So back on track... Tomorrow should be a good day; cold with 100% chance of rain. Ill fire up the atom smasher in shop B and get to work, FINALLY. First thing on the agenda is to separate the 455-400T and get it stripped down and onto the stand. I really wanna pull the pan for a cursory inspection. She had a rod a knockin' 10 years ago. Im guessing #7&8. Hopefully it didnt beat the crank up too bad. I think the pan is a center sump so Ill probably need a rear sump pan for the GX Special. Check out the remote filter. Anyone interested? If all this goes according to Hoyle, Ill pull the ol' fireball and 3 speed outa the frame and assess that end. Gotta drain all the juices from both; should have an oil burner in the shop! Heck, whats another trip to crackauto for a 5 gallon bucket of waste oil? The rest of things look better than I expected. Front end is still nice and tight at 33K. Brakes are a gonner, and the interior is perfect except for Mr. Mouse's house in the front of the headliner. Thats the worst part of the car and thatll be trimmed out tomorrow as well with the shop vac in hand. The door panel shows the typical condition of the whole inside. Ahhhh! Motivation again!!! ws
Just some other digital musings... Im really delighted in the overall condition of the hardware (pot metal) stuff... nary a pit on any of it! ws
The absolute best thing Ive found that there is in fact, a ball stud mount for the Z bar drilled and tapped in the block! Lifting the whole thing was touch and go. Mustve been good wire back then! If anyone cares to ID the block or whatever, please jump in head first! ws
I must admit I am excited. Something about the style of this car is just fantastic. I will always Love the '72 but can't wait to sit next to Bill in the '64. Of course, I will follow him anywhere....ppat
Im beaming! Got the 455 knocked apart from the trans today. Pulled the exhaust manifold and only broke off 3 bolts... I just laughed! Got her up on the stand, drained the goo outa the pan and pulled a valve cover. Supposedly had a rod knockin' but after I saw this I wonder... ws
Wow, looks good Bill! You can tell it's low mileage with the T3's, spirals and big eared rad cap. Wonder what happened to the voltage regulator. Looks like a big car trans with the long tail. It's certainly way more solid then you would expect to see.
Thats what I thought at first thanks for conforming. I got a old nest in my wagons ac vents I need to get to too.
The sellers dad had the 455/400 in a 51 Buick. so he mustve change the rear end too for that torque tube shaft. Hmmm. Hoping the rod knock was the lifter spacers missing... hope, hope, hope! Mickey mustve slept well and cozy in all that fiberglass insulation! Dont rub yer eyes or scratch yer b****s after handling that stuff! The rest of the car is a virtual time capsule. I know purists restore the unobtanium shocks, and only one T3 was replaced but I save a few from the XGS. GOOD EYE FRANK! Heard from Jim Monzaz and he said to just build the rear end that's in there... thats a relief! Gotta take care of (EOTY) End Of The Year stuff today, then back on it! Wanna get a look at the crank, then probably pull the V6 and trans out... nuttin' to it (if yer 20 hahaha). New shop furnace is the best $100 Ive spent in a while. Always turning the T-stat down! If anyone sees any old stuff I take out and needs it, SING OUT! ws
Don't toss that thermos vacuum switch on the front of the manifold if its not broken, there was someone on this board looking for an original one.
While out in the garage yesterday I took 2 pictures of the Special and posted them on Facebook with the caption "name this engine". My brother came up with 454. We then bantered back and forth a little and I had to tell him that we could do what we wanted with this one. Also, the Bad Lad has a 455. So, I get up this morning and a high school friend who lives in Switzerland makes the comment that the Special looks like a car that will suck a lot of gas. Here is my reply "Dennis, she is the kind that Never goes out in the rain or winter. She is the kind that will be shown lovingly at car shows next to our 1972 Buick GSX. She is the kind we will have hours of fun with. She is the kind that is from a different era, our era." I hope I took him back to the fun days with my comment...ppat
455 front drivers side. From the photo it looks like one of the 3 plastic fittings has already been broken off. It is a useless part but some people still use them for correct restorations.
I pulled that out specifically today and took it easy with it. Its 1-1/4" wrench size and all I had (takes a special socket), was a big ol' combination wrench. The one nipple looks like it got hot somehow, and just folded over a little bit. The passage is still open and with a hose on it no one would notice. If anyone needs it PM me... Got the block stripped to the crank sitting in the main saddles. Two rods had spun to the point that they were wedged inside each half. and one journal was worn pretty bad. Without pulling all the MIC stuff out, I measured it with the dial calipers, and the beat up journal is cooked . Std. should be about 2.250-2.252 and this one is at 2.223. With a grind would put it at about 2.218- 2.220. So should I pick up a regrind from NAPA? The mains are perfect and once the slugs were out she rolls freely. Still need to find some pre-EGR heads and intake... ws
