Keeping The Iron BBB alive 2.0

Discussion in 'Race 400/430/455' started by nickbuickgs, Mar 11, 2020.

  1. sean Buick 76

    sean Buick 76 Buick Nut

    more info and or pics on this car and it’s racing? I love that stuff!
     
  2. sailbrd

    sailbrd Well-Known Member

    Was that an Auto City car?
     
  3. Herman Gross

    Herman Gross Well-Known Member

    Yes it was raced at Auto City and other local tracks in the area. It was a 1972 Pontiac Firebird with a 455 Stage II Buick motor.
    The guy that drove the car was Lee Wing. Dave Hemker is going to be putting some pictures of the car and motor on here soon.
     
  4. Jim Weise

    Jim Weise EFI/DIS 482

    This just came back up... and I wanted to comment on it. There is apparently some misunderstanding about why this under manifold oiling system had to be done.

    The overhead/under manifold oiling had nothing to do really with bearing life directly. The issue was hemoraging from the main galley.. Which lowered system pressure, and caused failures.. this was caused by either unshrouded roller lifters, or the normal BOP flat tappet solid lifters that where used at that time. Some years later guys located and began to sell the flat tappet lifters with the raised oil band, which eliminated the issue with high lift flat tappet cams, but the unshrouded roller uncovering the bottom of the main galley at high lifts persisted into the early 2000's.

    What you don't see in the pictures of these engines, if they were modified correctly, is the 3/8" pipe plugs that are blocking off the main galley on passenger side, just behind the number 1 and in front of the number 5 main feeds. Then, again, if done correctly, the main feed hole is drilled from the bottom up, all the way thru the block into the lifter galley. The hole from the lifter galley surface down to just under the main galley is then oversized to fit the OD of a 3/8 steel tube, which is inserted in the hole, to just past the galley opening. This seals the system, and then only -8 oil feed lines are needed to feed your under manifold reservoir/distribution point, which feeds the center three mains. The objective of sealing the system has been achieved at this point.

    To oil the lifters on the passenger side in the blocked off area, one .060 hole was drilled in to the 3/8 pipe plug, installed just behind number 1 main feed.

    Once a quality fully shrouded roller lifter, and the previously mentioned high band solid flat tappet lifters became available, the hemoraging issue was eliminated, and along with it, the need for this oiling system mod.

    I did my last one in the late 90's.. That 870HP/7200rpm 523 lasted many years, with just normal tear downs for maintenance. The car was sold and is on the East coast now, and last I heard was being fitted for a Tomahawk, but I never heard if that engine ever actually failed.

    Oil mods to the block, a belt driven oil pump, along with the proper weight oil, run at the proper pressures for the application, will keep the mains/rods alive just fine.

    And yes, Tom is correct, the best way to eliminate all these issues if your going racing is to by a alum block, and be done with it. If you have the money.. 15K is the base price tag for a alum block based shortblock..

    For the rest of us, we figure out how to keep the old stuff alive.

    JW
     
    sean Buick 76 and PGSS like this.
  5. sean Buick 76

    sean Buick 76 Buick Nut

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