455 question

hi guys

i found a 1972 buick 455 engine with a th400 but i cant see it running but it supposed to be a good engine.
do you guys have any advice for me where to look at when i see the engine or is it just taking a risk?

and would the engine be an easy swap or is there more to it?

i was thinking put new gaskets al around en check if the bearings are all ok
i heard that the stock 350 engine mounts would fit the 455.
but the transmission mounts are those the same?

i already have hd springs to put in the front.

thanks

boye

Make sure the timing cover isnt cracked or leaking,the cooling system runs through it and if it is you would have to fix it or replace it.I believe the mounts are the same.

Try & rotate the engine in the manner which it will spin normally (Pontiac might be counter clockwise?) Take a peek underneath the valve covers also to check that all the rockers move up & down properly while spinning the crank.  Verify the firing order on the motor in order to make it easier to observe the rocker arm movement.  If for any reason a rocker does not compress during it's "time", you have a problem with the cam & lifter (stripped lobe) or perhaps a frozen/bent valve.  It's easy to tell if its the valve as the pushrod will still move up/down but the valve spring will not compress or expand back to it's normal state at rest.  If you see any of that the motor will have to be rebuilt you may even have a crack in the block under the cylinder heads if a valve is not moving properly.  In any event a '72 455 is a very nice powerful motor. As far as the transmission goes, see if the guy will take off the pan & let you look at the condition of the valve body, etc- if it's clean & the screen/filter is not full of shavings, hopefully it won't give you any trouble. Good luck!

thanks for the reply ant7377 and 77mali!
end of next week i will see the engine and i will check the things you sayd and keep you posted!
i search the web for specs of the engine but there are different numbers that i find does any of you now what torque en hp the stock engine had?

If you can get this from the owner- there should be some numbers from the factory etched into a small bare metal pad that protrudes from the engine block.  It might be different for ponchos but on my Chevy it is near the water pump passengers side.
 
Those numbers should correspond somewhat to a vehicles VIN number and there should also be some other numbers that will correspond to the power-train combo to the original car they were in.  If the TH400 is original to the engine (not a 100% guarantee but) there should be letters there that identify type of trans and possibly also the rear end gear ratio.  Once you have that you should have no problem looking it up online.  There were a few types of 455's over the years, I think they ran til 76 with some of the bigger cars & the Trans-Am.  If it's a 72 it could have come from a number of hosts and should have decent power.  Later models were more sluggish like when Chevy's 454 made less than 200 HP (although the 455 still made more than that in the later years).  

This should give you some other info.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontiac_V8_engine

On thing to keep an eye out for is an "SD-455".  I've read that in order for the motor to be a real "SD" (special duty), there is an "XD" on the engine ID pad (I remember reading that somewhere but can't remember where). Anyway, those are the "factory hot-rod" motors and are very desirable.  Not very many SD's came with an automatic trans but they did combine them if that's what someone wanted.

Paul,I think he said it was a Buick motor ,in which case its not at all the same as a Pontiac 455. Buick 455 still makes a boat load of power,my buddy goes
9.99 with his it cranks !
This site miight answer some questions about that motor too.
http://v8buick.com/

He did say Buick, didn't he....duh. 
 

The vin stamping will still apply though. Buick or Pontiac the 455's were good motors.

 

77mali wrote:He did say Buick, didn't he....duh. 
 

The vin stamping will still apply though.  Buick or Pontiac the 455's were good motors.

Lol, a Buick motor is waaaay less likely to be hi/po.   Still has potential though.

You never know...it could be a GS 455. Even though there is a high probability that it won't be, a 72 455 out of a Buick or Olds would still be a good strong motor with plenty of torque. Not as good as a Pontiac maybe but still good.

A 455 Buick, wether Hi-Po or not, is gonna be a torquer. Cubic inches are there. In fact one of the engines that won the Engine Masters run-off two years ago was a big block Buick.

To add to what to others said to check on that engine, pull the oil filter off, & cut the top off of it, and remove & spread the paper media out & look for metal.

Of course it all depends on the price you can get it for. If the price is low enough, and there's no obvious problems with it, putting rings and bearings in it, and grinding the valves, gaskets & seals etc, to freshen it up, might be a way to go.

A 1972 engine will likely have a point type ignition (?) If it does, you can look around for an HEI distributor from a later engine. Not sure when Buick went to the HEI, but I would thing about '74 or '75.
Nothing wrong with points if you don't mid fooling with them.

Good luck with it..

BILL

A 1972 engine will likely have a point type ignition (?)  If it does, you can look around for an HEI distributor from a later engine.  Not sure when Buick went to the HEI, but I would thing about '74 or '75.
Nothing wrong with points if you don't mind fooling with them.  Quote:
.........I remember being told that Cadillacs got HEI's in '74, and everything else (GM) got it for the'75 model year. Along with catalytic converter. 

1. Check the oil, if it shimmers there's metal floating in it and its not a good sign. if it still has the filter attached take it off and pour the contents through a coffee filter or paper towel to sift out particles if theres a bunch of particles you're looking at a teardown. If theres water in the oil it will make it turn milky like coffee with creamer indictating head gasket failure or possible cracked block. (Just noticed Pila posted similiar)
2. if the exhaust manifols are off, peek in at the exhast valves, a healthy engine will have dark smoky brown or dark tan color much like checking spark plugs. Streaking on the valvestem and scales on the valve would indicate leaky valve seals. Scratches on the valvestem indicate worn out valve guides not good. Uneven discoloration around the edge of the valve indicates a leaky valve seat or burned valve, not good.
3. Pull the spark plugs and with a small flashlight look inside the cylinders, check for a deep ridge at the top of the cylinder that would indicate high mileage, a small barely visible ridge could be acceptable. Verticle scratches in the cylinder walls are not good.
4. Bring a fully charged battery, Jumper cables, remote start switch and a compression gauge. If the starter motor is still attached run a quick compression check on each cylinder. Ideally you want all the cylinders to be consistent with each other, 10% psi variation is acceptable, 5% is better. PSI below 100 is poor, 115-120 fair, 120-140 good, 140-160 very good, 160+ excellent. Although camshaft specs and other variables can impact this greatly, a long duration cam bleeds cyl pressure at lower rpm which will result in lower static psi results.
5. Inspect the outside of the block, checking for signs of major leaks, bolts broken in holes, stripped bolt holes, cracks in the block.
6. Follow 77Mali's instruction to pull the valve covers check the valvetrain.

After reading the above by switchbiker- I forgot to say that the engine will not turn over easily with the spark plugs installed (sorry). If they are present remove all of them or you could snap off the balancer bolt head just by trying to turn it.

Also if they are in the motor, here is a decent guide that will help identify any potential problem with the cylinders.

Thanks everybody for the advice!
i just bought me a 455 with trans!
i am a really happy KID right now! ;-)
Thanks again guys!!!

Hope you found a good project engine. Like mentioned here, removing the oil pan on the engine & transmission & cleaning them is a good idea. Note the color and smell of the trans oil....

Bill

dutch wagon wrote:Thanks everybody for the advice!
i just bought me a 455 with trans!
i am a really happy KID right now! ;-)
Thanks again guys!!!

Post some photo's....we like pictures! LOL

sorry i do not have any pics i am gonna pick the engine up in 2 weeks and when i have it ill make some pics for you.
and gonna ask allot more questions for you guys   
thanks again!

In regard to the distributor again....Summit in their catalog, has a Mallory conversion kit, to make your original distributor into an electronic distributor.
It's called their "E-Spark conversion kit. P/N for yours is MAA-61001M
And it's priced at $ 68.97, which may be easier than locating an HEI to update your 455.

Just an idea for ya...


Bill

thanks for the tip bill!

but its not possible to convert my 350 hei to the 455 ignition?

I don't know that much about Buick engines, but maybe there is a forum that you can find for more info ......

There should be people on V8buick.com that can help.

Finally the engine has arrived today i did not take the transmission i am gonna try to fit my 4l60 to the engine.
but first i am gonna freshen the 455 up.

Sweeeeeeet!! There's no replacement for displacement!!

That's going to be great! You shouldn't have too much trouble finding adapter kits for the 4L60.

Try TA Performance for parts. The specialize in Buick V8