bodied car with a different motor. So I wondered: Do prefer seeing Buick Bodied or Buick Powered? Personally, I'd say Buick Powered, no real basis, just what I like. (Of course all Buick is my #1 Choice)

 

"If it's Chebby powered it's not a Buick" :bglasses:

 

One of my prior threads.........

Hi all,

In one of my prior threads I posted about a 1970 GS 350, 4-speed car I used to own. The engine from that car ended up (after a minor refresh and a nice cam) in a '69 or '70 Nova. The guy said he loved seeing the faces of drag 'victims' when he opened the hood and they saw a Buick 350 in the car:Brow:............ Wish I could have been there to see myself............



Harry

 

1 more thing

Sorry got so wrapped up in my previous thread I forgot to answer the question. I'd say I'd rather see Buick powered than Buick bodied. It always seems to be Chevy powered 'anything'......


Harry

 

I'd say Buick Powered. People usually insult, or are ignorant of, Buicks' performance, not their looks. The bodies are distinctive and classy; relatively few insult that, even if its not their style.

You never hear, "If you really want it to look good, throw a Chevy around that engine."

That's why even though I don't want to be the only one driving a Skylark, if I had to choose, I'd say Buick powered. That way the people can learn.

 

Buick Powered!! My uncles S-10 P/U is V6 Buick powered!! Naturally aspirated! Best of 10.13 @132 4-speed and gasoline!

 

I'd have to follow...I'd say Buick Power too, just too many people underestimate buicks power more times than not, although I love the buicks bodies, classy, stylish, sleek, and really awesome looks, but buick power is what makes them special.

 

I couldn't agree more. Once you pull the motor, it's not a Buick any more. A Buick-powered car still isn't a Buick, but it's a better choice.

 

I also agree, but not necessarily for the same reasons that y'all do. I have built many different kinds of cars and prefer street rods and customs to restos or racers. I usually will stay like for like with the drivetrain and the body, ie: a Ford in a Ford, Buick in a Buick, etc. It is just a personal preference of mine.
I can understand whay people use SBC's in their cars. Availability of parts. Try and find an aluminum manifold, billet valve covers, headers, billet pulleys, etc for a SBB for a reasonable amount of money. I have finished building my 350 SBB for my 68 vert. I have already dumped a bunch of dough in it just to build it ( parts cost way more than chevy or ford) and unless I want to part with some serious scratch the engine will look basically stock. I am building the car as a mild custom and the engine will be a plain jane with some chrome plated pulleys and tin valve covers. :moonu:
The same situation applies to Fords. I have a 302 in my 46 and all of the engine brackets were fabricated by me then chromed. Pulleys are a bitch because of the different water pump configuations, pulley diameters, etc. Chevy has a long and short pump and thats it. I can buy neat billet stuff very reasonable at any swap meet or speed shop.
I love Buick motors. They are ballsey and have a ton of torque, however I also understand why some folks use Chevy's
I know this is not a popular position here, so let the cyber asskicking begin :spank: :laugh:

 

Personally I have no problem either way. If its a Buick powered anything else, then jaws are gonna drop if it fast/kool, simply because theres a Buick driving it. And, in my opinion, if the car is a Buick that is tastefully done, most people are gonna just "see" that its a Buick. Therefore making assuptions that it is Buick powered, wether they inquire or not. This has happened to me with the 64'. NEVER opened the hood, and had a guy walk up and say "a Buick huh? is it fast? bla bla bl, really nice car". Never once asking about the motor in it. Taa-daa, more recognition for the Buick family.

The People that bother me are the hypocrits that loveeeee anything non-Buick that has a buick stuffed in it. But badmouth, for example, my buddy Jims 67' lark' that has a BBC in it. They are all just air pumps, thats all ! They are different thats for sure but none the less. Jim asked me once, If I have a heart transplant, does that make me a different person ???? Thought about it, and said NOPE, it doesn't. Prices on a slow car are better for a Chevy for example, but once you get to using the hardcore race stuff, even the bowtie guys are paying, so no difference there.

Anyways...... just rambling now, but this kinda gets under my skin a bit. I am a Buick fan and always will be. I build using Buick power. But even sometimes that seems dumb..... Ask Garrison about taking his green car to the thin air of Colo. and running in the 11's with it. YES I said it, from a best of 10.18 to running 11's. Thats the crap I have to deal with here, so sometimes building a Chevy for the Hate Tank would be easier. Especially when I end up popping motors all summer.................HAHAHA

 

Hey yall, just though id drop my $.02 in. I like buicks a whole lot. Though u guys may not like me after this. I like RACING more than I do BUICKS. IT COST TOO MUCH for a guy like me to build a buick mill, not a buick car. So i do what i have to do to race, and thats gonna be popping in a CHEVY engine. I thought the message boards here are supposed to be to help each other out. Whenever someone starts a thread on putting a chevy motor in a buick you get 9 outta 10 responses saying BUILD A BUICK, REPLACE IT WITH A BUICK, WHY DONT U DO THIS, o No: why? why dont u people understand and want to deal with that and just help each other out. If u got the money for these things which u seem to hold on to with dear life it means there will be more of them around for YOU. Reminder i like buicks, but chevies dont PUSH MAIN WEBBINGS OUT OF THE BLOCK, EAT cam bearings, LOSE oil pressure, and have so much stupid stuff go wrong with them as the buicks, granted there are fixes for that stuff but honestly, your NEVER gonna get as many passes at the strip out of a buick as u will a comparable chevy especially for the same $.

 

THEY ARE GREAT STREET MOTORS

If u have the money. period.

 

I think 3.8Stoke has a point there...for racing. I don't know the cost of racing parts, but if you've got a Buick body and a Chevy engine...why not?

Now, in a street engine, I maintain that the higher cost of engine parts isn't that big a part of the whole picture, especially once you figure in the longer lifespan of a Buick vs. Chevy/Ford engine. I think you actually get more bang for your buck with Buick, which is why I like them.

To answer the original question, I like Buick power in Buick cars, Chevy power in Chevy cars, etc...I quit going to StreetRod shows, simply because I got tired of seeing one Chevy engine after another, regardless of the car it was in. And I can only take so much "billet everything", it gets boring.

I really like cars that are either well-maintained originals, or clean cars with well-thought out and personally-done modifications. Anybody can throw money at a vendor, I like to see cars with sweat-equity in them.

 

Hey Bruce (Wilson).....how many passes did you have on BQUICK before you rebuilt the motor ?? 3,000 ??? and that wasn't just a race car - I remember you driving it 700 miles each way to the Nationals with the complete race-rear in the backseat....swapping rears, draggin' for 5 days straight, swapping rears again and driving home.

 

I like all kinds of Cars but my favorites are Buicks.

But If I went to a board called V8 BUICK to ask about Putting a chevy motor In my Buick would expect the response to be put a Buick in it.

If I went to a Mopar site and asked about putting a BBB in a SuperBee I would expect to hear the You know what hit the Fan.

Just my opinion

 

Hey Alan, yup that motor is in the corner of my garage and it was running purrfect when it was pulled. Could sit all winter and start up with no bad noises and believe it or not it has the "inferior" 70 style alum rockers. That motor came out of a 70 LeSabre 455 with 36K. Yes, drove it 13 hrs each way 3 times to the Nats running a best there of 11.66.

The motor in my SunCoupe came out of a 70 Riv witk 90K and has been used and abused. Both motors have run mid 11s in 3800 lb cars. SunCoupe was driven to the Nats at least 3 times too.

Both motors have never been apart since Buick built them in 1970 (bearings have never seen the light of day!) Between the two of them they have traveled down the quarter mile over 5,000 times racing since 1988. They have outlasted not only Chevy motors at the track but their owners, too! Man, I should be a better driver with all those passes! :spank:

One weakness I've seen with Chevy motors is valve guide wear. Buicks have a superior rocker configuration.
Most Chevy motors will be smokers at high mileage.

One of the most satisfying days of my life have been racing (mid 10s) the enclosed trailer big boys at the local track, winning and putting my street tires on and rolling out the gate with the guy I just beat in the final winching his car into his enclosed and doing a doubletake like " isn't that the car that just took me out". Then pulling into my garage with the motor running as good as it did that morning.....and poppin a beer. :beer

Bruce

 

Speaking of MOPAR. The bodyshop guy that has my 71 conv hostage (4 yrs now) :blast: has a RoadRunner that has run 10.40s with big cubes (won't tell me but not 440), roller cam, 13.5 comp, 4.30 gears.
He can't stand the fact that I have run faster with HYD cam, 3.73 gear, 12 to 1 comp....and drive it to the track....in an "inferior" Buick that weighs 300 lbs more.

 

Now there's an idea.....put Jim's 573" stroker into a Super Bee :Brow:

........and bring baseball bat for protection just in case! :laugh:

 

Yeah, maybe I should suggest that to my MOPAR body shop "buddy"......then run. :laugh: