I have a new set of Rocker arms for my 401. How hard is it to replace the old ones with the new ones.
yea i guess nailheads aint no good so i better throw both of mine away..i have a 58 346 and a 65 425..i dont relly need em so if anyone would like a no good engine let me know..ha ha ha ha ha
You have the two I need. I have a 55 -264 , a 56-322, and a 63-401, I need a 322 ,425 , and a 364 to finish my set.
That 425 is mighty heavy motor for a hot rod, i'd gladly offer my service to remove if for you...plus this needs a home....
yea thats what i need.(like a hole in the head) for my 425...i would rather both of these nailheads find new homes and i had the money to finish one of my other projects of which i have too many...but the more i look at that intake the more im wanting to build a torque monster ..just dont have anything to put it in right now..ha ha ha ha..i have been putting to much into my caddy flathead that i also have no use for ...is there such a thing as having too many old cars
I've got a 401 in a '33 Ford and it pulls the front end off the ground with ease. They're definitely stump pullers and are even more fun with three pedals. -Lee Atomic Radio www.atomicpinup.com
...forgot to mention. Hirsch carries factory Buick green: http://www.hirschauto.com/ Sprays great and is very durable. -Lee Atomic Radio www.atomicpinup.com
It's funny how this post kinda hit home, as one of my more memorable rides in a hot rod. A guy I knew from high school, asked if i wanted a ride in his - - well to put it in perspective - it was a 'real' rat rod Model A coupe. in other words not a very safe an sane vehicle. But it had a 364 nailhead with 38 Buick floor shift, and 48 ford rear. to make this short when he hit the throttle and let it go, the tires chirpp'd my head snapped back, my side door, popped open, window fell down, and the front end wobbled when the tires hit the ground. yea it made me a believer!
I picked up a pair of factory aluminum valve covers for my 401 last week for $50. One of them had a hold busted out where some dufus over tighten it. I got it welded up for free today and slapped them on. Sure makes a difference.
Nailheads are awesome stump pulling monsters. They are super reliable as well. I have been playaing with nailheads since I bought a 62 wildcat at 19yrs old. Awesome motors. The 401 C.i. "wildcat 445" makes 325hp and 445ft lbs of torque stock! My favorite one to date is my built to the teeth blown 401 in my G***er.
Well....right now it is a big hand grenade. Its 10:1 Compression with an overdriven blower stuffing 15lbs of boost on 119 octane fuel. I'm sure the motor will withstand that, but not sure how long. Just by the numbers it should be making in the neighborhood of 700-800hp. I'd be happy with 500 or so on alot less boost (something I plan on doing before I actually run it) The last thing I wanna do it blow this thing up...I could never replace some of the parts. I'm pretty sure the modified 4 jets it has on it couldnt support that kind of power reliably either.
So I was reading around and read that in order for my 401 to run healthy with my dual 650's I need to replace the original cam with one with a little more performance in mind. Do any of you guys have any suggestions?
this is an excellent read if you're rebuilding: http://www.amazon.com/Build-Max-Performance-Engines-Design-Performance/dp/1932494596
Thanks Jonly, I found a a site called Cl***icbuicks.com and they have Isky and Ken Belle cams but which one do I want.
A stock 401-425 will handle a pair of 650s with ease. If you want to make it run better, spend the money on a b262 intake (or Eelco replica), have some headwork done, or buy a set of Telesco roller tipped rockers. Factory rockers lose ratio as the estimated valve lift increases due to their geometry. All the testing done shows some of the best gains are increasing the intake flow which is easily done with Telesco's rockers. He had the geometry changed a little to reduce the losses at higher lifts, as well as being a 'variable ratio' rocker of about 1.6-1.8 (actual, not estimated) depending on pushrod length. Do a search at V8buick.com for a much better understanding. And ps-dont beleive the estimated hp and torque ratings commonly given to these engines. They are a bit on the high side when compared to actual dyno testing-but none the less they run excellent and make plenty enough power to push a rod around town.
Except for the stuff that is wrong about Nailheads in there. I pointed some of it out on another post here where the author was actually posting. Stock is fine really, but you could get one just a little more, I'm a big fan of Carmen Faso's cams.
Does anyone know what Faso cams run price wise? I know Telesco rockers are something I should put in my engine but there a little on the pricey side for me right now. Hey Zman so your saying the book is wrong? So with the stock cam my engine should run fine with the dual carb setup?
Last one I think I paid $180 for. There are a few things in there that are wrong, yes. Yes the stock cam and dual quads will run fine. What I got the last time though was W-30, it's about the most you can run without doing headwork. Heres the specs from the W30 cam carmen sells. W-30-10 Camshaft.. Caremen Fasco Cam doctor ****ysis-- Buick 57-66 364-401-425 intake & exhaust Lobe center seperation --------------- 109.6 cam degrees valve overlap ------------------------------ 13.4 crank degrees Intake valve opening ------------------------------ 6.7 btdc lobe center ----------------------------------- 109.7 atdc Valve closure -------------------------------- 45.7 abdc Duration @.050 ----------------------------- 232.4 crank degrees max cam lift --------------------------------- .29149 inches net valve lift--------------------------------- .46633 inches Lobe area ------------------------------------ 24.52 in * deg Exhaust valve opening ------------------------------ 45.9 bbdc lobe center -----------------------------------109.4 btdc Valve closure -------------------------------- 6.7 atdc Duration @.050 ----------------------------- 232.6 crank degrees max cam lift --------------------------------- .29094 inches net valve lift--------------------------------- .46551 inches Lobe area ------------------------------------ 24.47 in *deg
Do you know what was the performance increase with the W-30? will I be able to run my Switch Pitch converter which runs at about 1500 until I hit the switch which changes it to about 2500?
I asked a Nailhead builder about what cam to use and he emailed me this: 218-224 degrees at .050 with a LS of around 112 .. no more than .500 lift with a 1.6 rocker?
How do I Id a nail head, or I've been told it is one, been rebuilt couple years ago but asking that idiot about it would be a waste of time, I really would like to pull it and put a correct motor in its place, but from what you guys say may be I need to look into it to see if it'll run any better and keep it, the thing is its in an older twin coach bus and I don't think its got the power and torque that the 320 six had.
I have no concrete figures, I've not had it one on a dyno, though I keep thinking about putting mine on one. Seems to work real well with the switch pitch as well. A pic and some more info would help, but quickly, distributor in rear, horizontal valve covers. And it should have as much of not more power and torque than the 320. There was a reason GM put them in trucks.
It is a Buick, dizzy in the rear and the straight up covers, its in a rough place to see all of it, if I knew where the numbers are I could see if I could get to them, I was intresrted to see what size it is, cause it doesn't seem to run decent, a good tune up from what I can here and see, and the rig is geared too high to start with but one thing at a time, I'll put a picture up later today. Thankyou
I looked all over the front of the valley cover and zilch, no pad, the water pump connects to each head but no pad there, here is a picture I could get of it.
Older Nailhead. Look at the block between the middle two cylinders...p***engers side I believe. Right on the cylinder head sealing surface of the block.
It is a 322". Chevy and GMC ran them in the bigger trucks in the mid 50s. The motor mounts and exhaust manifolds and cannister oil filter give it away. I am suprised it is only a 2bbl though.
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