I have a 55 Special with the 264 and a Stromberg 2 barrel. I am looking to just kind of wake it up a little bit, believe it or not I have the original owners manual and the car was Dynoed at the dealership with 90hp at the rear wheels. Anyway Ive been searching on and off for the past year or so for a 4 barrel manifold, most guys think they have gold and want $200 and up. I found one on eBay for 75 bucks delivered. The casting # is 1165384 and there is a 12 then a fake screw and then a 16. I'm guessing its a 55 322 Manifold from what I found online. I have a Rochester 4 jet someone gave me but it doesn't fit the manifold and just about every carb I have doesn't fit either, what carb fits this manifold and what do you recommend for more power. My plan is I bought a 57 distributor because there's more kits to convert it to electronic ignition and I heard its a better distributor then the 55, I plan to use a kit to give me an electronic trigger then mate it to an MSD box, then maybe pick up a set of the higher ratio rocker arms or maybe a good towing cam, I'm guessing the WCFB is probably the carb to use, but Ive heard there's a Rochester that fits too just don't know which one. Which one would be reliable and more suited to making some power? Im partial to Rochesters considering I had a properly tuned 4 jet on my 455 then tuned a holley to the best of my ability and the Q Jet provided more snap off the line, better fuel economy, pulled hard and had an awesome sound when floored. So tell me what you guys think.
Hey, I'm not a performance guy. So, I'm going to defer to those that are. And, I'll be most interested to know what they think of what your trying to do. Here's some good reading on the 264(if, you haven't already, read it); http://www.v8buick.com/showthread.php?t=223138
The 264 is my favorite Nailhead. Get a 4 bbl intake manifold from a 322 - '56 is best, and a Carter WCFB 4 bbl carb. Use the exhaust manifolds and dual exhausts from a '56 322. You will get an amazing performance boost, and maybe better gas mileage (depending on how you drive it). I used to regularly take down 292 and 312 Fords, 324 Oldsmobiles, and once a 347 (I think) Pontiac with my '55 Buick 264. 352 Fords were easy. I gotta admit that I once got killed by a Dodge Red Ram Hemi, though...
I honestly can't answer that question. The first 322 4bbl setup that I bought had the WCFB, I rebuilt it, it worked well, and I stuck with the WCFBs until the the later engines were equipped with the larger AFBs. You don't need an AFB-sized carburetor on the 264. Perhaps someone with early Rochester experience can jump in. My only Rochester experience is with Quadrajets.
Did you think about just putting a bigger 2 barrel on ????? holley makes/made a 350 cfm that went on big trucks in the 60s and then there is the 2gc.... might need to use an adapter,,,,,o No: o No:
I was hoping there was the Rochester was made similar to the 70's Quadrajets tiny primarys and then massive secondaries. I ran a Holley, an Edelbrock, and then the Q-Jet on my Trans Am and nothing ran like the Quadrajet did, good gas mileage, and when you floored it you took off with that awesome roaring Quadrajet sound. I tried four 2 GC's but apparently everyone I have is to big to fit on the manifold theyre almost double the size. Thats why I bought the 4 Barrel Manifold, now Im just down to carb selection, but I am kind of out of my realm. I found both a Rochester and a WCFB on eBay, so it just comes down to which one I should buy?
Has anyone ever tried one of the carburetor adapters from Speedway its Item # 1351935B. The forum wont let me post links yet because I am too new. I was thinking of trying that out with a small Holley 4 Barrel, something like 450 or 500 CFM. I have a few small Holleys around so hopefully one will work. I still have to do the math to figure out the size. Then eventually when I find a good quality WCFB or Rochester core Ill get that rebuilt, and use it instead.
http://www.v8buick.com/showthread.php?p=1427205#post1427205 This link may help, some discussion on 322 / 4 barrel adapters. I haven't tried the adapter you referred to, so cant advise from personal experience but I cannot see why it wont work. Ross
Holley,,,, now you singing my song. I use them on all my nailheads,,, make my own adapters,,, use a piece of hot rolled steel .... make the plate like the base plate of a holley carb,,, then drill and champher the holes that need to be there to hold the plate to the stock buick manifold....use a holley base gasket for a pattern and center the venturi holes up so they match.... then the flange screw holes will tell you where the screw holes should fall....the manifold ones on the bottom and the carb ones on the top....then either cut the venturi holes out with a hole saw/drill press or plasma cutter ,,,Or just take the two gaskets and the piece of steel to your local high school or tech school metal shop and get them to make the adapter for a grade..... :laugh: that is what I do....you can use a piece of 3/8 or 1/2 in. plate steel or alluminum.... I use a 600 cfm carb with vacume secondaries.... just running on the front 2 barrels you have 300 cfm or so.... then when you kick it , you get the extra.... The ''adapter'' will also double as a heat shield for the base of the carb..... Question,,, does the intake manifold still have the exhaust heat in the manifold and to the base of the carb???? you must have the heat for the engine to run right,,,, do what ever is neccessary to return the heat if it doesnt have it ..... makes the fuel ratio leaner when the engine is running... a nail head intake runs at only 127 deg. when it is fully warmed up.... so.... you need the heat to make the cat pee gas we have now , to ''flash'' into a vapor so it will burn.... Just some suggestions.
Isnt 600CFM a little to much for a 264? I was thinking like the Holley 390CFM? I am going to check the manofold tomorrow morning and I will let you know if it has the exhaust cross over to warm the carb. Is it still in the middle like a 70s gm?
A "Nail" has 4 passages. 2 in each head. I don't remember, as it's been 35+ yrs. but I don't think the early manifolds had a heat passage under the carb. If it does, block them off. Things that "Woke" up my 264. Dual exhaust, recurved distributor, a '59 AFB off a '59 Electra. Wanted to keep the pedal start. Those were 625 CFM's. And no, it wasn't too much carb. Tom T.
Actually,, I aint farmiliar enough with the early 50 engines to know for sure if they had the cross over passages..... but if they are there , use them,, dont block them.... cause you will be putting more gas and way sorrier gas than the engine was set up from the factory to use.... You will have to decide which guy you want to listen to about this , me or Tom.... :Brow: :laugh: :laugh: but secretly he knows that I am right,,,:laugh: he is real sharp, and will come around some day....:laugh: poor old Tom,,,:laugh: he will have a cramp in his one typing finger...... You can try it both ways, if you like and which ever way it runs best , go with it,,, that is what I did.... and my car ran better , much better, with the heat in... but that was back when you could get real gas too.... think about it,,, if the carb has vac secondaries, you are using just half of it untill the engine rpm's come up and the vac signal opens the secondaries... and even then they dont open all the way unless the engine ''wants'' the fuel.... I used a 390 cfm holley on a inline 6 jeep engine that I had and the engine seemed like it labored to run at higher speeds... when I put a 600 on the engine it ran free and easy.....the 600 seems to work with all engines,,, I have seen it on engines from 6 cyls to 425's .... it made my 425 riv run strong..... and got 18 mpg....road and town combined mileage......
I would never try to match wits with either Doc or Tom. I do confess to being lazy however, Bolt on the stock 322 manifold and carb and be done with it. You can use all factory linkages and gaskets, and the thing will run great. If you are trying to build an NHRA record setter; you can get real involved in tuning. Doc and Tom are the guys to listen to about that. If you just want more power with no downside, Listen to lazy ole John. Don't make more of a project out of it then you have to. :grin:
Here's where I'm at, I do like the lazy John method, but I haven't really seen a good WCFB that's complete on eBay yet for a reasonable price. I know no matter what carb I buy I'm paying about 250 to get it rebuilt. I'm saying get it rebuilt because I'm sure the throttle shafts will have to get bushed, and I like having all the surfaces milled, not to mention I suck at rebuilding carburetors. I just did my stromberg 2 barrel and it runs worse then it did before the rebuild. But back to the thought process here... So at this point a WCFB is out of reach, but I am still kind of looking for one, and would like to eventually get one. But as of now I have 4 or 5 good Holleys around from 500CFM-850CFM so theres no investment there except maybe installing a trick kit. I have a friend with a glass bead cabinet so I am going to take the manifold there this week, then paint it up, and put it on. Not sure if before i put it on I should buy those little spacers that go between the manifold and head? Dont know if its worth it or not, considering the car isnt a high RPM screamer. Im thinking Ill run a push button into the interior to start it, and run the Holley with the speed way adapter to get the car going. Because I am dieing to drive the car again its been laid up for almost a year and I miss it. No offence to anyone but as for blocking off the exhaust crossover in the intake, I did that once to a Caddy with a 500 in it and the car never drove worse, not to mention in the winter it took like 20 mins of idling to be driveable, so I think Ill stay away from that. Telriv I thought my only options for a carb were 54-56, you had a 59 carb on yours? What years will fit maybe I can find a carb a little easier with more years to choose from.
I made an adapter plate from a piece of 1/2" aluminum. With a '57-'60 AFB you will still retain the pedal start & there will be minimal fabrication of linkages. If I remember correctly it was a DIRECT bolt-on & hook-up. As I said before, the adapter plates lost us 10HP & 15ft. lbs. of torque. If there are passages in the manifold "UNDER" the carb. this plate will block them. The heat passages in the heads under the manifold I would NEVER block on a street engine. Makes for a BIG TIME hesitation. And, Doc, with the adapter plate under your HOLLEY carb. you HAVE blocked the heat crossover passage under the carb. Eatin' crow yet??? I NEVER said anything about blocking the heat riser passages at the head just UNDER the carb. Tom T.
Well,,,, yup , you are right , Tom,,,, and if you think about it the factory set up did too.... their heat shield blocks the heat from directly heating the carb base,,,, and mine/ours is thicker than the factory one.... like you said once before we are doing the same thing, just describing it a little difffernt... here tom have a wing....:laugh: :laugh:
Well, all is good. At least I got the message across so that a Southern boy & a Northern boy are on the same page. We were sayin' the same thing all along. On the manifold risers. I meant to say risers & NOT adapter.
