Putting SB chevy into a '55 Buick.. done this?

come on Vern, I mean Zman...and I do know your real name, but wouldn't want to stop the guy from calling you Vern...

let it go, agree to disagree.

I am a Buick lover, probably not quite as infatuated as you, but love them a lot.

Reliable, absolutely! Parts easy/cheap as an SBC, not so much.

bottom line here...agree to disagree, as the man said.

Thanks for promoting Flint's Finest there Vern

 

To Vern's everywhere... May you be as p***ionate as my Vern here as to try and find a way to justify your point of view!...ha! Ohhh I loved this little post.

To all of you who have and are putting SBC's into your Rods... WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU THINKING!!!!?!!!... ha!

 

It's not just about Buicks, it's about all the other makes as well. The SBC is not the cheap answer people always believe it to be. And is no more reliable than any other number of motors.

They're not thinking, they're sheep, they're lemmings, they have no thoughts of their own.

 

Ive SBCed a 55 Olds for a customer and they love the car now. No more problems for them driving out of state, and alot cheaper than rebuilding the stocker. They went to overdrive and roller cam motor for longevity. Thier is people that like to work on stuff all the time and people who dont.
Its quite easy if you can fab, no kit that I know of.

 

Know a guy named Vern, he did alot of drugs in the 70's and got burned out upstairs if you know what I mean? Anyway we now call him Burn, from being burnt-out upstairs... You know what I mean Burn?

 

WHOOOOO! the fng from hell!

 

When you get it in there just paint it buick green and put some stickers on it like we did this BB in a 55 super everybody thought it was a buick at first!

 

That's great... I was thinking about doing that but painting "Knucklehead" instead of "Nailhead" on the valve covers just for fun.

Yes, I will probably paint it the Buick green just for giggles.

I like your motor. Very nice.. looks good in there. Would like to see more pics of your car!

 

I know a lot of guys from the 70's in general that did the same thing. Guess we had a little too much fun back then... ha! I sure miss those days tho'... wouldn't trade them for anything!

 

fact is - it is YOUR car - do what ever you want to it

now for my opinion - when i see a SBC in a NON sbc car it kinda disappoints me

i know its not my car - but when you switch over to a sbc - there is most likely "no going back"

the conversion is gonna be a lot more money than rebuilding what you have already


the Nailheads are real good looking Hot Rod engines -

good luck with your project

 

Sold the car but was a great one drove it everywhere with the bb and 700r it was great.

 

Actually I can buy the parts and convert everything over for what it would have cost me to rebuild the motor.

I don't mind SB Chevy's in other cars... most important thing is that they are out there being driven and enjoyed.

I did paint the motor the Buick green and put chrome goodies on it and will paint "Knucklehead" on it rather than "Nailhead", just to poke some fun. Yes, I too used to be one of those that wanted to see Buick in Buick, Ford in Ford, etc. I've changed my thinking over the years. Too me, it's just about building, enjoying and driving it the way you want it. Others seem to appreciate it too.

There seems to be a movement to bash the SB Chevy after so many years of loyal following. Mainly because you see them in so many different things. I can kind of understand that... and I see the "Rockets", "Nailheads", "Wedges", and "flatheads" all gaining in popularity.. I think that's cool too.

 

Say what .......???

 

As I say to each their own, I like all kinds of cars and like you said super at least they are out there being driven, instead of sitting in someones yard who says there going to do something with it and 10 years later more of it has been claimed by the earth!! It is cool to see the old motors for sure, it is cool to see the car out driving period! As we know everyone has their opinion thats what makes the hobby what it is me and some friends have come up with a car building comittee called FUSS it stand for F*@cked Up Stupid Sh*t! That some people should consult us with like putting that late model camaro wing on the top of your sedan should have checked with the FUSS we could have helped you out on that one.

 

Yeah, I've priced a nailhead rebuild, I just rebuilt mine. You're right, going vintage Buick is expensive, more expensive than a SBC, but how much will the work to adapt the SBC to the car offset the savings?

Anyway, I was only being sarcastic, I even used a little winky face just so '57Joe would know.

 

Just say NO to SBC in a Buick. Stick with a Nailhead.

 

Buick green is an ugly ****in' color, I painted my nailhead AMC metallic blue.

Just to poke some fun.

 

OK.. here we go.

 

I'm actually doing it so they'll have to do a double take.

It's a better shade than the original Buick green.. plus the chrome helps.

 

I don't need little winky faces to pick up on sarcasm.

The point of my original post was to avoid the ******** that has gone on since. The OP was simply asking how, not should, in regards to the SBC in his Buick. Instead we get a myriad of posts about why he should stick with the nailhead, or keep a Buick motor in it. Out of almost 50 posts, about 5 have gotten to the call of the question.

 

I get it, Joe. I got it. I agree. I demur. I concede your point.

Jus' keepin' things lively...and besides, sometimes the best answer to the question really is "don't do it."

The color won't make up for those valve covers...but I suppose you could get some of those repro Olds Rocket covers and really blow their minds.

 

The concern that I had while in the planning stages on my '55 was with the center X member and driveshaft interference. Secondary was the rear axle mounting and spring configuration.

Cutting the x member out and cross bracing along with boxing the center rails
was one solution but the condition of the side rails needed a lot of work, the result of many years of improper jacking and who know what else. The rear axle solution was leaf springs, simple and cheap. But a LOT more looking at the frame, seeing the poorly executed frame repair at the left rear corner from a crash years before I got the car in '79 made me think more deeply. Not to mention the fact that when we lifted the body, the 3/4" difference in the rear frame rail length left to right and the badly kinked main frame rail halfway between the axle and rear crossmember.

At least in my case the solution was to change the frame. Not for the faint of heart though. Donor car frame was stretched, cut the '55 floor pan for clearance, will reweld and reform later. Body mounting at this point is being accomplished using GM truck body mounts and original type cushions.

There is a curb height issue that we will address after the body mounting and steering column mounting is done. It is about 4" too tall, but I am not sure what springs are in the donor frame. It sat high before we removed the body. And at least, I can see that they installed Moog Cargo Coils in the rear. The front, well they could be longer springs as the control arms are way too close to the top of the frame in the coil tower area. That is one thing that I should have checked out before starting the swap. But these are minor issues as the suspension will be rebuilt soon.

As a earlier post also stated, the side mounts for the SBC would be a better choice. The four point mounting of the tri-five Chevys was fine, but back in the day when an aluminum Powerglide/TH350/TH400 was swapped and a crossmember was fabricated the fun started. Besides the engine/transmission being more "rockable" due to the narrowness of the mounting at the front of the engine. you are also putting a greater stress level on the transmission case which can result in case cracks and excessive loads on transmission internal components.

If you do not believe me, pull the bellhousing off of a four point mount engine and let the engine down slowly. See the angle the engine sits at.
Now do the same thing with a three point (side) mounted SBC. The centering of the motor mounts take a lot of load off the transmission.

Sure, it's been done, and in fact the original '55 Buick mounts the engine at the front similar style to the tri-five Chevy, and mounts the transmsion at the rear, putting a similar load on the components. But remember, the Dynaflow trans case and bellhousing is cast iron/steel, not aluminum. And if anyone mentions the '56 Dynaflow's bellhousing is aluminum, yes it is. But a lot thicker casting than the later automatic's utilize, and again this was designed for these loads, the later ones were not. And I also think the torque tube design also helps take some of the load off too, but I'm far from knowing that for sure.

I wish I still had the Hurst front motor mount kit to mount a SBC in a 49-54 Chevy frame as I seem to recall that it recommended side mounts at the bellhousing, but I sold that kit off years ago, in fact it was sold a couple of years after I put a 383 Plymouth in my Bel Air in '70.

So, just some advice, hope it will help you.

 

Wow.. cutting the x-member out seems excessive. How about cutting the center section of the x-member and then cross bracing it in front and back?

Could always put some side mounts on front of ****** too I would think if the case is as fragile as what you say it is.

I am curious about the leaf kit? Where/who's did you use?

Thanks.. all good info. My frame is a bit roughed up too.. what did they do to these things back in the day.. wow. It does seems pretty square and isn't twisted.

 

Actually I am reframing my car, using a '78 LeSabre frame we stretched to fit. I now have a easily repairable on the road car with parts available from about any auto parts store. Using the 78 coil over/4 control arm suspension, single piston disc brake with a GM 800 steering gear.

Swap so far has not been any real "hair pulling" work sessions, except iof you count the frame welding night when we found it was out of plumb. Strap gave way, gained 3/4 of a inch we did not want on one side!

Cutting the x-member and bracing front to rear, that sounds like a lot of work, but again I'm no expert on frame design. I would think that boxing and crossmembers would do the trick, but I would not rely on what I think. There are a LOT of more knowledgeable members on this board on this subject.

On the frame having "scars", well this car was bought sitting in a field behind a fellow's house. Last registration paper found in the car was dated fifteen years previous, and a set of '64 tags to match. Had experienced a hard hit in the left rear corner and in the right cowl area, and both repaired poorly. In the mid 80's, to replace the windshield we had to pull the cowl! A friend had a body shop and he helped me out with that fiasco. And apparently the right door had been replaced once before and subsequently damaged in a second collision. So, this one HAD DEFINITELY been run hard and put up wet.

So, at least in my mind (and my enlisted helpers) this was the way to go. Plus, I don't have 6-7k to spend on a Fatman (nothing against them) subframe and a four link setup. So far, for the 455 Buick/TH400/donor car, the reman calipers, hoses, tubing, whee lcylinders, ball joints, Poly bushings, body mounts/misc hardware and junkyard swaybar for the rear I'm in less than a grand. Hoping to have it on the road for another 1500 or so by the spring.

Your results may vary.....

 

Why downgrade the car? There are plenty of Nailhead parts suppliers. Schneider Cams has a wide selection for the Nailhead. Billet Roller Rockers, mini starters, electronic ignition you name it and I'll help you source the parts. I just took my 401 Nailhead to the machine shop for boring and cleaning up today. Mike Lewis of Pro-Tech is a wizard porting Nailhead heads. My engine is going in my 48 Ford F1.

The SP 400 trans and switch pitch converter was completely rebuilt for $625

Lee...

 

Having had a '79 Electra cut down to the pans, I'd never use one of those frames under a '50s car. You stand on the back and can watch the damned thing bend up in the middle - with a floor on it yet. Having seen same in demo derbies fold up like a pretzel in just a couple hits... well you get the picture. The stock 54-58 frame is stronger with the X cut out of it, or with both sides half rotted out.

A lowbuck option for SBC or BBC motor mounts would be in 81-87 Chevy pickups and the Suburban/Blazer through '91. They have a plate that bolts in that the motor mounts bolt to, runs about a 45' angle off the top of the frame rail and bolts to the crossmember. As long as you leave clearance to get to the mount bolts, no reason you can't bolt, or weld it into another frame. Tip: Get new rubber mounts, bolt all together, and mock motor in the car to position them.

Someone asked about a RWD '92 Buick; the Buick Roadmaster was RWD on the same platform as the Caprice, one model of Olds and some Caddys, in sedan and wagon variants, through '96, and could be had with an LT1 motor if desired. And woodgrain trim on the wagon.

Also, so far as I know last year for the Buick '455 is '76, '77-'81 Buick engines included Pontiac 301s, Buick 350s, and Olds 403s. Have had two, one with the 301, one with the 350, and almost got one with the 403.