Secret experimental 1964 GX 455

[yachtsmanbill]

G'nevening fellow Buick lovers and hemophiliacs! Got the V6 completely out today and on the cart. I rhink its destined for the scrap yard, unless anyone wants anything els off of it. Nice new rebuilt 1 barrel Ca. 1980, three speed manual with complete linkage set up minus the Z bar. Got the whole thing out from above except for one dust cover screw under the flywheel housing. Once it was up off the mounts, the starter caught up to the X member with more UP and Forward steps. Got it out, but Im satisfied, the 455 assembly on he mounts etc will happen in situ. Exhaust stuff oughta be fun too. Check out the HEAVY DUTY Z BAR. Another complicated but good design!... Check out the grease boots; still supple.   

Going to look at a 430/455 collection for a top end (1970 ish) and a std. crankshaft & rods I hope. The $$$ is right, so we'll see. Camera will be along!  ws

[GS66]

Good job getting stuff done, things around my place move quite a bit slower.

[elagache]

Dear Bill, Jim, and 65GS.com seekers of a "power vocabulary" . . . . .

G'nevening fellow Buick lovers and hemophiliacs!

Oooh, 'hemophiliacs' is a keeper!  I'll have to add that to my vocabulary! . . . 

Exhaust stuff oughta be fun too.

Have you thought at all about what sort of exhaust you want for your Buick big-block?

Cheers, Edouard 

[yachtsmanbill]

#" pipes out the front of the rear tires with glass packs... not really yet butsomething a little throaty. The XGS with 3" duals and short magna flow muffs has a brutal drone. Cant hardly hear the radio...   ws

[yachtsmanbill]

Yeah Ed... on some statin stuff for cholesterol and when ya get a bump ya turn black and blue instantly, or a scratch and ya see blood drops all over the floor, then feel the drips coming off the elbow. Getting older stinks...    ws

[elagache]

Dear Bill and mid-60s Buick owners who really want to hear the car radio . . . .

#" pipes out the front of the rear tires with glass packs... not really yet butsomething a little throaty. The XGS with 3" duals and short magna flow muffs has a brutal drone. Cant hardly hear the radio...   ws

Yes, I still have some difficulty hearing the radio in my trusty wagon.  However, I'm continuing to work on that problem.

Are you thinking about rolling your own exhaust or would you be thinking more of an exhaust kit?

A curious mind would like to know!

Cheers, Edouard 

[yachtsmanbill]

Id really have no compunctions to rolling my own, just so the stalks dont poke through the tubing!  Im super spoiled with the 3" SS system that came on the BAD LAD with the Hooker Headers; but the drone.... It seems that all the stock systems for any kind of OEM dual exhaust is like <2" . Out to the rear bumper is MANDATORY as well.  What say the exspurts? MIDAS is out and the custom guy that loves Buicks 3 doors away is gone.
    Going with iron manifolds on this job to keep it simple. Probably hafta get a pre-bent set and modifitificate it.  Possibly a '64-65 BBC chevelle set? We'll play this one before pulling out the net LOL...   ws

[WkillGS]

My favorite mufflers are the Walker Dynomax Super Turbos.
Sounds healthy at idle, fairly quiet at cruise with no drone, and sounds great when you get on it.
2-  1/2" is plenty big for a street car.
Make sure you get 64-67 tailpipes, as the 68-72 pipes are shorter and won't reach the back bumper.

[EZ Cool]

I purchased a 2-1/2" exhaust system for a chevelle a while back for my 1965 Skylark. It was designed for headers and didnt go all the way to the manifolds. Since I have a nailhead in the car all I had to do was fab some short pipes to connect to the manifolds. Came up a little short on the back end but I added some chrome tips to make up for it. Dont remember the brand but I purchased from Summit.

Id really have no compunctions to rolling my own, just so the stalks dont poke through the tubing!  Im super spoiled with the 3" SS system that came on the BAD LAD with the Hooker Headers; but the drone.... It seems that all the stock systems for any kind of OEM dual exhaust is like <2" . Out to the rear bumper is MANDATORY as well.  What say the exspurts? MIDAS is out and the custom guy that loves Buicks 3 doors away is gone.
    Going with iron manifolds on this job to keep it simple. Probably hafta get a pre-bent set and modifitificate it.  Possibly a '64-65 BBC chevelle set? We'll play this one before pulling out the net LOL...   ws

[yachtsmanbill]

So EZ, did you have any clearance issues? My '72 with the 3" needs shock spacers (towers) on the back to alter the geometry slightly for clearance. The pipes are about 1/4" away. Just curious.. its a long way away from that turn off ramp!  ws

[yachtsmanbill]

So my pal, an ex GS owner (1965 ragtop in 1975) sent me this. Just wanted to share it...   ws

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvA-8s6Z2wY

[elagache]

Dear Bill, Walt, EZ Cool, and mid-60s Buick owners seeking exhaust harmony,

My favorite mufflers are the Walker Dynomax Super Turbos.
Sounds healthy at idle, fairly quiet at cruise with no drone, and sounds great when you get on it.
2-  1/2" is plenty big for a street car.
Make sure you get 64-67 tailpipes, as the 68-72 pipes are shorter and won't reach the back bumper.

My wagon also has a 2-1/2" exhaust system from Pypes and Dynomax Super Turbos.  I do like the sound of the Super Turbos, but they are a little loud at the moment.  This could be a result of the wagon cargo area acting as a huge resonator.  This is something I want to look into.

I purchased a 2-1/2" exhaust system for a chevelle a while back for my 1965 Skylark. It was designed for headers and didnt go all the way to the manifolds. Since I have a nailhead in the car all I had to do was fab some short pipes to connect to the manifolds.

A friend of mine told me that if you want the best fit, you are better off with the TA-Performance kit.  It is after all designed for a Buick.

So my pal, an ex GS owner (1965 ragtop in 1975) sent me this. Just wanted to share it...   ws

Nice car!! 

Cheers, Edouard 

[EZ Cool]

I did not have any clearance issues at all.

So EZ, did you have any clearance issues? My '72 with the 3" needs shock spacers (towers) on the back to alter the geometry slightly for clearance. The pipes are about 1/4" away. Just curious.. its a long way away from that turn off ramp!  ws

[yachtsmanbill]

RADIAL THUNDERMONGS??? HOLD THE PRESSES!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLlAxq5TaL4

Havent checked in for a while so here goes... Need some sage advice about getting  some front springs for the Special. Traded in the V6 at the scrap yard with the 3 speed, manifolds, and a bunch of iron (oh the irony!) and a turbo 400 that in total netted me 21.46. YES, thats correct.
  So I picked up a 1970 complete 455  to strip down. I was gonna keep the heads and intake and maybe the crank. The crank is out of the picture, so i am going with a reman crank with bearings. The block is going in next week for an assessment (sonic testing), and if good, a bore job and all the other stuff that goes with it, plus a valve job. Hope the heads check out. I am using my tired 1974 455 block with the 1970 top end.
   Picked up a set of gently used T/A +.040" forged dished pistons, rods and a Schneider pretty hot cam and Rhoads lifters for 250.00 today. That, and COUCH shopping with Pat wore me out! Totaled about 250 miles today.
   So the guy that had the 1970 motor tells me it was his brothers... "I think it had a rod knock". Yeah, at the bottom of a lake. Its amazing how sound travels through water, Right Edouard??? 

Heres some pics of a rod knockin' block for kicks. Ill check in tomorrow for some more breaking news LOL...    ws
   

[elagache]

Dear Bill and 65GS.com parts cobblers,

Thanks for the update and the pictures.

. . . .
Need some sage advice about getting  some front springs for the Special.
. . . .

I'm afraid this question might have gotten lost in all the interesting info.  I know there are some good resources for springs, but I've forgotten.  Could somebody remind me?

Cheers, Edouard