Ok, so I have a 58 Buick with the original 364 Nailhead, ( that's it in my profile pic) when it was rebuilt we had to re-bore it out, taking the pistons to an over size of 0.40 which I think was getting to the top limit as far as that goes. My question is, does this mean my 364 is now closer to a 401? How much physical difference in piston size is there between a standard 364 compared to the 401. Also, because of the oversize pistons, does my engine now require a larger carb than the standard 2bbl Carter that I'm running it with?
No it would be 370 cu. in. and no you don't need a bigger carb. the difference between a 401 bore at 4.1875"and a 364 at 4.125 is .0625" and the stroke being 401=3.64" and the 364=3.39" Pat
Hahaha, my brain wasn't wired to do maths. It was never going to happen, no matter how hard I try. But thanks to Pat I am now a little bit wiser as to Nailhead piston sizes. I still think that little 2bbl on the top of that big engine like a pimple, could be changed for something bigger. Really I want to find a Wiand 3x2 intake. Unfortunately, all the ones I see for sale seem to be for the 322 or 401.
Use steel head gaskets like original, not laminated felpros. For all the info you need get in touch with Russ Martin, Centerville Auto Repair in California.
I had a 364 in a '58 Roadmaster when I was in high school for a while. It was still stock bore but I did change the cam to an Isky. The stock 4 bbl was plenty with the cam change, although we did rejet. Your Buick will run fine with the stock 2 bbl after your over bore, and if you decide that you need an upgrade I would look into a single 4 you will like it a lot better in that heavy pig then you would with trips. Remember cars are made to be driven looks are secondary.
Old engines were made to be rebored as part of an overhaul or rebuild during their working life. Typically, engines made before the sixties can be bored 1/8" with no problem and some, like certain Oldsmobile V8s can be bored 1/4". In the early sixties thin wall castings came in and at the same time, engines became so long lived they seldom needed to be rebuilt during a normal life of 100,000 miles. Thinner cylinders meant boring was limited to .060. Later engines from the 70s up were limited to a .030 bore, just .015 off the cylinders or about the thickness of a dime. On older engines you need to look up the manufacturer's specs to know for sure how far you can bore, but engines from the fifties and earlier, usually have very thick cylinders. Or these days the cylinders can be sonic tested.
Wow, there's a wealth of knowledge on here. Thanks guys. It seems to run ok, just would like a bit more poke. i just thought as it was rebored that maybe the carb would need replacing with a bigger one. I really love the idea of getting some of those big Stromberg 97's that they are making now. But you all seem to be recommending the 4bbl for the job. Hmm, well that would make sense as the engine was designed with the 4bbl in mind, but I just love the way that 3 97's look in a line on top.
No such thing as a brain not wired to do math. The problem is in how you look at math or how you were taught it. If you look at the numbers as tools and the way you use those tools as concepts it can become a lot easier. I don't understand how anyone can get through life without an understanding of simple basic pre -algebra math.
Agreed. Looking at math differently & a few tricks makes simple math easy. Smile at the generations that followed who rely on the calculator for the smallest of numbers. At work, a friend would throw numbers at me as it was faster than digging out his calculator. Now the phone is the next generation's calculator & the source of knowledge. The game of Trivial Pursuit will become Google Pursuit.
And if the fiction of something like a post apocalyptic world where there are no more electronics etc., ever came to p*** a huge number of people would be done for almost immediately. Hope it doesn't happen but a reset would be fine with me. I grew up before the video game and cell phones, and life was simpler to be sure.
Well I've managed pretty well without it for nearly 42 years .The problem is my brain isn't wired the same as those who understand maths. You can't be taught how to understand it, you can either do it or you can't, no more than somebody who cannot draw can be taught to be an artist. My brain is wired for art, not understanding numbers, I have numerical dyslexia.
Hot4hotrods. Sorry for the unintentional pile on. It was not my intent. I meant to agree that math is easier with a few tricks. I worked with a brilliant engineer for 25 years that was dyslexic with language and had an appreciation for his challenges. Everyone is wired differently which makes this a better world. I don't care for threads & comments that belittle others. It was not my intent to direct a comment at you and I apologize that my comment hurt. Glenn Here is a great source for information on the 57 -58 Buick 364 engine under group 2. http://www.teambuick.com/reference/library/57_ch***is/ Aid in seeking parts. http://www.teambuick.com/reference/casting_numbers_nailhead.php
Heey, it's ok, it's all good. I wasn't offended, sorry if it came across like that, I was just saying that I don't believe that being able to understand mathmatics can be taught, I think you're either born with that ability or not. I wasn't. I was diagnosed with dyslexia at a young age. I'm good with art and music, so I find it equally baffling when people say they can't draw, to me that ability comes naturally. So I understand that same bewilderment when people who are good at maths, hear people like me say they can't do it
Anyway, back to the thread, the large Stromberg 97's they just brought out for the SBC, would they be a good application for the 364 Nailhead?
LOL I have a friend who I have raced and built with for about 20 years give or take. I watched his kids grow up. I was forever loosing my pencil and my boss another old friend bought this box of those big ol kiddy garden pencils he would cut a groove in one and tie a string around it and hang it around my neck. One day my racing buddy walks into the Boss' office and says, "I need one of Ben's Big Fat Pencils." The Boss asked him why and he said, " They are teaching my kid to add and subtract with a calculator in school, I smashed it against the wall and told him it will be easier with his Uncle Ben's calculator."
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