Also, I'm looking at piston rings and TA has Moly or Cast. Which do I get? And looking to order the rod bearings I assume I'd get .030?
I was think the same thing Gary, about shaving heads if he's going to stick with that cam and those Pistons. .040 off heads guessing that he's at 7.7 compression now would bump him to 8.55. Which would be close enough to run that cam and be able to pick up the extra hp the cam should do. Still be fine on cheap gas. But a Quadrajet Power built carb would be the better choice for carb and 87 octane. He would probably need .050 shorter pushrods. But it should not affect intake manifold at all. TA website says the 290 needs convertor anyways. I think the "30 hp over stock cam" is what gets everyone here. As we have had seen a few guys with 8.2-8.3 compression run the crower advanced 4 degrees and with tuning and a converter are running 14s. I got to go with what works.
Dry on the gasket and I would go moly on rings, cast break easily on install. This being your first try and all.
Also, I talked to TA Performance yesterday and asked about the pushrods. He said, most guys are still running the stock pushrods but to make sure the lifters have at least 35,000 preload and I should be ok. Also, I asked him specifically about the torque converter and he said a stock will be fine. Now I realize that and 1800 or 2200 may be better but that's what he said. Thoughts? Oh I should note that I'm currently running with a turbo 300 2-speed trans. 350 in the future.
My suggestion about The shorter pushrods is for if your shaving heads. If you take off .050-.060 from head in order to have that .030-.035 preload. If you Chang Pistons that would not affect pushrod length.
Ah I think I remember you saying it was the ST300 and 2.73 gearing. Any converter you get now will swap over to the TH350, since those trans use the same converter, so investing in one now is a wise move.
Well, maybe Mart and I can take a ride over one or 2 times and help you get that thing ready for the Woodard cruise THIS year? With no machine work you swap the front cam bearing and ball hone the cylinders and while the block is apart you might as well do some oiling mods while you're there. Then clean block then it'll be ready for re-assembly with perhaps the better pistons Mart has with new rings perhaps the 2nd day we pop by? Buying used parts and perhaps a master re-ring engine kit shouldn't hurt your wallet to bad. Just make sure you have your thinking cap on when we're there. Take notes if you think you have to and make sure we stay hydrated(no Miller beer or anything that taste like Miller!) while we're there and the job will be done in no time. First day preparing the block, after that is done we can leave and you'll need to clean the block to get it ready for assembly. Then we can come back and help you with that, mostly pointing and explaining what to do as your hands do the work is the better way to learn how that sort of work is done. Don't worry we(I) will be supervising to make sure it getting done right while you're building it, that way you can actually say you built it yourself. Same deal with prepping the block, we or I will show you how to ball hone the block on 1 or 2 cylinders and you'll do the rest of them. That is if you're interested in us or me stopping by? What about you Mart? I'm still waiting to hear from you(Mart) to help you install your new disc brakes? Sup with that? Derek
Derek. Maybe take a look at his head work he should get new springs. 40 plus years old with a much bigger lift . Can get a gasket , rings and bearings fairly reasonable from eBay , ranging from 150-250. Oil pump is probably fine, you have the drill bits, I left with you. check the pickup passage to see if it could use opening up, get a melling pickup for a 77 Buick Regal with h vin. 1/2 inch should be good for him.Part number is on the one I dropped off to you for the 380. I give you a thumbs up for your offer to help him out. Wasn't aware he is that close to you.
Yeah, Royale Oak is about 10 to 15 miles away from Rochester Hills, so not that far at all. Was going to ask if I could use your drill bit so thanks. If he has an air compressor I have a pneumatic spring compressor so we can get those heads apart in no time! There will be a lot of time cleaning bolts and other components that he can handle when we're not there. I don't play that anymore, I just buy new bolts and done. Cast iron stuff I drop off at Dave's shop and let him clean those things in his oven then bead blaster. Much nicer to work with that way, its like working with brand new cast iron. To save a couple of bucks he can wash that stuff himself, not what I would do but would be good enough with enough elbow grease. A wire wheel on a drill motor and brake clean and then some rusty metal primer would work out good. Freeze plugs are cheap and easy to change as well, the brass ones are only about $8 more(found the brass ones for $14 shipped on evilbay) than the steel ones. They should be changed if they are starting to rust. New valve springs for a flat tappet cams are cheap even from TA, he should order those the same time as the cam. Derek
I'm sure this is alittle more $$ then he expected, but I am confident it will turn out better then he thinks. He should get some cheap taps from harbor freight or menards and clean up threads in block and heads. If those Pistons from Mart are 522p his compression will be up around 9.7 or better. I'm going to say he could see 300 hp 375 torque or better. He's going to be shocked. Would like to hear from him soon.
If I'm in town, (walleye are biting), I /we can visit Jeff to see what's up. Yes my hypers are the 522p with valve notches. I have brand new in box/ pkge, Poston PE107 dual springs, no wiggle retainers, & keepers if he's interested in those. Think they would be perfect for that cam. Also have some lightly used heavy duty single springs too. Guy I bought the 68 GS parts car from used to race it. So I bought his spare parts. And No, I'm not selling my new spare set of T&D rollers rockers! I would have him convert to thru pushrod oiling though. Think we could get his motor rolling, garage budget build style. And yes you need to get your butt over to install my frt. discs!!! When I'm in town.
I know you want to do this on a low budget so I suggest you leave the bottom end alone and use a smaller cam. Or bite the bullet and have a machine shop measure all aspects of the engine and let you know what all needs to be machined. Only then will you know what parts to buy.
I have the valve springs already that go with the 290 cam. I've had the cam for about 4 years. it's been sitting on a shelf. I purchased it from a fellow V8 Buick guy. Never installed.
I can't begin to thank everyone for the generosity to help me get my beauty back on the road after 2 years sitting idle. I truly do appreciate Marty and Derek for offering to sacrifice their personal time and weekend to help me through this. I guess I got in over my head deeper than I predicted. Jeff This is what it looks like when it's on the road not covered in dust in a garage...
Nice car! 2 years off the road, that's quite a while you have been without it! What weekend you want us to help? Mart needs a little bit of notice to get him back from up north where he spends a lot of his time in the summer fishing. I just need a day or 2 notice. Maybe we can ride out there in Mart's '71 GS 350? Let us know. Derek
I cannot do anything this Saturday (July 22) because I promised the girlfriend I'd take her to the beach and picnic. I'm available the following Saturday (July 29) up to 5 pm, and that Sunday (30th). Also, can make room the weekend of the August 5th & 6th. Pretty much any Sunday works for me as well. Also, I'm available most weekdays after 5pm.
