Hi guys, Ok 1st of all i have a 79 Bird lol,some of you are probably thinking what the hell is this guy doing in a buick forum!!! The good news is i just got a 455 buick bare block lol. My question is what do i need to have that fit in my 79 bird? do i need to get early to mid 70s buick motor mounts and other extra stuff?Please bare with me i am new to the auto world.Thank you with your patience and helping me with my issue.
Do it. No better way to make a Pontiac a good car... The real 455 in it. I used centurion mounts and pads on my Chevelle took some work
Yeah i did some research on all BOP 455's and i liked what i read about the buick 455 lighter and more HP & torque. Did you need to re route wires or fuel lines etc?. I also know someone who can hook me up with a 4l80e tranny to replace the TH350 i have just have to do some mods on it,would you recommend it or no?
Make sure the transmission you're interested in has the BOP bolt pattern before getting it. This is on the bell housing and is where it bolts to your 455 engine.
You will need to make some mods to the wiring, and lots of other little things to make it work and I am sure you would have a tough time finding a set of headers to fit the 455 and chassis as well. If you can not fit a set of headers then I would question the swap... HP will be limited without headers. Be prepared to have to do some welding and fabbing up the engine mounts and it might take a few times dropping the engine in and out to get it where you want it. Also be prepared that the 455 will cost about 2 times the cost of a Chevy engine, if that is fine with you then go for it! Regarding the 4L80E it is a good trans but you will have to change to a different driveshaft or at least cut it up and weld on the different yoke at the trans end and then have it re-balanced... The 4L80E trans is great but the controllers to make them shift in auto mode cost about $700 alone. Or you can buy a manual valve body and shift it manualy. You will need an adapter to go from the 4L80E trans to the 455 bellhousing pattern. These trans are very large and you will likely have to dent the trans tunnel to clear the trans lines. I would consider a 2004R trans especially if you are not racing a lot with slick tires... This trans is almost a bolt in swap for the th350, no drive shaft mods, overdrive, lockup torque converter, and much lighter.
