hello guys wondering if i could get some info im planning on building a stroker engine using ta perf. kit anything i should look out for?? cylinder head rec??? cam rec??? also ive read that max bore on a buick 455 is .030 is this true? the reason i ask this is because the stroker kit comes with .035 over pistions if remeber correct is this going to be ok on the street? any oiling mods i should do? im getting the ta front cover anything else? also i live in minnesota (coon rapids) on of my freinds told me theres a buick high perf shop in anoka is this true? cause im off of main street wondering where it is and whats it called and do they sell parts ? my old engine only lasted for 1500 miles ( cracked a cylinder wall) i dont want this to happen again any help would be great thanks rick:TU:
Rick, Check out this sight; http://www.trishieldperf.com I belive that Jim can give you all the assistance you will need. And if you need an aluminum fabricated oil pan and fabricated valve covers, or an external oil pump / vacuum pump, give me a call. Steve Reynolds
Hi Guys, Rick... for the most part that is nothing more than an old wives tale of .030" over being the MAX overbore and is just not necessarily true as long as you sonic check ALL the cylinder bores prior to buying pistons to be certain. Most all Buick 455's can easily take the .0375" overbore (unless there is some serious coreshift) which is commonly refered to as a .038" overbore, but it's just shy of that in actuality. This gives you a 4.350" bore up for the stock 4.3125" bore. With a stock stroke of 3.900", a .030" overbore to 4.3425" will give you 462ci. A 4.350" bore with 3.900" stroke will give you 464ci. I myself currently have a '75 block that has a 4.375" bore which is a .0625" overbore. I know Mike T. from TA Performance has a few blocks bigger than that.....one of them has a 4.390" overbore!:eek2: It all comes down to throughly sonic checking all the cylinder walls, major and minor thrust sides. Mine is partially filled with HardBlok to help support the walls also as a precautionary measure. The water jackets in these blocks are just to darn big and leave an awful lot of cylinder wall unsupported. Think of it this way...you have a straight piece of, well anything...be it a stick or rod or whatever. The longer it is the easier it is to bend or mis-shapen. As soon as you start to reduce the length by sliding your hands together the increasingly harder it is to bend. I would say that your cylinder walls have roughly 5"+/- that is unsupported inside the block's water jacket. With a "short fill" (which by the way, is perfectly suitable for street usage....I've done it for years with these BBB's!:TU: ) you decrease the length of unsupported walls making it MUCH harder for the wall to flex. This also increases your rings ability to stay conformed to the walls and seal properly. Hope this helps..
Kerry: Can you please comment on the increased overbore's impact on cooling a street driven engine? I always thought the engine would run hot(ter). I really don't know but would like to.
Kerry, Do you use the "short fill" of Hard Blok as sold--or do you modify the amount at all? Just curious. Have been considering this for my next build-up.
thanks kerry thats what i wanted to know . that easies my mind alot .how much is a short fill ?? just below the core plug holes?
Hi David, The increased overbore's impact is in direct proportion to the thickness of the cylinder walls. To thin and the cylinder itself is able to hold onto little of it's heat...it's whisked away by the coolant. Remember heat IS horsepower! Think of a piece of metal that you are heating with a torch or welding on....the thinner it is the more likely you will "blow thru it"! The thicker portion takes awhile to turn red-hot but the corner where there is less metal will do so practically immediately. That's why it's of vital importance to sonic check...the thicker the cylinder walls are after the overbore the better!:TU: Hope this helps....
Hi Guys, Adam...actually I purchase the "tall fill" and pour to just above the water pump entrance ports in the front of the block. I then chisel from the bottom of the port entrances at a 45* angle up to the cylinder wall of both 1 & 2. I then coat this area with Devcon Pourable Steel Putty for a nice smooth surface and to prevent the HardBlok from starting to erode. After chiseling it becomes pourous and I'm sure the coolant would permeate and degrade over time. How much, I don't know....but don't want to find out either!:grin: Most of the combustion heat is highest the first two or so inches below the deck surface. As the piston decends during the power stroke, the further down it goes the less pressure there is so therefore the less heat also. Anything beyond the 3" mark below the deck surface can be considered "wasted space" water jacket area for the most part. It's just not needed but it is one of the ways that Buick was able to achieve "thin casting, light weight block".:Smarty: Now....I will clarify this by saying that as long as you have a healthy cooling system and the carb is jetted right and the timing is correct, driving on the street has been NO PROBLEM for me and I've been using HardBlok for several years!:TU: Oh....an increased oil capacity by utilizing a deeper sump, ect. helps tremendously too. Many I have talked to do not know this but the cooling system has a close and equal ally...the oiling system. It's responsible for not only lubricating but for carrying heat away from bearings and other "friction" areas. Hope this helps...
Glad to help Rick!:TU: You can get a short-fill from either Jeg's or Summit for around $60 last I knew of, I have purchased any lately.:grin: I would go higher than the core plugs...not a whole lot of benefit at that point. I further explained in the post above:Smarty: Also....as far as oil mod's you had asked about earlier, I could try an explain but here is a great site that has aready done it WITH detailed pic's and all!:TU: http://www.buickperformance.com/oilflow.htm I highly recommend taking your oil pressure readings from the rear of the block too as there is usually up to a 12-15psi drop with sometimes as much as a 20psi drop from front to rear! Taking the pressure directly after the pump I would hope it shows good but it has a lllooonnnggg way to go before it's done and dripping back in that pan.ou: http://www.buickperformance.com/Oilmods.htm Hope this helps...
OK, I am the dumb guy here. While I understand the basic mathematics behind stroking (plug and chug the numbers in a volume formula), how does the swept volume actually increase? The piston certainly can't move up any further, so does it get dragged down lower? I need some basic stroking 101 help.
With a longer stroke, the piston actually DOES go further up in the block, just as it goes further down. To compensate for the added distance, normally special piston are used which have the wrist pin located further "up" an appropriate distance.
Hi Guys, Bob....think of the crankshaft's most center point and what that imaginary line runs through....the mains. Now the rod journals are off-set from that center point (mains). When you "stroke" a crank you are moving those rod journals farther away/out from the center point. To de-stroke you would move them closer. Example....going from a 3.900" stroke (stock 400,430 & 455) to 4.000" increases the stroke by .100". The piston before moved up and down the cylinder a total of 3.900" and now moves up and down 4.000"...the additional .100" which increases the swept volume. The rod journal "spilts" the difference of the increase in stroke, meaning that that .100" is .050" up and .050" down. Custom pistons, rods and/or both are need when doing either.:Smarty: Maybe a wheel with help explain....take a 15" diameter wheel and add for a 16" diameter. What did you get..how much did you have to add or move out from it center point to arrive at the 16"? Only 1/2" right? Because moving out from the center point by 1/2" is for the entire diameter or 1/2" on both opposite sides for the 16" total. Another way....ever use a protractor, compass and such? When you want to draw a 6" circle how wide do you put the compass' pivot point and pencil lead apart for each other? 3" right? That will give you a total of 6" because you are moving out 3" in all directions for that center point. Hope no one has taken that as my "talking down to anyone". I just try and lay it out in the simplest layman terms I can think of. I tend to try and follow the K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Stupid) ideology. :TU:
Great post Kerry. As I understand it the 4.350 bore is normally an excellent balance of big enough to help unshroud the (larger) valves to help it breath good without being to thin. Also Rick keep in mind if you want to feed more cubes you need good heads. Cubes is torque but not HP. If you want that beast to still be able to breath deep and rev for some HP you need good heads.
