Newbe here... So my wife gave me a 69' Skylark 2dr hartop for my wedding gift. It is a little rough.. has your typical rust spots. I am looking to do a motor swap. Any ideas if I should go with a 455 buick / 454 chevy / or a LSX L33/LQ4/LQ9 set up? I appreciate your input. Mike
If you're contemplating those 3 options then clearly you're looking for more horsepower. I'd go with the LS. While it may be more involved to install it in the beginning, those engines are very durable and respond extremely well to modifications. Another plus is most parts for them are available at parts stores and/or dealership parts departments but the biggest advantage is if you blow it up you can make a trip to your local salvage yard and get another one the same day, and likely for a lost less money than replacing a 455 or a BBC. However, if you do choose to stick with an old school big block, go with the 455 Buick.
If you can swing it, go with the LS engine. Dollar for dollar nothing will give you the mileage/performance/availability of parts you can get with them. The only downsides are the upfront cost, the more involved installation, and the fact that a lot of folks don't like a corporate engine in a Buick. If it already has a motor in it, just get it running (assuming it's not blown) as cheaply as possible so you can enjoy it while you work on everything else. A running/driving car is much more fun to work on than something sitting on stands over the long term.
This is rich. Someone comes to the Buick forum asking for advice on engines and (almost) everyone responding suggests the Chevy transplant. I guess that makes sense though, since that's why they became popular in the first place...cheap, easy, abundant, easily replaced when it blows up. Sounds logical to me! ...
If the shoe fits............. In my case, I'm a car guy. I'm not necessarily a Buick guy, Chevy guy, Ford guy, Mopar guy, etc. I'm a car guy and I like them all. More importantly I'm more of a hot rodder than a purist. I do like the dare to be different cars but I also have no problem going with the most logical choices, particularly if the car is going to be used rather than just stared at. I respect the choice of preserving a rare musclecar or any other rare or low production trailer queen for so that everyone can see and enjoy them at shows, but most Buick Skylarks can be hacked without completely destroying their value. In many cases making them more powerful, economical, and user friendly will actually increse their value in the long run. I'm not disputing anyone's opinion because that is what makes us all unique in our own way, just stating mine. But jack the car way up in the air and put 30" wheels on it and I'll probably call you an idiot :laugh:
Welcome Mike, and congratulations on the marriage to a car girl! Nice gift. I like the Buick 455. It doesn't take a lot of money to generate a lot of power, and, it's a Buick in a Buick, which is always fun to show off. Whenever we drive ours around, or at that drag strip, everybody comes over to look under the hood, because they think it must be something other than a Buick engine. So that is fun. Lots of information on this board, so enjoy.
As much as it pains me to say this, if you're lookng to make the car just into a cruiser, keep the 350. But if you're looking for great power, reliability, and even fuel economy, you can't beat a 408 lsx engine. Take any old LQ4 out of a bone yard for a couple a hundred bucks and you can build a 600 hp beast for under $10K all day long that'll idle great and really move you down the road.
Thanks everyone for the input/sarcasm etc.. I love it. My car is running.. 350-2 103K miles.. I'll save up some money and figure out what to do later. I'm leaning towards LSx because I am a driver.. I would like to be able to drive 500 miles 1 way wothout having a tanker following me. But if I get a steal on a 455 I'll grab it.
Here is a bone stock smogger low comp 350 making about 350 flywheel HP with a few PSI of boost and it gets 20 MPG: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ui8jMXTJeOU Spend $1000 on head porting and a camshaft then add a turbocharger and make 350-600 HP with the otherwise stock engine.
Nice torque. ---------- Post added at 05:56 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:29 PM ---------- I'm a car guy too, I just prefer Buick and believe keeping the Buick all Buick. I'm not out to castrate anyone who disagrees with me, I just found it humorous is all that I'm seeing (not just you) more people suggesting Chevy engine transplants in Buicks now. I'm no dummy. I understand that if one didn't care about which engine went into what the best option is the path of least resistance and best bang for the buck. Modern engines are much better than they used to be 20 years ago, and with them being abundant and inexpensive, I can see why it would be tempting. I just couldn't bring myself to do it if it were my car, and it makes me cringe when others speak of it. I suppose in that regard I am a loyalist above all. Hotrodder vs purist doesn't really come into play here as much as you might think, when the Buick is perfectly capable of holding its own performance wise. If you were a Buick guy, you would know this... Dare to be different by keeping the Buick engine in the Buick, rather than doing the 'normal' thing and gutting it for a SBC... um, yeah. This isn't about preserving some classic musclecar or show car that just sits around getting stared at, it's about putting the Buick engine to use in every day life, where performance and economy are not unfamiliar territory. To be perfectly honest, it doesn't sound much to me like you're as familiar with Buicks as you are just cars in general. If you were truly a Buick hotrodder, you wouldn't be making these assertions. Seems we have us a Chebby lubber crusader in our midst fellas :laugh:
Congratulations on having a cool wife. Keep your Buick a Buick the fun factor is greater when you kick a brand Xs butt. I too am a hotrodder from way back and have had Chevys Olds Pontiacs and Mopars. The most fun is winning races with a Buick and having people ask ,what kind of engine is that? They usually expect to see a Chevy. I'm not slamming Chevys I like them but I like Buicks best. Good luck with your Buick. Bob H.
I couldn't agree more. It's fun to drive my street car to the local drag strip, run 11:80s @ 4100 lbs with full AC, interior and see the look on some of these guy's faces when they discover it's a Buick 455 and not the typical go cheap and fast Chevy transplant. :boring: It's a Buick, its different, and people will remember it. That's what I really like. It's your car though. Do what you want with it. Just my humble opinion. John.
