Poor LS. They actually don't even share that. The LS firing order is: 1-8-7-2-6-5-4-3. The poor LS also has cross-bolted deep skirt mains, roller cam, high flow aluminum heads, crank driven gerotor oil pump and a factory block that will hold over 700 HP. Seems there is only one explanation for the little LS motor. Could it be immaculate conception? :laugh:
Maury Povich: 455, based on the results of the firing order test, you are NOT the father!! 455: Woo-HOO!!! LS1: "Waaaahhhh!"
The LS is a heck of an engine. All SBC's are plentiful and easy/cheap to build. The LS pounds out even more performance. BUT, it's the same ole same ole. I never followed the crowd very much. Rather show them something they haven't seen in a while or maybe ever. The LS is like a beach full of young body builders in California. All the little girls scream at them and whish they had one and the young boys want to be like them. The BBB is like a middle aged lumber jack from the Rockies. Experienced, strong and rough looking. Rip you head off with one punch. Don't take no crap. And he still has a following just not as large.
While I respect anyones right to do whatever they want with their car, I can tell you that they will be holding a hockey tournament in Hell before I put and that motor in a GS. The fast and cheap argument.. heard it before, 30 years ago about a SBC.. back in the late 70's and early 80's every ink-stained wretch who stroked the typewriter for a major car rag was pumping out the "SBC swap into a Buick, Olds, Pont, Studebaker, Cadillac, Hupmobile" .... well you get the point.. Like these days it was first seen as "cool" but as it became commonplace, the luster wore off the swap, and even worst for those owners who did it, they were outcast from the mainstream. I predict the same will happen with this new trend, it's just a matter of time. Their will be no rush up to the fenders of a GS, in 10 years at a car show, to view yet another pickup truck , station wagon, Camaro, Corvette, motor between the framerails. With the advent of a new cylinder block for the 455, there is now essentially nothing stopping you from building that motor without any old parts. Some may argue "that's not a Buick", but if it walks, quacks and looks like a Duck.. it is one. Sorry for the hijack, but it has to be said.. and is the "official position" of a website called V8BUICK.COM. As far as the caption contest, while the LS may not tremble at the sight of that 75 Smog motor, I can set a few in front of it that would make it's response: Awe s***, gonna get smoked by Grandpa.. again. JW
I can totally respect and understand your points in the post. I am not so worried about my car being an authentic car that will hold as much value as say a GSX etc. My car was born a bench seat 70 Skylark with a whopping 2 bbl carbed motor and a TH 350. As it sits now,it does have a 455 with a TH400,3.90 gears and alot of changes. Although I have (4) 455 motors,a 67 big port head 400 and probably (4-5) 350's in my garage,I don't ever see me having a problem replacing my motors with a non Buick motor. But, it the possibility of a built up LS1 with all hardware were to fall in my lap (like the 350 dollar Kenne Bell built 462 I still have) I wouldn't rule it out. I think we sometimes forget where hot rodding came from. Sure having an Olds motor in an Olds,Buick in a Buick is wonderful, but we have to remember that sometimes people have to do other things as we have families and other obligations.Although I most likely will never swap to another makes motor in my cars,I can appreciate the job they have done. A fine example of this would be the Cummins motor in the Riv. He did a great job being different and sounds like a successful transplant.Again, not what I would have chose to do but cool as neck none the less..
This is where I am at. You can still buy nice examples of cars optioned like mine in nearly as nice shape for 6 to 8k. It is just not the car that collectors lust for. I also did not build my car to go to shows, so whatever fanfare that is available in that arena is of no interest to me. I was after a car that suited my sense of style, brought back the feeling that I got as a young man driving my 64 Special, would "take out" the latest high performance cars and could be driven anywhere including the entire power tour. Oh, and I could afford to build it. That is why I have made the choices I have made. This LS2 video of assembly is really cool: <iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/T2ZQQRDmlJc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
I think its funny about talking of swapping a Chevy into a Buick when I'm planning on dropping a Buick into my Chevy truck this summer / fall. :grin: :bla:
I was thinking along similar lines, as in "Do you feel lucky, punk? Well do you?" followed shortly thereafter by "Go ahead, make my day"
Last I checked, a replacement Buick block is NOT being built. TA's new block is for a VERY select few people who have the money to burn and those people certainly won't be putting those engines in a car they drive everyday, which is what I think the LS engine offers. I can't even call it an aftermarket solution since so few people will ever get a chance to actually use one. I love my 455 just like everyone else and I enjoy having something original and unique. However, if it ever gets to the point where I require a new engine, i doubt I would waste my time or money on an original engine unless I was building a show car.
Then you must have deeper pockets than most on here..It makes me laugh at people chastising people who don't have 15,000 bucks to have a 455 built for their car and come across a SBC or God forbid a BBC and install it into their Buick...Maybe if these people would pony up the funds,everybodys Buick would be Buick powered. Sometimes you have to improvise and do other routes, Shameful that people are so obnoxious and free with their advice,but not checkbook..Gets down to the same thing...My car, my money, my choices.
I didn't chastise anyone. I said I didn't care. Oh, and I don't have much more that 15,000 in my whole car let alone the engine. Jeeze.
While I can't speak for everyone here, it seems safe to say we're on v8Buick.com because we actually LIKE Buick power and style. You couldn't pay me to put anything else in my 72 Stage 1. When it came to V8 power, Buick was at the top of its game in the 60's and 70's. The '70 Stage 1 455 held its own against everybody! Stock for stock....still does.:beers2: I don't think you could make more torque with any other GM 350, when you compare engines with stock blocks, cranks, and heads. The Buick 350" beats them all in that category. If you're building an old hot rod, you'd be hard pressed to build anything cooler than a dual quad 425" Nailhead. Not to mention, they flat out run!! Even our Buick V6's deserve mention. The Series II 3800 V6 is the best V6 out there.....by a country mile.:TU: Long lasting, smooth running, efficient, strong....just a great engine design. Which is my tie-in to the new LSx engine family. These may as well be a V8 version of the Series II 3800 Buick V6. The similarities are that many. Deep skirted block, 6 bolt mains, gerotor oil pump, symmetrical port cylinder heads, long curved intake runners, 4 bolts per cylinder, roller cam, roller trunnion rockers, etc. GM's 'clean sheet of paper' engine took the best features from engines all over the world. It's funny........most all of them came from one engine....a BUICK. As a GM fan, I don't think there's anything wrong with liking the LSx engines. GM really hit a home run with these engines. It's a simple single cam, pushrod engine that flat out delivers results. Frankly, the 'other guys' consider it modern day dinosaur technology. Well...too bad for them. It worked 40 years ago, and it works even better today. I don't see these engines being 'looked down on' years down the road. At least, not by anyone that matters. The enviro freaks think ALL our engines are evil. They're the ones we need to look out for. So...while the LSx engines aren't Buick, they may as well be a close relative. Much like real relatives, we may have differences of opinion - but I'm not about to knock 'em.
TA's engine block is an investment in the future of the Buick hobby. It does solve the problem of finding an alternative to a good factory core, a problem that does not exist at this point in time, but will in the future. The relative cost of using a TA block will become a competitive aftermarket solution to finding a good used core. I said that twice because that's what's going to happen; GM stopped making them in 1976 and the remaining ones are either already being used, are being crushed, or are rotting away. The best part is, the new block solves several short comings in the factory block and will open the doors to some serious performance - stuff we just can't do with a factory block. TA has made the investment now so that we can have the block as a relatively affordable alternative in the future AND so that they could also do some R&D on parts to support the potential of the block in the meantime taking our Buick hot rodding dreams to a whole nother level! Yet, at the same time, it will also accept any major component that the factory block does, allowing for a stock restoration or just a daily driver. As for the debate on whether or not it's "Buick" is sort of silly in my mind. It's Buick to me. I bought a Buick to have a Buick. I want it to waddle and quack and look like its supposed to. Is it cheaper to have it look the same but waddle a little differently? Sure, but thats not why I bought it. The entire experience is more important to me than a percentage of the cost. If I cant afford to have what I want, then why should I pay anything to have something I dont really want? Heck, I took an entire decade away from the hobby until I could afford get back into it the right way. Its a Buick for me, and thats my official position.
