Putting an abomination in my Buick? maybe?

Thanks, and thank you everyone else. I'll deffently will do a compression test.

Also, How much are those TA heads estimated to be priced at?

 

The sbc 350 V heads flow around 235 from the factory so you gained 35 CFM, how much did that hurt the V heads awesome low lift flow to get that extra 35 max CFM? o No: With the right cam un-ported you could probably done the same with the factory flow. uzzled:

The 305 Vortec with the ports and bowls blended and cleaned up in the heads with an RPM Air-Gap intake and factory roller cam with 1.6:1 roller rockers, 700R4 with 3.73:1 rear gears, with 275-60-15 BFG drag radials with a 2,000 stall converter was good for low 14s in the QM with a crappy Edelbrock 1406 or 1407 600 cfm carb running under 6,000 RPM. Felt really good on the street in that 700R4 1st gear range for a car that weighs in at 3,400 lbs with no one in it. About the same as a "freshen up" or "budget performance" sbb 350 build that is done with not getting greedy on the cam choice would run in the QM that I have read on here. With a better carb the V-305 would of been in the 13s, I just didn't have the ambition to keep improving the 305 when it was only supposed to be a temporary engine. Besides I parked the car after the gas tank fell off running in the QM at Milan Dragway dragging it down the track sparking from about mid track all the way to the turnaround held on by the fuel line. LOL :eek2: I'm sure with a slightly larger cam and a bit more compression swapping in a cheap set of factory replacement head gaskets from the .040" composite head gaskets that I had on it because those were lying around to a factory style .015" steel shim head gasket and .030" milled off the heads would of been enough to get the car down into the mid to low 13s possibly touching the 12s with the right amount of tuning of the combo.

The V-305 stayed in that car longer than I originally intended it stayed because the combo ran so dam good, anything bigger would of been easily spinning the tires with the gearing in it even with the SSM lift bars among other goodies in the rear suspension, plus I was getting over 20 MPG on the freeway with it. :Brow:


The above was done with a totally factory stock just how the General intended it to be in 1996 rotating assembly. No need to spin it to 7,000 RPM with the right combo to get down the QM. The OP mentioned having 3.73:1 rear gears already, not quite as good as the 700R4 1st gear multiplication but not to bad with a TH350.


Anyway, with his budget the most bang for the buck would be to try and find a used running BBB 455 to swap in instead of wasting time and $$$ with what he is planning to just be disappointed in it like others on here have done and been disappointed with. The infamous "sbb budget performance build" that ends up in the person that did it calling the sbb 350 a POS because of all the corners that were cut. Made me think that some of those threads were fake trying to make the sbb 350 look bad, by some of those "just put a 455 in it" guys?

Doing a proper rebuild would be having the block cleaned, magna fluxed, bored & honed, decked, cam bearings and freeze plugs all for around $800 depending on your local machine shop prices. If you want the TA grooved cam bearings add $100 I think they cost. If you need to have the block line honed add another $200. Worse case scenario $1,100, so now all you have left for everything else is $100. o No: Doing the "budget performance" build would call for all kinds of corners to be cut setting yourself up for disappointment like the other sbb 350 flop threads.

A budget performance build would be at least twice the mentioned amount, closer to $3,000 doing most of the work yourself. GL



Derek

 

A cam change isn't going to turn a 8 to 1 static compression engine into a 10 to 1 static compression engine. It can change compression pressure. Or dynamic compression.

 

Great info..........I do have to admit, I may be leaving a very big 3rd option out of this conversation. When I purchased the Buick in highschool, The guy threw in a 455 with all parts for it for and additional $100. I have a 455 block and all of its components. Only thing the parts are 1975 including the heads. The block itself is 75 too. So I have this bare 455 block in the garage just sitting there. From what I've been seeing all 350 parts are pretty much the same price as the 455 parts. soooooooo What should I do, rebuild the 455??? I don't want to use the smog heads and I don't want to spend $1,000 for the heads to get the ideal performance out of that block. Is there another way? thanks.

 

Derek I agree, a waste to put $$ into it compared to the other options.

To comment on the vortec head, I was referring more to the statement that they don't gain much. I respectfully disagree.
I know they can go quite a bit more than what I stated and whether or not "low lift" flow is hurt is irrelevant, depending on what you call "low lift".
The strategies would be completely different if one was trying to build a screamer vs. a 13 second car.
I'm thinking of ones I've seen start out lower than 235 cfm, more like 200-210.
I know it's been said a zillion times before, but the velocity profiles and port mapping relative to the combo is more relevant than "just" the raw cfm #.
My point is that those heads aren't the weak link.

Thanks for keeping on point regarding budget and simplicity.

 

LOL. It's always interesting how different people can read the same sentence and get several different meanings.
I can see where I should have written it better

We have had the conversation many times "Pick the cam first and then configure the compression ratio to match" and I didn't expect it to be taken any other way.
Thanks for your statement of clarification.

Paul

 

The "smog" heads aren't as bad as they were made out to be, come to find out!! If you will be running a stock type replacement piston that has a full 360* circle of dish then the earlier heads are of NO benefit other than being able to get compression up easier because without a piston with a quench pad on it doesn't matter if the head's chamber is of opened or closed design. Besides heads can always be updated later if you feel the need to.

Here is the least expensive BBB 455 replacement pistons from the downloadable TA catalog;

"TA 1607 `70-`76 455 (std, +.020,.030,.040,.050,.060), 8.5 or 10:1 CR **................................................. $335.00

** Note: Compression ratios are advertised and may not calculate out the same with your combination, please
inquire when ordering"

IIRC the 75-76 heads have a 78cc chamber while the 71-74 have 70cc chambers, with a .030" to .060" cut should take it down a couple cc maybe as low as 74cc then have the deck milled so that the pistons will be at zero deck and you should be able to get around the high 8 to 1 to the low to maybe mid 9 to 1 compression ratio range with the 455 which with the right cam will make the car scoot better for the $$ spent than with the sbb 350 for sure because machining pretty much will cost the same for both blocks.

That's all I can do for now, 4:00 am comes quick and I have to work 12 hours the rest of the week. GL



Derek

 

more and more i think about. i may use that 455. dam lol

 

Tune the 350. Build the 455. Swap.
Patrick.

Seriously, a very mild 455, stock '75 bottom end with earlier heads ($800 or less ready to bolt on) and a mild cam and well built Qjet and you'll have big torque off idle, no harm to driveability, and a surprisingly quick street car. As you go on you'll pay the same for big block cams, headers, etc. (-and labor) and you're already ahead by a hundred ft/lbs.

 

For the money and power you will get from a 75 head 455 I think you can do the 350 for very similar power. Obviously more torque on the 455. But with the added cost for the 455 changeover. It isn't that great of an offset. Seeing Steve's and marks car run pretty good times with a 350 that a mild 455 runs. That 455 that was built on the TV show can get beat down by these 350 guys. Tough choice to make

 

The piston squish ring on a Speed Pro round dish piston or the last BBB Diamond pistons I received actually is 31% of the total piston area and covers over 50% of the quench pad on a pre 1975 stock head or TA head. It covers most of the quench area on an Eddy head.

It is sufficient to create a maximum squish velocity near 20 meters per second, 8 degrees BTDC at 3000 rpm with a .040 thick head gasket, zero deck.
For low rpm work it is good to have a large quench pad but as you increase the working rpm it is more desirable to either increase the squish angle (not parallel as in spherical dish) or decrease the quench area.

Paul

 

This may sound like a dumb question, but if I were to swap in the 455, will my TH400 match right up to the bellhousing on the 455?

 

You could sell the 305 to get some extra $$$ for the 350 Buick build budget.

 

haha, thats the plan :TU:....but now I just may tweek the 350 some, and spend my money on the 455, I've always wanted to put it in.

 

Just decide what you want and build it that way. If you want to be able to find another engine for cheep if you blow it then go with a Sbc or ls engine. If you want a 350 build that. If you do the 455 then zero deck the pistons and find some early heads.

 

Great idea :TU: I did find a buick 455 block with 430 heads and a 1971 intake manifold with 1970 pistons. Engine was intact. Looked like it blew a head gasket. Gonna take it apart and rebuild it. Also making sure the block and all parts still good.
I'll deffently be on later once I start building it, for questions about it. The whole 430 heads on a 455 still kinda confused me. Good thing this engine ran before so all the mods seems to have been done. hopefully. lol