I have a 1976 Buick 350 4 BBL that came from a LeSabre that I am refreshing (trying to do it on a budget) before I install it in my 1987 Regal. I am a bit confused on what machining I might need and what parts are going to be required. The engine is totally disassembled and all the parts and hardware are organized and labeled. For the most part everything looks decent. There are a few things I did notice that may need addressed. 1. The front cam bearing has a very small groove in it. The bearing doesn't look to have gotten hot or worn, but it does have a tiny groove in it. 2. The cylinders all have a ridge at the top, but the ridge is uneven, its only on the bottom half of the cylinders, it is semicircular. 3. It appears that a head gasket went bad at some point, because there is evidence of corrosion inside one of the cylinders, however the gasket was ok so it had to have been replaced at one point. These are the only 'abnormal' wear items on this engine. I have not had it to a machine shop yet to check for deck warpage or cylinder taper. The crank looks excellent and all the main bearings looked fine. The cam and lifters all looked good, no serious wear on them at all. The heads looked okay, and I cleaned them, lapped the valves and reassembled them with new valve seals. This engine is going into a cruise night car, not a 1/4 mile track car. I'd like to make a little more power than stock, but it certainly doesn't need to be a horsepower monster. I spoke to TA Performance about installing there TA 212 cam into this engine as I'd like to get a nice lope at idle. I explained that this engine is a stock virgin motor, never been rebuilt and ideally I'd like to keep it as stock as I can. Their concern was that with the stock Pistons, I would not have enough compression (at 8.5:1) to support the 212 cam. He suggested if I want to run that cam, I should replace my Pistons with their TA 1602 Pistons in a .020 oversize which would raise the compression ratio up to about 9.3:1 which would be plenty to support that cam. He explained I could reuse my original connecting rods and wrist pins. Does this sound accurate to everyone here? I can run TA 1602 Pistons and a TA212 cam on an otherwise stock 1976 Buick 350 without issue? Also what is going to be the minimum amount of machine work I will need? Obviously I will need the cam bearings replaced, and the cylinders bored and honed. I'll also need the Pistons installed on my old connecting rods. Do I need anything else? I'm trying to keep this a budget build, so I don't want to go overboard with unnecessary machine work. Do I need the rods reconditioned? Do I need to align home the mains? Do I need to check the deck for warpage and have it machined? Do I need the crank polished or ground? Also, is raising the compression as simple as replacing the pistons? This is my first engine rebuild so please be patient with me, I still a bit of a novice. Thanks in advance, any and all help is appreciated!
Yes piston controls compression. You need to measure bore and what it will clean up home at . A machine shop should really do that. If the cam bearing shows that groove it's junk. Period. Biggest issue with low oil pressure hot is that cam bearing. The 76 was rated at 8.0 compression and is actually 7.7. So yes get different Pistons. Deck block .020. 76 has low piston height. Get the piston closer to deck. With the TA suggested Pistons you will probably have 9.5 then. The 212 is ok but picking a cam because of lope isn't a great choice. The cam is good but you need a higher stall converter (atleast 2200small block rated) and get the 2.41 gear (base regal gearing ) out and atleast a 3.08(3.42 is common in s10,blazer,jimmy,Astro with 4.3 v6) crank and other parts need to be measured to determine wear and if it needs to be machined. If you know motor ran you can do a rering and bearing. But you get what you get there. Clean and inspect well. This is not the best choice but maybe an option if you know the engine ran well and nothing is truly wrong with it. Again with rods, how did old bearings look and how did it run? Crank might be fine with polish. there are .001 undersized bearing available for rods. Let machine shop know that and it's an option. They like to machine things . That's what they do and it's what gets them paid. But you are paying so watch and ask . You get the harmonic balancer rebuilt. New valve springs to match cam. Personally a like the crower level 3 cam. . Send carb to be performance built by Quadrajet Power or everyday performance. Everyday performance does distributer recurve which you will want anyways. With this being your first build get the pros doing that work. Oil pump, do not go long gear hi volume. If it ran we'll leave it alone. Setting clearance requires some experience. If you know it's not a problem get a regulator or hi pressure spring for max pressure relief. Your changing cam and rpm range. You will need more max pressure. So block will need to be cleaned, bore and hone, cam bearings and core/freeze plugs. Rods checked and Pistons changed. Crank polish or grind. Valve job with springs. This is going to probably be much more then you think in your budget. You should post pics of your parts and how far you took engine apart. .
This engine ran perfectly fine prior to me tearing it down. Is it absolutely necessary to deck the block? I will be replacing the distributor with a performance HEI one. As I stated, I already cleaned the heads, lapped the valves and installed new valve seals. I will replace the valve springs to match the cam if necessary. I've rebuilt carbs before so I have no problem rebuilding the 750 CFM Rochester that came on it. When I spoke to TA Performance, they told me my 2000 stall converter would be fine for this setup. Why do you think I need a 2200? Also why do you think the harmonic balancer needs rebuilt? My plan for now is- Have machine shop- hot tank, bore .020, hone, check rods and install TA 1602 pistons, replace cam bearings, install new freeze plugs, polish crank. I will then- install TA 212 cam and matching valve springs if necessary. I will reassemble the bottom end with standard size bearings on my polished crank. Does this sound right?
That's good, yes sounds right. Springs are 40 years old and barely good enough for the .380 lift cam and your going to lift the cam another.80-.90. Get springs. No you don't need block deck machined unless there is a problem. But better piston to deck clearance does make engine perform better. Performance engines are built with zero deck. Have you done a performance carb build? Jets, rods secondary spring tension? There can be a lot of power left behind . A carb rebuild isn't just clean and gaskets. Fuel is different then in 76 and rods/jets can be worn. Then add more air flow from cam and compression increase. It will want more fuel. Too lean can burn up rings. Not to mention run hot or detontation can occur burning piston sand damage to bearing. . You will want a oil with extra zzdp zinc like Joe Gibbs or Brad penn. Or atleast a additive. Otherwise cam break in could fail and your back inside engine. I would also suggest a timing set with 3 key ways. And I would degree cam 4 advanced. That will help cylinder pressure and lower end power. I highly doubt your stock convertor being at 2000. Most are 15-1600 stock. What year trans do you have? Watch the hei you get. It may need to be recurved anyways. And make sure it has the same number of teeth on gear as your stock one. A 455 distributer will look the same but I believe it has 1 less tooth on gear. Engine will never run like that. Just saying this cause it happens. With the higher compression you could go to the 284-88 cam. Alittle more power Get a new fuel pump. .
Alec gives good advice, along with others on here. Just do the same basic stuff you would to any engine. Personally, I'd have the motor done .030 just so I know for a fact the cylinders are 100% straight and true. BUT before you do, measure how far down in the hole the pistons are in stock form. Distance doesn't matter all that much, what matters is that they are identical front to back, corner to corner. If not, have the block decked the required amount. For example, if #1 is "down the hole" by .058, and #7 is down the hole .055, that really won't matter in a mild build. I'd say as a rule of thumb if any piston is more than .010 down the hole than any others, have the block decked. There is a threshold though, of how much you can take off the block/heads before you'll need shorter pushrods, the intake milled, and all that stuff. New cam bearings are IMPERATIVE. Plus, the machine shop removes them for hot tanking if you go that route. The 212 is not a bad cam by any means, but if you're after lope (me as well, building a '70 SP 350), I'd consider going with the TA 284 or the 290, but with the 290 TA recommends a higher gear and stall (a must on any engine swap really [my Regal was a dog at low speeds because of my 2.41s and the 1100, which your car has as well. Great highway cruiser though] and their stage 1 valve springs to get the most out of that cam. TA has a really nice HEI for 165$ that I bought. The harmonic balancer is a two piece unit, with the inner and outer rings being held together by friction and a thin rubber strip. Over time the rubber gets dry rotted, oil soaked, and cracks and peels. Do you want that flying apart? TA has a pretty nifty stock replacement (brand new) balancer for 250 bucks, and their flexplates are 60 bucks. They also sell downpipes that fit our cars (consider getting a gforce or iceman crossmember, or notching yours) as well as exhaust manifold bolts. Header fitment I've heard is iffy. Sealed Power makes some nice pistons (340p is the part number) that would give the same if not a touch more compression for cheaper. Both are cast aluminum. Any hyperutectics you see will only yield at max about 8.3:1 with a non decked engine. DON'T FORGET THE OIL GALLEY PLUGS. Just some advice from someone who just about a year and a half ago went down the same road you're on.
Thanks for the advice. I'm really trying to keep the machine work to a minimum, because there is only one machine shop around me, and they are not cheap. I may go with the TA284 that you're recommending. I'll give TA a call and see what they think. Since Im going to have to replace the valve springs anyway, I may as well go with the TA stage one springs. Hopefully I can find a 2200 stall converter at the local swap meet coming up. I'm not going to run headers until someone comes out with a G Body specific header. As I've said before, this isn't a real Performance build. It's going to be a cruise night car that I'd like to be able to drive with a bit of a lead foot and not look stupid. A little cam lope would be nice for pissing off the neighbors.
Also fuel $$$ doesn't matter much to me. I get a nice discount on VP leaded 110 which is what I'll probably run in this.
Thanks Mr. Sony for the complement. 9.3 compression should run fine a most 91-93 octane fuels. Lope doesn't mean nothing. You want window rattling, put on turn downs after muffler no tailpipe. Especially with afterburner or flow master mufflers. Take a look at this converter http://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS-Performance-Products/555/60400/10002/-1 I run the next one up at 27-3000 . I did a few regal 350 swaps years ago. V6 mounts are sloppy. I would try a 66-67 340 mount on left side. Damper dudes does a balancer rebuild for less then new. If you have the choice of higher octane you really should consider more compression. It will give more power and more lope then a cam. Smells good too.
Here's a few older posts of other builds and their progress. I suggest reading. http://www.v8buick.com/index.php?threads/next-step-for-my-350.292865/ http://www.v8buick.com/index.php?threads/cam-break-in-lobe-went-round-what-next.309051/ http://www.v8buick.com/index.php?threads/new-low-e-t-from-the-350-boat-anchor.320773/
I Would not deck or square the block on a mild build... I would use the high compression pistons and a TA-284 cam and it should be good. Regarding The rods and crank they need to be measured so to know if you need to resize them or grind them. Only the machine shop can tell you.
It's erroneous thinking to 'just blend in a little race gas' at the front end of a project. It is easily achievable to plan it to your expectations with pump gas. If you are going to run race gas then build it really high compression and go all out. If so, spend some money and do it right. If you want to run it on pump gas then DON'T build it to the edge of detonation with as much compression as you dare. That tad bit of compression helps smooth out a cammed up engine, it reduces the reverse pumping and idles smoother. Your vacuum gauge will read higher. If anything, it adds a sharpness to the note with a cavernous unrestricted exhaust. You'll have more grunt and better driveability with better breathing heads. More thump with a tighter LSA cam and/or larger diameter exhaust.
You already have an HEI distributor, yes? First year it was standard was 1975. If you already have HEI, keep it and recurve that one.
A static compression ratio of 9.5:1 and the TA 212-350 cam 4* advanced has 66* IVC point, which in an all iron engine using a 180 thermostat, should run fine on 91 octane--93 octane would be just better insurance, and it can all be had at the pumps (depending on where you are). A 2000 or 2500 stall would be good, but the stock converter would work good too in this combination. Why? Because the car weighs a hundred or two pounds less than a 2 door skylark, which were pretty light footed to begin with. Another reason for using your stock stall--it puts less torque to the ground from a dead stop or low speeds, which the 7.5 GM 10 bolt rear end will thank you for. Unless it was an Olds 442 or a Grand National/T-Type Regal (which used 8.5 GM 10 bolt rears), it'll have a 7.5 GM 10 bolt rear. Even Monte Carlo SS models used a beefed-up version (7.625) of the 7.5 10 bolt rear, used with the 2004r transmission. (these are all GM "G" body cars made from 1978-1987 (Regal) and all parts interchange, save for some cosmetics) In stock form, those 7.5's won't hold up to much. Main weaknesses are: 1040 grade steel 26 spline axles; ductile iron carrier with spider gears, and a housing that twists too easily when the tires grip. Putting in a ring and pinion that totals greater than 3.42 (3.73's and numerically higher) and the pinion becomes too small, which can cause it to 'walk up' the ring gear when the axle flexes, which spells disaster for your gear teeth. Greatest strains on the rear end are good traction and high torque multiplication, especially with harder launches (higher stalls on automatics, or higher revving clutch dumps from manuals). Fixes include: 1541H alloy steel 28 spline axles made by Moser (about 260ish bucks from Summit for a pair). This steel is about 35% stronger than factory grade 1040 carbon steel axles, and with the larger diameter of the 28 spline axles, gives another approximate 18% strength over the 26 spline variants made from the same upgrade steel. This fixes the axle weakness. Auburn makes a 7.625 steel carrier with worm gears (trutrac/Torsen) limited slip type differential for about $410. This is a 3 series carrier that accepts the 28 spline axles and fits inside the 7.5 rear end housing, accepting ring and pinion gear ratios of 3.23 or numerically higher. This fixes the weaker spider gear-wielding ductile iron carrier it came with from the factory. Motive (or Richmond, I've heard better reviews from Motive; others here will have advice on brands) makes ring and pinions ranging from 4.10 to 3.23 (I recommend either the 3.42 or 3.23) costing around 250 bucks, if I recall. Install kit (bearings, etc.) will run you about 100 bucks or so. Weld up the axle housing to reinforce it better than the few factory tack welds. Use TA's rear end girdle to help with axle stability and reduce or eliminate axle flexing. If you're unfamiliar with rear ends, take your parts and rear end to a professional to have them build it. You'll have a chunk of money invested into a 7.5 rear (which some wouldn't recommend), but in the end you'll have a pretty solid unit that'll handle almost anything a Buick 350 could throw at it, providing you don't use slicks or a high stall in a G body car. The tires should spin well before any risks arise to the axle itself. Tire sizes that fit the front can go up to 245/60r15, but 235's will fit better and have no risk of rubbing at full turns. Rear tires can go up to 255's I think? Don't use tires that large with the stock 7.5 rear end, unless it has a stock v6 in it and won't spin on wet grass. (((you should be able to use a 2000 or 2500 stall no problem with this (reinforced) setup (but with no slicks), and I'd say would be safe for a strong (moderately built) Buick 350--otherwise, if you do nothing to the rear end, use factory style sized tires (195/75r14, 205/70r14, or 215/65r15) and stock stall and don't do any neutral drops or reverse-forward burnouts and it will probably be ok--just remember those rear ends weren't intended for use with towing or anything much over 300 ft. lbs. flywheel power.))) Best wishes.
thats not 100 % accurate on the 7.5-7 5/8 rear end. The monza /Skyhawks got the 26 spline rear end that didn't hold up well. the regal/gbody needed something stronger. By 1981 they uses bigger pinion bearings, 28 spline axles. 82 camaro/firebird had the 7 5/8 or 7.625. Using a gov loc rear in some cases. For the possible 240-250hp this build will make a good posi carrier (Eaton,Yukon, auburn) will be adequate. My 83 regal ran 14.4 at 91 with a 350, hyperutectic 522 Pistons, 2000 converter, and a Poston 118 cam. With 3.42 gears from an 85 Astro van. Biggest problem was spider gears. Snapped them things in 2. And the 118 had no low torque , barely breaking tires loose. Drag radials or slicks may cause axle breakage . But seen camaros run pretty hard on stock axles but who knows.
The best bet if you have an issue with the rear end is using a bolt in aftermarket rear end. Moser and other companies build really good setups for all power levels.
