Hi new to the forum, as u can see from the title i own a 79' Electra that i am going to be working on very soo just had a couple of questions as ive never owned a Buick with a true Buick heart in it but just a heads up this not an over the top build i just want some tip and tricks to look out for on this vehicle equipped with a small block 350 for example i cant for the life of me find a mild intake manifold that isnt for a 10sec car lol My plans for this car are simple Carbs Intake Exhaust manifolds/ headers Exhaust system A posi/LSD Then brake upgrades depending on the rear end
Welcome to the forum, IMO most of your Buick performance parts needs can be found @ TA Performance. They have a “stage 1 intake” for the 350 and it’s for street application.
A friend had a 78 Limited. He now owns a 77 Limited. 1977-79 Limiteds are similar in that they are very nice but big and heavy with low compression engines. As such they will not make 200 horsepower at the rear tires and they have road gear ratios. In my view there is little point in spending your Franklin brothers doing the list set out above. I would get a good tune up, recurve the ignition advance and enjoy the car. See Larry's thread on recurving your ignition.
Thank you guys so helpful and very fast but the car is a Florida car so just need alil get up and go and i want it to sound nice. Ive seen the ta options and man it says street but its prices lik professional parts
I know u aren't kidding, but as u guy can see from the list i laid out im just tryin to free up as many restrictions in the flowing of air as possible just to get the true performance the engine has not to find extra or hidden on the cheap
The ignition system tune up was a great recommendation im so young i didnt know u had to or could replace all the internal part and adjust them in the distributor
It’s a 4 barrel now? If so, I suggest this, 2200 small block rated torque converter, use stock intake, do the power timing with a recurve kit. Crower level 2 cam. Dual exhaust if you can otherwise a new hi flow catalytic converter, and 2.5 or 3 inch after cat. 3.08 rear gears. Quadrajet Power rebuilt Quadrajet. If you want more aggressive, pull heads and mill .040 or .060 , some bowl porting and a crower level 3 cam advanced 4 degrees. 3.23 or 3.42 rear gears. Should have some kick.
Not sure about the 4bbl all stock tho but Thank you for all the valuable information with all the options you guys have presented me so far like I said I'm not trying to do anything major just looking for mostly tips and tricks I plan on putting unrestricted free flow exhaust dual exhaust to be exact with an X pipe 3inch Collector to a 2.5 all the way through and cat delete will the cat del. compromise my gas mileage not too concerned about the environment at this point in sun old Florida Been hearing the smogg engines need heat that the think wit the recurve Im currently in ny tho so all i have is as much info as i can reseach and get a Confirmation from my Uncle who is with the car
I would send it to Quadrajet Power for rebuild. There’s more adjustments and tweaks he does then a gasket kit.. open air cleaner ,
In my opinion, leave the engine alone, if it runs decent... smooth and quiet, just do a good tune up. Install an oil pressure gauge, and MAYBE a booster plate for the oil pump, oh and ditch the catalytic converter if its original (pellet type) Enjoy the car for what it is, a late 70's downsized luxo cruiser
Lmaoo down sized, no i completely understand what u guys are saying to do but lik i said the car is a florida that had one owner a "school teacher" and is all original other then the head liner but as u can see from the picture the heat wasnt too kind to the engine bay so i wanta freshen it up a bit the parts you guys have recommended are great but they are for later lik the cam and the torque converter
I know its hard to believe that your '79 is considered "downsized" Go back 4 years to the '75 Electra
Normal hotrod stuff works, much of it listed above. Your car will be useless without some good gear. But, be wary; these cars were meant to be floaty cruisers, you start adding power, you're gonna break stuff. Work backwards. Get some gear in there, put a Trans-Go 350-1-2 shift kit in it (very easy to do, did my first one last thanksgiving, just be VERY clean about it, helps to have it out of the car), get a 2000-2300 converter as stated, and just have fun with it. There's really no need to tear into the engine unless something is wrong.
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/crn-99600-1 http://www.v8buick.com/index.php?threads/power-timing-your-buick-v8.63475/
