MY 1987 STAGE-1 BUICK 455 REGAL SPECIAL-T!!!

[Guest STAGE-2 TORQUE]

... SO-FAR-SO-GOOD.

[NTX5467]

With that cam and carb, you'll need something stronger and deeper-geared than a GM 10 bolt and 3.42 gears! Sounds more like 4.10 territory to me, plus "Ford 9 inch", too.

I don't see anything about chassis upgrades (i.e., boxed rear lower control arms), or brake upgrades (i.e., 4 wheel disc brakes, 6 piston calipers), or a roll cage to keep the "coach joints" at the upper joint of the quarter panels (at the top of the side windows) from cracking, where they always do on turbo cars which are raced, yet still claimed to be "stock".

A rompin' stompin' special-built engine is one thing, but being able to use it without wadding up the car body in the process, or being a hazard to others on the road (due to "factory" brakes and chassis calibrations) is a whole 'nuther deal.

Regards,

NTX5467

[Guest]

I didn't know Buick made a 1987 stage 1 455 regal????:confused:

Perhaps this thread should be directed to the Buick club section under Performance / modified.

D.

[Guest STAGE-2 TORQUE]

With that cam and carb, you'll need something stronger and deeper-geared than a GM 10 bolt and 3.42 gears! Sounds more like 4.10 territory to me, plus "Ford 9 inch", too.

I don't see anything about chassis upgrades (i.e., boxed rear lower control arms), or brake upgrades (i.e., 4 wheel disc brakes, 6 piston calipers), or a roll cage to keep the "coach joints" at the upper joint of the quarter panels (at the top of the side windows) from cracking, where they always do on turbo cars which are raced, yet still claimed to be "stock".

A rompin' stompin' special-built engine is one thing, but being able to use it without wadding up the car body in the process, or being a hazard to others on the road (due to "factory" brakes and chassis calibrations) is a whole 'nuther deal.

Regards,

NTX5467

I really appreciate your reply.

I got the Stage-1 Regal (with help from Tyrone Taylor & Dominic) up to it's "alleged" 90% reliability ... with the Holley 850-cfm carb I got last week (not installed yet) just last month.

I had plans (in my notes) since day-1 of having the "g-body Regal/GM full-size car or station wagon front brake conversion" done before "seriously" beating on the Buick.

Regarding the TA290-08H cam ... a few guys on V8Buick.com has been running it for quite a while with the 10-bolt/3:42 set-up ... with NO issues/breakage at all.

My GN rear has a brand new posi-unit, TA girdle, and a new bearing kit. A chrome-moly GN drive-shaft (off a 9-second GN) with heavy-duty U-joints and a Spicer TH400 yoke resides behid it.

The 10-inch convertor ( ??? stall 2800-rpm???) was chosen by the engine builder (Dan Smith) to assist the GN rear-3:42's/cam/"built" TH400-3speed automatic.

Since day-1, I have the axillary brake vacuum canister ... with light brake-fade during burnouts and past 3200-rpm in drive gear --- SOMETIMES.

On my prior Buick455Regal (motor was built by Scotty at Pee Gee's in Brooklyn years back), I had the 10-bolt with 3:73's ... WHICH MADE THE REGAL PULL REEEEALLY HARD, especially slowing on the highway to 3000-rpm ... then immediately taking the motor to 5,500-rpm KICKING VETTE, PORSCH 928, and FORD 5.0-BUTT. Raul later changed me to 3:42's ... AND I HATED THE LOSS IN ACCELERATION!

THIS 455 is "waaay" different build-wise from the 455 Scotty built for me years ago (I had NO money then ... NOW I have a "few dollars" LOL), so even the "3:73's" aren't necessary with my combo (I hope LOL).

Thanks again for your time and reply. I don't know MUCH ... I'm just getting started again.

[Guest STAGE-2 TORQUE]

With that cam and carb, you'll need something stronger and deeper-geared than a GM 10 bolt and 3.42 gears! Sounds more like 4.10 territory to me, plus "Ford 9 inch", too.

I don't see anything about chassis upgrades (i.e., boxed rear lower control arms), or brake upgrades (i.e., 4 wheel disc brakes, 6 piston calipers), or a roll cage to keep the "coach joints" at the upper joint of the quarter panels (at the top of the side windows) from cracking, where they always do on turbo cars which are raced, yet still claimed to be "stock".

A rompin' stompin' special-built engine is one thing, but being able to use it without wadding up the car body in the process, or being a hazard to others on the road (due to "factory" brakes and chassis calibrations) is a whole 'nuther deal.

Regards,

NTX5467

... I was also directed here by V8Buick.com;

11" bolt on brakes

[NTX5467]

IF you can bolt-on 11" rear brakes from a 1990s era Caprice police car onto your rear axle housing (which means it's the "Chevy pattern" axle ends on the housing), then you can also bolt-on the later Caprice rear disc brakes. Unlike the earlier rear disc brakes on the '79 era Firebirds, which required a special rear axle housing to use, the later rear discs have a bolt-on bracket to which the rear calipers and such bolt to and go in the place of the 11" drums.

The 1977 Monte Carlo also used 11" rear brakes, unlike the prior and later years which were the 9.5" rear brakes. The 1981 Z-28 Export cars also used 11" rear brakes on the 10 bolt Chevy housing. Similar era Buicks with Buick rear axles had different rear backing plates.

The original Caprice rear brakes had a lh and rh backing plate, for when the parking brake cables all entered from the front-side of the car. Later, they used 2 lh backing plates . . . one on the lh side and the other on the rh side, which also meant that the parking brake cable for the rh side circled around the back of the axle housing and entered the backing plate from the rear of the car. In reality, the backing plates are the same, just that the hole for the parking brake cable is punched out to reflect the different ways the parking brake cable enters the rear brake assy.

BTW, there is a "Performance" section of the Buick Club forums, which the V8Buick operatives should be aware of.

Enjoy!

NTX5467