Hi Ive just bought me a Buick 215" V8 for my -63 Skylark.The engine originally came out of a -63 Special.Now to my question.The engine block on this engine is cast iron,shouldnt it be aluminium??The cylinder heads are aluminium but on the block i can manage to get a magnet to attach.Can it be a replacment block from Buick??Ive always thought that thoose engines where aluminium block and heads on but maybe its only the Rover engines that are??
Please dont say so Are you 100% sure??Ive always thought that it was aluminium heads and block on the -63`s.And in the advertising for the -63 skylarks it says that its equiped with the brand new aluminium V8. 1964 they gave up the aluminium V8,sold it to Rover,and equipped the cars with regular cast iron V8s as far as i know.How pure aluminium is the casting in the blocks??Can it be that way that its mixed with some sort of iron alloy so thats why the magnet could attach?? Heres some pics of it of the engine. And here are som pics of the ads.
BTW Is there anyway i can identify what kind of engine this is,numberplates,cast numbers or something??
I am not sure about a motor this old, but I know that on some motors, you can look on the back/rear of the intake and see some big numbers stamped on there that shows what kind of motor you have.(in your case, if it's a 215, the numbers stamped on the rear of the intake will say 215, if it's a 300, it will say 300, if it's a 350, it will say 350, etc.) Look at the circled part of the picture(that's where you will find the engine size numbers stamped if your motor is similar to the older motors I have seen):
MR.BUICK Ok thanks for the info.I hope its correct,i will try to check it today. If there are no numbers on the intake is there any other way to identify it?? And if it turns out to be a 300",does it still fits in a -63 skylark??
Im not sure, but I will guess that if there are any other numbers on the motor, you might be able to list it on this thread and someone who knows some identification codes can identify the motor(although like I said, I won't swear to it!). If it's a 300, I am sure it will still fit in your '63 skylark, but I am not sure what/or if you will have to change a few things. I am almost positive that there should be some numbers on the rear of the intake, since most motors I have seen do have the engine size stamped at that location! If there are no numbers at the rear of the intake, then if you can find any other numbers/codes stamped on the motor, be sure to jot them down and post 'em here and I am certain that someone here can help you to identify it! :beer :TU:
Another thing im thinking of is how big is the 300" compared to a 215" i mean the outer size/measure??Are they the same??
The aluminum used in the 215 was good alloy, but you don't have a 215 in that picture. The bell housing pictured is the later (1964 and later) BOP pattern. The 300 has a half inch taller deck than the 215, but should bolt in, no problem. A '64 300 is an extra 75lbs, but it's also 85 more cubic inches. The 1964 300 had aluminum heads on the iron block, 1965 on they were all iron (and another 75lbs heavier). So, if you have an iron block, aluminum heads, and an aluminum intake, it is a 300. If it has an iron block, aluminum heads, and an iron intake... it is some kind of mix of various years parts. Rick(wrench)
Hmm that doesnt sound good if i have a 300". Is the firing order different on a 300" to a 215"??On my engine its 18436572 And then i found a number,a block number i think that was almost the same as a number on the intake 1357943. Didnt se any 215,300 or 350 number on the back of the intake.
This is easy. Take your hand (right or left doesn't matter). See if you can slip it underneath the intake manifold. (There should be an open space there under it). If you CAN do this, you've got a 215. If there's NO space there, you've got a 300. Greg
Why fret if its a 300? The size is mostly the same and it doesnt weigh much more, the motor will probably need less work to get it to run than a al. 215 thats been sitting forever. I see a lot of siezed rotating assemblies in 215s, 300s essentially the same just more cubes and iron block. Still a good base that would serve well in a daily driver and be hard for most to tell the difference in a car. I like the 215 a lot because of the weight and size, but if it is a 300 its still a nice find. It should fit the car with ease, so dont worry about that one.
Well,its if it will fit in the car easily that im worried for.I dont want to have to modify most of the car just to make it fit.Im not an original freak or so i just want my car to run. I found this site on how to identify Buick engines,those codes,where on the engine can i find them?? http://buicks.net/shop/reference/engine_ident_63_75.html
The engine should fit, but unfortunately, unless it's a manual trans, the trans won't. I'll agree you have a 300 there in the pictures.
Why wont the gearbox fit??I do have the gearbox from the original 215" from this car,can i fit that to the motor anyway?? Both gearboxes are automatics.
The 215 had what was called a DualPath automatic transmission. It was about as big as a good sized zuchini, about as durable, and shifted about as mushy as one too. The ST-300 trans behind your 300 is about the same size as a turbo-350 and won't squeeze in the trans tunnel of your 61-63. However, if you can find the parts for the T-10 trans that would have been in there if it has a manual trans, then you could use a saginaw, or T-10 in there I would think. Finding the clutch linkage and associated parts will be the hard part. The DualPath from the 215 won't fit because the bellhousing pattern is different between the 215 and 300. And, the 300 would make mashed zuchini out of the Dualpath in about 10-miles of hard use. Or, it's nothing that a saws-all and some enginuity wouldn't fix! (I have a friend that put a 350 Buick with ST-300 in one years ago.)
Why does everything always go to hell for me.Well i guess theres nothing else to do but to try to return the engine to the seller if he agrees to that Thanks for the help here on the forum,ill sureley return with more dumb questions.
Come to us with #'s off the next motor you look at BEFORE you get it. Just trying to help your cause, Goodluck.
The engine will fit no problem, trust us on that one. Look at it as a budget upgrade, dont be upset, youve got a good motor there. The transmission issue is another altogether, but to be honest you do not want that old trans design behind it anyway, the ST300 or the DualPath. Both are inferior to the later GM small transmissions such as the TH350 and 200 4R, cost more to repair, are weaker and harder to find parts for, and only have 2 gears making it a very sluggish vehicle. You will like your car 10 times over if you install a good 3 speed or overdrive transmission behind your engine. Your 300 motor gives you fantastic transmission choices thanks to the belhousing pattern. You can have a modified transmission tunnel fabricated very easily and it will be worth the minor inconvenience in the end. The manual swap would be very nice too and may not require any modification to the floorpan. If i were building this car i would be happy with what you found. You have the nice design/size of the 215 in your 300, and the ability to choose your transmission to bring your car up to date in the 21st century so to speak.
