Hey guys, a little bored with all the snow around so i am trying to get a game plan ready for when the motor is at my house. What do i need to replace for sure before i put this beast in? i am not sure of the mileage, but based on this- i dont want to take any chances. Now a basic tuneup is a given; wires, plugs, oil, filter and such. What about not so average replacements? Water pump, fan clutch (can i use my chevy fan? the buick fan doesnt seem to useful), gaskets, sensors, seals and others. i dont want to break the bank, but i dont want to get this motor in, have the car all together, and then find out i need to replace the rear main seal. Are there any common issues these motors have that needs to be addressed? What Motor oil and filter is reccomended for my area and usage (New york, daily driving, and i am a teenager :3gears i hear rumors of oiling issues on these motors, havent heard anything about it on here though, is any of it true? Thank you for your time.
First thing you want to make sure of is that it will turn. It could have locked up and have rust in cylinders. When you have it out, put it on a stand, and replace all of the gaskets. Valve cover, oil pan, etc. This will help on the leaks. And you can see if you have junk in the pan or any potential problems. Might as well put on a stock 4bbl intake and Qjet while your at it. We run Wix oil filters. Some people have had major problems with Fram. We run Valvoline oil, like 10-30. If it has sat for a while, you will probably need to prime the oil pump to get the oil circulating before you start it. Check the water pump to make sure it turns. I would replace it if it has sat for a while. Check the starter. These will sometimes lock up after sitting. Good luck, have fun.
Thank you:beers2: Motor has been sitting since November, so its not too too bad, ive even watched it do burnouts heh. As for the intake i have a 4bbl and chevy q-jet (ill just rebuild it for the buick, but since its going in a chevy car, the inlet is preferred i would imagine to the front inlet since i have the fuel line there anyways) im going to wait on doing the swap until i have gears, a good cam kit and possibly some head work, depends on how satisfied i am with the stock motor and how much money i have this spring (the most powerful car ive driven is a ford explorer so i should be happy)
The oiling systems are not bad at all on the 350, there are oiling mods to upgrade the oiling for high performance engines. These mods are not required for mild street engines. I once dropped in a Buick 350 with 87,000 miles and it leaked no oil at all, after a few months the rear main started to leak and a month later it was not holding oil at all anymore. I pulled the engine, replaced all the gaskets and it was great for years after that, I should have done it in the first place. Look in my sticky and find my thread on the rear main seal replacement, and follow that.
Looks can be deceiving, but you may want to replace hoses and belts. The valve cover gasket is leaking, and if the motor is coming out, by all means replace the gaskets. I just got a complete engine gasket set on ebay for $42 shipped, including the intake valley pan. I need to get neoprene rear main seals yet because the kit came with rope seals, but pretty much every thing else that I can think of is in the kit. Pretty economical to be sure it's all sealed up.
Wow 42 bucks is a steal, ill pick up a kit for sure:TU: i figure i have to get hoses and such anyways, ill see if i can get some quality flexi hose so i can make sure i have the right amount and bend. My buddy is lettin me borrow his engine stand, and i have to take the trans off to put the high stall converter in anyways even more excuse to replace the seals and do a full tune up before the motor goes in. it may suck to wait but it will feel much better once the motors in hehe P.S. btw there is a sweet build going on on musclecar they are doing a budget 73 buick 455 its awesome to watch
Uhhh, you may want to do more than hoses gaskets and ignition parts. High stall means higher rpm than usual, and with miles on the engine you should probably look into the health of the valve train and other internals. Just a thought.
The stall isnt crazy, I was given the converter I figure I might as well use it. I would guess its no more than 2500
My fr[SIZE=-1]iend at the shop ordered a gasket k[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]it for the motor yesterday, $30 free sh[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]ipp[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]ing, cant beat shop pr[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]ices hehe. Now what do you all recommend should [/SIZE][SIZE=-1]i replace all gaskets or just the ones [/SIZE][SIZE=-1]i need to and keep the others as [/SIZE][SIZE=-1]i need them? Also are the standard exhaust gaskets okay to use w[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]ith headers? [/SIZE]
Get you some header gaskets. Make sure you retorque the header bolts after heat up and cool down a couple times.
What [SIZE=-1]is a safe ant[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]i se[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]ize to use? [/SIZE][SIZE=-1]i hear (and know f[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]irst hand from my motor) that bu[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]ick header bolts have a tendency to rust although [/SIZE][SIZE=-1]im sure that [/SIZE][SIZE=-1]is just as true for all motors [/SIZE]
I say replace all the gaskets, make sure to get a neprene rear main seal. You can ask for a ford 460 rear main it fits perfectly.
Very first thing you should do is a compression test. If compression checks out, your rings are good. I usually like to fire the engine and hear it run a bit, just so i know it runs without any obscene clanks, dings or ticks. Thats your call, whether you want to or not. I would at the very minimum replace the rear main seal, the oil pump gasket, and do a tune-up on the ignition. If youre comfortable with it, replace all the stuff that could leak, like waterpump, etc, and even head gasket. I only buy engines im planning to use after hearing them run, then i replace rear main seal and oil pump gaskets, and do a full tune up. While i have the oil pan off, i also inspect the bearings, and retorque them down. Hasnt failed me yet.
This motor is taking forever to get and its killing me waiting. I recently sold some stuff so I have about $230 to spend on whatever else I need for the car. I need this money to get the car road worthy though. So I figure 30 bucks is gone for a heater core and fiberglass kit to cut my box. After that I am assuming oil, filter, antifreeze, trans fluid, wires, plugs, points, condensor, lower radiator hose, header bolts, and any other miscellanious stuff shouldnt be more than $100-$150. The question is what should I do with whats left? Do I save it for the case that I may need something else, put more into the motor, do a shift kit, or buy a posi set off my friend (he has a posi with 3.08 gears he will sell me for 80 bucks)
Save it in case you need it. For the sake fo $30 it would be worth replacing the timing chain, it could be the original with the nylon gears. $20 for a water pump as you'll have that off to do the timing chain and its just cheap insurance. A full gasket kit will run you about $50 + a valley pan gasket for $20 (autozone) $15 for paint too cause you might as well make it pretty when its out of the car.
i already got a gasket kit for 30 bucks, should i buy a valley pan as well anyways? i have 180 left (i only got 100 for the chevy block, but i kept all the parts so ill sell them hopefully) after buying a heater core for 20 bucks. as for timing gears should i buy an adjustable set or wait till i do a cam? and 72 is buick red right? (although id love to do buick green hehe, it would match the 4bbl intake anyways)
I just bought a valley pan gasket for a 455 at autozone for $18, should be about the same for the 350. some say you can reuse them if its in good shape. Get some spray on copper gasket at autozone - $6 - spray a few coats on each side and install. A new stock timing set will do just nicely, nothing fancy. and in 72 it was buick red.
You may want to think about a new oil pressure sender (if you're not going with a gauge at least). After this many years they can go to crap and the oil can blow out through the center of the sender. It's not a good feeling seeing that oil trail behind you. And if/when it happens the dash light may or may not light up to warn you.
