I am in the process of picking up a '66 GS with a 401 motor. My plans include low 12s with good street manners. I have built low-12 second 455s for the heavier '70 - '72 cars but I am a Nailhead "Virgin". I need to know how feasible it is for me to expect mid to low 12s out of this car, running NA on pump gas and using the car as a daily driver after the resto. I need to know the basics on the torque/hp curves, engine airflow, and where the "sweet spot" is in the curve. I am also contemplating the construction of an EFI setup to make this happen (adapting a GM LS1 computer and harness). From what I've gathered, the short-block doesn't need a whole lot, and the head porting/cam selection is the critical part. I'm guessing that a lockup 700R4 with a 3200 stall 2.6 STR converter will work, or maybe leaving the stock tranny if I can find a good converter for it. Maybe a custom ground .460/.450 lift with 218/216@.050 reverse split cam to aid in getting the cylinders filled. What do you guys think? Thanks, Artie
Thanks for the quick reply..If you wouldn't mind I would love to get my hands on your dyno2000 files:grin: I really think that 12s should be possible if I can put the right package together, I just really need to know what doesn't work so I can save some time/$$. I really want to get something together so I can beat up on my friends' F-bodies and Vettes, and do it with the style and class of a Buick. I really want to stick with the nailhead so I can beat them with 40-year old technology. Are you EFI or carbed? Anyone even run EFI on a nailhead yet? Thanks, Artie
Artie, The 3 or 4 speed manual transmission may be one key to a streetable 12 second Nailhead. Here are a few threads on various Nailhead combinations: http://www.v8buick.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=13599 http://www.v8buick.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=19537 Cheryl
You will need to spend some money on the heads. The heads are the weak link on the nailheads. They don't flow good stock. We have had great success with porting those heads and getting very good airflow out of them. Jim Burek P.A.E ENTERPRISES
Nailhead group Artie, Welcome to the world of nailheads! Glad to see you've got the '66 GS to work on. I'm kinda prejudiced, but the '66s are most likely the best looking of the GS's. You really should check out the Yahoo nailhead group and consider joining. URL is: http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/nailheadbuick/ You can get some good ideas and suggestions from some of the gurus on there. There's no doubt you can get the car in the 12's, but the problem may be 'daily driver'. Good luck! Steve
Speaking of nailheads what is the fastest one has gone. I thought I read a few years back that someone had theirs gunning for the 9's.
fastest nailhead? Fastest one that I've heard of (excluding dragsters, etc) is Bob Quiggs '66 GS: 11.64ET at 115.83MPH, Cecil County, Maryland, Oct. 2000. Friend of mine (Don Colomb) down here has a '66 GS with a 425 (all steel car) which has run a 11.91 or 11.94 at the Houston track. His car was the fastest at one time. There are several posts on the nailhead group regarding Bob's car; check posts around Nov 30, 2002. Steve
Hey Steve. You don't know me, but I just thought I would clarify Donny's time for ya. His fastest is 11.91. It didn't really need to be clarified i just thought everyone would like to know.
Johnny, Is that your (or your uncle's) '66 in your avatar? Just sent you a PM regarding interest in our local club and Don's GS. Steve
Re: fastest nailhead? Nobody thinks I can get 12s NA with good street mannerso No: I drive my bracket car 70 miles to the track getting 27 MPG, run 11.6 and drive it home with perfect street manners. My bracket car has a stock internals motor with air intake, 3.73 gears and 3800 stall 3.0 STR converter with a race weight of 3290 with me in it. I run the number through stock manifolds, cats and pre-cats. I have been looking at putting in a switch pitch ST400 trans with a Poston converter that has a high stall of 4000. I am still up in the air about cam choices, head porting and rear gear. Any suggestions? I don't want to spray the car, but if what everyone says is true I may have to run a 75 wet shot to get my number. Anyone have the driveline/setup infor for the 11.6 car mentioned above? Thanks, Artie
That GS in Johnny's avatar is our uncle's. By the way, i'm johnny's lil' bro, Dustin, nice to meet yall. Yup, that pic is of Don Colomb's GS, and i got to ride in it a couple of years ago. Nothin beats an 11 second Nailhead thrill ride.
Oh, and by the way, don't think that my uncle is just gonna sit back and take the fact that a car beat him by less than half a second. Especially when that car isn't putting out near as much power. Yall, just wait and see. I'm not gonna spill out any details, don't want any of yall to get any ideas. But i will say this much, it is going to remain an all steel car........
Read through this post and you will find specific mods that will get you where you want. The 469 ci crank was made by King Crank in NC. With the OD added TH 400 trans the car is a well manered street car even with the 4:30 gear, but the 3 in exhaust system kind of gives it away. OK all this talk about 'I remember' cars has stirred me to action. This story has the facts, figures and documentation to back it up. The car belongs to a friend and is sitting in his garage at this moment. (Heard it run today). It is a 1966 GS 401 that ran A/Stock and trailed everything in central florida at that time. This car was a Buick sponsored sleeper. The individual was an ex Buick employee that had run nailheads in various configurations. At the time Buick was being kicked at the drag strips by the 396/427 Chevelles, Corvettes,Fairlanes ETC and they did not have an answer so they devised a way to cheat(Stroker crank-469ci+cam-head work) and to my knowledge this was never caught. Buick came to him and said if he would buy a new GS they would send the car out for some special work to make it competive(One of 14). As you see he ordered a auto GS with PS and 401. The car was then sent to Crane in Florida for some special engine/trans work at NO cost to the individual. The engine modifications are noted on a yellow tag, Sig Erickson cam specs and CSC guarentee, the rear is a 4:30 rear with some special drum brakes(At no cost to the owner). He ran at Plant City and Oldsmar in central florida. There are some time slips from those days that we have not gotten from the widow yet that show 10/11 sec times. In 1968 he was street racing a corvette and spun two rod bearings and parked the car.(The rods were 'boxed' with a 1/4 sq SS bar welded to each side HEAVY) In 2000 some friends were talking, as we are, of bad cars that they remember from their youth and this car came up as my friend remembered seeing it rumble through his small town in 67. His friend said he knew the person who owned the car and he lived in the next small town, the third guy remembered going to Oldsmar with some kind of towed hot rod that he was going to run and some guy with a red Buick came up and asked if he was going to run, when he said yes the guy said save your gas and tires I have everything here covered including a cheater 427 Chevelle a Chevy Dealer was sponsoring. When he put the Chevelle down they left the car on the trailer. My friend wondered if the car was still around and the third guy said he had seen it not too long ago sitting in an open carport in the same small town. They went to talk to the owner and found the car sitting with 4 flat tires looking real bad(It had been parked in the same spot since 1968). The owner was in real bad health and agreed to sell the car to my friend as he knew he would bring it back to glory. At the time the car had 4,500 mi on it. They pulled the engine and trans and had the 3rd guy who runs a machine shop rebuild it. My friend and the second guy are paint and body types so they stripped the paint down to bare metal and repainted the car and engine compartment. Once they got the motor apart they decided to ship out the crank&rods to be balanced. They found a shop in Ga and called UPS to pick up the crank and rods. UPS lost them and to this day (3 yrs later) they have never been found and were not insured. SOOO they called a crank company the machine shop owner dealt with and for $3,800 they had a new stroker crank(469 ci) with Buick mains and chev rods built. Since they had ordered the pistons before losing the crank they had to sleeve the pistons so the the pins would fit. The 2 speed trans had some kind of electric lockup switch but my friend wanted to drive the car to car shows and still keep the 4:30 rear so he had local trans shop build a bullet proof TH 400 with a ford stick shift OD unit on the back of it. This car is a real piece of Buick history but so far we have not heard of any of the other 13 cars. We know one was in Jacksonville Fl and have the owners name but he is never home and does not return msgs. The cars garage companion is a Green 70 Stage one 455 also a beautiful car. Hopefully I will get him to take it to the Buick Nationals in May. Picture/documentation: 1. Bill of sale. http://www.sirgalahad.org/tyler/buick/FF_Sticker.jpg 2. Cam spects. http://www.sirgalahad.org/tyler/buick/cam_specs.jpg 3. Engine build order. http://www.sirgalahad.org/tyler/engine_specs.jpg 4. Crank doc. http://www.sirgalahad.org/tyler/buick/csc_doc.jpg 5. Instructions. http://www.sirgalahad.org/tyler/buick/drag_ltr.jpg The car as found: 1. Car. http://www.sirgalahad.org/tyler/buick/FF05_Before.jpg 2. Car. http://www.sirgalahad.org/tyler/buick/FF07_Before.jpg 3. Engine compartment. http://www.sirgalahad.org/tyler/buick/FF03_Before.jpg 4. Interior. http://www.sirgalahad.org/tyler/buick/FF_interior6.jpg 5. Original owner. http://www.sirgalahad.org/tyler/buick/FF_owner.jpg 6. Brakes. http://www.sirgalahad.org/tyler/buick/brakes.jpg Engine rebuild. 1. Block. http://www.sirgalahad.org/tyler/buick/block1.jpg 2. Block. http://www.sirgalahad.org/tyler/buick/block2.jpg 3. Block. http://www.sirgalahad.org/tyler/buick/block3.jpg 4. Block. http://www.sirgalahad.org/tyler/buick/block4.jpg 5. Block. http://www.sirgalahad.org/tyler/buick/block5.jpg 6. Head. http://www.sirgalahad.org/tyler/buick/head1.jpg 7. Head. http://www.sirgalahad.org/tyler/buick/head2.jpg 8. Pan. http://www.sirgalahad.org/tyler/buick/pan.jpg 9. Pistons. http://www.sirgalahad.org/tyler/buick/pistons_bottom.jpg 10. Pistons. http://www.sirgalahad.org/tyler/buick/pistons_top.jpg Restoration. 1. Bare metal. http://www.sirgalahad.org/tyler/buick/FF01_During.jpg 2. Parts cleaning. http://www.sirgalahad.org/tyler/buick/FF02_During.jpg 3. Engine. http://www.sirgalahad.org/tyler/buick/FF03_During.jpg 4. Hood. http://www.sirgalahad.org/tyler/buick/FF_hood.jpg Done. 1. Engine compartment. http://www.sirgalahad.org/tyler/buick/FF02_After.jpg 2. Engine Compartment. http://www.sirgalahad.org/tyler/buick/FF01_After.jpg 3. Front. http://www.sirgalahad.org/tyler/buick/FF10_After.jpg 4. Current owner and restorer John Lane. http://www.sirgalahad.org/tyler/buick/FF11_After.jpg Misc. 1. Protecto plate. http://www.sirgalahad.org/tyler/buick/p_o_p.jpg 2. Build tag. http://www.sirgalahad.org/tyler/buick/build_plate.jpg 3. Vin Tag. http://www.sirgalahad.org/tyler/buick/vin_tag.jpg 4. Bobs plate. http://www.sirgalahad.org/tyler/buick/bobs_tag.jpg Tyler
Tyler - Thanks for that detailed reply and all those pics!!!:TU: :bglasses: BTW...welcome to the board!!:beer
Tyler Welcome and THANK YOU for helping save such a gem. :eek2: We hear of such cars but you wonder how accurate peoples memories are but this puts all that to rest. :TU:
Wow, that crankshaft is gorgeous. Makes me wanna tear my engine down and throw a bunch of time and money at it. Not that I have any of either, but hey....
I did not realize one of the most interesting links was not correct which was the engine build order link. I have fixed it and it has the engine build spects. I also fixed the pan picture link it shows what had to be done to the pan for clearance. Tyler
