Guys, I came across a never been ran Buick 455 short lock with no cam installed. This engine is potentially available to me but a local Buick guy. This is a Buick replacement engine. #1241735. So a 72-75 block I'm thinking. With cosmoline all over it. I have a cam and lifters on my bench. And TA is building me a set of stage 2 heads. Curious what it would take to get it going. Obviously intake. Oil pan. Exc..... Maybe swap out the pistons to some 10 or 10.5 comp. The seller showed me the Buick part number and price. He is selling it for under the original Buick price. Hoping Larry , Jim. Or some other experienced guys can give me a recommendation if I should jump on this or just build a core motor.
For someone who "needs" a service-replacement engine for their collectible Buick which is missing the original engine, it's probably worth every cent and more. As the basis for a "hot-rod" engine, I don't think it's anything special. You'll need pistons either way--new block or used. You ought to have the block honed with a torque plate, depending on piston-to-wall clearance and the availability of +.005 pistons, you might have to bore the thing. You gain nothing but bragging rights, and it isn't that much to brag about.
The two I purchased did not have the cam. Pistons had to be replaced to get the compression needed. The deck height on the pistons was .090" in the hole.
Back in the late 70's a group of us purchased 20 of them from a ,get this, a chevy dealership. The local Buick dealership wouldn't order them for us?? No cams in any, $250. each. Cosmoline is an issue, we found the best way was to soak them in kerosene in a drum for 3 weeks. Still had to take every piece apart. Cam bearings are stock so they should be replaced with TA. Check clearances. Some rod and main bearings were even installed backwards.They are low compression, maybe 8.5. They are great if you need a virgin block to run stock bore pistons, check clearances, can't say this enough.
we bought a bunch of them when gm discontinued them,great block,rods and crank,tough to get the coating off
I had mine steam cleaned and that worked good. As mentioned you still have to take it apart for inspection and final cleaning. Great block if you happen to have a good set of '70 pistons laying around and that is what I installed for a sort of stock engine. They use the '75-76 pistons with the short pin height but smaller dish that the '71-74's but the compression ends up about the same with either of those pistons as mentioned right around 8.5:1.
