for the last 2 months we have been working on trying to get our 350 'hawk project going. alas, we finally gave up for the season. 30 yrs of doing buicks and i'm baffled. we are running a 350 .030 over, biggest hydraulic cam by t/a, heads/intake by jim burek. great job by all involved. this motor has had a constant water leak into the oil system since the first start-up, i mean constant. blow into the radiator and water flows down to the pan on a cold regasketed motor. we have had everything pressure tested and remachined. double checked, triple checked everything. have even gone back to the oem intake. 4 sets of gaskets and used different brands to be sure if one brand was not doing its job. and you how expensive that can be. upteen quarts of oil and filters. the garage is not a pretty site anymore. about ready to turn this thing into a big flower pot. anybody have any ideas, other than a 455. btw, we took off the intake tonite to recheck/replace the gasket........and what do you think we find in the carb, intake and lifter valley area................ DAMN NUTS FROM THE CRITTERS!!!!!! how that got in there is beyond me. john
Ivan had a very similar problem with his heads when he had a guy install hardened seats. He drilled into a water passage and when he filled the radiator, he could hear the anti-freeze trickling into the oil pan.
oops, here is the correct thread - it's a continuation of the first thread I posted: http://www.v8buick.com/showthread.php?t=20171&highlight=Ivan+heads
jim, heads, intake, block, front tires, rear tires were pressure tested as was my head. like i said before, 30 yrs of doing buicks............this thing is driving me nuts. like a black cloud hanging over it saying 'you aint racing at all' john
Figured so.. just checking.. Very unlikely to be a gasket here, since you have done this multiple times with different gaskets. Check the timing cover for a hole or crack..
when you just blow, not using compressed air, into the radiator and water flows right out the bottom. i dont know. have done another cover too. never in my life i have had a problem like this. 5k worth of junk!!!! makes me want to sell everything i have and just plop my butt in front of the tv till i die...ugh!! john
What year heads/Block are you running? Didn't the older block not work with the newer heads unless you blocked off a water passage or something? I was thinking 72 or there abouts. Mike
455 Engine Advice To add to what Dan posted you can make a gasket that blocks off the front cover to see if that is the problem. You not mixing newer heads on a older block or the other way around are you? The top of the block has scallops on the top of the block. Later Buick engines have double scallops on them. The clean out hole at the ends of the top of the block, there was two designs, one oval and one round. Make sure they are the same and the gasket matches the block and the heads, AL.
blocks and heads don't make a difference for water. they all use the same gaskets. if you can blow into the radiator when its cold and make water come out the bottom, something is drastically. going to pull it apart and just assemble the bare block, heads, intake and front cover to see if its a torque problem. john
