i have a buick 350 engine and want to build a 455 to go in my car. i never rebuilt an engine before and i want to try it. then i want to put it in with my 350 trans. will that work? will i have to change carb from a small block to a big block? i can get a 400 trans but don't know if i will have to change drive shaft? can anybody help me? I also need some kind of buick book that will tell me how to build a 455.help anyone?..mike
If the TH350 is in good shape, it should be fine, although I would recommend a shift kit and tranny cooler for best performance. You will need to change the driveshaft and slip yoke to put in a TH400. Good Luck!
350 to 455 o No: Hey Scott, when Mike makes the change from the 350 to the 455, won't some other changes need to take place like different engine mounts, fan shroud...? I am in the midst of trying to do the same thing and this is just some feedback I got. I won't be building the engine though, I am putting a '70 Stage-1 455 in place of the 350 in my 69 GS. I too am curious if my TH350 will handle the extra torque and ponies. Hope you don't mind me jumping on your thread, but we r doing almost the same thing. :beer Hope you get the info you are looking for! Scott Bolter
Mike, let me give you some hard earned advice. On building your 455 the book I used was " A guide to Buick Performance engines by Steven Dove". Now let me tell you what happened to me. I have built a few big and small block Chevy's in the past with great results. On my 455 I memorized that book and went to the local machinist who had done work for me in the past had a great rep for building Chevy's. He told me no problem, he had built 455's before. Well, 4000 dollars later the motor ate all the cam bearings, and rod bearings in about 2 hours of run time. I pulled it apart and went back thru it myself replacing parts as needed. It lasted 1 hour this time! Now it is at Jim Weise's secret research facility being done right. My point is that make sure you do your research and amke sure your machinist actually knows Buick's! As Jim W told me, it is not rocket science to build these motors but you HAVE TO KNOW what clearances these 455's need to live! If i were you I would contact Jim and ask him if he knows of anyone local to you that can do the job or pack that baby up and drop it off to Jim up in the Great White North. Jim is the most up front no B.S. guy I have ever dealt with concerning cars and you won't be sorry listening to him. For the first time I feel good about my project and i don't think my wife will kill me anymore. She met Jim also and she understands he wiil make everything all better. ( sorry if I am enbarrassing you, Jim!). Good luck and keep us posted. I for one want you to benefit from my mistakes. Brian :Smarty:
Also Mike, the book I told you about is good but somewhat out of date. Please doublecheck your info with the board before proceeding. And buy all your parts from T/A performance. They are the best out there for Buick's and don't settle for anything else. Or you may be out a lot of dough and crying in your beer like I did! Brian
