Hello Need help I have a 58 buick special 4 DR and recently took the nailhead out along with the tranny and torque tube, want to replace it with a 455 engine and 350 turbo tranny, but I need to know what kind of rear to put in it that will match up with this and what kind of car to get it from? Any help would be appreciated. thanks Howard
Well, Howard. because of the torque tube driveline, you won't find any true bolt-in rears. You would either have to fabricate/buy a four link setup, or switch to leaf springs. I almost did this five years ago with my '55 Special, but decided to stay with the Dynaflow and nailhead. I would like to ditch the Dynaflow, because of it's inherant ability to leak like hell, and the lackluster performance, although it isn't really that bad. I hate leaks, and even though I was careful to seal everything on my Dynaflow when I rebuilt it, it still wants to leak! Rod and custom did an article back in '92 or '93 on swapping rear ends in a '57 Buick, and it was very informative. I'll see if I can find that issue in my collection. They basically used control arms from a GM "A" body ('68-'72) if I recall correctly. And lots of welding... As for choice in donor rears, just pick one with the same, or close to the same width A.K.A.-"track". I did a swap on a '50 Chevy back in '93, which also had a torque tube setup, and used a '71 Skylark rear axle, which was close to the Chevy's stock axle width. Of course, that car had leaf springs, so swapping was simpler, I just cut off the four link brackets, and welded on some leaf spring perches, after calculating the pinion angle and centering the axle. ---Zach.
I'm in the middle of this type of project myself, coincidentally on a '58 Special 4-door! My intention is to use the stock rear axle. I am retaining the 364, but installing a TH350 using one of Bendtsen Tranmission's adapter kits. I've removed the torque tube, and after removing the yoke from the rear of the propeller shaft, I tried fitting the yoke onto the rear axle's input shaft. It fit right on. This yoke was held onto the prop shaft by a roll pin. I feel that I should be able to drill through the input shaft using the holes in the yoke as a guide, and use the roll pin to hold the yoke onto the input shaft. It held on the prop shaft for 46 years, so someone will have to tell me why it won't work here. I don't intend this car to be a race car, just as goof-proof a cruiser as I can build. I plan to use the stock sway bar, and will naturally have to fabricate a four-link, or equivalent set-up. I really don't know why this won't work. Maybe someone more savvy than I am will be willing to get on here, and share any inherent dangers with attempting this.
torque tubes Hi guys, I went through this swap (twice) on my '55. I used early okds rears, first a '49-'56/now a '57-64. They are about the same width 55" backing plate to backing plate. The later rears still have most parts available through NAPA such as bearings, brakes, seals. Richmond offers 4:10/4:56/4:88 gears new but most were originally equipped with 2:73 or 3:23 wich will work well for a cruiser. I had to have ladder bars, and a crossmember put in my car which requires a bit of fabrication. I love my set up and have recommended it several times on other threads but I think keeping your stock rear will work just fine for both of your needs. If you check old posts you will find a few threads on this. I know someone has a 55 or 56 and kept his stock rear but machined the input shaft and snout then modified the wishbones that locate it. He had a VERY nice setup for probably a fairly cheap cost compared to swapping a complete set up in. If you are looking to run the car hard with a 455, I would recommend putting in a F**d 9 inch with plenty of cheap gear sets and parts available. These are very strong and can be found reasonable if you look hard enough. I only recommend this because if you drive like me and blow up everything you own, the stock rear will cost much more to rebuild and you will have to hunt for the parts. Any other questions, just ask. Good luck!
okay thanks for all the good info. now I still have to see if I can set the 455 engine in with no problem of staying clear of the stearing box or should I just use the 364 that came in it? I have both engines and they both run great, I want it to be simlpe, so any suggestions on wich engine to use would be helpful. :3gears:
I guess it really depends on what you want to get out of your car. If you're looking for a car to just dirve and have fun in, then there's nothing wrong with retaining the original 364. It always was a very capable engine, torquey and with a unique exhaust note that left no mistake what engine it is. The only drawback to these cars was the transmission. And, in their day, they weren't a bad transmission, either. You just had to make allowances for the fact that you were never going to beat anyone off the line with a Dynaflow. Plus, Nailheads are cool. If you get a chance to see KQQLCAT's '63 Wildcat with its 425 ci Nailhead with two 4-barrels, and a bunch of other dress-up accessories on it, you'll forget all about the 455.
I would keep the 364 and put a th400 behind it. you will still need to change the rear but would have a good trans and cool engine.
Hopefully this works. I'm not as computer-literate as I'd like to be. This is the engine compartment of the '63 Wildcat I mentioned in my last post. It doesn't get much better than this.
I have 55 Buick Special 2 Dr post. I'm using a rearend from 1977-1980 Ford Lincoln Versaille. It also gives me rear disc brakes. Fits perfect!!! Goodluck!!!
RE: Sweet Nailhead Nailhead58 The Picture of the Nailhead is Something Else. Those Dress-Up items REALLY enhanse THE LQQK. Love, Those Valve Covers with BUICK embossed on them. Where Can I get a set. What Years had those valve covers? The duel quad is pretty sweet TOO. I have a 322 on my '56 The duel quad will over-fuel the smaller nailhead. But I do plan on getting an Offey 3X2 set-up, which when polished is pretty Nostalgic. :TU: :TU: :bglasses: :3gears: :beer Tom Gallagher
'58 Rearend I have used a rear end from a '63 or '64 Riviera. You'll have to set up some trailing arms, but the springs will fit right in. It also has the same lug bolt patern as the '58. The width also fits.
