I have a 54' special 264 nailhead. I need after market parts for this engine. What will fit if anything? Also, If I cannot find anything I will swap a 72' 350 that I have for the 264. Is this a direct swap to the dynaflow or do I need an adaptor? Any and all will be appreciated I would like to have this done for the NE ohio Show in june. Mike :jd:
You would be better off to replace it with a bUICK 322 MOTOR, Putting a chebby into your Buick, you would have to change the rear end, Buick has a closed driveshaft . Lots of work, and fabricting. JImSchilf palbuick
Jim is right, stay with the nailhead motor. If you want a Chevrolet powered car go buy one. There was a reason Buicks didnt use the Chevy motor, they wanted to be better, and not the cheapest.
he didn't say the '72 350 was a chevy motor, but you would still be better off with a older nail head, that way it will bolt up to the trans., i don't know if any body makes an adapter to go between the nail head and a newer block, but ot put the newer motor in you will need to convert from a closed drivelin ( torque tube ) to an open driveline ( driveshaft ), which means your motor,trans, driveshaft and rear all have to be changed and mod., hope this helps.
You're not going to gain any performance bolting anything up to the Dynaflow. You'd be better off trying to find a 401 or 425 if want an engine you can find aftermarket goodies for, but then you'd be wise to put at least a TH350 or 700R4 behind that to gain the performance you seem to be looking for. And, as others have stated, you'll have to convert the car to an open driveline, and a later model rear axle. Lots of work to finish by June. I'd second the move to a 322 as a short-term solution. Or, leave well-enough alone, and enjoy your '54 the way it is.
Re: '54 Buick replacement engine. If it was My choice I would put in a '56 322 nailhead. The '56 is the best 322. Better Heads and Exhaust Manifolds are set up for Dual exhaust. Plenty of low end Torque to move 2 tons of Buick. The 56 nail with the high compression motor with a 4 barrel is rated at 255 HP and a direct bolt in. Get some of the dress-up aftermarket options and you have something that is compairable to a 350 and a lot better looking with complications. Easy, neat and clean. All the hoses and belts and you avoid the clearance complications that are created by the steering box. You will have enough get up and go. but lets face it Buicks are Cruisiers not Bruisiers. There is nothing you could ever put in the car that would be able to compete with a Mustang or SS/z28. In 1956 the fastest production vehicle was a Buick Century with the 322 that's pretty much as good as it gets. Regards, Tom Gallagher
Thank you all :3gears: I appreciate all of the help and suggestions given. Bye the way it is NOT a Chevy 350 it is out of a skylark. But, after hearing all of the complications involved I think I am going to stick with the original motor or look for a 322 for now. In future years I may opt for a 455/th400 set-up but as of right now that seems it would be too costly. Thank you again. :TU: :beer
