A Pretty Display Piece.. the 4 bolt 455 block

Hey guys,

Just got this thing back in the shop today, I snapped some digital pics to send to our benifactor in this deal, and thought I would share one.

And yes, all our stuff looks like this, before we paint and assemble them.. I just don't think you can be "too clean"

JW

 

Looks good from here!:TU:

Are you going to clear it or put some kind of coating on it to keep the 'nasties' away (rust spots)?

It will be nice to see it on display!:bglasses:

 

W:eek2: W The flash is almost mirror like. How about a before pic for comparison?

 

Yes, I will throw some heads on it, a timing cover, and oil pan, and mask off the valley and the trans flange, and paint it red, and then remove those template parts, and then we end up with all the correct nice sharp paint lines. Then the whole thing will get clear coated, to keep the mosture away. In the summertime, even with the dehumidifer and AC going full blast, we have to paint this stuff, and keep the insides lubed up, as cast iron this clean, rusts very quickly.

JW

 

Before..

For comparison sake.

We had it run thru the "normal" 4 step clean up process.. (pressure chemical wash, tank, bake, and bead blast), and then had every flat surface and the bores machined. It did have some rust pitting from sitting for a long time, but nothing that could not be "fixed".

JW

 

Great job on cleaning of the 4bolt block jim:TU:

 

Interesting little bit of core shift on this block too...

 

Awesome job, Jim and Mike!!

Should look really cool with a nice coat of red and some clearcoat. Are you going to clearcoat over the red paint too....... so we can see our reflections in the engine paint? :grin:

:TU: :TU: :TU: :TU:

 

core shift

Hey Jeff - where? What do you look at to see it?
- Bill

 

Re: core shift

Hi Bill -

There is a picture of core shift on this V8Buick post uploaded by Gary Fanning

 

Thanks Marco. Yeah, you can see that the lifter bores are a tad off center. There is a thinner wall on one side and a thicker wall on the other.

 

Yes, this block is not perfect, for sure. But one thing of interest here is that the lifter bores have a pretty good size chamfer on the top of the bore.

So it give the illusion that the whole bore is moved way over, which it is not. It does have some core shift, but not as much as it appears to.

Here is a better picture of the lifter bores, and the chamfer. When I talk to Dennis Manner on this block, to get the history and background from him, I will ask if the factory did this, or if
it was done sometime later.

 

Hey Jim,

What benefit would that chamfer have?

 

Stage 2

Heres what it looked like when it was on E-Bay for sale.

 

Jeff,

Chamfering any surface in a casting, that has just been machined, helps to keep it from developing a crack starting from that machined surface.

Dave,

I think that pic is a little old, as the paint was very faded, and it had some rust damage on it when it got here. Nothing terrible, and as I understand it, it was stored way back in a facility, and when he decieded to sell it, he simply used the pictures he had taken some time earlier.

JW

 

Finished pictures

In paint and clear.

And safely in storage now.

JW

 

another

Look for this block, at all major Buick events next year!

JW

 

and the front view

Thanks again to BPG member Scott Miller. This project is brought to you with the co-operation of Scott, the BPG, and Tri-Shield Performance. We want anyone intersted to be able to view this block, so it will travel for a while, and then be put on display at the Sloan Museam, in Flint.

JW

 

I got an idea?:grin:

Why dosen't someone build a replica dragcar of the 70's era that would have used that 4-bolt block? And, display it with the engine to give people more of an insight of Buick racing and its heritage? I sure would like to see some of the early dragcar's that Buick sponsered during that time period.


Rob

 

How many of these blocks where made and how many are left or accounted for?