not sure how this works. i have a 70 skylark 350, 2 barrel and i just purchased a 71 gs. it had a 68 400 which i pulled, its shot. i have the chance to buy a 455 from a 72 electra. is there a better year, make, i could choose from? were the later blocks built better? i have also read that i can use the 400 heads on the 455 with some modifications. im doing a complete restoration of the gs. ill put some pictures of progress. thanks
Welcome! Im new as well but heres my 2 cents, If you can grab that 455 I'd do it, or you could go with a 401 or 425. I love my nailhead engine, the cops don't because I could run on them if I was a maniac driver. The stock 350 that came with your ride is also a decent engine with ample power ups available. Check out yearone.com, and pay that 7.50 for a catalog. They make it specifically for the skylark and gs models but engine parts is what I got it for. Plus thousands of other great items for restoring your whip!! Good luck. Call around and find a wrecker that parts out mass goods cheap. Here in colorado a place called harris auto is the best. They give you approximate mileage and compression check each motor so you can decide what you want. I paid 150$ for a 70 Nova motor with 68K on it. Shop around, and take into cosideration price of new mounts, etc. Good luck!!
Welcome to the board. You won't find a more friendly and helpful group of people anywhere. As for engine parts, I would highly recomend getting catalogs from TA and Poston. They are both heavy hitters when it comes to performance parts for our beloved Buicks.:grin:
Shot as in blown-up, parts hanging' out, or just worn out? Some of them had better flowing ports. Use the search function on the board, you should be able to find a thread on that & casting numbers to check on. In my opinion, its kind of a toss-up on the engines. Each has their pros & cons. For example, 75-76 engines had a stiffer block. The heads are total junk though. The 70 had better compression heads, but a weaker oiling system. There are ways around any of the weaknesses. Bottom line - wouldn't worry about it!!
