Who can advise me before I buy this 455 rebuilt ?

I am about to purchase the attached rebuilt block. The engine was presumably rebuilt in the US, and shipped together with a Riviera 71 in France. The owner of the riv was happy with his orginal engine and is selling the spare one.
Can anyone tell me by the attached pics if the job seems to have been done properly, and with quality parts. I know it is hard to say without having a close look, but at list if somebody detects the "killing detail" I would avoid spending travel time.

Thanks.

 

Ok

It looks like a 73-74 short block ,good luck

 

Don, do you mean it is not a 455 ?

 

Jean Luc,

Ask the seller to check if there's 455 (<-- almost this size) on top of the bell housing, that's were the transmission is connected to the engine.
He will also find the casting number in that area, post it on the board and I'm sure that we can tell you the year (or years) that this engine was produced.


Is the seller from the 43 area by any chance ?
I met this French bloke in Switzerland and he had a few 455 Buick engines for sale

 

The valley area of the block doesn't look like its been hottanked to me. If thats true there will be lots of crud in the oil passages. If it's cheap enough and turns over OK, buy it, but it will probably need work if it wasn't properly cleaned. They are kind of rare over there aren't they?

Dave Berry

 

Not really that rare, you will be surpised by the number of Buicks in Europe.
(they were even built in Europe, I have a nice trump up my sleeve considering this part of the story, more about this in a week or two... :Smarty: )

Nowadays parts are easily bought and shipped from elsewhere. Don't you just love the internet ?

 

Erik, what are those stains on the a few of the pistons in pic number two, almost look like some water or some'n sat there for a while. Careful!

 

I was looking at that too, looks weird now doesn't it ?

To me this engine just looks like it's been cleaned up and nothing else.

 

Yeah the cylinder on the right is either dirty or rusty and the cylinder on the left is kind of shiney like it wasn't honed.

Dave B

 

The seller sent a last pisc showing the heads.
At least I am sure the heads are of a 455.
As Erik said, I am going to ask for the casting #
By the way Erik, the guy wants 1200 (1500$) negotiable...Is that correct ?

 

Jean-Luc,

I think 1200 Euro is too much for this pile of parts.

Maybe you should contact board member JoKo here in the Netherlands, he's building 455's as a hobby and is doing a good job on them.

I think you can buy a running and overhauled 455 with new internal parts from him, for about (or just over) the same price that you're looking at now.
(including the price for gaskets and missing parts that is)

Including the gaskets that you have to order for this disambled engine, you will go over the 1500 Euro mark.

And I don't see stuff like a distributor, carburator, oil pump, waterpump, timing cover, camshaft, intake manifold, exhaust manifolds etc. etc. in the photos ?

It looks like he just threw the pushrods in that container, without caring about their original position in the engine. ou:
Buying this engine, looks like buying the trouble from someone else.

If it's such a perfect overhauled engine, why doesn't the seller put it all together and sell it as a running engine... o No:

 

I agree

I think those parts would bring $500-600 here in the states. Also, it WILL need a total rebuild. That means dissembly, cleaning, checking all surfaces, machining what needs to be (here I would assume the cylinders need hone, possibly boring, line hone, oil passage drilling. The heads need probably everything done, expect new valves & springs to.... :Smarty:

If you put it together the way it is now, you are taking a big chance, and if it would run when it is together, I would expect it to run like an engine that has 70,000-100,000 miles already, not very good.

Do it once and be done, then you will never have to worry about it. You need to talk to a local machine shop, and get some idea of total cost. You will have at least $5,000 in the rebuild, but probably much higher when you add up all the parts you will end out buying, cam, lifters, bearings.....about another $3,000-$4,000 in new parts.

To be honest, if I were over there. I would buy an engine ready to go from either Jim Weise, Jim burek, or some of the other Buick engine builders. You will get a better engine for less money. :Smarty:
http://www.paeenterprises.com/paeframe.html
http://www.taperformance.com/
http://www.trishieldperf.com/
http://www.buickpartsdirectory.com/ and then look at the engine section, you will find others that specialize in Buicks.

 

OK, OK, OK, you convinced me not to make a mistake ! :Brow:
In fact, I think the best I should do is to try to open my own engine before I swap it for may be a worse one (and incidently loose the matching numbers).

For sure I know that my engine drinks almost 1/4 usg of oil per Mile, and the compressions are totally unbalanced (I measured between 6 and 10 bars or 90 to 140 PSI). It make a noise like an old river boat, although it starts at the first crank at any season.

If I am a bit lucky, it is just a question of changing pistons and/or rings and/or valve guides. My concern is to keep the engine open and having the car not available for month while I wait for parts and for some metal works, etc...This is why I thought of preparing an other engine aside and continue to use the lady until the new engine is ready. But after your advises I give up with the idea....

Erik, I may contact you for some good address in NL once I have a better idea of what the distaster is. May be I could send my engine there and bring it back once fixed. The big issue with the engines from the US is the shipping cost that can double the price of a good engine. Therefore, if heavy parts can be kept in Europe during the rebuilt, that would save a lot of $$$$

:beer

 

That's almost without doubt a 455 block

It's a double scallop block, and I can faintly see what looks like '455' on the bellhouing flange

 

Hmmm

Jean-Luc, there is a test that can be done to determine if the valves are causing the compression loss, or the rings. I suggest you have this test done, because if it is the valves, all you would need is a good valve job, new valves, retainers & springs and gaskets. Not too difficult or expensive. If the test proves the rings are failed, then you know you need a total rebuild. Your problem could be fixed fairly easily, but you'll never know until you know what needs to be fixed. :bglasses:

 

Dan,

When I had put some oil in the lowest compression cylinder (the first one on drivers side front of the car), compression went up from 6.25 to 7.5 bars. This makes me fear this is a sealing issue with rings/pistons/cylinders. o No:

 

Jean-Luc,

Board member JoKo and his brother in law, Peter, have another 455 up for sale.
Asking 3000 and you can trade in your old Buick engine.

Completely overhauled engine:







There are a lot of the Buick boys in the Netherlands running engines from them, including board members BaCo, 75Riv and yours truly !!

Link to the ad :Smarty:

That phone number will be 0031 72 5091661 when calling from France :TU:

I can help you out transporting this engine to France if you like,
only pay me for my LPG and the peage. (Cheapest way possible)

 

Sounds like a nice trip to Paris, France to me, Erik.... will leave the trailer hitch attached to the 75 Riviera. :beer

 

No need for that Rob,

That engine will fit on the backseat of my Golf, that way we can do 170 km/hr all the way down to la douce France :bglasses:

Did you know that the speed limit with a trailer is 120 km/hr in France ?
Boring.... ou:

 

Ok.... that will save on transport costs as well: Amsterdam - Paris is 500 km. 1000 km needs about 70 liters of LPG for the Golf instead of 300 liters for the Riviera.