Looking for Advice, Suggestions for Street 455 Build

Discussion in 'Street/strip 400/430/455' started by Jerrit72Riv, Dec 8, 2020.

  1. Jerrit72Riv

    Jerrit72Riv Active Member

    Financially I'm probably a couple years out from pulling the 455 out of my 72 Riviera and rebuilding it. Drivability upgrades take precedence over power. What I'm trying to do is get an idea for what kind of parts budget I need to be saving up for. Machining work and such are not included here because those will be discussions I'll have with local shops and prices can vary depending on where people are at. The block will get all the prep and oiling mods that are in Jim's thread.

    I'm looking to build a nice street cruiser, there isn't much for drag strips in eastern MT, but if it needs to put the cocky young kid at the stop light in his place I'd like to do that. I went over to TA Performance as that appears to be the go-to place for parts and made myself a list of parts I think I want for this build. What I'm hoping to get out of this thread are suggestions and advice on what parts I don't have listed that you think I need, replacement parts or brands for what is listed, and just general opinions on weather I'm on the right track with this build list or if I need to completely start over. I'm in no way a mechanic so don't think you'll offend me by making suggestions that seem obvious. Anyway, I'm rambling so onto the specifics.

    This is an 861 block out of a 72 Riviera, it is not a GS and has 110,000 miles.

    TA_1607 - 10:1 Cast Pistons, standard bore, no notch
    TA_1636 - Chrome Moly Rings
    TA_212 or 284 - Camshaft (any advice on which of these would be a better fit?)
    TA_1405 - Lifters (TA also sells Johnson lifters for half the price, worth the savings or not?)
    TA_691 - Performance HEI Distributor
    TA_710E - HEI plug wires
    TA_1522 - Replacement Timing Set (Should I upgrade this to double roller?)
    TA_1201 - SP1 QJet Intake Manifold
    TA_1508 - Oil Pump Replacement Kit
    TA_1706 - Full Gasket Set
    QJet rebuilt - Looks like there are a couple guys on this site that are the way to go with this

    Questions I have -

    Do I need to upgrade to a hi performance water pump?
    Would exhaust headers be a significant upgrade or not worth the cost with this build?
    Pushrods, valve springs, and rockers need upgrades or will stock replacements work?

    Sorry for such a long post. Just figured it would be better to get it all in the same place instead of a bunch of threads.
     
  2. knucklebusted

    knucklebusted Well-Known Member

    A standard water pump should be fine if you have a good cooling system. I have a 2-core big-tube aluminum radiator and it keeps my 462 cool.

    On headers, I think your only options are shorty headers. If you want headers, shorties are better than none. Manifolds will work if you want to save a few bucks.

    On the springs, rockers and pushrods, you have options. Stock rockers will work for a mild build but if you have wear on your, get new rockers and shafts. At a minimum, use TA Stage 1 valve springs. Don't buy pushrods until you have it ready to assemble and can measure for correct length.

    If you are going to buy pistons, go ahead and buy forged ones but don't buy any until you get the block checked. You might need a bore so you might have to get .030 or .038 over.

    I have a TA212 cam now. It is mild with a slight lope but nothing that will rattle your fillings. It all depends on if you want to sound lumpy or you want to have torque from idle.

    I wouldn't cheap out on lifters.

    Building a Buick big block, go ahead and add a TA_1510 booster plate to your oil pump rebuild. Add the full-grooved cam bearings to your rebuild.

    Those are my minimums for a budget rebuild.

    I'm sure others will chime in with their ideas.
     
  3. Brandon Cocola

    Brandon Cocola Well-Known Member

    Go double roller timing chain. I prefer plasma moly rings but it's up to you. Manifolds will be fine Richard Holdner proved Buick manifolds flow pretty good. Look for a used intake and save some cash. I like the TA 284 for the Rivera.
     
  4. LARRY70GS

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

    The ticket to BIG power is in the heads. Save up and do it right. The TA Aluminum Stage1SE heads will give you enough flow to build 500 HP with a mild cam. Buy forged pistons with the correct compression height to get you zero deck. Today, we have several custom piston options which are affordable, as well as drop in rods to get you to 470 or 482 cubic inches. I see you are new here with 5 messages. My advice to you is to do a lot of research here by using the search function. Read up as much as you can before you buy parts. If you don't, you'll make the common mistakes which will cost you more down the road.
     
  5. Jerrit72Riv

    Jerrit72Riv Active Member

    Thanks! That's a lot of good information.
     
  6. Jerrit72Riv

    Jerrit72Riv Active Member

    Thank you. I was figuring double roller would be the way to go. I don't know much about piston rings, is there a reason you prefer plasma moly?
     
  7. Jerrit72Riv

    Jerrit72Riv Active Member

    Thanks for the advice Larry. I'm pretty green in regards to engine tech so I definitely plan to spend a lot of time researching and asking questions on here. As I stated above, I've got a couple years before buying parts. Some of this could have been researched without asking for advice but other things like piston rings I don't even know where to start. Sometimes asking some "dumb" questions can get me some advice that will lead me to asking the "right" questions. By including it all I figured it would give people a better understanding of the build I'm looking for. The three replies I've received so far have given me a lot to research.

    I wasn't thinking as high as 500 hp on this build but if I am going to need a head change to do any good with the rest of it, I just as well spring for the extra $1000 to go with aluminum ones over the iron ones.
     
  8. LARRY70GS

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

    Piston rings usually come with the pistons you buy. A lot of the commonly available pistons have compression heights that put them as much as .050" down in the cylinder at the top of the stroke. This means lower compression than the piston is rated at, less efficiency, and it makes the engine more prone to detonation on pump gas. What you want is zero deck, the piston is even with the deck surface at the top of the stroke. That's why custom pistons make sense, you can get to zero deck without excessive block milling which is expensive. Here are some threads on custom piston choices and stroker options,

    http://www.v8buick.com/index.php?threads/470-vs-482-differences-similarities.327964/

    http://www.v8buick.com/index.php?threads/new-470-482-piston-options.324745/

    http://www.v8buick.com/index.php?threads/470-rotating-assembly.316509/#post-2635380

    http://www.v8buick.com/index.php?threads/482-rods-now-available.324448/

    Aluminum Head Choice. Like I said, most of the power potential ties directly to head flow. Out of the box aluminum heads outflow the best PORTED iron heads. The better your head flow, the smaller your cam can be for great street manners.

    http://v8buick.com/index.php?threads/aluminum-head-choice.311534/#post-2589753

    Engine building,

    http://v8buick.com/index.php?threads/what-is-needed-for-a-street-motor-455-500hp-then-600hp.317747/

    http://v8buick.com/index.php?threads/my-455-engine-recipe.307785/

    More reading on Dynamic Compression ratio,

    http://cochise.uia.net/pkelley2/DynamicCR.html

    Very important when choosing a camshaft.
     
    Last edited: Dec 9, 2020
    patwhac likes this.
  9. Brandon Cocola

    Brandon Cocola Well-Known Member

    So I am not the most similar with Chrome moly rings. I know chrome rings are difficult to break in and plasma moly rings are easier to break in and top fuel cars run them. I found chrome rings and plasma moly but TA was the only place that I could find chrome moly and no details about them.
     
  10. ghrp

    ghrp Well-Known Member

    Hello there !

    You got many great pieces of advice there. If i can add my 2 cents I'd suggest to have a much tight bottom end before having any kind of aluminium heads if money is an issue. You can always improve later if your bottom end is on point.

    There are many route you can go to, I'd suggest you get some forged pistons, 0,030 or 0,038 over. Stock rods can be fine up to more or less 500 hp. Other than that you can get some aftermarket rods and build a 462 (stock stroke, pistons 0,030 over), a 464 (stock stroke, pistons 0,038 over) or a 470 (longer strokes, piston 0,038 over) and the list goes on.

    As many stated before, you should get the TA oil pump booster plate which is a must. You might want to upgrade to a full aluminium TA timing cover, but you can also get a Proform aluminium timing cover (this is what I have on my engine, the reviews are mixed but this part is up to you). You can keep the stock iron intake or upgrade to a B4b or a performer from Edlebrock, those are both great choices as they are way lighter than the original iron intake, but you shouldn't expect much HP gains as they are only lighter and that's it. From what I saw the SP1 shines when you move higher in RPM so you might be better without it. I'll let experts shime in on this one. :D You can keep the quadrajet on your engine as this is a very good carb for a Buick 455. HEI distributor is a very good choice as well. ARP bolts are pretty much a must for your rods as well as your main caps. You don't need a high perf oil pump, a stock rebuild should be fine for your application.

    Be sure to ask all of your questions here before pulling the trigger!
     
    CSC5150, Alexandre Cesa and JCP like this.
  11. 6455spd

    6455spd Silver Level contributor

    I agree, it is like building a house on a bad foundation. It is too much of an investment to put my stage 2 heads on my tired old 455 in the car now. The current motor runs OK and is a lot of fun revving it to 5800 rpm, but I know it is on borrowed time. I've been collecting quality parts to assemble a new motor soon. Buick parts are expensive and I only want to do it once.
     
    ghrp likes this.
  12. Jerrit72Riv

    Jerrit72Riv Active Member

    Thank you! That is really good advice. Building the bottom end first was a question that I had but hadn't gotten around to asking yet. It looks like the Proform timing cover would fit a lot better in my budget than the TA.
     
    ghrp likes this.
  13. ghrp

    ghrp Well-Known Member

    You are very welcome. I have a Proform timing cover on my engine myself and my engine builder said it looked just fine. You can have a look at my build right here : http://www.v8buick.com/index.php?threads/0-038-over-455-on-the-way.362431/
     
  14. LARRY70GS

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

    I would not try to fix something that wasn't broken. First get a good oil pressure, and temperature gauges. You may not need another timing cover.

    http://www.v8buick.com/index.php?threads/gauges.197307/
     
  15. ghrp

    ghrp Well-Known Member

    You're right Larry. I assumed his timing cover would absolutely need to be changed since the one I had on my not so high mileage 430 was junk. But chances are his is going to be alright.
     
  16. LARRY70GS

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

    As long as the engine was maintained with regular oil changes, it could be fine. Timing covers are expensive and not an easy job to replace.
     
  17. Jerrit72Riv

    Jerrit72Riv Active Member

    Thanks Larry. I'll make sure to do my due diligence on if it needs to be replaced or not, but it would be good for the budget to use the original.
     
  18. Jerrit72Riv

    Jerrit72Riv Active Member

    That build looks sweet! I don't have the creativity to come up with a color scheme like that so mine will probably end up red.
     
  19. ghrp

    ghrp Well-Known Member

    Thanks ! Sky is the limit when it comes to color combination for your engine.

    I don't think anybody spoke about this, but what gears are you currently running on your car ? You might want to change your gears to « wake » that engine up a little more.
     
  20. LARRY70GS

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

    Remember, the Riv uses the big car rear, 9.3" No new gears or Posi carriers for that rear.

    http://www.v8buick.com/index.php?threads/9-3-8-rear-differences.71740/
     

Share This Page