Hi! New guy here! I'm building a 455 for my regal (1986) Does any one know if there are any clearance issues with the ta sp-1 intake? ( using a holley 850) I'm going to build a custom air cleaner ( welding aluminum plate) with cone style K&N air cleaners some " precise" measurements would be helpful? I'm also using TA headers (1 7/8) Has anyone know about clearance isssues? Thanks in advance! Brad
While I dunno much about the 455 Regal deal since I have a 350 in mine, I do know that your gonna hafta move the Fuel line (return line?) on the pass side or the header will sit right against it.
Well....cut a hole in the hood and stick a huge scoop on it and you can fit whatever you want :laugh:
Hello Brad, and welcome I have an 82 Regal 455 with the sp-1 intake and Q-jet carb. With a 2.5" cowl hood, air cleaner clearance is about 1". As for headers, I don't know personally, but word is that some trimming/denting is required. Good luck with the project, it's well worth the effort.
The SP1 will fit if you do a few things to seat the engine in lower. The frame pads must be the TA or Poston set, can't use the taller B-body car pads. Second, use a set of engine mounts from a large-body car (lesabre etc) and use the topmost mounting holes. These two trciks set the engine 3/4-1" lower in the frame and will let the SP-1 clear. Mine closes right up! Headers are a different story. Get ready for a lot of test fitting and grinding of the lower control arms and the mounting studs for the uper control arms. Flatten the body seam on your firewall too on the passenger side. You'll also need to figure out a crossmember solution for the dual exhaust. We're prety split around here on the G-force -vs- homebuilt crossmember. Hope that helps!!
Clint, Thanks for the tips! I had planned on modifing the cross member or using one I kept from a 81 Malibu with a th350 that I reworked . I think the crossmembers are different as my regal has an overdrive in it now, so I don't know what I'll need till I " get there" I was planning on cutting and pasting a pair of b-body frame pads to get it lower and to move the motor as far back as I can. I have to make a driveshaft anyway! I have the motor mounts you mentioned with the 2 sets of holes so that should help! Do you have any idea how much hood clearance you have? I have the turbo hood but I don't think that gives me any more clearance. Do you have a holley carb and what size( height ) is the air cleaner? As for the headers they make me a bit nervous! I have never had headers before but I want the power and noise! Do you know if the heater box is in the way? ( car has air) As for grinding the upper and lowers thanks! I modified a pair of uppers and lowers to take bigger ball joints for bigger spindles and was about to send them off to the powder coaters. I'll wait on that now!!
clearence i have a grand national hood on with my 455 with that intake and 3inch spacer and all did was cut the hood supports to give it little more room. My headers came from from a 67 buick and it has plenty of clearence
Glad to help! To answer a few of your questions: On the crossmember, the overdrive Regal will have the extended crossmember mounts and will be an easy fit for the use of a crossmembers.com style unit. The improved frame stiffening of this unit is well worth the investment if you're using a 400 or making serious power. Not required for a budget buildup by any means, use your existing crossmember ont he frontmost holes and you're good. If I can caution you to avoid this one and go with the TA pads it's worth it. They sit 1" lower than the B-body pads, and are FAR easier to bolt up IMO. $60 of headche will certainly be elimianted, particularly if you're going with an SP-1. With the engine sitting higher you'll also have to take some extra meat out of your lower control arm mounting. On hood clearance: I run an SP-1/Quadrajet and the 78-81 turbo hood with frame cutouts. I get about 2" of clearance for my aircleaner using the TA Pads and lowering described here. I run a custom airbox ducted from the windscreen area, but I also run a low profile 2" aircleaner that *just* clears. I also bump the hood with my alternator adjuster and had to file it down. On the heater box: The headers will not be an issue but the valve covers sure will be! You want a set of covers from a 75-76 455 only (or the TA/Poston ones) as they are your best chance of getting them in without cutting up the box. A/C cars actually have it easier here. I've gone through 2 boxes so far with my non-A/C setup. I have seen them drop right in and clear the AC box but most heater cars are stuck with a cut out. On the bigger spindles: Not a question but I had to ask anyways! What combo areyou using here? Did you go with tubular or anything? (there are camber issues using stock upper arms with B-body spindles) Drop in some pics of the project when you have a minute!
Clit, Thanks for the tips!! The spindles I'm going to be using are eother stock 73-76 full size Gm or "HOWE" spindles . I hang out in stock car circles. If you have never heard of them they are a close copy of the full size GM spindles I mentioned above but you can make or but a bracket to use any racing caliper of stock or stock impala calipers. They use the same lower ball joint as a impala but the upper ball joint is from a 1 ton truck ( bigger). I have both ( the stock spindles I reamed out the ball joint taper for the ball joint) and the hoew ones. also the howe ones the "pin" is and "1 higher than the stock one so it lowers the car aprox.1" I turned up on the lathe " ball joint adapters" and welded them in the lower a arms and made plates for the uppers and welded them in the uppers. On the lowers I made the track width about 1/4" per side wider and on the uppers I made them about 1/4" shorter than stock. I also used the "moog" ofset arm. I haven't installed anything yet but this is a "normal" modification we use in stock car racing. So it should work out OK. If not back to the welding bench! I have a motto " there is no such thing as won't fit!!" As for the motor mounts I was going to use a spare block and figure out how low and back I can go by cutting and welding the mounts out of a centurian. I have the poston valve covers you mentioned and the car has A/C so hopefully as you say it will be OK. I plan on making a custom air filter box using K&N cone filters and flat panel ones there web site is relly great for custom stuff lots of options! I don't think I can do that till the motor is in though! I'm using a holley carb do you know what the measurement is from the air cleaner surface to the bottom of the turbo hood? The motor is a 455 0.040" over street engine , comp cams 268H. I made my own roller rockers for it . They turned out great! (I'm a toolmaker / welder by trade) I bought a set of nascar used jessel roller rockers( $40) just for the adjusting screws and the roller tips and made the rest out of 7075 aluminum. I made them 1.7 ratio. My engine builder thinks thet should work great! I did this 1 for the challenge but really because I didn't have the budjet to buy them. I have a little less than $300 CAN. into them lots of time though!! I'm going to have to get a digital camera some day so I can post some pics. I'm going to be using a t-10 4 speed do you know if the stock crossmember will work? I have the stock one in the car ( with overdrive) and one from a 81 malibu I used to have that had a th-350 in it. Thanks again and value your opinion!! Brad
Brad, Interesting, certainly a lot of custom fab work...probably the only set of custom roller rockers on here. Post some pics! What heads are you running?
I have a set of 1242445 (1972) already done . Pocket porting, gasket matched, 3 angle valve job with stainless stage 1 size valves. And lots of holes to pipe plug! But I came across a pair of 1384720 " big port" heads. My friend at the wrecking yard gave me a 68 wildcat that just came in ( like that happens every day!!!) 2 door with a console. Nice car but the floors were totally gone! He laughed and said that I was the only one crazy enough to build a Buick! Can wait to smoke his vette!! I told him they are really only good for parts cars for hot rods!! He did laugh ! Honest!! I have them side by side and I can't figure out the big excitment?The intake ports measure the same ? the web between the intake ports are the same except for the 68 heads the intake ports are tappered maybe that speed up the flow??? and in the exhaust ports there is a " lump" on the roof area that looks like a boss for something. Thats gotta slow down the flow! The thing that does look better is that there are less holes to pipe plug. The 72 heads have holes for the smog pump. I was a little worried about cracking?? Anyone in the " know" have any opinions?? I did plug the holes in the 68 head for the crossover and " extra oil holes" Thanks Brad
Did you use the poston / ta motor plates? If you could could you give me an acurate measurement? Could you put a piece of 2x4 or something across the fenders and measure the distance down to the intake surface that the carb mounts to? If I could get that then I'll measure the motor thats in there and work backwards so I can make my aircleaner. Thanks a million!!! Brad
