Will be taking this short block to a shop to rebuild lower end. To save some dough, I will assemble the top end but need the machining done, crank checked, new main bearings, cylinders honed, maybe new pistons/rings and cam bearing installed professionally and want to make sure what I have is compatible as well as make sure the shop has the correct specs on clearances for proper oil pressure. Any input/feedback is appreciated on the below. Goal is street motor with a minimum of 300 HP, if possible, on a budget build. Will be mated to a Muncie M20 with 3.42 posi in a '70 GS. I have already: '72 1241735 455 which came out of an Electra I believe (running when pulled and very clean) 1242445 heads (internet says 70-72 heads). Already rebuilt stock, ready to install. Had .010 removed. TA 212 Cam (new) TA 1559A Cam bearings. Edelbrock Performer intake. Date coded 1-29-92 Has never been installed. TA 1522 Stock Replacement Timing gear set. Used timing cover with new TA oil pump gears, TA pump cover, TA booster plate, and adjustable regulator. Stock Harmonic balancer rebuild by Damper Dudes. Rebuilt Distributor 1111384 9F 9 ? Questions: Does this set up look compatible? I plan on having them take .010 off the block, will this cause any alignment/fitment issues since the heads have also had .010 removed? With .010 off the block and heads, will the stock push rods be too long? TA has many lifter choices, any recommendations? If I order pistons, I think I would order cast pistons. TA's Website asks for 8.5.1 or 10.1? I assume 10.1 is better (maybe non dish?) but will they be compatible with what I have and then do I need them notched etc with the deck and heads shaved by .010? I have heard cometic makes a gasket that is thinner and will increase compression? Will this work, or are needed work with my set up and anyone know which Cometic to order? Where do I find specs for proper main bearing or other clearances for optimal oil pressure. Not any Buick builders here and know the tolerances are tighter than Chevys so want to provide the shop the proper info. Lastly for now. I have seen/read that some aftermarket intakes or if you mix 72 or older with newer smog heads require one of the water or oil ports tapped and plugged. I do not see that I would need that but also noticed one side of the intake does not have a square water passage but would have this passage on the head. See 2nd last pic.
Have them use a torque plate during honing. Tell the machine shop what rings you're using, so they can provide the proper finish. Best to get them from Jim Weise, as he sells pistons with proper compression height. Most "rebuilder" pistons are sabotaged with compression height reduced by .010 to .020. The stock engine probably makes that, as tested on an aftermarket dyno (gross HP.) Set your sights a little higher. Is that cam suitable for stock valve springs, keepers, and weak, stock valves? Valve springs have proper installed height? Are the rocker arms and rocker shafts worn-out? Still worth using a degree wheel and dial indicator to "degree" the cam. Take that damper (knock all the balance pins out of it) and a new flywheel/flexplate to the machine shop so the bottom-end can be properly balanced (at least as well as Buicks with stock connecting rods can be balanced.) Rebuilt to stock specs, or with the centrifugal and vacuum advance "curved" so it actually suits the engine? Were the stock head gaskets the .020 steel-shim jobs? If so, a .040 typical composition gasket restores original height. I've seen lifters with over a quarter-inch (.250) plunger travel. I don't expect pushrod problems...but today's lifters may have restricted travel. ALWAYS verify pushrod length, which affects only lifter preload on a non-adjustable rocker system like Buick uses. Make sure they center the block off of the main saddles so the decks are "square" to the crankshaft--same height front to rear, exactly 90 degrees apart. Consider having the block align-honed BEFORE the decks are planed. Probably not. Worth checking, especially if your lifters don't have a lot of plunger travel. Also makes a difference as to what head gasket you use. They're all questionable. Be careful. "Chevy" lifters work...but you may need to change the pushrod length. 10:1 pistons may not produce 10:1 compression ratio. If they do, it's probably too high for pump gas unless you're a wizard at carb and distributor tuning, and cam selection. Yes, Cometic makes thin gaskets. IF (big IF) you use their product, you'd better tell the machinist, so he can put the proper surface finish on the block decks--and potentially the head decks as well. Me? I refuse to use a head gasket that costs that much on a mild engine. Check the Sticky section of this forum. The tolerances are not tighter than Chevys, but the clearances might be. Main problem with intake manifolds is that some don't cover the AIR holes in the cylinder heads. Easily fixed with a tap and some set-screws, IF your heads have AIR holes to begin with. I can't remember if the exhaust crossover passage is also a potential issue. Someone else can confirm/deny. Mixing cylinder heads and blocks can cause coolant leaks, but you've got matching parts.
First, these are just my opinions but they worked for me. Yes, I think it should all work together. I don't think so. I had .020 taken off my 350 block and the heads had at at least .010 off them and it all went together. 455 shouldn't be any different. You should measure to be sure but on my 350, the stock push rods worked just fine. My 455 has Edelbrock heads so I had to measure and get new ones. Lifters are only part of the equation but whatever TA recommends should work. Be sure to use good cam lube (comes with it from TA) on the cam and be sure none of it is on the sides of the lifters. Use a good break-in oil with enough ZDDP. Also, make sure you use the double groove cam bearings correctly. Some machine shops won't read the instructions and just sock them in like factory. They will work but not as designed. Also, do as many of the oil mods as you can. You already have the bigger pickup and feed line. The booster plate will help provide adequate oil flow, too. If you need pistons, check with Jim Weise like Schurkey said. If you need to bore it, might as well get something decent. Cast pistons would be my last resort unless it comes back standard and doesn't need boring. It will increase compression but they are expensive and not the best bang for your buck in a stock-ish build. You will likely gain about .25-.35 compression points with those gaskets. You'd be better off taking another .010 (.020 total) off the block. Clearances are tighter. I used the factory specs. Both of my engines, one 350 and one 455, run 5W30 and hold 75 PSI hot at 3,000 RPM and 15-20PSI hot idle. I used this TeamBuick page for reference but my mains and rods are .002 on my engines with a smidge tighter not being a problem below 5,000 RPM as long as your oil isn't too thick. I wouldn't run 20W50 in either of my engines. The intake should only have front water passages. Since the heads interchange, they have water ports front and back but only use the fronts for the intake. If you want a little bit more performance and don't need a choke, you can block off the two center intake side passages in the heads for the heat crossover. I built my 455 with aluminum heads to run on 87 octane. I'm using a TA212 cam also. It has the 10.25:1 pistons but they are .030 down in the bores and as measured, I have 9.75:1 compression. My 350 has the block and heads shaved and also runs on 87 octane with a measured 9:1 compression. Neither ping on regular gas. I am probably leaving some performance on the table but they won't be hurt from cheap gas. My final thought, since this engine didn't have a manual trans behind it, have your crank checked/machined to accept a pilot bushing AND make sure your block is drilled for a Z-bar stud. Those would be bad to find out in the final stages of assembly. Good luck and keep us posted.
The 1559's are the right cam bearings. Hugger's preference is coated, I dont know if the coated bearings are the 'A's" or not. I've used both , they work equally well and I recall a post a while ago where Jim actually preferred the non coated bearings so there ya go. Smash it all together and report back.
I had the babbitt separate on two different non coated....and never had the coated fail so that's my reasoning...granted not a hundred engines like JW..but I gotta go with my experience as we know replacing cam bearings that take a vacation is no fun
Buick cams journals can be all over the place tho...some cams spin like butter others are snug...I've polished a few with 600 to get a better feel
Never say never! I just had a coated bearing start to come apart. Cant blame the bearing so much though, there was some metal floating around ..
Teflon coated cookware I understand. The coated bearings not so much. Bearings are manufactured to a precise dimension, add a coating it makes smaller. Oil provides the hydrodynamic wedge to keep the journal from contacting the bearing, if the oil goes away for whatever reason, the bearing is the sacrificial piece being softer than the journal, add a coating to that, the chances of the journal contacting the now coated bearing is even greater due to its smaller dimension. The coating gets scuffed along with bearing material, so what’s the advantage? Some will say “the coating provides protection” Protection for what? The journal should never contact the bearing during operation, that’s what the oil is for, the coating just takes up space the oil could be occupying.
Teflon/PTFE-coated cookware is a crime against nature. Teflon/PTFE is showing up in blood tests and within organs, leeched-off of cookware and into food, scraped-off of cookware and eaten, etc. "Non-Stick" cookware is something I won't use. Engine start-up and shut-down, when the rotational speed isn't high enough to provide a hydrodynamic wedge of oil. Agreed...when there's oil there, and relative motion fast enough to make use of it.
TA said the TA 212 cam is fine with stock valve springs and valves etc. Which is good. Do these look like stock standard pistons?
Stock valve spring in good condition, with full stock pressure. How many cycles have these had? They may be fine. I'd want to make sure. Stock...yes. Standard size...maybe.
I would change the valve springs, just to be sure. Just cause theyre potentially good today, doesnt mean theyll hold up well after a year of doing burnouts..
Is this the hole for the z bar stud in the center of the picture? And does anyone know what size threads so I can run a tap through it?
Yes, that is the hole you need for the Z-bar. I don't know the threads but they are pretty standard SAE whatever they are. Try a head bolt or a manifold bolt to see if one of those fit.
