buick 455 buick up

[Guest]

i am interested in building a high hp buick 455 500hp plus, i know this may seem outrageous but im tired of hearing all of the bs from my ford pony friends, does anyone know where i could find articles or build up comparisons on high performance 455<P>thanx joe

[Guest]

I think this would be up your alley...<BR> <A HREF="http://www.taperformance.com/500hp.htm" TARGET=_blank>http://www.taperformance.com/500hp.htm</A>

[Guest]

Also check out v8buick.com there is several good guys and shops who can help you put that kind of power together.<BR>ED

[NTX5467]

Car Craft or Popular Hot Rodding magazine did a big inch big horsepower comparison test a few months back on the main wedge big blocks of the early '70s--including Buicks. TA Perf and others contributed items to that annual (of sorts) test they did. That should give you a good idea of what combination you need to shoot for and if it might meet your criteria. I don't recall for sure, but think it was Popular Hot Rodding--I suspect that article might be in their archives and a link to it might be there, but I don't know about that.<P>Just like John Coletti, the Ford equivalent of GM's Jon Moss, the Ford guys seem to like to have their "dialogue" on how great their stuff is--and some is pretty credible--but many of them just parrot back what their favorite Ford magazines say or quote other "experts". It's so much fun to bait a hard core 5.0L Mustanger at the red lights too--don't even have to get really serious, just leave before they do so they have to play catch-up, hehe. Then they'll have to want to race and you can maturely decline their offer (and make them mad in the process as you've taken their chance to prove their alleged superiority) as they roar off in their requisite FlowMastered sound.<P>If you undertake that project, do so with a "having fun" attitude and nothing more. If they see that they've been successful in getting under your skin, it gets worse.<P>Don't forget to upgrade the rear suspension too. Having all of that power and TORQUE going to the rear wheels is useless if the car will not hookup properly and efficiently use that power in the desired manner. You might consider putting a timing set in that will retard the cam by 4 degrees to bleed off a little low end torque that you don't need and put a little added edge in the higher rpm levels that you will need.<P>Personally, if you're trying to compete with the Bottle Fed Mustangs, forget it. They are in their own little world, from my observations. Build a good, solid running Buick Big Block with a street chassis that "works" and you can dust many of the non-bottled fed Mustangs on the street--with a reasonably low-maintenance car that will look good and be fun to have and "cheap to keep" in the process. You might contact our resident racer, Ms. Vasilow on the BCA Board (new email on the front page under "BCA Board" member link), if you have any questions on combinations of parts that work.<P>Happy hunting and always have fun!<BR>NTX5467

[NTX5467]

Also, don't forget that you'll probably need a new rear axle gear set with at least a 3.91 ratio back there too. You can also go up to about 4.30, but that would compromise daily use and highway cruising a good bit in the process.<P>Then you'll need a transmission upgrade too. Heavier duty clutches in the Turbo400, if that's what you have, would be in order as would a new torque converter.<P>Just some additional thoughts . . <BR>NTX5467