The Old Guy

The Special and Cnetury took the small panel, the Super and Roadmaster used a longer panel, and I am not sure where the Limited fit into the equation. If you get panels from a 40 or 60 series ,you should be OK.

I got a beautiful big Lazy Boy recliner chair! I think my wife is trying to lure me out of the garage. ( It might work for awhile)

The same to you, and hopefully the new year will bring us peace throughout the world,and good health to everyone

This thread has lasted so long it is time to update my vehicle list. I sold the 57 Buick special and I see that cars other than Buicks should be listed. I also have a 67 Corvair 500 coupe, a 1968 Chev pickup, and a 1990 Lumina APV . I won't bore you with all the cars I have owned ,as it is over 180

I have a 200-4R in my 72 GS convert. It weighs 3990 and has a fairly healthy engine. (13.0s at 106) I lost second gear at Norwalk last year and went into the swap area and found that the GN boys had a cure for my problwm. I gt a wider second band,and a new second servo that applies 30% more pressure on the second band . This seems to have solved the problem. BB Sam is running a 200-4r in his low 12 second GS ,so if you have a COMPETENT tranny builder do it , you should be OK. The problem is there are different parts available for the 200-4R and your builder needs to know which is which. The guy that built mine did a good job.

The 200-4R is practically a bolt in and with a few upgrades,will handle your big block Buick

The meet is July 23-27 2003.It will be in Flint MI and complete info is on the BCA website. www.buickclub.org.

the heads are identical. The only problem you may have is that some models have a hole for water circulation each end and you will have to make sure that the rear ones are pluggedwith the proper soft plug.

One is GM and the other is Ford, and the only things that will interchange is the tires and battery

The McLaughlin Club of Canada has many knowledgable members. www.buickclub.org/mclaughlin/

This is not as simple as you might think.the 425 has a different crankshaft configuration than the early engine. The 55 also has a smaller circumference bolt pattern then the 425, so you will need an adaptor. If you use the ST-400 turbo which bolts to the 425, you will need to change rear ends ,as the 55 has a torque tube ,and the 425 has an open drive shaft.

Buick rear end gears interchange from 1940--1955,as long as you use the whole center pig The earlier Buicks would need a complete rear axle swap, and 36and 37 still had semi elliptic springa, so you need to make spring perches.

I believe that if the members of this board would like to meet, we should post a notice on the bulletin board telling the time for us to all meet in the hospitality room. Perhaps we might decide this as we get closer to the meet,and post it here as well. I am sure that we can arrive at a time compatible to most of us , that does not interfere with the daily activities. The Buicktown chapter will reserve us a table when we decide the time.

You may be running out of fuel because the fuel pump can't feed the engine enough. I had the same problem with two of my Buicks,and installed the fuel pump for the Stage one engine,which has a larger capacity, and solved the problem. Installing more carbs will just accentuate the problem

TA is making the shorty headers, and I belisve they are block huggers,so they should not have clearance problems. I have never run Hookers, but it seems to me I heard that they take up more room than the TAs

The main cause of point failure is the rub block wearing, and the condenser not matching the system. A condenser that is not right will cause a pitting in the points. When I get an old points car, I replace the points and look at them for pitting. If they have a pit, I replace the condenser. I then monitor the system ,and if the points start to pit, I change the condenser again. Once I find good condenser, The points will run until the rub block wears out. Condensers have a plus or minus microfarad reading for a tolerance, and I don't know much about that, only that when you get a good condenser, points wil run a LOOOOONNNNGG time.

I only live twenty miles from the show area, so I will drive a different Buick every day. I have been to all the national meets and it is nice that everyone else has the trip this time.

Buick did not make a 455 after 1976, so someone else installed the engine. i would think that the headers would fit without too much trouble. TA also makes shortery headersthat would work.

The term "Nailhead" was coined when Buick brought out their new V8 in 1953.The first mechanics that looked at the size of the valves said" these look more like nails than valves" .The Buick engine from 1953 to 1966 carried this term ,although by 1963 the "Nailhead" had grown to 425CI from its start at 322CI ,and the valves were considerably larger.

I have a 72 GS that I run at the drags, and I still use a point ignition. Points will work just fine unless you need more than 6000 RPM. I use the points to trigger a MSD 6AL box ,and am very happy with the system.I have the points still in my 1940 also, and as long as you keep the distributor cam lobes lubricated, points last a long time. I have only replaced the points in the 40 twice in 90,000 miles.

If you feel you need an electronic ignition, why not install the pertronix unit in your distributor? They work fine ,and do not need any extra space. You will also have to run another wire ,as they use straight 12 volts. I run points in all my cars,and they have never let me down.

I have driven my 40 Buick over 90,000 miles in the thirty years I have owned it, and have never used an additive. I also pulled an Airstream trailer all over the country with a 57 Buick wagon, and never had any problem with valve recession. The Buick block had a higher nickel content than most engines,and does not seem to suffer like many other engines from this particular problem.

You have either collapsed lifters, a wiped cam, or bent push rods. This will cause your back fire ,and the simplest check is to see if the rocker arms are moving. If they are, then pull the rocker shaft and check the push rod for straightness. If they are OK then you have collapsed the lifters.

right? left? Front? rear? you won't sell it if you do not tell us what it is

A 750 CFM carb is not big enough to feed your Buick properly. If it is a Holley, that is even worse! Put an 800 CFM Q-jet on it and save the big job. Nitrous is also an option ,that is cheaper and makes LOTS of HP