Starting a company; what parts for Nailhead era Buicks do you want to see?

me too just be nice to run modern accessories

 

Thanks for all the ideas guys!

Like I said, nothing will be available for quite some time. Just trying to feel out what people want.

Looking back at the list, switch pitch setups and swtich pitch controllers seem to be at the for front on the to-do list, with wiring harnesses a close 2nd.

I might look at doing some of the smaller stuff on my own. I'll keep you guys posted.

 

How bout a re pop of the dual quad air cleaner?

 

I second that nomination!!:TU:
There are repos for 409 Chevys that are similar to the Buick...but there are noticable differences.

Andy, what type of manufacturing resources are available to you? ...casting, metal stamping, fabrication, machine shop, etc, etc?
Or do you plan to outsource the manufacturing?

 

I'll add the air cleaner to the list.

I could do small runs of small parts in my shop, and electronic stuff could also be done in house. Everything else would have to be outsourced. I do have a few connections though.

 

:TU: I wish you the very best of luck my friend, from one buisness owner to another. Having your own buisness is kind of like having kids, kind of a pain in the a$$ but soooooooo worth it! :TU:

 

Thanks for the good words Bill. We'll see if anything comes out of the ideas. Like I said, we need to get the first product in the market first. Worst comes to worst, I might just do a small thing on the side in my shop.

 

I would like to see a repop of the Buick factory super wild cat cam....for the 64-65-66 years and maybe the old export kit for the older engines.....

 

I don't think I'd get into producing cams. There are already many companies that will grind them to your specs.

What does the export kit consist of? Sounds interesting...

What about something like an old Isky rev-kit? What did that consist of?

 

As I remember it the Isky rev kit was a plate that went on each side of the lifter bore cavity that retained a set of springs that went on top of the lifters and under the plate.... to keep from floating the valves at high rpm.... at a max of 6000 rpm for Buick engines , it should not have any mkt.... also hard on the cam...complex... ect....

 

Andy,

Another vote for the serpentine belt setup...doesn't have to be fancy chrome or billet, stock-look would be great.

 

Here's my NOS Rev Kit for my blower motor also my roller lifters

 

Here's something simple; - steel spacer plates for quadrijet to nailhead carbs.
Or:
A better water manifold to timing cover seal, or a retrofit to something better. Better yet, a whole new manifold without rust, made from aluminum or something better than cast iron.
Or:
New switch-pitch carb mounted switch, and possibly the one for inside the transmission as well.
Or;
A better water pump, -possibly electric,and a proper electric fan shroud with fans.
Or for those that have classic Buicks, a replacement carb-mounted starter switch that bolts on to a modern carb, (but looks authentic) running on a seperate vacuum line if necessary, but preferably totally electronic.

If you intend to pop out covers, how about some spark-plug covers like the '53-55 Buicks had, either painted or chromed.(plus the hardware kits)

Just some ideas; - I don't know if someone is making some of this stuff already.

 

how about a repro horn relay for a 65 skylark GS

 

how about gas tanks for 57 58 buicks? thanks,buford owner from ct

 

Here's a simple one. Motor mounts. The engine side shouldn't be needed but frame side. It could be a simple bolt on part that could be set up in a jig for production. Figure out a source for the engine side, then simply cut and weld up the frame side.
I'm going to have to do some fabrication to put one in my 64, but after a guy gets one good pattern it would be easy to produce copies of it.
You could also look into other applications for hot rods.
I know that there is a guy on here with a 34 ford that is going to be fabricating some type of motor mounts for his car.

 

there pretty easy just 2 plates of steel

 

I know that there isn't a lot to them, but when I mention putting a nailhead in my 64 people act like it's rocket science.
Easy to build (production wise), anyone who was thinking about putting a nailhead in could buy motor mounts and maybe figure out the tranny mount to have it sitting like you want it would save them self the effort, and since many are intimidated by it, it should sell.

I know that when you build a hot rod and you are using a "standard" engine you can even buy a mock up of the engine. Has all the right holes and everything but it's made out of some type of injected foam or light weight plastic. They can use that for mock up to get their motor mounts, engine accessories and radiator set up.
With a Nailhead you just have to hang 800 pounds or more with the tranny and fit it all together the way you want it.
If someone had motor mounts and had figured it out so that the engine / tranny angle was right, had the room for the distributor and the front stuff, it would simply be one less thing to spend time on.
Someone who was ambitious could also do the tranny mounts, modified core support parts etc.
Lots of guys don't want to do a swap that isn't figured out for them.

Oil pan and pickup tube are another thing that would sell. I know that I will have some time into the oil pan to try and make it look good.

 

David,,,,, what you are saying has been done before , back in the 70s, Bill Anderson made ''kits'' that put the bbc in a lot of different cars.... they came with all the hardware and instructions that basicly made the swap a ''bolt in'' set up....
I agree, that could be done for a nailhead and would be a good thing,,, even with a skylark , each year model is a little different,,, so the hardware would change slightly...

 

Yep, I'm finding more and more that's different on say the 64 and 65.
The only problem that I see with a kit like that is the limited supply of 401 - 425 Nailheads.
I think that if it was a no brainer swap there would be enough interest in doing it, but the lack of supply of nailheads and the cost of building one would restrict your market.
There isn't too much trouble finding a core nailhead right now, but the fact that there isn't a simple swap available is part of that reason.