455 Rebuild

Discussion in 'Street/strip 400/430/455' started by 70lesabre455, Jul 22, 2009.

  1. 70lesabre455

    70lesabre455 Don't U wish U had 1?

    WARNING!!....Long intro...

    Well, after throwing a rod, my '70 LeSabre 455 has been sitting in my garage with the front end in pieces for about 2 years. I was planning on doing a wild build of a 494 stroker, but after being laid off and my first child being born, I've since put the stroker build on the far back burner. I was having second thoughts anyways after reading several threads about how one would be better off spending that money elsewhere on the car & drivetrain. But I couldn't take seeing my car collecting dust in the garage any longer!! So I went on the hunt for a decently priced used 455.

    I came across many engines that were either rebuilt and were going for an arm and a leg, and many that were just overpriced compared to their condition. Of course I was keeping my eye out and hoping to find a '70, but really at this point I was ready to put a friggin 350 in there for the time being!! Whatever would get it out of the garage and onto the road!! But about a week and a half ago I lucked out and saw an auction on eBay for a '72-'75 complete engine and transmission for $300...AND it was in TX...AND it was close enough that I could drive there and back without opting for a Motel 6! Pretty lucky for me, cause it's not like these engines are a dime a dozen anymore.

    So, I got the engine, brought it back and sat it next it's future home in the garage. The engine, which had been dumped in a metal bin of some kind and was taken to the recycling place I bought it from, was pretty ugly on the outside, but I had my fingers crossed that the inside looked. The carb was broken and bent in places. The mouth on the P/S pump had been dented. The HEI distributor cap was demolished and the oil filter was smashed. The tranny on the other hand, was really in good condition. It looks as though it was either rebuilt or replaced by a rebuilt one at some point...I haven't looked to see if the numbers match the block yet. Also, the engine had a blueish-green paint that reminded me of the Pontiac blocks...I thought all Buick 455's were painted red?

    I thought that I would make a thread and go through my whole process of rebuilding and installing the engine if for no other reason than because there might be some folks who would get a kick out of it or learn something new. Mind you, while I have done my fair share of engine work, I have NEVER rebuilt one before. So it'll be a learning experience for me as well! If you have comments, complaints, advice, or anything in between, feel free to post as I make progress.
     
  2. 70lesabre455

    70lesabre455 Don't U wish U had 1?

    Here's a few shots of the combo after i got them home. Pretty messy, but it's all there!

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  3. 70lesabre455

    70lesabre455 Don't U wish U had 1?

    I gave it a bath with a pressure washer before I got it home...I guess it made a difference :Do No::laugh:

    Does anyone know about that color? Was that factory for a '75, or did someone paint it the wrong color?

    I've done quite a bit since getting it home, more pics to come!
     
  4. DruRizzo

    DruRizzo Well-Known Member

    Hey man Congrats on the find and Good luck on the rebuild. I was in a similiar situation as you. I threw a rod and had a baby aswell (hardy har har) :grin: I just started wrapping up my rebuild on the 455. It still needs a lot of work but I am also running the Edelbrock 750 and it seems to do so much better then the original Rochester. We got it painted but it has to be redone because its starting to chip on the intake manifold (get what you pay for)

    I'm pretty sure the standard color for the 455's was always that reddish orange color. I may be wrong

    I'm very excited to follow this rebuild please keep us updated :Comp:
    If you have any questions feel free to ask, I hope it all goes well for ya Good Luck!
     
  5. DruRizzo

    DruRizzo Well-Known Member

    Oh and is it ok if i put a link to this thread on my website? it's dedicated to my 70 lesabre rebuild and I think it would be awesome for everyone to check yours out aswell.
     
  6. 70lesabre455

    70lesabre455 Don't U wish U had 1?

    Thanks! I thought about going all stock on my rebuild, but after finding out exactly how heavy those cast iron intakes are, I opted to stick with my Edelbrock intake that I had lying around. I mean seriously, that thing weighed (with the old Q-Jet still attached) damn near as much, or dare I say, more than one of the fully built heads!!

    That's what I was thinking too, about the engine color, but I'm eager to see what the community comes up with. The engine has been gone thru at least once in it's lifetime and lightly freshened up. I'm wondering if the shop that did it tried looking up a factory 455 color, saw a Pontiac, and went for that color.

    And go right ahead with the link. Mind if I get one to your site? Always nice to see another true '70 LeSabre 455 :beer...I've never seen another in person, just on these forums & Google.
     
  7. 70lesabre455

    70lesabre455 Don't U wish U had 1?

    NVM, just saw your link in your sig...
     
  8. 70lesabre455

    70lesabre455 Don't U wish U had 1?

    Just checked out your site, very nicely done. LOL, lookin at your " Random Pics Found on Web", my car is the last 2 pics at a local show back in 2007. The last one is of me and my dad. He drove my '69 Satellite to the show while I was in the LeSabre.
     
  9. flynbuick

    flynbuick Guest

    Correct color for the later year stuff. You are going to need some heads since those are not really worth using.
     
  10. GStage1

    GStage1 Always looking for parts!

    That is a 75-76 engine....best to replace the entire top end.....use the 70-74 heads and 70-1 intake or Edelbrock Performer. The carb is a pollution control version and you should replace that as well.
     
  11. DruRizzo

    DruRizzo Well-Known Member

    Aww man thats your buick?? Your car is beautiful! I loved it so much I saved it as the background on my desktop. I've seen a few 70 Lesabres floating around Jacksonville... But not with the 455. I actually stalked an old lady driving one for about 6 months hoping she would slap a for sale sign on it :Dou: .

    Now i'm even more interested in watching this rebuild.

    Booo Pollution control :moonu:

    -Dru
     
  12. 70lesabre455

    70lesabre455 Don't U wish U had 1?

    Nice! Jim & George, Thanks for the advice and info on the color. Learn somethin new every day! I have my heads off my '70 that threw the rod, so I'll just use those...of course, if I went ahead and used the ones off the '75 for the time being, I could have Stage 1 valves put in the '70s in the mean time and slap them on later...hmmm, decisions.

    I've never ported & polished anything either, and I'd love to try my hand at that. From what I hear, it's a very tedious and time consuming task, but I'm pretty anal when it come to attention to detail so I might be pretty good at it!
     
  13. 70lesabre455

    70lesabre455 Don't U wish U had 1?

    Thanks for the compliments Dru! I stunned myself when I typed "1970 LeSabre 455" into Google pictures and mine was on the first page!

    There's actually a kinda neat story behind me getting my LeSabre, but I'll have to share that with the group later. I'm sure EVERYONE has some sort of cool story behind getting at least one of their cars.
     
  14. 70lesabre455

    70lesabre455 Don't U wish U had 1?

    Well, not much to see after separating the combo, but the tranny and converter are extremely clean...or at least a heck of alot cleaner than I would have expected for a combo found in a metal recycling dumpster...
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    Last edited: Jul 23, 2009
  15. 70lesabre455

    70lesabre455 Don't U wish U had 1?

    This is a vacuum controlled butterfly valve on the driver side exhaust manifold...no clue what it does or what it's called, more of that fancy "pollution control" stuff I guess...BTW, everything I don't end up using (that's still usable) is going to be sold to try and recoup some project money...
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    Here's the engine after removing the exhaust manifolds...and I only broke off 5 bolts!! :rolleyes:
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  16. 70lesabre455

    70lesabre455 Don't U wish U had 1?

    Here's the P/S pump with the dented neck...it's a shame too cause I bet it would have worked just fine...prolly wouldn't be worth fixing...maybe a good core or something tho.
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    Fair warning, some of these pictures might seem a bit useless, but I made sure to take a buttload of pics...before taking the part off, after taking the part off and any details I deemed somewhat important. I ziplock bagged & tagged every group of nuts, bolts, & brackets as well...something I recommend for anyone doing a rebuild and planning to reuse their original hardware.

    Speaking of original hardware, I can only assume that these are the same hose clamps that came on this engine from the factory back in '75...kinda cool, but at the same time, either these hoses were never changed in the past 40 years (BAD), or this engine has very low mileage (GOOD)...
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  17. 70lesabre455

    70lesabre455 Don't U wish U had 1?

    The differences in coloration between the two valve covers gives you an idea of the condition of this engine the last time it was used in a vehicle...
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    Normal wear and coloration...notice the general brown oil stain & all the nylon buttons are still in each rocker arm...
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    NOT normal wear and coloration...notice the missing nylon rocker arm retainer buttons & the difference in color from front to middle to rear...
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    Gee, think it was running kinda hot? I believe that collection of muck and gunk is burnt oil combined with melted nylon rocker arm retainer buttons...nice...it was crusty and crunchy...
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  18. 70lesabre455

    70lesabre455 Don't U wish U had 1?

    With the intake off, I got to find even more junk and crusty stuff on and below the valley pan/intake gasket.
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    That stuff CAN'T be good for the engine...:laugh:
     
  19. 70lesabre455

    70lesabre455 Don't U wish U had 1?

    FYI, by this point, my dad and buddy had come over to lend a hand in the disassembly and cleaning.

    Got the heads off finally, and oh man!! The nasty burnt oil that came pouring out of the cylinders...
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  20. 70lesabre455

    70lesabre455 Don't U wish U had 1?

    Can anyone make out what exactly the code is on this friggin thing?? The far left letter is an "A" then either a "P", "B", or "F" ...then "2", "I" or "1", and lastly "9"...

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    My 1975 Motor Auto Repair Manual only has one code for a '75 Buick 455, and that is "T"...there is definitely no "T" on the block, and it is definitely a 455 since the block code is "1241735"...

    Does anyone have some insight to provide?
     

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