Well, its been a busy couple of weeks, but I fired my 84 LeSabre LTD 455 this morning and she purred like a kitten. Ran it for 20 minutes @ 2000 to set the parts and temp stayed low. Checked the oil, Set the timing at 12 BTC and took her up the road. Nailed it from a dead stop and the tires fired up immediately. Shifted to second and they continued frying. Made a couple of short shift runs and took her in to check for leaks. Here are my particulars: 1975 Block /w 27 cc stocker pistons 1972 Heads w/ 75 Stamped steel rockers 1972 Stock Cam 1972 Non-egr Intake 1975 HEI dist. w/ curve kit (brass springs) Holley 650 DP Carb 6210-1 Cast exhaust 2 1/4 " Duals dropped @ rear axle 3.23 : 1 Posi from 9c1 gm 5x5 bolt pattern 1984 LeSabre LTD 4dr w/ electric OSRV Mirror option Ended up w/ $775 in this one, so far. Still have to locate a front header panel for car and front springs. This thing got a little out of budget for me because donor motor spun a bearing on start up. Had to have crank turned -.010. Will pop some photos up as soon as disposable runs out of film. Viva Cubano Mechanics!!!!!
Budget? p I have yet to meet one although the latest engine should come in for reasonable - mainly cuz of a bunch of new/leftover stuff. Sounds like a good runner. I'm curious about your 1972 Heads w/ 75 Stamped steel rockers. I've been thinking of pulling the KB roller rocker & KB valve train stuff out of the 32 which now runs a very mild cam and is hardly ever revved over 4000 rpm for use in a little more serious engine I'm putting together for the next project. The KB springs would be pulled as well and stock ones installed. Are you using the stock rocker shafts? As well as the rest of the valve train is stock?
This 75 motor was so clean when I took the pan and valve covers off that I didn't even crack a rod or main cap before I installed it first time. Needless to say, that was my down falling. Yes, I used the stock rockers and rails. They had no excessive wear and were barely tarnished, let alone sludgy. I started playing with Big motors back it the late 70s, when you could buy a running large displacement, high compression car for $50 to $100. Fuel crisis and romance with the japanese cars rendered detroit iron to a By the Pound value. I got real serious about Ford motors and once assembled $5,000 in parts (labor was free as I worked in a machine shop) planning on building the most awesome street racer in Reno, NV. I moved to Mobile, Al. that year, sold my unassembled engine for 1/2 its values and swore I would never do that again. I kind of stumbled into Buicks after a 5 year break in playing with old cars. They seemed the one GM motor least affected by the compression drops of the 70s, had the "over square" config. I enjoyed in my BB fords and were releatively light weight. Saying all that to get to this; Someone can always outspend you and if it is ultimate performance you are looking for, Buick is not the place to hang your hat. If I can get a good old motor, put it in an unlikely body and swat a couple of those Japanese Gnats (who pay more for their mufflers than I have in my entire car) then my day is made. Like most other aspects of society, we Baby Boomers have ruined hot rodding. What used to be a way for average guys to turn small amounts of money, and large amounts of creativity into cars to compete with the rich kids, has become a "snob" war of epic proportions. I wax philosophical, sorry
Philosophical be ok.... My main interest was in how well the stock rocker shafts worked out. My understanding is that they are notoriously weak and the rockers ain't far behind. Seems to be true, I talked to a couple of guys at the dragstrip who ran moderately built BBB's and one reported he did break a stock rocker shaft. I believe the other guy was running a KB shaft. More than likely the stock setup would work ok with what I'm doing now with this particular engine - which is - using the roadster as a real car, chasing parts, running errands and getting around the countryside in it just about every day. You would be surprised what I've hauled with it. And, most importantly, it's a fun car to drive so why not? I'm always amazed at guys who've always wanted a roadster - or hot rod coupe - and the only place they take them is to the Saturday night rod run once a month. I sorta fell into running Buicks, my first choice was a 351 Cleveland, but mom-in-law burned a valve in her 68, bought a big Dodge, wanted the Buick taken to the junkyard so I pulled the 430 and T-400 for a spare trans for little brothers Henry J drag race car. The engine sat in the garage for quite a while and then ended up being used as a dummy engine when the 32 was built. Anyway, what do you mean by "rails?" Something along the lines of what the BB Ford stock rockers look like? I've only had one 430 and three 455's apart, so maybe I'm missing something.
Rail rockers probably dates me a bit. Seems that is what folks used to call rockers on a common shaft. Hell, maybe I made it up. I have watched some threads here talking about the strenght of the assemblies and one guy seemed to think the stockers were a more durable unit than the aftermarket replacement. I haven't had a failure, and seeing how I run stock components, I don't expect to. Judging by the way they bend when installing I would think they may be suspect. I defer to those who crank a bit more cam and spring into their motors.
Funny you should say that....... Spent yesterday pulling a BB out of a 67 SS Chevellel. The guy bought this motor for $500.00 from a fellow who said it was a fresh motor. Well, lifters deflated when the oil got warm so he hired me to figure out the problem. It was a bone stock, wore out 1972 402. Bout the worst motor ever made. 700 lbs of gutless. I will be rebuilding the short block for him. It is hell to find parts for this slug but managed to find a kit w/ cast pistons and nice little bumpstick for $500.00. Give me my Junkyard motors and a little luck and I'll be fine. But it would cost a bit more to build a buick Shorty.
At my age, with my waistline, anything that has the distributor that far from my hands is a POS. I think the Olds is, cosmetically speaking, the best looking engine. I have had many of them. I like the 425 for the forged crank and rockers that could be made adjustable by changing the studs. The siamese bores make them a bit of a problem as an, all out, racing engie. As for chevrolet, you have to give credit where credit is due. The high exhaust ports and splay valve configuration leave all other motors of that era, in the dust where flow is concerned. But, in the final analysis, they are so common. These 455 Buicks are a blast. Fat bore, short stroke and 85 lbs lighter than than either the Chevy or Ford BBs.
