General what to what to check?

Discussion in 'Street/strip 400/430/455' started by Ron Kaufman, Jun 21, 2021.

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  1. LARRY70GS

    LARRY70GS a.k.a. "THE WIZARD" Staff Member

    Go and look at the distributor. Is it part number 1112110? The car is nearly 50 years old. Unless you have owned it from new, and know it's entire history, you need to check. The part number is stamped into the circumference of the distributor right below the cap, easy to see.

    If you have the 1112110 distributor, I would set the initial to a minimum of 12-14*.
     
    LARRY70GS, Jul 1, 2021
    #21
  2. Jim Weise

    Jim Weise EFI/DIS 482

    Big block heads in 67 and 8 had issues with exhaust valve recession.. once the 109 casting appeared in 69, that issue disappeared.. I have seen hundreds of Buick iron heads over the years, only ever seen two with valve recession. Both 67 castings.. this includes a lot of Hi perf stuff with modern valve jobs and thousands of miles. I myself drove well over 30K miles in my tow vehicle, a 76 Chev 3/4 ton pickup with a warmed over 70 455.. towing a 10K lbs enclosed trailer..lots of hot summer days.. and that motor had no issues with valve recession when I took it apart.

    Even if your well versed in the installation of hardened seats in a Buick, and use the right seats, you still stand a more than likely chance of hitting water. And for that reason, most of us will advise you to not put any seat whatsoever in a Buick Iron head.

    If you happen to have a head with exhaust valve recession, my advice is to replace the head.. they are not hard to find, even today.

    JW
     
    Jim Weise, Jul 1, 2021
    #22
    sean Buick 76 likes this.
  3. Ron Kaufman

    Ron Kaufman Well-Known Member

    Just checked the Distributor it is 1112066
     
    Ron Kaufman, Jul 1, 2021
    #23
  4. LARRY70GS

    LARRY70GS a.k.a. "THE WIZARD" Staff Member

    That means the distributor has been changed at some point. We had a thread with questions about that distributor.

    https://www.v8buick.com/index.php?threads/need-a-little-id-help-with-my-distributor.204943/

    I can't find that in ANY of the chassis manuals, so I do not know the specs for it. Distributors differ in the amount of mechanical advance built into them. That affects how much initial advance you can run. Buick engines make best wide open throttle power with ignition timing between 30 and 34*. If you know how to use a timing light, you can set the total advance by using a light set of weight springs which bring ALL the mechanical advance in at a much lower RPM than stock. That is what I would do in your case. Set the total to 32*. The initial timing will take care of itself in that case. Remember to disconnect and plug the vacuum advance before setting your total advance.

    https://v8buick.com/index.php?threads/power-timing-your-buick-v8.63475/
     
    LARRY70GS, Jul 1, 2021
    #24
  5. Ron Kaufman

    Ron Kaufman Well-Known Member

    Just read that thread and it is a 71 "B" body 350 dual diaphragm distributor. So should I find one for a 455 or just buy something you recommend?
     
    Ron Kaufman, Jul 1, 2021
    #25
  6. LARRY70GS

    LARRY70GS a.k.a. "THE WIZARD" Staff Member

    Yeah, I have no idea what a 71 B body 350 dual diaphragm distributor is, and neither do any of the guys in that thread. You can use a 350 distributor in a 455 if you just change the gear. Obviously, your distributor is fine to use, you just need to follow the Power Timing thread which I linked for you.
     
    LARRY70GS, Jul 1, 2021
    #26
    Ron Kaufman likes this.
  7. Bigpig455

    Bigpig455 Fastest of the slow....

    Cam and timing chain (call JW for a good cam and install recommendations that will wake up a low compression motor), valve springs, curved distributor, worked quadrajet and headers with a good exhaust system. To me, that will get you where you want to be. Dont try to fix whats not broken unless youve got money burning a hole in your pocket.
     
    Bigpig455, Jul 2, 2021
    #27
    Ron Kaufman likes this.
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