455/th400 in a '55 Century

[Guest]

I know this may not be a popular question, but I was wondering if anyone knows what it will take to drop a 1970 455/th400 into a 1955 Buick Century. Will the bolt pattern match? I know I will have to change the rear end, what kind of rear end is best? Will this be more expensive than a str8 restoration? Lastly, where do i find a 1970 455 and a th400 tranny? thanks for any help.

[The Old Guy]

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 .

[Guest]

I am in process of putting a 71 455/th400 & using a Lincoln Versaille ( 9' Ford ) w/247.1 gears in a 55 Buick special 2door sedan. i know it will fit but also plan on lots of adapting etc to do job. Also am going to install disc brakes on front without a clip. ( don,t know how yet but will figure it out ?). Let me know how you make out with your swap and I will do same for you.<BR> Pete<p>[This message has been edited by Uncle Pete (edited 01-30-2001).]

[Guest]

i would recommend a full frame replacement. i also would not recommend the '70 model 455. the compression is too high for todays pump gas. the oiling was also better in the later blocks. i have a 73 model riviera under my 50 special, and am most pleased. upgraded to a 75 electra's HEI distributor this week, runs like a top.<P>check on autotraderonline.com and find a running car with the same wheelbase as yours.<BR><P>------------------<BR>allan<BR>--------------<BR>50 special, 455/th400<BR>64 stude gt hawk, 289/auto<BR>76 poncho GP, 400/th400

[Guest]

I am in the middle of putting a '72 455/TH400 in a '59. New frame mounts for the motor, notch the crossmember for oil filter clearance & a fabricate 'double-hump' trans crossmember. The obstacle is the rear. In '59 at least, the lower control arms are about 4 feet long & attach to the TorqueTube. Since that's all gone on my car, the rear suspension had to be built from scratch along with the rear. All the above plus building the rear itself & running new frame rails from the rear seat back took less than 70 hours. <P>I have never been involved in swapping a body onto a frame almost 20 years newer. The amount of fabrication to mount the shell, fenders, core support, bumpers, etc, etc HAS to be far greater (and more expensive) than what I outlined above. If your '55 is as much of an interlocking puzzle as '59s are, it will be an exercise in frustration and $$$. <P>kitn0 & The Old Guy- how much of your respective swaps did you do yourselves? Am I way off base on the fabrication / time / $$ demands of such a swap?

[Guest]

i have done EVERY SINGLE nut, bolt, weld, grind, spray, stitch and sand on this car, WITHOUT A GARAGE!<P>i have just under $6000 invested in it thus far, and it contains parts from over 30 other automobiles. the only new parts in the car are the flex fan, ignition parts, and custom radiator.<P>yes, it is labor intensive.<BR>yes. i am certifyably crazy.<BR>yes, i would do it again.<BR>yes, i have a website.<BR> <A HREF="http://www2.pfeiffer.edu/~anoah/buick/" TARGET=_blank>http://www2.pfeiffer.edu/~anoah/buick/</A> <BR><P>------------------<BR>allan<BR>--------------<BR>50 special, 455/th400<BR>64 stude gt hawk, 289/auto<BR>76 poncho GP, 400/th400

[The Old Guy]

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

[Guest]

I have a '56 Century that I'm currently changing to 455/th400. I used Chassis Engineering engine mounts which worked very well-I simply welded them to the frame. The hard part was making room for the oil pump. To do this I notched the crossmember enough to make room for the oil pump with a remote filter mount...I can't see doing it any other way. You also may have to remove to two big humps for the vents on the firewall or notch them to make room for the valve covers. For the trans, I also used a Chassis Engineerring trans mount with a two inch drop. For the rear end, I used a '71 GS455 10 bolt. This took a little more fabrication because I used the stock upper and lower control arms. To do this I fabricated some mounts that I welded to the frame. <BR>I'm still trying to figure out how to switch to disc brakes up front. I'm looking into two scenerios. 1: find a later model rotor that will fit the buick spindle and fabricate my own mount for the caliper (I'm hoping the kits available for the '57 Chevy will work). 2: Speedway makes '49-'54 Chevy spindles that you can mount Mustang II rotors on...I hope I can modify these spindles to replace the current Buick spindles. This will require machining of the new spindle and the orginal steering knuckle due to the fact that the King pin of the chevy spindle in slightly shorter. The King pin diameter is not as big of a problem. The Buick's king pin is .861 in diameter while the chevy is .867. So all that is needed is a little honing of the Buick steering knucle (0.005)<P>I have a website that needs to be updated...check it in few days and I should have some current pictures posted.<P>Regards,<BR>Paul<BR> <A HREF="http://www.geocities.com/deegan56/index.html" TARGET=_blank>http://www.geocities.com/deegan56/index.html</A> <P>email: pedeegan@hotmail.com

[Guest]

Kitn0: I give you full credit for tackling such an ambitious project. That said, -even tho your cost is not unreasonable- you must have 100s & 100s of hours logged in on it. Altho you "would do it again", wouldn't you admit a 're-chassis-ing' is beyond the ability & perserverance of most hobbyists? I'm not saying you did it the 'wrong way', just pointing out that the powertrain swap boogie can be done in much less time (thusly money) & with much less custom-fitting.<P>BTW- I'm running a mildly-narrowed Dana 60 posi with 3.73s, 36" ladder bars & a Panhard bar. Indestructable.

[Guest]

mostly, i did it my way cause i wanted to learn to weld. i figured i had better start with cosmetic stuff, before i tackled more important stuff like engine mounts.<P>are you trying to tell me that if a person cant do a frame swap which requires bending and welding some sheet metal, that they are supposed to be able to figure out how to mount a ladder bar setup securely? hell no! <P>cutting the frame and or suspension of your car is one dangerous thing to do if you are not experienced and a good welder.<P>therefore, even if it is more hours, it is actually safer IMHO, and parts are easier to find, doing the frame swap. this also gets you modern power disk brakes, no custom driveshaft, and you can sell the original frame/engine/etc to another bca member, often for more than the donor car cost you <P>the firewalls even lined up. i am using the steering column from the 73, changed the center of my 50 wheel, now i got tilt power steering, without having to hack on my 50's frame for weeks.<P>which is more time consuming? adding all these options to your old frame, or just dropping in a frame that already has them?<P>(when your car has no floor pans to start with, the answer is easy...)<P><P>------------------<BR>allan<BR>--------------<BR>50 special, 455/th400<BR>64 stude gt hawk, 289/auto<BR>76 poncho GP, 400/th400

[66400]

Chevrolet pickups '71 thru '87 have a self contained bolt on front crossmember that includes the engine mounting cradle, springs, control arms, spindles and disc brakes with 5" bolt pattern for the wheels. Take a look, it's quite adaptable. Henry<BR>