okie dokie, so the block is a 73 i can see it stamped on it, it was rebuilt to stock specs about 7 years ago, i ran the compression test all pistons are running 120psi except for one which is running 130? so i assume the bottom end is good to go. the carb i have is and edelbrock 650 4 barrel. i recently became friends with a guy who works at a machine shop by where i live. i went in and talked to the guy who runs the machine shop and he said he will hook me up and do a full rebuild, valvejob, port and polish and resurface the heads for $375 good deal? he also said he would rebuild the carb i have now and told me its plenty enough carb for it. when i remove the heads i this weekend i will be sure to measure the depth and say what kind of pistons (flat, dish ect) but im pretty sure they were stock spec. i am leaving the car off the street after the heads are rebuilt and on, im going to buy the HEI distributor like you said seems like a good upgrade from the stocks style and its affordable $200 dollars. is it safe to leave the lifters and pushrods and stock cam it it and drive it in the meantime until im ready for the cam swap? thanks as always Kyle.
heck if your taking the heads off....why not swap the cam out now while you have the water jacket empty and the motor half apart . You have a low comp motor so I would stick with the 212 cam and no more. I run flat tappets and I like it alot....very easy way to adjust your cam timing...
Yes it is safe to run with the present lifters, pushrods and cam. When it is time to get the new cam and lifters, you will need to get a new timing chain set that has multiple keys so you can degree the cam according to the cam card that comes with the cam. As previously suggested the TA 212 cam will work well. Paul
As far as the carb goes.. It's been provem time and time agan that the Buick 350 will perform better with a 750 carb... As far as the HEI dist.. I would go with a Crane XRi points conversion kit. A two wire install and you don't have to alter your resistance wire.. It also has a rev limiter built in.. About $65...
ok so ill hold off on the carb and cam idea, i just got one head off but its time to go to work so i had to stop. ill keep saving and get the quadrjet and ect. i do dont have the money to do the cam atm and nor will i for awhile, i need the car running as it is one of my main forms of transportation. one question is it ok that some coolent got into the lifter valley? im going to get all new fulids for the motor but i was jw if i made a boo boo. and do the pushrods have to go back exactly where i found them cause if so i made another boo boo when removing the head they kinda went everywhere. the pistons are dish and have what looks like a little bolt head in the middle idk what that is lol.
The cam that is in there will be fine for now. As for the coolant that spilled in the lifter valley is not that big of a deal,as long as you CHANGE THE OIL BEFORE YOU START IT. Antifreeze loves to eat bearings,don't even turn the engine over with it in there. As for the push rods,it would be perferred if you put them back the same way they came out,but not a big deal that they got mixed up. If you get the heads milled,and use a thinner head gasket,you can increase your compression,but you'll need to get adjustable pushrods anyway. http://taperformance.com/categories.asp?cat=436 Don't worry about the raised nub on the piston,its just how they're made,nothing to worry about. If you measure how deep the dish is(I think there were 2 different pistons from the factory,if the engine was rebuilt before,you might have the better ones) we could figure out what your compression is(get you close anyway). Goodluck.
oki so i hit some money, i got the heads being redone as we speak port polish valvejob and getting resurfaced, i want a pretty good sized cam but still pretty steetable, ill order what lifters and cam and what timming chain you guys reccomend, and what are adujustable pushrods can somebody send me a link to the ones i would need to run? what cfm carb am i gonna need and where should i get it form? still the quardajet? thanks Kyle
TA 212 cam.. 750 CFM Q-jet from Ken at Everday Performance.. Just call TA Performance and they will help you.. A big bumpy cam will suck for the street unless you want a high stall convertor and have a high comp engine, aren't interested in bottom end torque and like to rev it high for power.. ---------- Post added at 08:46 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:42 PM ---------- The big bumpy cam sounds cool at the cruise in.. But the reality is that a proper sized and matched cam will run circles around it on the street.. Wanna sound cool or be fast?????
Order the TA 212 cam and the 350 hydrualic flat tappit lifters and you should be good.I read in another thread this cam might have to be back ordered,if so,if you just do the heads for now you'll get her back on the road sooner.(call and find out) Back ordered because the cam is probably the best Buick street grind available,worth the wait. If you are getting more than a minimum clean up on the head gasket surface,like more than .030" then you might want adjustable push rods. If the heads will only get a minimum clean up,then the push rods you have should work fine,if they are in good condition.Just make sure they are not bent,oil stained not a big deal,just clean them with brake clean,and make sure the inside is clean,and you should be good to go. Good job so far Kyle,keep up the good work!
[TABLE="width: 100%"] <tbody>[TR] [TD="width: 100%, colspan: 4"]Product ID: TA_1405J JOHNSON HYD. LIFTER '70/UP are theses the lifters you guys would recommend? and ill try ordering the cam today i will let you all know if it is still backordered. and how much do you think a quadrajet is gonna run me? [/TD] [/TR] </tbody>[/TABLE]
Yes those lifters are fine. Expect to pay about $300 for a Q jet from ken but it will be well worth it! E-mail him and ask him to find you a core to build: http://www.everyday-performance.com/quadrajet_carburetors.htm#rebuilt_quadrajets
ok so the cam is still backordered, sorry i didnt answer back yet college and work really tie up my hands. i placed an order, now i just have to wait till who knows when lol? she said they were coming but couldnt tell me when, hopefully they will get in soon i need this thing on the road in a couple of weeks. i appreciate all the help guys! now its just a waiting game.
Ther is a guy on this board that does custom Erson cams and is in Florida. Seems very knowledgeable about Buicks.. He goes by supremeefi on this board.. But I don't know how to look him up?????? ---------- Post added at 06:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:12 PM ---------- Figured it out.. Here he is.. Just tell him what you have and what you want.. http://www.v8buick.com/member.php?26517-supremeefi
well i placed the order with TA for the cam, but havent had to pay yet because they are backordered. do you think it is a good idea to switch and go with this fellow? i cant think that it could be backordered to much longer, she said they were coming i just dont know when lol. ---------- Post added at 09:30 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:04 AM ---------- just got my heads back they look great!
I was running the 750 Edelbrock for awhile and went to a q-jet that I rebuilt. Not sayint the Eddy was bad, but the q-jet absolutely outperformed the Edelbrock. It took me 8 times taking it apart over and over to get it right, if I could do it again, I would send it to Ken and be done. Kyle..I've been stalking this thread, cant wait to see how it turns out for you!
