I'm sure that it's somewhere on the net, but I'm kind of lazy to go hunting for a site that has all that IDing information. I found a Big Buick in an El Camino at the local U-pull-it, it's a four barrel, has a modified oling system; the junk yard charges $119.00 for their engines. But the junkyard across the street has a BBB 455 in an Electra (Engine IDed by air cleaner). I want a 455, and I prefer to pull the El camino's engine b/c it doesn't have a wrecked front end with a telephone poll still atached to it in contrast to the Electra. The junk yard also says that I have to cut out the front end, they wont do it, and beyond that, I don't know if the oiling system and water pump are intact. And the electra is in a really bad position to have it's engine hoisted. So in conclusion, I really want to pull the El Camino's engine, but only if it's a 455. I know that Buick engines are marked by with their engine sizes on the underside, but I looked and could find no such mark. If anyone knows how to ID these it would help greatly. Also, as a final not, it has an EGR, if that helps.
Oh, also, the El Camino is a 77, so the EGR could have been added for emmisions regulations if it's away from Florida (we have no emision checks).
Looked for that one, couldn't find it, it's got the hood and intake still on, but I'll use that as a final resort if that's the only way, I also looked for the underblock casting, but couldn't find it.
Jim are you sure it is on the intake? I know it is on a 350, but not 455. I don't recall even seeing it anywhere on the motor. Is it on the back of the block?
Jim is correct :beer On the top of block where the turbo 400 Bellhousing bolts at the top it will say 400/430/455 if it is one of the BBB.
I'll bring a mirror with me next visit. Thanks for the advice. Meanwhile, is anyone intrested on the Electra 455? It's $179 J/Y price, if anyone's intrested. although it might be a little difficult to pull, it's probably worth the small price tag. I seriously believe that the El Camino would be a 455. No one would go through that much trouble for less power, unless they happened to already have one running, which might have been the case, so no one go running to Kiker's u-pull-it quite yet for the electra. But it's there cheap, I'll pull for a small fee, and if the El Camino is less than 455, I might just pull it also and try to sell it. Any bids for a 400-430-455? It's definately one of those (in the El Camino). I'll pull for a small fee if anyone's serious about an Electra motor with a possibly damaged oiling system, or no oiling system if the El Camino is a 455. I'll end my talkativeness.................... here.
***second to last stament meant to say, "if the El Camino isn't a 455", in which case it would be an unknown origin Buick less than 455 with a modified oiling system, or no oiling system if the electra oling system is damaged. I promised to stop the excessive talkactiveness, sorry.
yep, just like the picture above except, I didn't read beyond the engine size #. It was kind of hard to get to it I was looking for something REALLY big, along the vertical area between that flat, horizontal area and the manifold. However, it finally dawned on me that when you said big, I might have blown my expectations to the size of the the numbers on the bottom of a 350 I've seen in the past. But in conclusion, I climbed on top of the engine and started just wiping away the grease and muck that was built up on that area that is pasted in the latest entry, and as I wiped, I noticed that there were two "5" castings next to each other facing toward the cab of the El Camino, I decided to wipe away more to get to the "4" in case it was just some other number that coincidentally had "55" written on it, but it did read 455. Thanks for all the help identifying the block. I'm not sure I'm going to use it over the Electra engine as the front oiling cover (on the El Camino) has some modifications and I don't want some ramdom modification that has possibly had some screw up that led the car's destination into the junkyard.
I might..... Well anyway, I want to get the best one foor myself, does anyonw know anything about block casting strength, best years, codes? Or the best head castings... largest valves, best flow, who knows how to ID these?
http://www.atlantabuick.com/CastingNumbers.htm http://www.buickperformance.com/idblock.htm all head numbers of interest and some block numbers. as this was a 'built' car, be sure to check the heads. this guy might have gotten really fancy and slapped some big port 67 or 68 heads on there. :laugh: 430s also had a better rocker ratio. 75-76 blocks are built more strongly and 71^(?) has a larger oil pickup tube (5/8" instead of 1/2"). EVERY BBB should have oil passage mods made to it. just be sure that they've been done right. http://www.buickperformance.com/oilflow.htm
For 70 only the Stage 1's had the the 5/8" oil pickup then all 455's including 71 and later were also 5/8".
