It's currently apart for paint but here's what I have in the files... I bought it from Olcurmudgeon here on the HAMB as an unfinished project. '62 Buick 215 w/TH350. I cleaned things up and added an Edelbrock intake with a 390 Holley, new valve covers, headers, new exhaust system and made it drivable. I was going to paint it the dark green on the cowl - the wife didn't like it.... It runs and drives great. I got a T5 for it to make it more fun, but it will need some reworking to add a clutch pedal. Sorry for the sidetrack, shoulda PM'd it....
So, I received my newly purchased 215 (at least I was told it was told it was a 215) it turns out that it is actually an Oldsmobile motor. It has a factory 4 barrel manifold on it but that of course does not mean that it left the factory as a 4 barrel motor. Any help to determine which motor it is (serial numbers, etc.) would be appreciated.
Wuga, do you have any before and after pictures of what you did to the firewall? I confess that I’m not sure I understand what you did (straight down from the crease?).
At the top of the concave in the firewall there is an elongated hole and to the top of either side is a slight crease in the firewall. Below that crease the firewall pushes out just enough to interfere with the valve covers on many V8s. We pushed that part of the firewall in so that it is flat all the way down. It wasn't much, but gave the necessary clearance. Not much bother to a four cylinder, but a bit of a h***le to those V8 cylinder banks. This was not my idea, but I thought it was brilliant. Warren
Mine is a 28 you are correct about that. I am still learning the differences between the years. I just went and measured and it looks like I have 27.75” radiator to firewall. The Buick (in reality, this one’s an Oldsmobile) is at a friends shop so I can’t measure it right now but I think that it will be very, very close. D&D makes a water pump that is approx. .75” less then stock and if that is still not enough the plan is to use a remote electric water pump.
Just looked back and reminded myself of the measurements that you gentlemen have kindly provided and it does indeed appear that the motor will fit, the question is bellhousing etc. In my inexperience thoughts it seems that the bellhousing clearance issues are affected by how high or low the engine is installed in the frame? The motor does look goofy if it’s too far down there below the top of the cowl.
I am working on a '31 A coupe with 215 Buick V8. I have it hooked up to an S10 T5 V6 Trans. The engine has a front distributer plus it is small enough to that with a little finessing I was able to fit it in without major firewall rework. I am using a short style water pump and electric fans. I moved the stock Model A transmission brackets forward and fabbed new motor mounts. I am using two left side Rover exhaust manifold.
Wow, looks good! What bellhousing, flywheel, clutch, throw-out fork, etc. did you use? My stock bellhousing has a big hole for a driver's side clutch fork. I can see how the '30-'31 firewall may require some work and the short pump. BTW, edit out the MII front suspension and Jag IRS when you post photos, so the moderators don't remove your pictures. Most IFS, clips, IRS is frowned upon due to the traditional (pre-'65) focus of this site.
I used a bell housing from D&D. I also bought a custom clutch and pressure plate from them. I picked up an Olds 215 flywheel and had the whole clutch system balanced. I am using a throwout bearing style hydraulic clutch release. Slick setup. Eliminates all that linkage mess. I reworked the stock pedal set to work with the hydraulics. The firewall mods are minimal. The nice thing is almost nothing changes on the inside. The stock toe boards fit perfectly with a totally flat floor. I even fabbed a mount for the stock emergency brake and modified the stock shifter to fit. One other snafu was the oil filter. The stock one was too long and hit the frame. I managed to source a short fat shaped filter from Wick for a TVR. Lastly was the radiator. I used \a Chevy V8/Model A aluminum radiator. Fitting the bottom hose was a hoot. The bung is on the right.The hose wraps around the oil pump. You might want to consider a Ford V8/Model A radiator which has the bottom bung on the left. Will take a little more plumbing but less h***le working around the oil pump.
I saw this one at the show yesterday. It’s a 215 Buick in a 30-31 but I thought that the info might be helpful to someone. He just put the engine against the stock firewall and moved the radiator forward about 1 1/2 - 2”. Looks pretty good and it’s definitely the easiest way if you’re going fenderless.
I've got a new Hilborn Injector and a nice mag M/T timing cover for one of these if anyone is looking?
This looks like a good source for engine ID http://www.britishv8.org/Articles/GM-215-Engine-Identification.htm It was used by Buick, Olds and Pontiac in the ealy 60's. Olds even turbocharged it. It's a great motor. I put one in an MG 'back in the 90's.
I have a 1975 Buick V6 in the 31 pickup, it uses the metric filter which is a much smaller diameter and length. The lower radiator hose wraps around it, but tight but does clear.
Hey, you asked for some casting ID info to find out which engine you have. Maybe you already found out from D&D, but I don’t see any responses on here thus far. I’ve got an Olds 215 for a future rod and have done some research, so I’m gonna flex my limited knowledge. *The right cylinder head has a raised pad with numbers stamped into it. Remember the heads can be swapped side-to-side, so it’s possible this number could be on the left side. Anyway, an *S,SE, or SH is the 51cc 8.75:1 compression ratio 2 barrel head. *SG is the 4 barrel head. Here’s a deeper dive: on the bottom of the cyl head intake ports is a casting number. If it ends in -82 you have the 43cc 10.25:1 4 barrel heads. If it ends in -534, congratulations you have the ‘63 AUTOMATIC only 38cc 10.75:1 barrel heads. *ST is of course the 10.25:1 turbo heads. *The Olds head has a wedge shaped combustion chamber compared to the Buick’s hemi shaped chamber. *The Olds head also has a 6th head bolt that holds the rocker shaft and helps with even head sealing. *The Olds also has a bit larger valves: 1.57 intake / 1.34 exhaust compared to the Buick’s 1.5 I/1.31 E. *The ‘63 AUTOMATIC only engine was also blessed with a more aggressive camshaft, but you’d have to get out the degree wheel to figure that out. *Also, if for some reason you have a true turbo engine, the main caps had a touch more beef and 12 point head bolts. *Here’s the front of the cylinder head where the letters/numbers are stamped. S, numbers, G. So this is the hi-comp 4 barrel head. Hope this helps and if you already got all this info elsewhere, hope someone finds it interesting. Best of luck on your build
Here's a good reference page for T5 gear ratios: http://www.britishv8.org/Articles/Borg-Warner-T5-ID-Tags.htm Not sure a World Cl*** T5 is needed for your application, but with rear gear ratio, tire diameter, and shifter position to actor in, hopefully the above helps a little. Love the small Olds V8 as an engine choice. This chart indicates it weighs only 318 lbs, so if accurate, that'll work well in your Model A: http://www.team.net/sol/tech/engine.html
Did the math and. Unless your engine build plans call for extensive power improvement, the S10 T5 will be more than adequate plus type shifter location is best suited for the A. Most world cl*** T5 have sifter location on the back end of the tail shaft. Tee S10 location is idea because the shifter is on the forward end of the tail shaft. ( see photo above)
I ran a Camaro T5 behind a very well built D&D Olds 215 and never an issue. I started with a NWC 4 cyl t5 but 1st gear was too low. Upgraded to the V8 t5 with a 2.95 1st gear and it was a dream to drive. With a light weight car, you will not want anything but a 2.95 trany then 3.50 or 370 rear gear. I am running a Super T10 behind the Buick in my hot rod and a Jeep t5 in Model A with a 3.38 low. In my Studebaker with the V8, I am running a NWC Mustang t5 with a 2.95 1st gear and a 3.73 rear. I use the Fram 3374 or the WIX or NAPA Gold equivalent oil filter. Small diameter and short. Clears everything Warren
Sames to be very knowledgeable people here on these engines. I have a few and one bellhousing. I can't figure out what transmission was used with it. Anyone know? It doesn't look like any pictured with a T5. Cast in 1960 with casting #1164717.
It’s been a while since I looked into the 215’s but understand that there are two different bellhousings used, the one you show and also one with the common pattern pattern that would work with the GM T5
That might be the bellhousing used with the Tempest transaxle. A few 215s found their way into Pontiac Tempests back then. I have a Tempest bellhousing, I can measure the pattern and see if they match if you want.
I think it is for the 3 speed transmission. . You could not bolt a GM 4 speed or a T5 to it. I made an adaptor plate to run a 4 speed but the bell housing eventually cracked from the stress. That is when I started using bell housings from D&D. Warren
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