Hello I'm kinda wet behind the ears when it comes to building an engine so I need some help understanding what I got, what I done wrong, what I need to do. Okay I bought a buick 455 and a th400 trans from a friend for 400 bucks. The engine came out of a 1975 or 76 buick lasabre. I tore the complete engine down and had it rebuilt using a stock rebuild kit also I had to get the engine bored out to .060 whatever that means cause the guy told me it had a lip on it a .040 but I got a double roller timing chain and a high performance oil pump stock cast iron pistons a stock reman crank. I have a 268 high energy cam installed and a stock torque converter they said it would work with the cam. I had a little work done to the heads I had them magnafluxed, got a valve job, a mill, had them bowl hogged, had the engine balanced and my crankshaft polished. All of that I really don't have a clue what I really have and how its gonna proform. I just want to know if this is a good set up for a novice like me. It's going in a 1982 Cutlass supreme. I just want it to be a fast street car and not a strip car cause I know if I took it to the track I would probably get smoked everytime. I also need to know what size carb do I need I already have an edelbrock 650 but I don't think it will be big enough. Somebody please help me and get me some insight on my project please.ray:
The first thing to be concerned with is the hi volume oil pump. They have a tendency to be very hard on cam gears. In the past, guys have had a lot of issues with hi vol. oil pumps. If you perform the necessory modifications to the oil system for your engine, a stock oil pump is more than adequate. Also depending on what you're going to do with the car, street/strip use ? You might want to consider a forged piston instead of a cast piston. Buicks seem to benefit well from a larger carburator. I would go with at least an 850 for your app. Do Not listen to the Chebby guys who will say it's too big. The Buick engine is much different than most. It's NOT A CHEBBY !!! I know a little bit but I'm sure someone with a lot more experience can help with more advice. For starters go to www.taperformance.com and look around. This is about the best for Buick Performance in the aftermarket area. Read and research as much as you can. My advice. John Biggs.
Thanks cause all the CHEBBY guys tell me i'm just wasting my money with this engine but I just wanted to be different and turn some of those CHEBBY guys into believers and possibly turn them into buick guys.
Actually set up and done right, your engine has the potential to really suprise and upset those Chebby guys. I applaude you for being different ! :beer The exact same reason I chose a Buick many years ago. Welcome to the club ! :beer John Biggs.
Are you using the stock intake, or a performer from edelbrock? Agree with what DA Torquester said. Im leaving the buick world but still learned a lot. Being a 75 or 76 block you have a tiny bit stronger block due to being a little thicker but for the power that you will be making you wont have anything to worry about. With the cam you have youll never have to rev the motor past 5500 and will probably make peak hp around 5000. Your oiling system will be fine for your app, but like mentioned before get rid of the high volume pump, just use a stock type. Also the 850 will be perfect for the motor.
The 75 - 76 455s are very low compression engines. Your stock pistons are hurting you if you went with 75/76 era replacements. Also, the heads are low compression heads. You'll have about 8.5:1 compression, and that will really choke your performance. I'm surprised you had a 40 thousandths lip as Buicks really wore well. Did the shop sonic test the block to be sure a 60 thou overbore was OK? Ditch the high volume oil pump, and if your shop tells you we are full of crap, then find a new shop. We have all built our Buick engines and we've relied on years of attained knowledge. You want a stock pump with TA's booster plate and adjustable regulator. And Turn the regulator in until about 1/4" of threads is visible. With the double roller timing chain and mechanical fuel pump you'll need to slot the holes in the pump a hair so it slides forward enough for the arm to clear the chain or it won't work. That being said, if the person building your 455 has never done a Buick before, then I would NOT even fire it up, and unless the person who did it is a KNOWN Buick shop, I'd think twice about it. If the engine was built like a Chevy, you'll get from 1 minute to a couple of months out of it. Most chevy shops use too loose tolerances. Our BBB need 1.5 to 2 thousands clearance on the rod and main journals. Not a stich more, and you should err toward the 1.5 thou side. Worst case scenario is that you should pull the pan and confirm the clearances. Also, if he used stock replacement cam bearings you're pretty much guaranteed to burn the cam bearings real quick. You MUST use TA's dual back-grooved cam bearings, and they MUST be installed as per TA's instructions. If the shop can't be 100% certain which cam bearings he installed and how he did it, then this block should go back to a reputable shop and be rebuilt. What is a 268 high energy cam? What brand is it and what are the specs? A stock converter will make any car sluggish. A 2500 stall converter will certainly help you. And you need an 850 cfm or larger carb. If you are using a Quadrajet, contact John Osborn or Biggs and get an 850, if you are using a Holley, be sure it is an 850. Sorry to be a wet blanket, but we've seen this over and over. Look here: http://www.1badriv.com/rivprogres.htm and read about my build up.
I'm using a performer intake by edelbrock. So what do you think my hp and torque would be with this setup?
Hey where are you located? someone go help him! sounds like he's new, and being told what to do by a chebby shop.
Unless yo make an adjustment the fuel pump arm may hit the timing chain. You need a stage one fuel pump. Consider 750 or 800 cfm q jet carb. The block really needed to be sonic checked to see if it will accept that 60/1000 over bore. The cam bearing set up and clearances you use for the bearings is critical on a Buick. What was done at the machine shop?
I'm estimating about 315-330 hp at the wheels and high 12 sec car with what you mentioned. Pretty respectable
Well the motor is already together so the best thing is for me not to fire it up until it is sonic checked rite? It has never been fired up yet it's been sitting since I got it from the machine shop in august of last year.
No way. That would make it about 450HP at the crank. I've got roller rockers, a decent cam, race carb, electronic ignition, 10:1 compression and ported and polished Stage1 hi-compression heads and I have about 450 at the crank. A stock smog-era 455 with an overbore and cam will net about 320HP at the crank.
Again, my suggestion is to save yourself a lot of grief and money and take it to a REAL shop. 1) Have it sonic tested. If it fails you can either junk it or possibly sleeve it. 2) If it passes, have the clearences confirmed to be 1.5 thousandths. 3) Replace the cam bearings. You have no way to be sure what is in there and they are inexpensive insurance. 4) Remove that freaking high volume oil pump. You'll have nothing but problems with it; they wipe out front cam bearings and snap off distributor roll pins. Sometimes they even contribute to distributor gear failure. Your block has the larger oil passages, so that is as good as a big block Buick 455 gets. You can use the heads you've got, but just be realistic about the end results. Those heads are not really what you want if you are looking for performance. You never told us what specs the cam has. We need the lift and duration of the intake and exhaust when measured at 50 thousands. The cam card will tell you exactly what that means. You will need to use a pushrod measurement tool to find out just how long your pushrods have to be. You have had the block and heads milled, so now stock pushrods are too long and will bottom out the cup in the lifter which will destroy the lifters and eventually the cam.
Closer to 250. Use 22% as a ballpark for parasitic loss through the drivetrain. It may be more than 250, but not much. Your block is a very desirable block, and with decent heads, 10:1 pistons, a good cam and intake you'll have 450HP easy. But without knowing what your pistons are and what your compression ratio and cam are we'll never be sure.
Well I have a Comp Cam 268 High energy and I think my pistons are forged i'm not too sure on that but like I said I had a little work done to the stock heads.
You're not giving me much to go on. Can you please look up the specs on the cam? They should be on Comp's webpage somewhere. Can you call the shop and ask what pistons are in it and what the rod and main clearances are? I also need to know what cam bearings are in it. When a shop builds an engine all that data should be supplied to you in a form and receipt. If your shop didn't give you a whole itinerary of what was done then it is not a good shop and I would personally have all the work checked. I had this same problem where I distrusted the shop due to events that occurred during my build and when I had a REAL shop check it out I learned that I wasn't just ripped off but the engine would have blown up on break in. Nothing was done right. It's your money. Build it right once. It is much cheaper in the long run.
