72 Gs455

[72GS]

I am new to the forum. It is good to see that there are people to talk to to get tips on the Buick GS. I am restoring a 1972 Buick GS 455. Any advice on what to watch out for? I am redoing the motor right now.

[Musclecarclub]

Any specific questions? Restoring Buicks is definitely tougher than other GM A-bodies - mainly due to the lack of parts. However, both Yearone.com and Originalpartsgroup.com have Buick GS catalogs. I have ordered from both and have no complaints.

[vbrpete]

Doing the motor,eh?

DON'T CHEAP OUT ON THE OILING SYSTEM.

In case you're not aware,the only serious deficiency in the Buick V-8 is the lame oiling system.Don't even THINK of rebuilding without springing for a new front cover.The things get galled,being aluminum,and lose oil pressure because of it.The new cover,together with a standard volume oil pump cartridge,will help out big time.Also,contact Kenne-Bell,TA or Poston's about getting grooved main bearings for the crank-they oil far better than stock replacement bearings.Buicks have insanely large main bearing journals,and getting enough oil in them to prevent starvation is a big job.

I redid the 455 in my GSX four years ago and used every trick in the book.It rocked.Put a cam from TA in it,and even with the stock iron 4 barrel intake the thing would just obliterate anything it went up against.

Any other questions-let's have 'em.It's nice to talk Buick for a change(I own a Mustang shop-not a lot of Buicks going through it)

[kratefan]

Originally Posted by vbrpete

Doing the motor,eh?

DON'T CHEAP OUT ON THE OILING SYSTEM.


Any other questions-let's have 'em.It's nice to talk Buick for a change(I own a Mustang shop-not a lot of Buicks going through it)

Also, Buicks LOVE close tolerances! Don't build it loose.

[a455gsx]

I recommend you deal with a machine shop who specializes in Buick motors and also only buy engine parts from the reputable Buick vendors. You also need to know exactly what you want from your engine after the re-build. Is it for a driver, part-time race car, etc.

Some of the required items in my opinnion are:

A good double roller timing chain
3-angle value job (should use Stage 1 valves)
Hardened valve seats
Forged pistons
Arp hardware
New water pump
All components balanced (flywheel also if 4 speed)
Check oil pump and pump gear clearances carefully
The old Quadrajet carbs work great and are very easy to re-build. Make sure you don't use a 350 carb on a 455.

Choice of cam, headers, manifold, etc depends on what you plan to use the car for. For a daily driver I would recommend Lunati's stage 1 cam. It has decent power over the entire RPM range. I am running stock exhaust manifolds (machined by Greg Gessler) and an Edlebrock B4B aluminium intake manifold. Any Buick head can be upgraded to Stage 1 specs. Head porting makes a big difference if you plan on going to the track a lot.

Before doing the engine you should talk to the experts such as Mike from T/A performance. He knows his stuff as do all of the people who specialize in Buicks.

Brian

[kratefan]

Originally Posted by a455gsx

I
I am running stock exhaust manifolds (machined by Greg Gessler) and an Edlebrock B4B aluminium intake manifold. Any Buick head can be upgraded to Stage 1 specs. Head porting makes a big difference if you plan on going to the track a lot.

Before doing the engine you should talk to the experts such as Mike from T/A performance. He knows his stuff as do all of the people who specialize in Buicks.

Brian

Great advice! Greg Gessler is one of the best Buick machinists around. His cars consistently win at Bowling Green.
Jeff