Kind of disappointing...just kinda......

Well, now that I got my car running, people, mainly my school pals, are wanting to race me left and right, everywhere I go and run into them on the street, all they want to do is race! :eek2: I have a '76 century....'70 Buick 350-2 barrel, TH-350 automatic, and the stock 2.56 peg-legged rear end. Now I know this is a pure, stock set-up, no mods done to anything what-so-ever. My car weighs 3800 lbs, and w/ me in it, a little over 4,000. Got the spare tire, bumper and floor jacks, and a few little things here and there to account for as well. Motor has probably about 65-66k miles on it. Anyhow, it's very strong and pulls really hard and nice. I really love the power it offers stock and the reliability. On the other hand, it could use some power upgrades. On-to the racing part. A few days ago, I ran into a kid who has a few classes with me, and he has a 2006 Jeep Commander that has a hemi in it(5.7 litre maybe? o No: ). It's really nice, but anyhow, I raced him from one stop sign to another, which were probably about 3 or so blocks apart. I floored it from the stop sign, good traction on that launch w/ very little tire spin, and beat him untill he really stepped down on it and I was toast. I got it up to 40-45 mph in L2(manually downshifted while racing, yeah, I know, I should have left it in drive and let the passing, kick down gear do the talking for me) and he had to do 60-65 when I was doing 40-45. Anyhow, we both quickly slowed down(and we did this w/ no traffic or people on the side streets to let you know), and stopped, and he probably had me by 2 or 3 jeep lengths. Those V8 jeeps, especially the new ones w/ the hemis are forces to be reckoned with, I admit, they are flippin' fast for sure! But, I want to be the one ahead of the game, not the guy in the boxy, heavy jeep. ou: Ok, I acknowledged losing that race because I at least lost to a V8, and not some 4 cylinder. I wasn't so disappointed over this race but still want to beat him so badly. The next race is really the one I am embarrassed over. I raced another fellow classmate in his 90's ford taurus(I don't think it's a SHO, I know the SHO's are kind of quick). This was a stoplight to stop light race. I floored it from the start and kept up and was ahead of him for a little bit but noticed I only had him by a half a car length or so, then I let off a little bit and he got ahead of me and stayed ahead by a fender. Yeah, partially my fault again, but I was amazed that he could even hang with me, much less get in front and stay in front by a bit. That was a true shocker. He acknowledged my car, and he loves older cars and never put mine down, and the same w/ the kid in the jeep. The kid w/ the jeep in fact has a '60's dodge monaco w/ a 383 in it. So he loves my car, so I am not mad or disappointed a whole lot, but would like to show these people what potential these small block buick 350's have in them. Sometimes, I really wished I just would have gone w/ a 455 in the first place!!! o No: I don't dislike the 350 buick though, it is a nice motor and I love it, and don't plan on giving up on it. The main thing right now is just for this thing to get me back and forth from school, and get me to and from my job whenever I get around to getting one! I just want to know, what are some simple things I can do to get my car to really scream? For one thing, I still need to get some new spark plugs, gap them, and install them in place of the old ones, and I still need to add another exhaust pipe(dual exhaust). Would headers, dual exhaust, and a nice intake/4 barrel wake up this Buick 350? I don't want to tear down the motor just yet, if I can do some things externally to make this thing hotter, then that's the route I want to go. When I rebuild this engine, that's when I am going to add the internal performance goodies. Thanks!

-Cody :3gears: :TU:

 

a 350 in the century isnt really known as a stoplight bandit,especially with those gears & 2 bbl.speed costs money,what can ya spend,is the old slogan.enjoy the car for what it is while you finish school.get a source of disposable income & start building a 455,it really doesnt cost any more to build a bb than a sb.unless you want a race car :Brow: you really need to understand the newer cars have modern technology,like fuel injection,computer controled ignitions,etc.an sho ford would give a bbb a good run for the money uzzled: honestly,i wouldnt be thrashin my daily driver just to prove a point to someone(allthough i did it back in the day) :laugh: and i had gto's,bb cougar's,more chevelles than you could count&those pesky 440 mopars and such to contend with.drive it,respect it & when you can afford it..build it,THEN go out & kick your buddys tails :TU:

 

Well now...

There is nothing to be ashamed of here. I don't know if you've ever heard of the expression about fat chicks and tricycles or not but basically your in the same position with your Buick.

My cousin had a '69 GS and it was basically wiped clean on a daily basis by the stock BB 318 that is in this fireball pictured below.

Mind you it was not one of the coveted Stage1 or 2 models that were produced in limited supply. Stay tuned and you'll be informed on how to convert your stock 350 into a stage 1 or 2. Next you should tackle gear ratios so that you can achieve a solid 8,000 rpm at 10mph in first gear.
7.11s are a good choice.

As I mentioned previously you will have all the prestige of knowing that you knocked a 500lb women into the anorexic waif she is today!

Or you could enjoy her the way she is.

 

how can you tell when a fat chick is ON a tricycle o No: :laugh:

 

Better yet, how about I just get a GN so I can clean most everyone's clock, 4, other 6, and 8 cylinders! uzzled: Sounds good, no? o No: No one ever expects a big, ugly, black and boxy car to be so fast. :blast:

 

An SHO taurus, if I am not mistaken, is only a 14 second car and it has a V8 in it. Depending on the BBB, if a '70 Stage 1 for example, it would turn any SHO into cinders and ash. Heck, I think 1970 Buick Skylark 350 car was only a low 16 high 15 second car from the factory. A low compression, smogged up, old and tired 455 can probably run mid-high 14's, low 15's. That's probably pretty evenly matched w/ an SHO. As I mentioned before, why don't I just go ahead and invest in a GN for a toy and keep the Buick I got now for a future resto and future toy. Twin turbo the 350 and then go out and play. I dream big, but that's always the way.

 

If you can't afford to build a 350 you won't be purchasing a GN.

I have a 350 in my 68 Buick Skylark and will be spending money on performance upgrades as well. There is a fellow forum member who is putting out 446 horse on his 350, which I'll be trying to reproduce as well.

As mentioned a 76 Century with a 2-barrel 350 and those gears are not going to get you moving anywhere quickly. Yes, a fairly cheap upgrade to a TA stage 1 intake, 750 cfm four-barrel and headers will give you some extra grunt, but you'll be needing some stouter gears in back 3:23 at least, I would say.

 

Take it easy... Don't look to hard past that 350 it is a good motor. It has a ton of potential also.

Hey I know that guy! I heard is was 449hp and 447tq :laugh:

 

Oops! ou: sorry Phil, I didn't mean to underscore it's true horsepower. You know how it is... 6,9,9,6. I can't see straight half the time... or right side up. :laugh:

 

350

I have a friend who runs 13.75-13.80's in his 350 skylark on pump gas. Stock 70 high compression motor, stock heads, good cam, good four barrel, good exhaust and excellent tuning and traction. All in all he has about $1500.00 in the car including buying it from an estate sale. He scours junk yards for parts and does all the work himself and I have to say I was impressed with his track results.

Mikey

 

I'm no expert, but I would say that the gears and carb is the only thing your lacking in a typical race with a few blocks distance. That would make one hell of a difference. I think you said its the car you drive every day and so keep in mind that good gears are going to cost you some gas. I don't think 4 barrels are bad on gas if you stay out of it. Somebody once told me that back in the 70's, they personally got consistantly better gas mileage from a 4 barrel than a 2 barrel because they drove the car easy and the 2 barrel had bigger primarys or something. I think both cars were big block Pontiacs. You'll pay for the intake I'd say. Good luck finding a SBB 4 barrel intake in a scrap yard. You can buy a functional Quadrajet for 30 bucks give or take from swap meets. :beer

 

Thanks for the replies everyone. I plan on doing some things to the 350 I have to make it hotter as time progresses. I plan on really doing a lot of things w/ the engine once I rebuild it. As for now, I am thinking possibly a 4 barrel intake and a nice aftermarket carb., add another exhaust pipe for true duals, possibly a whole new exhaust system(2.5" to 3" system), w/ either flowmasters or maybe 2 cherry bombs/or some other kind of glass packs. Maybe even headers, and have it tweaked and tuned, and if I can, I will swap out the rear end or keep the gears and add a posi unit. :TU:

 

its 3.0 v6 220 hp in a sho and are pretty light

 

do a 2.5 with dynomax or magnaflows

flowmasters and cherry bombs sound good but not the best in performance

 

An SHO taurus, if I am not mistaken, is only a 14 second car and it has a V8 in it.

its 3.0 v6 220 hp in a sho and are pretty light

you're both right ... kinda.

the original SHO's were Yamaha V6 powered. top of the line 3rd gens were automatic transmission V8s.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taurus_SHO

 

Thanks for the verification Bob.

Those Taurus's can be the ultimate sleepers, I'll give them that much credit. I found out today that my car seems to be much faster and stronger from a roll than a dead stop. Like after it shifts out of first gear into second, it pulls much harder. Must be those 2.56 rear gears compensating in the mid range for what they lack right off the line. Although I can still do a pretty good peg-legged peelout w/out even flooring it! :bglasses: Also another mistake that I had done in past races, is never drop it into L2. Always leave it in drive. :TU: I was bored last night, and cruised around town a bit, and came up to a stop light w/ a mid 90's Camaro V6 w/ a 5 speed manual gearbox. He wanted to race, as he revved the v6 pretty high up, and I could tell he was bringing up the RPMs for a good fast launch from a dead stop, but it didn't work, as I pulled away as soon as he shifted. I beat him at 3 different stop lights untill I turned off. Killed him 3 times, I had at least a good car, 2 car length on him and was still pullin' away. If I stay in the gas, it pulls good after it shifts out of first gear at about 25/30/35(?) mph. 2nd and 3rd gear is where this cars true powerband is. It makes all of it's good low end torque at lower RPM's, I soon found out. Another reason I was losing to some cars, I thought I had to make this thing punch out some serious RPM's to go fast....WRONG, it doesn't take a Buick engine 3,500 RPM's to dish out it's notoriously known torque. :TU: I am surprised I beat the camaro, I expected to have my butt handed to my on a golden platter, but I was shocked nevertheless. :Smarty: I can't wait for a dual exhaust w/ headers upgrade, and a good 4 barrel carb./intake, and maybe a good, but mild camshaft. The engine should be a whole 'nother animal then. I love this engine, and I would love to have a 455 soon, but for right now I am enjoying this for what it is, and I think Buick did an excellent job when they created the 350's. Very nice engines, I consider myself a Buick 350 fanatic now. Soon I want a 455 and a nice GN maybe to fill the stable, but I gotta get some money first. Then, we'll be talking some serious game-plans then. :eek2: :TU:

-Cody

 

My 100k mile 1975 455 in my convertible Skylark ran 15.1 @ 90mph. All stock except for a KB Mark 2 cam. That was also with a 2.93:1 one-legger. It pulled far harder at the end of the run than at the beginning.

I'd stick with the 350. As mentioned, a 4-barrel carb/intake and a gear ratio switch would take a second off your time, if not more. Your total $ spent would be less than a grand if you find a complete rear that all ready to drop in.

John

 

Wow,

I had a friend with that exact car, with a 318. His was a 66. I destroyed him with my stock (non stage) 69 GS 400 every time he ever tried. His car ran well, but something must have been seriously wrong with your friend's GS.

 

You should see the amount of kids in my school that come up to me some I have never met once before and they BEG for a race. I always ask what they have and then say sure. But before they open their mouth again I say so which dragstrip, Union or Byron? The stand their with a confused look on their face and in the next five minutes try to convince me to race on the street. I got alot of **** for it in the beginning but now people know that I will only race on the strip. It's smarter, safer, and more fun. They also know I am way too anal about when it comes out of the garage. Any chance of rain it stays home. Again I got some flack for that but now people realize how much I take care of my Buick. Don't street race, no reason to do it. I have seen and heard of too many buddies get their licenses and cars taken away. Want to give your car away to the state because you didn't have the guts to say no? o No: Just my opinion on the situation.

 

Rob, some people call me crazy, some say I am insane, but I definetly agree that it is smarter and safer at the strip, and not just an agreement, but that's a fact that the strip is the best place to keep the racing. HOWEVER, there is one tiny, little problem. The closest drag strip around here is either chicago or St. Louis, and they are both well over 150 miles from where I live. Usually, I don't race a whole lot on populated streets, or any area w/ people. I have my own personal drag strip that I share w/ my friends(well, it's kind of anyone's dragstrip, take it or leave it), it's an abandoned highway about 2 miles or so from my house, about 2 or so miles of nothing but pure straight-away for quite a stretch. No one uses it as it's almost useless, probably 2 or 3 houses on the whole highway, and usually if someone wants to race me, we all do a "once-around" the highway to make sure it's clear. I am undefeated on the abandoned highway. Raced a few honda's and one Mitsubishi. My car is is a terror on top end. :Brow: I haven't wound it out yet on top end, don't think I will ever see the full top speed. :eek2: Anyhow, case in point, that's where I try to keep the racing. I know, my buddy that has the jeep that I raced got his license taken away a day or so afterwards for going 35 mph in a 25 mph zone. I take my car out in the rain, snow, ice, sleet, and on nice days, it's my daily driver and beater. The body is very rough and rough is probably an understatement. It's kinda a rustbucket, but makes for a feasible sleeper-------in a way. It's better to be safe than sorry, so yes, racing should be kept on the strip but some of us have more fuel than we do brains, I probably so happen to fit into that category. :Smarty: p

-Cody