65GS.com - Buick Gran Sport Enthusiasts!
Drivetrain => The Nailhead => Topic started by: 35chevcoupe on July 21, 2015, 01:13:06 PM
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I ,ve been noticing disscusions on the ( Expense ) to rebuild a nail head engine . I,m just curious as to what costs more on a nail head compared to any other engine .
Is it that the parts are more , the machine work to the block and heads ? I,m just curious so when I,m out looking or buying parts for these engines if I should be looking for anything in particular that is gonna have extra cost added to it .
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A good quality timing chain and gear set is 3x the cost of one for a SBC, hard to find good quality aftermarket pistons (that are made properly), and the ones out there are 2x what you will pay for SBC pistons. When you get to stuff like rocker arm assemblies, they are not made new, so you have to get rebuilt ones, and they are upward of $300 for a set. The correct steel shim head gaskets are hard to find unless you get them from Carmen Faso, and they are more pricey than the composite style (that are much thicker) available at your local parts store. Cams and valve springs have to come from Carmen Faso or Rus Martin--they are both great to work with and have good quality parts, you just pay more because all this stuff is made in very low volume compared to other engines you may be used to dealing with. I just rebuilt the one for my 65 GS and I had around $3000 in it when I was done, machine work and all. I also paid more and had the rotating assembly balanced.
Another example--if you need a manual trans flywheel for a nailhead, they are available in billet steel for $400, whereas one for a Ford or Chevy is available in cast and for under $100.
Main bearings for a nailhead will scare you when you see the price--unique to nailheads, so over $200. Rod bearings are cheap since they are common with some other engines.
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Brian , so it,s not really the machine work on theses engines it,s mostly the price of the parts .
Does any one make forged Pistons for nail heads ?
I,m willing to pay extra for good Pistons . I've learned that there are some areas in high compression engines that you don't want to try and save a few extra dollars .
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Had about $3300 in my last one
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John, here's a link to forged piston discussion on this forum last year.
http://65gs.com/board/index.php?topic=1803.msg10345#msg10345 (http://65gs.com/board/index.php?topic=1803.msg10345#msg10345)
From the posting it seems that Carmen Faso and Tom Telesco are the ones to talk to about forged Pistons.
Dan
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Brian- Did you do everything but the machine work yourself for that price, do it all yourself and that's the parts costs, or did someone build the whole thing?
Rob
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Dan , thanks for putting up that disscusion .
I think I remember seeing that , unfortunately I wasn,t sure what I needed at that time and still not sure what I need till I take my block in to get the machine work done . I,m hoping to get started on the engine rebuilding process in a few weeks .
I know I,ll end up with way more than 3 to 4 k in mine just because I,m starting out with nothing and buying everything piece by piece .
i,m probably going at it all wrong but OH WELL
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John
I have a good resource in St. Paul who has built several nailheads. Mine was 3350.00 five years ago (bored .20 - no prior rebuilds) and I have driven the car 11,000 miles since and it continues to run very strong. I plan on building a 425 myself after I finish that ford flathead in my shop. Should be interesting.
Rob
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Rob ,
I,m guessing I,ll end up having somewhere between 5-6 k in mine but thats including the 2x4 set up and maybe a little bit more even .
The good news is its still cheaper than my stupid Dirt track engines , WAY CHEAPER !!!!