Hi everyone. I have a few questions about what parts to use in the rebuild of my 455. Its a 1976 block that ran before it was pulled and is decent shape. I want to rebuild it and driop it into my 72 skylark and run mid 12's. I was wondering if anyone out there has any suggestions for a cam/ cylinder head/ piston/ intake/ exhaust/ cooling/ gears/ stall converter? in short, does anyone know a combination of parts that go together well and would give me the results I want? o No: i take it that 12's shouldnt be too hard, this is a street car with a minimum of options. I have the th350 trans that is in the car now and a long shaft 400 that i could use, any ideas on that as well? sorry for all of the questions, but im lost here and could use some good advice :Brow: thanks in advance!
Paul, What's the rear gear & tire combo? Lots to be had here before the engine is done. As for Buick 12 Sec combos most folks here will agree thatt he heads make all the difference in the Buicks. Spend your $$$$ there first and you'll get good results. Looks for a port job that flows in excess of 280/210 and it shouldn't be too tough.
Don't forget to put the car on a diet, as well. It takes less hp to make a 3500 pound car run a 12.5 than it does to make the same car run 12.5 at 4000 pounds There is an interesting dyno comparison for various cams on the TA website http://www.taperformance.com/camdyno.htm
thanksfor the replys! gears should be in the mid 3's (3.42-3.64ish) as far as rear tires go thats still undecided. as far as the diet goes i think my cars gonna be tubby. im not going to use a fiberglass hood/fenders, and aluminum heads may or may not be out of my price range, plus i want this to have a full interior (bench with a colunm shift ) the non working ac will probably come out though. hopefully i can cut down the weight as money allows. thanks again
just some basics 3800 lbs car with 3.55 gears at least 9.5 to 1 comppresion ported stage one heads around a 230/240 duration cam 2500 stall 9'' slicks should use a airbag on the right rear spring, and box your lower arms recurved distribitor 1'' 7/8 headers and a 2.5 exhaust 800 cfm carb
more confusing questions I have a few questions about the motor... It is a 1976 455, unknown amount of miles but it ran before it was pulled. the cylinder walls dont look too bad. My uncle is helping me with the project and im supposed to get a "shopping list" of what i want because were having the engine checked out this weekend. What would you recommend doing to the short block? what cam (the ta 413 sounds good =) what type/ compression/ brand of pistions should I get? Right now the motor has the stock 7.9 to 1 or whatever they are, and I would like to see at least 9.5. I doubt ill be using the stock heads, would a set of gessler stage 1's be a good idea or are there other options for less money? also, are there any oiling mods/ parts that I should look into or is there anything else that ive over looked? thank you very much in advance!
Hey Paul.Go to "Search" at the top of the page and start looking.Most guys here can and will tell you what works well.All I can say is consider forged pistons(peace of mind)do the oiling mods,and balance the engine.Camshaft profile/converter/gears have to be well thought out also.Just my .02 cents worth.Many other things like carb,ignition have to be looked at..do the "search".Later,Tony.
P.A.E. has sets of rebuilt ported stage 1 heads, with dual springs for $1200, that is a excellent price, you problably wont be able to use your 76 heads for a core. I would spend the money on the speed pro forged pistons, just no worrys and you are not limited so much on what you can do to the moter. 413 is a good choice, also just a booster plate and a adjustable regulator on the oil pump that will be all you will need because your 76 block has the 5/8 pickup tube and the block has larger oil passages.
thanks everyone! the PAE heads sound good, and as far as forged pistons go i know id feel safer with them then without. thanks again for the ideas!
There is some general thought that rather than pay a grand or more for a set of iron heads move on to the TA aluminum stage one heads for the extra flow and hp.
One of our recent motors should get you exactly what you want. Very simple and basic combo. Ported iron stg-1 heads , these flowed in the mid 270 range, we used the wiseco reverse domed 10to1 pistons, netted 10.1 to1 compression, 230/240 cam, edelbrock intake with an 850 holley double pumper. the engine dynoed at 520 horse and 612 torque. Swapping to an SP-1 manifold would probably net another 20 or so horsepower. Simple, basic, to the point type of engine. This combination should get you well into the 12's. Jim Burek P.A.E. ENTERPRISES
Jim, Say someone wanted to keep the motor looking stock. What do you think this motor would put out with stock intake and exhaust manifolds? What about with a Stage 1 B4B intake and gessler ported exhaust manifolds?
Chris, This is actually really close specs to my motor, minus about a point of compression. I don't know that it's the kind of cam you're looking for in your car - it may be a bit bumpy. I've got the SP1, 850 holley, 288-96H cam (230/240), and some very well ported heads.
Then again, a bit much is sometimes just right. I don't mind running the 850 dp, SP1, and that cam... but mine is more strip than street too (or hopefully will be). It pulls 14" of vacuum and idles in the 825 rpm range in gear. There's a lot of work in my heads and intake combo. They could take, and have taken, a lot more cam than I'm throwing at them. Not knowing how much has been done to your heads, you may be better off with something a little more mild. I was thinking something like the 290-94H cam. If you're running stock rockers you can run the Stage 1 replacement springs and it's designed to run in the 1500-5500 rpm range. Your 4spd car may like it! You may want to check out this thread: http://www.v8buick.com/showthread.php?t=16272 The 288-94H may also work well for you.
What kind of flow numbers on the heads, and what does it run? I've been thinking about doing something similar, but with ported aluminum heads. ________ MARIJUANA SEED
Hey Paul.I use the TA290-94H cam.Has a bit of a lumpy idle but works great with stock rockers/dual springs.I also use a 2000-2200 stall with 3.42`s and a 27'' tire.Steves cam would work nice also with a good carb and headwork.PM me if you want more details on my build with the 290-94H cam.Later,Tony.
