Hi all, I have an 82 4 cylinder firebird in which I want to swap a 455 Buick engine. I'm sure its been done, I saw a third gen firebird with this same swap in hot rod a couple years ago, maybe more recent, I can't remember. I also want to swap a 200-4R in behind this engine. Can anyone offer me any advice?

Thanks

spencer

 

first off, don't call it a big block.

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You can swap any engine you want into it but only a BBC is the easiest to do. Buick, Pontiac, Oldsmobile and Caddy engines all use a different bellhousing bolt pattern so you'll also need to change your transmission to one that fits to the engine. I'm not sure about Buick GN cars if their transmission have the B-O-P pattern or if it's a standard chev pattern.

Since there's no engine swap kit available, you'll have to fabricate everything for the swap. No headers are available. Clearances and mounting brackets need to be checked.

Nothing is impossible but you'll need to do a lot of planning and be prepared to modify things to get them to work.

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As mentioned already, you'll have to make all sorts of little things and some big things, too. The header issue *might* be easier if you take a SBC header and cut and weld a Buick flange to them. The 200 has a BOP pattern but doesn't have the provision for the torque arm mounting but the GNX had a torque arm suspension and I believe Cottons? or someone has a reproduction kit available that might be of some help. One thing to watch out for with those Big Buick engines is monster torque output so build the rest of the car accordingly if you plan to hot rod the engine.

 

Buick did have a small-block and a big-block engine in the mid 60's to mid '70s.

I (believe) the 300, 340, and 350 were small-blocks.

The big-block versions were 400, 430 and 455s.

The other larger Buick engines in the early to mid-60s were the 'nail-head' versions that evolved out of the early 1950s design.

The early 60s small V-8 (215) was very similar between the Buick version and the Olds version. The Buick was (if I remember correctly) an aluminum-headed cast-iron block while the Olds version was all-aluminum, which was available with an optional turbocharger.

Interestingly, GM sold the design rights to the small Buick/Olds engine and it is still in production today in the Range-Rover!

Also, there was nothing like looking under the hood of a '64 full-size Buick wagon and seeing 2-4 barrel carbs! Factory Stock!
jms

[This message has been edited by jms (edited August 26, 2001).]

 

thanks for all the input! i was planning on a lot of fabrication, so that's not really a surprise. I'll look into the torque arm mounting on the 200, good point. I was planning on using the stock exhaust manifolds. anyhow, thanks again for the input!

spencer

 

I saw such a setup out at Bandimere a few weeks ago. I believe it ran in the 16's. Maybe it was 15.9's. Impressive...

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There was a GTA with a 455 in either hot rod or car craft a few months ago. Looked pretty wicked. Spohn should be a big help with that. They make a TH200r4 crossmember that has a mount for their adjustable torque arm. Headers might be a PITA. Motor mounts shouldn't be that big of a deal. Driveshaft probbly won't be the right lenth. I would look for some info on a TH350 swap just because the two tranny's are almost the same lenth. 86-88 TH200r4's are supposed to be the strong ones. You'll have to get a lockup kit. Sometime soon I should be putting one on the TH200r4 going into my 79 malibu. That's all I can think of at the moment. There's a guy on the MonteCarloSS.com message board who has a 455 in his monte. His member name is Supernova455, maybe he can help.

 

run a b-o-p turbo 400 with a hurst turbo 400 swap kit. no headers available but you can get some custom made ones.

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hmm... I thought it was one block like Pontiac...oh well