Just an idea I was thinking about with remaining parts I have laying around. Thought is to put a set of factory original stage 2 pistons in a stock bore 72 455, never run, with a set of 73 stage 1 heads and a ta performance 413 cam.,B4b with q jet. Do you think this would be a decent combo to assemble?
I would carefully measure everything to get the static compression. The cc's of the valve relief and the compression height of the Stage 2 pistons. With that information, you should be able to come up with the true static compression. THEN pick a cam. This article would have been great if the author listed everything he measured, but he didn't. http://www.buickperformanceclub.com/pistons.htm
The normal heads will need more exhaust duration and lift the stage 2 cam will have. The 413 is a better choice.
Using the Stage 2 pistons with 10cc dish, no decking the block, FelPro blue head gaskets and heads with 70 cc chambers will net roughly 10.4 compression. This will work very well with the TA 413 cam. This is close to a previous combination that I have run. My combination was: Stock bore 455 with stock ring pack, (same as the Stage 2 pistons), 11:1 CR 233-248 cam on 113 lobe centers, (very close to the TA 413) Iron Stage 1 heads Stock intake manifold Stock exhaust manifolds 750 cfm Q-jet 2.5 mandrel bent exhaust 3.73 gears The car would run 12.50's on Polyglas tires and 12.0's with slicks.
If your 73 heads are not assembled and ready to go then do yourself a real big favor and have the guides converted to 11/32” and run new one piece stainless valves with a distinct 3 angle valve job on at least the intake side. do not let anyone talk you into a full radius valve job on the intake side, as that only serves to make the problem these heads have with de-atomization even worse! a full radius job on the exh side is good. Along these same lines if you have polished the intake ports then go in there, and other then the short turn radius ruff them back up like they where stock
I was using the Pertronix 1181 with 15 degree's initial and full advance of 34 degree's in by 2800. Forgot to add that there was no porting to the heads nor all manifolds.
