350 buick or 455 buick for a 1941 Buick Coupe - Need Pro and Con Input

I"m getting ready to rebuild a motor for a 1941 buick coupe that I'm building. It has a camaro front clip and rear end. I have a choice of a 350 buick or a 455 buick that I'll be putting in front of a properly built 200R4 transmission. This car is not going to be abused or raced. It is simply a cruiser. I understand the rebuild cost is roughly the same for either engine. So I'm seeking some input from the buick guys that are familiar with these engines that can offer some solid advice or comments on which might be more appropriate for my build. What are the pros and cons of each motor.
Thanks.

 

A 350 is all you need, so go with the 455.

 

I'd do a nailhead........

 

Thanks guys. I appreciate the comments. Maybe the morning crowd will have something to ad.

I realize a nailhead would be real cool, but I'm pretty stuck on going with the 350 or 455 buick.

 

OOPS - picture didn't make it. Seriously, more speed stuff available for the 455, and bigger is better......

 

back in the day I had a '71 Buick with a 350/2bbl...torquey little bastard...great gas mileage, and that car had to weigh 3800lbs....pulled it with no problem...and the 350 buick is 100lbs lighter than a 350 chevy.

 

I know a lot of people are going to say "go for the 455!" but they won't be handing you money every time you fill up at the gas station.

I really like the Buick 350, and it is a torquey motor that'll whip a Chevy 350 if everything else is equal.
But the 455 will pretty much pull a building off its foundation if you have good traction.

You're talking a difference of 2-3 mpg (in my experience with similar but different cars) so it's not as night and day as it might seem.
If you're really looking at long-haul driving the 350 makes sense. If you're mostly driving to the local root beer stand on weekends you might as well throw the 455 in there. I'd say it comes down to how many miles you expect to put on the car per year.

I drive my '53 Chevy to work several days a week plus to out-of-town shows and I never put more than 1,000 miles on it in a year. At that rate the difference between 13 and 16 mpg isn't a big deal.

 

Either would do fine. The only issue may be the location of the oil filter as it hits the cross member on the frame on some frames. I had to put a notch in the crossmember when I had one in my 51 Merc.
I'd go for a 455 and not worry about modifying it but just put on a set of good looking valve covers and a good looking air cleaner. That would let you cruise at ticket getting speeds all day long on long runs across the country Not that the 350 won't cruise at 80 on the freeway all day long.

It's true what Atomiccustom said about gas mileage in post 7 though. The 350 should pull a bit better mileage. I'm the opposite of him as I usually put a lot of miles on the 48 when I had it running as most shows I go to are over 150 miles from the house one way.

 

Thank you Atomickustom
That is very sage advice.

 

I had a '71 Skylark ragtop with a 350 with a two barrel and it was a decent mill. Nice torque and decent mileage for what I was driving. There are a some decent aftermarket parts available. I believe the 455 is about the same weight as a small block Chevy, but has nicer torque. It would be hard to go wrong with either motor, although if I had to do it again, I probably would have built a 455 for the ragtop.

 

I used to have a 41 Ford coupe with a 430 Buick (455's little brother). Swapped it out for a 350. Big mistake. 350 was fine but the torque of the 430 was really fun.

 

Thats like apples & oranges. Do the one you can "AFFORD" .
B.B.

 

...not a Buick 'expert' but have had several of the 455's.
Yes, they will likely use more fuel because they have huge 'fun' potential. Torque Monsters.
A bone stock 455 with low-ish compression will do everything you want or need and still run on the crappy gas.

.

 

I won't be, because I'm spending it feeding my 3 454s.

You're right about looking at the intended use of the car, we can't figure that out, we can only predict what might happen if you chose one or the other. One is that you might drive the car more with the 350 because it's more affordable.

 

350 is the newest designed GM V8 engine, IIRC it was all new around '67-'68-ish, super stout bottom end. Only issue in a swap is the oil filter is on the front of I believe both of these engines, but it probably will fit fine in a Camaro clip.

If you're just going to cruise, the 350 is probably enough, but if you think you might want to mash the pedal and GO once in a while, then may as well put the 455 in, there's no substitute for cubic inches.

 

I'd say that the 350 will be easier to fit....but as rustynewyorker says "there's no substitute for cubic inches".

 

The 455 would give you good bragging rights.
Just make sure it will run on today's pump gas.
I've had cylinder head problems with the 350's but maybe thats just me being an ass-hole about the smaller engine.

 

All great comments and advice. I'll be building this car as a cruiser, no mashing of gears or burnouts for this old man.

 

That made me laugh out loud! Thanks, Squirrel.

Question: is it a strange coincidence that you nearly always comment on the same threads I do, or do you comment on EVERY thread and I only notice it on the ones that catch my attention? You know more than I do so I'm always happy to see when we share an idea and I always learn something when you say something different than what I'm thinking.

 

I say go with the 455 and put 350 labels on it, best of both worlds

If your not familiar with the 455's check out T/A Performance out of Arizona and the Buick GS boards for info. Plenty of aftermarket parts available for both either way you go.

 

Bigger is always better. Except in my girlfriends.

 

I just call it "great minds think alike". although I doubt it applies to me.

 

Ask the girls,is bigger really better?

 

The 455 might wreak havoc with the 2004R unless you really sink some money into the transmission. Here are some hard facts to consider:

http://www.webrodder.com/article.php?AID=426&SID=6

 

Ebbspeed....that was an excellant article on the 200R4 and 700R4 transmissions. Thank you.

 

455, since it will make more power and a truck load more torque, it'll get better mileage as long as you drive it conservatively. However, when its time to get on the freeway, or pass one of your buddys, it'll put a much bigger smile on your face. Also more torque means it'll be happier with freeway cruiser gears in it, plus if you decide to tow anything with it still the better choice. Also more perf Parts for the 455 if you decide to hop it up more later, and if you ever need to sell the car, it'll bring more money with the 455 in it.

 

I am in the process of building a 73 455 to replace the 430 in my 67 Riviera. It has Stage 1 heads and a mild cam, Hyper pistons and some mod's to the oiling system. Looking for about 425-450 HP/500-525 TQ when I am done. My Riviera will also have the 200-R4 trans and a 3.42 posi out of a 70 Riviera GS. It originally had a switch-pitch turbo 400 trans and an open 3.08 rear.
I spend alot of time on V8Buick.com, and there are many fans of the Nailhead, the 350, & the 455 motors over there. I think a buick 350 would be more than enough for a cruiser. With a mild cam, some head work, and a set of 3.42 rearend gears combined with a 200-R4 overdrive transmission, you will get much better gas mileage than you will with the 455. Sources for hotrod parts for the 350 Buick are few, but the guys at T/A Performance should have everything you need.
Back when I was driving my Riviera back in the late 70's-early 80's (did I mention my car is a long term project?), I was lucky to get 11 mpg out of it, and I had to run at least mid-grade fuel or it pinged like crazy. I did play with it alot at that time, which accounts for some of the low MPG numbers, but I don't recall ever getting more than 14 or 15 MPG, even when I babied it. With the overdrive and a conservative engine rpm at highway speeds, say 2100 at 70 mph with the overdrive engaged, you could see 17 to 19 MPG or better with the 350. A 455 will never reach that level unless it is going downhill with a tailwind. With a world full of $3.50 per gallon gas, it shouldn't be too hard a decision to make as far as the engine choice. It just depends on how many miles you want to put on the car each year. By the way, I have seen several 350 buick engines for sale on the net lately that are built and ready to bolt in and go for some really great prices. You just have to look for them.
The oil filter clearance issue shouldn't be a big problem, as the early 70's Buick Apollo and the 75-79 Skylark both used the 350 Buick engine. The Apollo subframe is just like the first gen Camaro/Firebird subframe, and the 75-79 Skylark subframe is very similar to the 2nd gen Camaro/Firebird subframe. If it fits in there, it should fit in yours, depending on whether you plan on using the stock motor mount locations in the subfame.
Whichever motor you choose, It is great to see you using Buick power for the car. Too many take the easy way out and throw a sbc crate motor into their rides, and I get kinda bored seeing them all the time.
Just my opinion. Later, Randy

 

I put a 455 in my International pu. First road test last week and the torque is very noticable. Stone stock out of a 74 Riviera and it's going to be a blast to drive. I only had to build my headers. I chose it because I don't want the hot start and cooling issues that I deal with in my heavily cammed carburated 55 Chevy. Use the 455.

 

As for fit, My first car was a 76 Skylark (Nova) which uses the 70-81 Camaro front clip. I pulled a 455, frame mounts and all out of an Electra, bolted it to the 200 auto, attached the Electra frame mounts where they fell and ran it with absolutely no clearance issues....for a week until I smoked the 200 and replaced it with a TH350 then a 400. Both motors are great stock, if you were going to build it I'd say the 455 just because there is, to my knowledge nothing more than mild cams and a dual plane intake available for the 350.

 

So which one did you chose?