Which engine for 67 skylark?

E

elfpuck

Guest
hi,
I did a search on Netscape for 67 buick skylark and found your website. im
hoping you can help me, and i hope you dont mind me asking for help.
I have a 67 buick skylark (not gs), that needs an engine. I'm not sure what
to replace it with. Can I put (bolt up) any other year buick engine ( nail
head), or later 68+ . was 67 stand alone year for engine options? what about
a 455 from the 70's? do they bolt up easy? What about Chevy 350, or Pontiac
400, crate engine? I want to replace tranny too. Any info is appreciated,
Louis V.

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Louis V.
 
A Buick 350 is the easiest swap here although 400-455 conversions can be done with available kits. Change out the Super Turbine 300 for a BOP THM350 while you're at it. All of your existing accesories will bolt the the 350 except the carb which will have to be swapped for a Q-Jet. Nailheads are possible too but why go back when you can go forward?

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Well, better late than never. I see this post was from July. The Buick 340 would drop in using the existing 300 motor and frame mounts. A BOP short tail TH 400 would bolt to the 340 using the current cross member. It would move the cross member back to the last set of holes in the frame. Then you would need to find a drive shaft from a 67 GS 400 and you would be in business. Then all you need is a 3.23 wagon rear to go Che#$ hunting.

I rebuilt a 340 in 1982, beat it hard in college, flogged it for another 4 years and traded it to my Dad for a 430. It is still running pretty nice in his 67 Sports Wagon, but the wagon has seen better days. The 340 4 bbl had 10.25 to one compression, and could use the 11 to one 300 pistons from the year the 300 has an 11 to one motor. It surprised many a 350, and didn’t lose many paces to a 396.
 
The only high-compression 300's were in 64-65. by '66 it was a two barrel engine rated at 210 HP. Both engines had low port, small valve heads and are inferior to the Buick 350. 10.25-1 compression Buick engines like 95 octane gas and are very hard to start in hot weather without it, not to mention the detonation factor. A THM 400, while being the superior trans, is heavier,has a slightly lower 1st and 2nd gear ratio and takes more HP to run. A 350 would be the more logical upgrade from a 300 due to its superior heads and intake, it's longer use by Buick(13 years) and greater availability of speed and rebuild parts.

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Thanks this really helps. the poor car has been sitting in Arizona for a long time ( too embarrassed to say since fall of'93). I've GOT to get this classic back on the road. looks like a Buick 350 with the 350 tranny. If I would go with a 455 Buick engine Who/where are the conversion kits available from? Thanks again!
 
Buickdude,

What engine and frame mounts would he use for that 350/350 swap in the 67? Where would that put the engine in relation to the radiator, and where would the crossmember wind up? What fan, fan spacer, fan shroud and drive shaft would he use? What drive accessories brackets would he use, and would they bolt to the 350? Kenne Belle, Poston and TA all carry parts for the 340. The 10.25 350 had 280 hp vs the 260 in the 10.25 340. The 340 and th 400 were both in the 67 frame and bolt right in using all of the same stff. If you do not have a complete, economical and readily available package for this guy the extra 20 horsepower is a lot of headaches for an engine you prefer.

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GSCA# 2173
67 GS 525
66 GS Convertible
 
i Guess its back to finding a 340. I beleive that was the original engine that came out of it. That would be the easiest to get the car back on the road and I actually found a 340 in Phoenix Arizona, but it needs to be rebuilt. Thanks again guys.
 
A 350,th350 combo will bolt rite in same mounts ,cross member location,drive shaftand fan shroud. easy to find parts for,possibly aluminum cyl. heads in the future http://www.buickgsca.com in the V8 tech forum

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Sean Etson
64 special 300 pwr 12.72@105
64 skylark all original servivor
49 super modei 51
 
Pardon me, but isn't the 67 300 quite a different animal than the pre 66, and I never saw any aluminum heads that fit the 67-up engines. Maybe there are some out there that I am not aware of, since my main interests are pre-66 big Nailheads. The 67- 300 is the same basic engine as the 68-up 350, hence the fact that the 350 will replace it seamlessly. All the brackets, etc. will bolt on. The 66 and back 300 is totally different, not really like the big Nailhead or the newer 300 (unless I am having a total dumb attack today).
Yes, the 67-up 430 and 455 will go in there easy enough. Must have the rear sump and frame pads and its a tight fit. I put a 67 430 in a 67 Skylark vert last year and built the frame pads. Very easy to make from a 3/16 wall, 4x4 square tubing split lengthwise, if you can read a tape measure and have a bandsaw. Moved the crossmember back and when all was finished, I had spent a grand total of $12. Of course that's not including the tune-up or the driveshaft. I was driving the car before I could have gotten somebody's "kit" shipped, and you could not tell that the engine/trans wasn't factory. A friend has the car now and was not convinced that the combo did not belong in that car until I showed him the books

[This message has been edited by ironhunter (edited 10-24-2001).]

[This message has been edited by ironhunter (edited 10-24-2001).]
 
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