Engine parts via e-bay

Discussion in ''Da Nailhead' started by JimW, Feb 18, 2016.

  1. lapham3@aol.com

    lapham3@aol.com Well-Known Member

    The 'numbers matching' on a 50+ year old Lesabre seems kind of silly to me=more important to have a good build. I recall that appropriate sized valve seats used to be available in a couple depths and machining for the deeper were the problem. Years ago I could buy many of what parts I needed in those plain white 'no name' boxes from JC Whitney and they would be local Chicago, like Elgin, and others who were also OEM suppliers-good parts-now many may well be very iffy offshore. Some years ago I checked for the manufacturing sources from 'those two brothers in New Jersey' and they wouldn't talk. Metalurgy is a big deal with all this and hard for a lay person to know. In the early days of ebay the parts houses were using it to clear out those old dusty parts boxes=good NOS/NORS parts were reasonably sold.
     
  2. 8ad-f85

    8ad-f85 Well-Known Member

    MANY sizes of valve seats are currently available to your local machine shop.
    A few different materials are available too.
    The manufacturers of these won't sell to the public.
     
  3. 64 wildcat conv

    64 wildcat conv Silver Level contributor

    If I am not mistaken, the 2 barrel carbed engines had lower compression (9:1?) so that you could run low octane (cheaper) fuel. I believe that the reasoning was that someone who purchased the 2 barrel version wanted better economy (not that this is always true) and would prefer to spend less per gallon on gasoline. I think all GM divisions except Cadillac had this marketing plan. I'd see no problem with installing higher CR pistons with the 2 barrel carb, but you may have to recurve the distributor and the owner buy premium fuel.
     
  4. 66electrafied

    66electrafied Just tossing in my nickel's worth

    Oh yeah, we installed the rockers correctly. They were torqued as the book described as well. We made sure we drank the beer after the engine was together, and not during. (At least I would have had an excuse if I'd done the later!) I made the mistake of pumping up the lifters as I installed them. So there's a good chance they weren't appropriately torqued and came apart once the initial prime was lost and the clearances opened up. Both odd-ball sized lifters ended up on the same side, in fact, right next to each other, so there's a question about the loading too. The shaft snapped at each post, (3X) and the rear post was airborne because the bolt holding it down snapped out. Wish I have photographed it, but by that point I was ready to burn the car down so I didn't think of it. As for who made the lifters, anyone's guess is as good as mine, I didn't save the Chinese packing slip because I couldn't read it. They were not a name brand. They were in plain unmarked boxes, the only thing on them was "Hydraulic lifter" and that was it. One came from a Chevy, the other belonged in a Cadillac, the rest were Nailhead. The other mistake I made was I didn't line them up prior to installing them, I just primed them and loaded them in, just like I'd done a million times before with a SBC. Yeah, I know; I shoulda known better...(head hung in shame)

    It was actually amazing that it hung together as long as it did. I had close to 2000 miles on it when it came home on 5 1/2 cylinders. I also figured out that most of the hammering noise goes away and it runs reasonably "round" at 65-70 mph and will still build power even in that condition.

    I read later in the Buick service manual that under no circumstances is one to pre-prime the lifters prior to installation. I guess I found out why. Buicks are tough engines. The Full Circle stock cam survived the ordeal with very minimal scarring (considering it had a floating concave lifter on it that was undersized) and the pushrods all remained straight.
     
  5. JimW

    JimW Member

    Numbers matching being silly was the owner's choice. I have a 425 with an ST400 in storage as cores that I offered to sell him to swap out. He declined the swap and wanted the original block saved is possible - his money and preference.
     
  6. JimW

    JimW Member

    It seems hard to fathom that pre-pumping up the lifters caused your issue, but I've seen lots of broken rocker shafts (in diesel truck applications) and it is always attributed to loose rocker shaft bolts as the head will be fretted .007-.015" at the rocker stand next to the break. I've tried doing it a couple of times in other motors, but it seems to make the valve adjustment more difficult as each lifter have the same feel. So I stopped doing it.
     
  7. 66electrafied

    66electrafied Just tossing in my nickel's worth


    I agree; it doesn't make sense. But it happened. It could have been defective shafts; - they were also from an Asian generic jobber outfit. I ended up putting my original set of rockers back on, and they're still on the car 8 years later. And then, just in case there was another issue, i got a nice set of cast iron rockers and shafts from a 61 401 that was in recently running condition. At the time I didn't know about Tom Telesco's rockers and the work he and others have done with Buick rockers. If I did it all over again, yes; - more research and I'd spend the money and do it right.
     
  8. ttotired

    ttotired Well-Known Member

    I dont see anything wrong with the guy wanting to keep the car matching numbers, I am doing the same

    Mines got no skirt on #1 piston and there was water sitting above a few of the valves for god knows how long (engine was stuck when I got the car) and its one of the concerns I have is how repairable are the heads going to be

    I have cleaned them, but I havnt stripped the heads yet

    Oh, not relevant, but mine is a 364


    Mick
     
  9. JimW

    JimW Member

    The block is sleeved and the worst head is stripped and the seats removed. The cylinders that were sleeved look great to me. The machinist said that there was alot more meat to bore in to past the .250" that he bored for the sleeve. The head guy said he wouldn't have any issues getting the new seats installed, he is waiting on me to get the parts.

    ttotired - the entire numbers matching thing I understand. Like I mentioned previously, this car is 100% perfect except in the engine department. The entire interior is new, the convertable top and frame is new, and the body work is flawless. And yes, I told the owner that he went about the restoration backwards - he should have done the motor and engine bay 1st, not last.
     
  10. lapham3@aol.com

    lapham3@aol.com Well-Known Member

    There are lots of folks that are willing and able to spend large $ for the 'looks', but not really wanting to spend for the same quality in the mechanicals that make the car go well and reliably. I know of quite a number of very good looking cars that run rather poorly and I wouldn't trust to take on a 100 mile trip. I've tried to help some, but the focus was on show rather than go. There were plenty of factory replacement engines installed during the warranty periods, not to mention all that has needed to be done over later decades. It seems that the 'numbers matching' is more about resale mentality based on 'reality TV' and the auction world. It may make sense for 'special' cars, but not for 'Joe's nice old Buick'.
     
  11. 66electrafied

    66electrafied Just tossing in my nickel's worth


    :gp: Very true! Numbers matching is only really important on #1 condition show cars, which are pretty much furniture anyway and not drivers. As long as the motor and mechanicals are period correct and working is in my opinion far more important than numbers matching.
     
  12. nekkidhillbilly

    nekkidhillbilly jeffreyrigged youtube channel owner

    is it the wildcat 375 or wildcat 410? the 410 is supposed to be the high comp 2 bb engine. everything ive seen shows it was available in 63 along with 62.
     
  13. JimW

    JimW Member

    410 Wildcat.
     
  14. nekkidhillbilly

    nekkidhillbilly jeffreyrigged youtube channel owner

    the 410 is the high comp 2 bb. all you need to do is change to a 4bb to have the 445 wildcat (325 hp). same engine cept for a 2 bb vs 4. it will also have the draft tube vs pvc of the later engines. the nailhead I have for my 66 was a 410 out of a 62.
     

Share This Page