Dear Marcus, Jim, and mid-60s Buick caregivers,
My plan for the engine rebuild is to keep it as close to factory spec's as possible. I have had the engine running when I first got it home, it has either a blown head gasket or a cracked head there was water in the sump oil. So if its a non repairable cracked head I will be on this forum seeking anyone with a set of heads for sale to fit a 300.
Hopefully you won't need a new set of heads, but if so, heads for the Buick 300 shouldn't be too hard to come by.
I would like to put a little cam shaft in it to so it sounds nice, any advice on mild cam sizes will be gratefully accepted. Buick motors are not too common over here, we are flooded with Chevy gear.
Do you have a copy of the TA-Performance catalog? You can download a copy on their website, although it is nice to have a paper copy to flip though.
http://www.taperformance.com/There is a good overview of camshaft choices. My car has a camshaft profile close to the Buick design for the Stage-1 big blocks. According to the catalog, they can make a Stage-1 camshaft for the Buick 300. However, I don't know of anybody who has tried that camshaft on this engine. There is a further issue in that my car has electronic fuel injection that further smooths out the idle. On the other hand, the Stage-1 option was available from the Buick factory. So even with a carburetor, Stage-1 engines were practical back in the day.
Does anyone else have thoughts on camshafts for the 300?
I'm also seeking advice on the exhaust manifold, not sure if I should put a set of extractors on it ( I think you guys call them headers) I just want that little 300 to sound nice. My factory exhaust manifold has a slight crack in it, should be able to have it repaired but as I keep saying I'm open to any suggestions from you blokes who have done it all before.
Is anybody running headers on a Buick 300? A quick web search shows that there are some headers for the Buick 340 that might fit on the 300. Here is an example:
https://www.centuryperformance.com/exhaust-system/headers/headers-by-engine/buick/buick-340/There is a shop on eBay that claims to have headers that will fit on a Buick 300 starting as far back as 1964:
https://www.ebay.com/i/271015843008Does anybody around here know if these headers will fit the 300 without clearance problems?
As for your question, I am putting the motor into a shop to have all the work done. I always intended on doing it myself however time never seems to be available, and I do want to see this old girl running. My scope for the build is to get it as close to factory as possible and a very reliable driver that I can drive the wheels off any time I like. Lucky for me my Buick is an imported car in Australia, so no one really knows too much about them or how they were released from factory. Australian Muscle cars are a whole different story when it comes to critics ( I guess you bloke understand that with Buicks in USA)
I understand your situation. Do you have access to a shop with experience with classic car engines? Buick engines need to be put together with a little extra care. Buick was a luxury car line and their equipment was built to higher standards because that was what their clientele expected.
As for wheels , suspension and brakes. I've been advised its a good idea to fit disc brakes on the front end to reduce side pull when you need to stop. My car has non factory wheels that I always planned on replacing with factory wheels. Mine are what we call "Hot Wires" however they are starting to grow on me. I really need to do some homework on wheels and tires, I don't have any other old cars and I think 15" tires are easier to purchase here than the old 14's. Time to do some tire research.
15" wheels will give many brake and suspension choices.
There are many tire choices for 15" wheels and many choices for 15" wheels. Not only will your choices effect the performance of your car but will make a dramatic statement about how the car appears. It is possible to make the car look very close to how it came off the factory. However, you might want to dress the car up a bit without sacrificing period originality. My car has replica Buick rally wheels and 1" white wall tires. The combination is quintessential mid-1960s, but very classy. Everybody is different, and probably the best thing for you to do is look at how other guys have done up their car.
I'm also very keen to get some feedback on suspension lowering kits
Someone else will have answer this question for you. My goal was to create a tow vehicle so I had different suspension needs.
Hope you guys are all keeping safe and driving your cars as much as possible. It's the first day of Spring today, I'm hoping to have the rebuilt engine and gearbox sitting on the restored frame by the end of summer.
Yes indeed, down under it is spring! Here the driving season is starting to wind down depending on one's latitude.
Best of luck on your ongoing restoration!
Cheers, Edouard
