I haven't posted anything in quite a while, but figured I'd ask a quick question. How easy would it be to swap out the inline 6 from a 1954 Chevy with a 1955 Buick Nailhead? I have the engine sitting on a stand in the corner of the garage and never thought of swapping it until my dad mentioned it today. He said he thought it ought to be fairly simple - I haven't looked at either the engine or the car, but I think it's a little more complicated than he does. I love the old stovebolt, but would love to do something with the little nailhead (it isn't one of the big guys, just a little Baby Nailhead). Just tossing ideas around, sorry if this has been posted millions of times - I suck at searching. Thanks, Jay
i think you just bring the engine down here to Pa and i"ll put it goos use personally I dont it would be not much difference and putting in a sbc
Should be a fairly easy swap, length and width of nailhead is about right. This swap would give you tons of torque .
Find someone with a 54 special and check out their mounts. Should be fairly straight forward really. The nailhead was designed to replace the straight eights in the Buicks. Does the Nailhead have a stick or dynaflow behind it?
It had a DynaFlow behind it, but I was planning on using something else. Possibly a T350 or a 200r4 - with an adapter, of course. The 54 chevy has a 3 speed standard.
You know if you go with a later trans, the torque tube and rear end gotto go. I know where Saugerties is. Bet you are up to your elbows in snow
If you can find a flywheel, I have a bellhousing that should let you keep the stock tranny...If you are interested. http://www.transmissionadapters.com has a decent adapter to put a 200r4 behind it.
I have thought about that rear end situation...wasn't there a way to convert a torque tube rear end to an open driveline rear? Stevie G - definitely interested. I'll see if I can hunt down a flywheel. Anything else I'd need? Yeah, Saugerties - home of Woodstock 94 and not much else. As far as snow, we had a bunch last week but temps in the sixties last weekend took care of that batch. Yesterday it snowed like crazy, but it was so light that the strong winds blew most of it away.
Swapping the pumpkin is the easy part; locating the housing after you take the tube out is the fun part.
Not on the car, as far as I know. Fords can. Chevy pickups can, I think. But not the cars. I like the idea above with the adapter to use your 3 speed. I changed my 54 to a Nova rear to get an open drive line. It wasn't that hard. Nova's and 1 st gen Camaro's work. Stevie, What pumpkin would drop in there for an open drive?
the stock 3 speed could be used with a torq tube but would the u joint take the Buick tork, not much beef there the conversion has some quirks, the rear springs were not made to take the tork, but may survive normal driving the tube took the tork and there was pivots on axle mounts then thers the offset mountings which can be overcome by spacers.. the centering bolts for the springs are not where the centerline of the axle should be just my opionins
If I remember correctly, full size Buick pumpkins up to 1964 will swap into that rearend to convert it to open drive. ZMAN will be here in a minute or two and either confirm or not. PBRmeASAP can tell you all about swapping in an open rear. He has a 700r4 behind his stovebolt with the S-10 rear.
Leave the pivots in place (run a stock type of mount on the replacement open rear end) and run a pair of P&J-type ladder bars to another crossmember that allows the bar to pivot at the level of the front universal. Maybe think of a short extension housing T350, and this should end up with the gearbox mount on the original 49-54 gearbox crossmember, and ther would be ample room to fit the nailhead into the engine bay without having to trim too much off the firewall supports. If you do trim these braces, don't forget to re-inforce them - gods of torque from the nailhead could lead to some cracking .... somewhere.
Putting the nailhead in would be cool, although the 6 or a bigger six would rule the world! If your going nailhead i'd also look into using the stock trans if avaliable, the adapter plate isn't cheap...should be around 600...although a overdrive is nice.... screw keeping the stock rear...hit a local junk yard and find yourself a mid 80's to early 90's chevy s-10 4x4 rear. big rear discs, cheap and easy parts, varity of rear ratios, 3.42-4.11, and about 1/2 come with the factory posi. I believe I payed 75 for my rear with the drive shaft! It's a super easy swap. Unless your doing 10,000 rpm hole shots with the small nailhead, i wouldn't worry about the stock springs... i've had no problems with my old stock springs in my 54. I'm bias on the 6's but make sure you love that nailhead, it will be cool when done, but your looking to spend a decent chunk of change on the swap over, but hell it's your car and you gotta do what you want. swap to the nailhead, add the bendsteins adapter (using on my 31 chevy PU with a 401) good quality add a decent overdrive trans and put a S-10 3.73 or 4.11 rear in it. search for the posi! then lay 2 black strips instead of one.
He's got a Chevy so I really don't know, the pumkin swap works in the Buicks from around 56 to when they wetn open driveline. So I don't know if you can just swap those. lol, I vote Nailhead, but then everyone knew I would...
The small nailhead works great in the old chevys. The rear, springs, u joints etc. will all work, the first thing to break will be second gear if you beat on it. They are great motors, snappy and economical when set up properly. You will love it.
The Jalopy Journal
