buick 455 into a 67 gs special with a th400

[robs67gsspecial]

hi guys.ok got my 340 out of my 67 gs and I am gonna put in a 455 with a th 400 got tranny figured with a shiftworks kit.next .with the 455 are there gonna be any isssues with motor mount and oil pans etc .any help would be appreciate .going with edelbrock aluminum heads edelbrock 4-b4 intake .msd plug and play distributor.carb ill figure out when doing the dyno on motor.

 

[redron791]

hi guys.ok got my 340 out of my 67 gs and I am gonna put in a 455 with a th 400 got tranny figured with a shiftworks kit.next .with the 455 are there gonna be any isssues with motor mount and oil pans etc .any help would be appreciate .going with edelbrock aluminum heads edelbrock 4-b4 intake .msd plug and play distributor.carb ill figure out when doing the dyno on motor.

That sound Alliso

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[Dr. Frankenbuick]

You are basically recreating a 67 GS 400. It has a Buick 400 engine and ST 400 trans. The Buick 400 engine is the same size and has the same mounting points as a Buick 455. All of the GS 400 parts will work to fit the 455 into your 67 like it was made to be the there.


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[robs67gsspecial]

Engine swap

Thanks I thought so but parts guy was telling me oil pan won't fit when I was ordering a oil pick up tube .

 

[bob k. mando]

there are different oil pans for the 455, but i thought the oddball was the Riv with the X-frame needing a mid sump pan.

unless your 455 is out of a 1970 Riv i don't see why there should be a problem.

affected Rivs are the 1967-70 models and BBB used 69 and earlier would have only been 430ci.

 

[Dr. Frankenbuick]

TA Performance has the frame pads and motor mounts to fit the 455 in a 64-67 (Skylark) GM A-Body. You will be moving your trans cross-member back, but there should be pre-drilled holes already in the frame and you will need a 400 transmission mount. Your driveshaft will need the 400 trans yoke (300 yoke has smaller diameter) and it will need to be shortened 5/8". Better then trusting a 50 year old driveshaft against a 455, I would have a new one made up by a drive-shaft shop. They tend to fail at the dampner joint toward the tail end. Look at that portion of it and it should give you a shiver. You will also need a radiator with more cooling capacity (67 GS), heavier front springs and to figure out the transmission lines (67 GS). Like Bob said, you will need the rear sump oil pan if you don't have it already.

 

[bob k. mando]

the BBB does use a different fan shroud than the SBB, so you'll need a new one of those.

the BBB has three holes on each side of the block, but the engine mount only uses two bolts per side. this allows you to mount the engine ~3" further forward or backwards.

use the front two holes for better weight balance and handling ( engine sets back ), use the rear two holes if you'd prefer more clearance at the firewall and trans tunnel.

while you're doing all this, you may as well incorporate an engine tie down strap for the driver side engine mount.

http://www.buickperformanceclub.com/conversi.htm

 

[redron791]

I've got 3 hoses coming off the water pump of a 430 wildcat motor I have in my 69 skylark. One hose goes to the block I think and the other two to the heater core does anyone have pictures of the proper way to connect the hoses.
Thanks Ron

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[LARRY70GS]

I've got 3 hoses coming off the water pump of a 430 wildcat motor I have in my 69 skylark. One hose goes to the block I think and the other two to the heater core does anyone have pictures of the proper way to connect the hoses.
Thanks Ron

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No, take another look. There are two hose nipples coming off the timing cover. The one nearest the distributor is the bypass hose that goes to the thermostat housing. The other one is for the 3/4" heater hose to the core. The other heater hose comes off the intake manifold, and that was 5/8". Depending on whether the engine has A/C or not, if it uses a heater control valve, that valve goes inline between the intake and heater core. Some year engines, the 5/8" heater hose came off the rear of the intake, others, the front. In any case, you can't mess up because the hose nipples are two different sizes on the engine side as well as the core side.

 

[redron791]

No, take another look. There are two hose nipples coming off the timing cover. The one nearest the distributor is the bypass hose that goes to the thermostat housing. The other one is for the 3/4" heater hose to the core. The other heater hose comes off the intake manifold, and that was 5/8". Depending on whether the engine has A/C or not, if it uses a heater control valve, that valve goes inline between the intake and heater core. Some year engines, the 5/8" heater hose came off the rear of the intake, others, the front. In any case, you can't mess up because the hose nipples are two different sizes on the engine side as well as the core side.

Thanks everything is that much clearer. Take a look at some pics. My goal is a working power steering unit.

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[LARRY70GS]

Hmnn, my first goal would be a running engine. That looks like a mess.

 

[Sbrown]

PS pump

Did you have any trouble getting the power steering pump to fit into the 67 A body when you did this engine swap?

 

[redron791]

No, take another look. There are two hose nipples coming off the timing cover. The one nearest the distributor is the bypass hose that goes to the thermostat housing. The other one is for the 3/4" heater hose to the core. The other heater hose comes off the intake manifold, and that was 5/8". Depending on whether the engine has A/C or not, if it uses a heater control valve, that valve goes inline between the intake and heater core. Some year engines, the 5/8" heater hose came off the rear of the intake, others, the front. In any case, you can't mess up because the hose nipples are two different sizes on the engine side as well as the core side.

Thanks for that I got the correct hoses. Despite my lack of posting I have continued my efforts. Pictures are of where I now. I have no power to the starter. But the dash lights gen and oil are working properly. As you can see from the photo I wired the coil to the acc inside. This is because the red wire that goes on the coil hasn't enough power. Please offer suggestions on getting power to the starter.

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[LARRY70GS]

The starter gets it's power directly from the + battery cable. When you twist the key, the solenoid connection (S) gets 12 volts to crank the starter motor. The wire supplying the + side of the coil has a resistance inline that cuts down on the voltage to maximize points life. The resistance terminal (R) supplies 12 volts directly to the + side of the coil to bypass the resistance wire ONLY during cranking for faster starts.

This is how the stock points system works. Extending from the firewall engine harness connector(below the brake booster), is a calibrated length of special resistance wire. This wire does not extend all the way to the positive side of the coil. In the harness, it is joined by a wire leading from the "R" terminal of the starter solenoid, and from there, it extends to the positive side of the coil. There is a shorting switch inside the starter solenoid. When the starter motor is cranking the engine to start, the shorting switch inside the solenoid, sends battery voltage through the yellow wire to the coil positive, effectively bypassing the resistance wire. Once the engine starts, and the key is released to the run position, the yellow wire ceases to supply voltage, and voltage flows from the firewall via the resistance wire. This drops the running voltage so that point life is maximized.

To test the system for proper functioning requires a volt meter. Connect the voltmeter between the positive side of the coil and ground. Turn the ignition switch to the run position. The reading should be 5.0-5.5 volts. It is important that the ignition points be closed for this test. If the points are open, the voltmeter reading will be full battery voltage. Bump the engine over until the points are closed, and check again. Again, 5.0-5.5 volts is the normal reading with the engine stopped, ignition key in the run position, and the voltmeter connected between the positive side of the coil and ground. The second part of the functionality test requires that you pull the coil wire out of the distributor, and ground it so the engine will not start. With voltmeter connected as before, crank the engine continuously, and observe the voltmeter. The reading should jump from the previous 5-5.5 volt reading up to 9 volts minimum. If it does not, it indicates a problem with the shorting switch inside the starter solenoid, or a wiring problem between the "R" terminal of the solenoid, and the coil. This will result in hard starting when cold.

 

[redron791]

The starter gets it's power directly from the + battery cable. When you twist the key, the solenoid connection (S) gets 12 volts to crank the starter motor. The wire supplying the + side of the coil has a resistance inline that cuts down on the voltage to maximize points life. The resistance terminal (R) supplies 12 volts directly to the + side of the coil to bypass the resistance wire ONLY during cranking for faster starts.

This is how the stock points system works. Extending from the firewall engine harness connector(below the brake booster), is a calibrated length of special resistance wire. This wire does not extend all the way to the positive side of the coil. In the harness, it is joined by a wire leading from the "R" terminal of the starter solenoid, and from there, it extends to the positive side of the coil. There is a shorting switch inside the starter solenoid. When the starter motor is cranking the engine to start, the shorting switch inside the solenoid, sends battery voltage through the yellow wire to the coil positive, effectively bypassing the resistance wire. Once the engine starts, and the key is released to the run position, the yellow wire ceases to supply voltage, and voltage flows from the firewall via the resistance wire. This drops the running voltage so that point life is maximized.

To test the system for proper functioning requires a volt meter. Connect the voltmeter between the positive side of the coil and ground. Turn the ignition switch to the run position. The reading should be 5.0-5.5 volts. It is important that the ignition points be closed for this test. If the points are open, the voltmeter reading will be full battery voltage. Bump the engine over until the points are closed, and check again. Again, 5.0-5.5 volts is the normal reading with the engine stopped, ignition key in the run position, and the voltmeter connected between the positive side of the coil and ground. The second part of the functionality test requires that you pull the coil wire out of the distributor, and ground it so the engine will not start. With voltmeter connected as before, crank the engine continuously, and observe the voltmeter. The reading should jump from the previous 5-5.5 volt reading up to 9 volts minimum. If it does not, it indicates a problem with the shorting switch inside the starter solenoid, or a wiring problem between the "R" terminal of the solenoid, and the coil. This will result in hard starting when cold.

Your picture helped immensely. I'm attempting the first of the two test with an innova voltage tester with the dial turned to 200m. The reading only goes down from 4.6. Said a different way after connecting the negative and the positive leads to the coil the display quickly goes from 4.6 to negative 00.0 with the key in the on position and the wires from the firewall connected in what I assume is the correct way. A photo of my progress is attached.

It is my belief that the yellow wire is the same yellow wire that needs to be connected to the R side of the starter. And the yellow wire breaking of near the alternator is for the windshield wiper motor as I hear it going when I put power to it.

How do I get sufficient power?

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