NC-car-guy Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 (edited) Ok, maybe the seasoned experts on this thread can help. When I google 322 Buick Nailhead specs, I get a range of #s all over the place. Especially in the HP. 164 all the way to 255. Does anyone know the true Hp of a 322? Was there a 2bbl option that was maybe less? Did it go up when dual exhaust became available? Are some of these #s talking about at the wheel horses or engine horses..... I guess I've always over simplified and assumed all 322's were the same.... Edited September 20, 2016 by wndsofchng06 (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpecialEducation Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 (edited) Specs are variable due to different carbs as well as different compression ratios. In '56, the 2bbl Dynaflow engine was rated at 220hp, where the 4bbl engines were 255. I have searched all over for a rating on the low compression Syncromesh 322, but have never found it. We all know the engine should do better with dual exhaust, but back then those were bare engine ratings, so that's HP at the flywheel with no generator load, no PS, etc... Edited September 20, 2016 by SpecialEducation (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NC-car-guy Posted September 20, 2016 Author Share Posted September 20, 2016 2 minutes ago, SpecialEducation said: Specs are variable due to different carbs as well as different compression ratios. In '56, the 2bbl Dynaflow engine was rated at 220hp, where the 4bbl engines were 255. I have searched all over for a rating on the low compression Syncromesh 322, but have never found it. Wait what? different compression ratios in the 322?? wouldn't that require a different bore or stroke or head or something? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpecialEducation Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 (edited) Compression can be changed with different piston domes and different head chambers. Changing pistons is pretty common, but my understanding is that Buick used different heads, too. I don't have a parts manual for the exact breakdown. I don't have my manual in front of me either, but as I recall, Specials got 7.5:1 (SM) or 8.9:1 (DF) 322s, where all others got 9.5:1 engines. Edited September 20, 2016 by SpecialEducation (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NC-car-guy Posted September 20, 2016 Author Share Posted September 20, 2016 seems like a lot of engineering for an engine that only went from 53-56. So in my pile of 322's I may have several different HP engines... wild Now I want to open them all up and look inside! HA HA HA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpecialEducation Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 7 minutes ago, wndsofchng06 said: seems like a lot of engineering for an engine that only went from 53-56. So in my pile of 322's I may have several different HP engines... wild Now I want to open them all up and look inside! HA HA HA You definitely want to catalog them by casting numbers. This engine was an infant back then. There were lots of evolutionary product improvement changes going on. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old-tank Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 3 minutes ago, wndsofchng06 said: seems like a lot of engineering for an engine that only went from 53-56. So in my pile of 322's I may have several different HP engines... wild Now I want to open them all up and look inside! HA HA HA Just supply the engine number on your 322's. All the different years had changes to the heads and/or pistons to raise the compression ratio and hp. The differences in the year of the engine was usually different head gaskets. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrEarl Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 24 minutes ago, old-tank said: The differences in the year of the engine was usually different head gaskets. That ^. especially between standard and auto shift Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpecialEducation Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 (edited) Block Cast # Year Displacement 1169334 56-59 322 1390972 1953 322 1391753 1954 322 1392101 1955 322 1392102 1955 std. 322 1392290 1955 dyna. 322 1392291 1955 dyna. 322 1392586* 1956 dyna. 322 1392734 1956 322 Head Cast # Year Displacement 1344214 1953 322 1343840 1953 322 1165549 54 264/322 1166349 54-56 264/322 1168930 56 322 1169349 56 322 1175109 56-59 322* *Chev truck Intake Manifold Cast # Year Displacement 1162286 53 322 4bbl 1163206 54-55 322 4bbl 1165308 53-55 322 2bbl 1165308 1169189 man. trans.1170624 55 322 2bbl 1165384 55 322 4bbl 1169189 55 40 std. 1170624 56 322 2bbl 1170625 50/60/70 56 322 4bbl Exhaust Manifold Cast # Year Displacement 1165212 right1345564-5left 54-55 264/322 1168110 right1169265 left 56 322 1168110 right1169001 left 56 322 1175576 right1175575 left 56 322 1175576 right1175581 left 56 with duals and series 70 322 1345564-5 right1345564-5 left 53 322 (From Buicks.net) Edited September 20, 2016 by SpecialEducation (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrEarl Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 5 hours ago, SpecialEducation said: I have searched all over for a rating on the low compression Syncromesh 322, but have never found it. 54 Syncromesh Supers (2bbl) had 177 and Century's 195 at 4100 RPM. The small bore 322 (the 264) had 143 @ 4200. Don't know about 55-56 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesBulldogMiller55Buick Posted September 21, 2016 Share Posted September 21, 2016 (edited) for '55 all 322 had four barrel carb. Dynaflow jobs were 236 hp all 264 had two barrel carb. Dynaflow jobs were 188 hp the synchromesh jobs had lower compression ratio and lower hp. (thicker headgaskets) again , all 1955 322 were four barrel all 1955 264 were two barrel EDIT; the lower compression engines have different piston heights . The head gaskets are the same Edited September 22, 2016 by JamesBulldogMiller55Buick pistons (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NTX5467 Posted September 22, 2016 Share Posted September 22, 2016 And, on top of all of that, the "Export" motors usually had even lower compression ratios? What about camshaft timing event specs? Valve sizes? I rather suspect the main compression ratio differences were in the compression height of the pistons themselves. Head gaskets might have been thicker, too, but not all of the difference in compression ratios, typically. NTX5467 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesBulldogMiller55Buick Posted September 22, 2016 Share Posted September 22, 2016 21 minutes ago, NTX5467 said: And, on top of all of that, the "Export" motors usually had even lower compression ratios? What about camshaft timing event specs? Valve sizes? I rather suspect the main compression ratio differences were in the compression height of the pistons themselves. Head gaskets might have been thicker, too, but not all of the difference in compression ratios, typically. NTX5467 You're right about the pistons. I'm wrong about the head gaskets. It was headgaskets on Fireball Robert's Daytona '55 Century that I was thinking about. That's a story for another thread 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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