The Old Guy

You are right! I always use no.2 permatex,but most people have never even heard of permatex because they all use RTV. Thank you for the reality check! RTV is useful, but not in oil pump areas.

If you can't find an original gasket, check to see if you have clearance between the case and gears .If you have clearance ,put some RTV on the edge ,and lock it down

If it is five onches wide, it is a 455. If it is wider than six inches it is a 350

If you have oil pressure ,the pump is primed! A problem with pressure after you disassembled the pump would make me suspect that you replaced the gasket with one that was thicker than the one you removed. Did you check the plate for flatness? You should also check the clearance between the gears and the pump body. If it is more than .005 you will be losing pressure there. The pump must be turned clockwise to prime.

Finding a complete 50s axle will still leave you with the drive shaft problem. The only way you can put a complete unit in ,is to find one with the proper length drive shaft and torque tube

A friend of mine did the frame change ,and he said it was almost a drop on process. He shortened the wheel base to 121,by cutting the frame right behind the upper A arms ,and moved the engine back to the fire wall .I put 10,000miles on it last summer ,and it is a joy to drive. I had a 57 Caballero wagon ,that was all original that I hauled a 54 Airstream all over the country with in the 80s ,and it did the job ,but this is a lot more fun to drive

What series 32? the big series-80-90 takes a bigger cap than the 50-60

I have a 55 Century rear end in my 40 and I love it! The rear ends from 40 through 55 will interchange,even the side gears have the same spline ,so the axles will all fit with no problem. My 40 had a 4.40 axle and it was winding way to high on the interstate,so I put in the 3.42 and it works fine.

I have a 57 special ,and it is on a 72 Electra chassis. You might check into something like this, as this way you have all late model running gear and you don't have to worry about pinion angles ,and it gives you much better brakes. Putting a rear end in a car with a torque tube is not an easy job .

I didn't reply to the rest of your post ,because I forgot. The 66 heads and intake are superior, because they do have bigger ports ,and the 66 intake uses a Q-jet carb which is a much better choice than the Carter AFB

One thing that you must watch when working with 401 buick engines is the back of the crank. The 63 and earlier engines had Dynaflow transmissions, and the 64 up engines had turbo 400s . The back of the crankshaft is machined to accept one or the other ,and they won't interchange. The 400 in the 65 was in reality a 401,but gm had a 400 inch limit in the A body cars, consequently the 401 conviently lost one cubic inch All the 425 Buicks were machined to accept the 400 turbo.

If you are not worried about highway driving , you should go with a 3.90 axle ,as this will get you through the 1/4 . Any more gear ,and you will probably run out of RPMs before you hit the traps.

I guess that there are as many favorite Buicks as there are Buick owners, but you see a trend on this forum. The 31-33 bodies appeal to the people who like the classic era ,the 36-39 bodies to the neo- classic era ,and the 53-60 era to the baby boomers who love the excess in everything! the last (but not least) group are the people who like to go fast! They prefer the GSX,the Wildcats,and the GN-GNX Buicks.I personally like the 37-40 styling and the go fast cars like the GSX and GN .<P>Joe Taubitz BCA#1308<BR>37 special coupe/455powered<BR>40 super convert/original<BR>57 special 2dr hd. top /on 72Electra chassis<BR>63 Electra 2dr hd. top /original/23K <BR>72 GS 455 convert /13.00@105MPH <BR>87 GN 2dr /original <BR>91 pk ave ultra/Momma's

How fast do you want to go? The 87 GN with a 3.42 axle and the 200-4R trans ( which has a .66 overdrive ) with a chip change will probably run 140 mph . They are electronically limited to 118 from the factory , but change the prom and hang unto your A**

One problem you will have is the roadmaster fender will have 4 portholes and the Super will have 3. I beleive they are the same size.

I think you will find that most of the members with older Buicks have other things to do rather than play on the computers. I have been in the BCA since 1969 and will echo Mike's statement. There are many teens and twenties Buicks in the BCA,and many knowledgeable people who can help you if you need a part or answers to a question. I have enjoyed my membership and feel that the BCAis a part of my family<P>Joe Taubitz BCA# 1308

I am planning on running it from start to finish. I am driving my 37 Buick special Coupe .It has a 455 buick engine and all the toys

Do it for you!!!!!

Yes

Ken, you should do this one for you! It would be the perfect BDE car

Leroy Cole's phone number is : 810-658-5373

There is a replica of the 04 in the Sloan Museum in Flint MI. It is the only one known to exist. The oldest Buick known at the present time is the 05 at theHarold Warp Pioneer Village in Minden NE . The radiator shell on the 04 is narrower than the 05 and I have never seen one. Therehas been extensive research done and to my knowledge,there are no 04s in existence.

If they are going to rebore it ,why not use 71 up pistons. That will drop the compression and you can use standard head gaskets.

Hey,Martinsr , are you going to the hot rod power tour this summer? I plan on running it from Detroit to LA in my 455 buick powered 37 Buick coupe<P>Joe Taubitz <BR> <BR>37 Special coupe /455 /400turbo<BR>40 super convert original<BR>57 special 2dr. ( on a 72 Electra chassis) <BR>63 Electra 225 2dr original <BR>72 GS -455 convert 13.0s at 105<BR>87 GN original <BR>91 Park ave. Ultra (mommas car)

I was one of the fortunate ones that got to ride in the Blackhawk at the BCA nats in VA. Mike Doble ,the man responsible for it bought a 63 Riv from me back in 1988 and when I was talking to him at the nationals , He asked me if I would like a ride. Needless to say ,I jumped at the chance!!! They also brought it out to the drag strip and made some passes. They had some tuning problems ,but it was VERY impressive. <P>Joe Taubitz<BR>BCA 1308<BR>BDE 001<BR>GSCA 3800<BR>BSRA 114