Buick 215, 300, 340, 350 and Rover Cylinder Head Comparison

Comparison of the Buick and Rover Small Block Cylinder Heads and identifying the differences from all the generations.

[@allthrustnorudder3393]

It's great to hear Dallas share more small block Buick knowledge!

[@mr.roddersneighborhood2740]

More to come!

[@kennyh5083]

Hey Bro! Great vdo! Gots a Question fur ya! If'n you wuz ta build a nice moderate Rover alum v8 hot rod which year model would you grab at the J-Yard? (I wanna build one and used ta have a Buick 215 but know very little about the Rover)@@mr.roddersneighborhood2740

[@Tj1983coggin]

Glad to see you back for Buick season!! Lol. Both Mortski and Dylan McCool did Buick revivals… not to be outdone by the return of the Great Buick Guru, Mr. Rodder!!

[@mr.roddersneighborhood2740]

Thanks so much!

[@lesterlesabre4326]

Very sorry to hear that you are going through such a hard time. Glad to see you back! By the way my first car was a '62 Skylark with a 215 4 barrel. Boy do I still miss that car.

[@mr.roddersneighborhood2740]

Thanks! Your support is much appreciated!

[@jdascout]

My uncle had a 1964 Skylark drop top, 215 4bbl.

[@buzzwaldron6195]

@@jdascout - Probably a 300"...

[@buzzwaldron6195]

Daily drove a '62 Olds Jetfire 215" back in the day...

[@shawnbins203]

Keep it up Dallas. Make more videos when you can. Take care of yourself! Everything WILL get better. I dig your videos! LOTS of people have your back!

[@mr.roddersneighborhood2740]

I appreciate that!

[@Bill-wz6tw]

I used to work at a Land Rover dealer in Atlanta in the late 1990s and I replaced a lot of exhaust valves in those heads because they would get carbon build up and start sticking causing a misfire the new valves had an undercut stem which didn't cure the carbon fouling issue but it gave some extra room for the carbon to build up before it would start to jam the valve open against the guide Land rovers of that era are not known for their fuel economy Claimed to be 14 MPG but I heard owners saying they get 9-10 MPG and I assume the fuel maps in the ECUs were overly rich and a leaner mixture would have probably also solved the problem of the carbon build up on the valve stems and helped the MPG at the same time. Land Rover sold those old Buick designed V-8s up until the year 2004 and they came in several displacements all the way up to 4.6L but started out as 3.9 L the 4.0L was the most common displacement I think for Land Rovers in the USA anyway in England the diesel variation is way more normal none were imported to the USA with the diesels though new anyway which is too bad I think a diesel Discovery or Defender 90 or 110 is an ideal off roader the US gas version was susceptible to stalling out when wading creeks once the ECU connectors got soaked all the Camel Trophy versions were diesels so they could easily wade through deep water with a snorkel attached

[@tombrown879]

Heck yeah, Mr. Rodder is back. great to see you out in the shop Dallas. And taking the time to share with us once again. One day at a time my friend. One day at a time. Mabe see you on the live stream tonight. and As always . thanks for the great info.

[@mr.roddersneighborhood2740]

You bet, more to come!

[@2HacksGarage]

Glad to see you back!

[@mr.roddersneighborhood2740]

Thanks bud. Life is still a mess, getting better 1 day at a time.

[@mtut]

Glad to see you back. The history of Buick engines is a wild ride. I've never actually owned a V8 Buick - my grandpa had a nailhead in the late 60s and all I know is that it was parked in the pasture when the transmission went out (I think a '61 Lesabre... pre TH-400). But I got through early adulthood on a bunch of different phases of the V6. Mostly early even-fire through the early 3800s. Really dramatic that sort of a stepchild of an engine became one of GM's best. Wonder what it would take to get the 1986-up/3800 timing cover with the crank-driven oil pump to work on anything else. At least in the V6 world, the oil pump was blamed for a lot of problems. We would see a lot of 231's with spun bearings - rarely any V8s though. Maybe the extra vibration on the V6 helped chew up the timing cover? No idea. But in the 90s, you could always find a G-body Regal or Cutlass cheap with a 3.8 that was bad and a THM-200 that slipped, and a rustbucket Malibu police car with a 350 Chevy and a 350C transmission, harness, and anything else for $500. But the Buick engine family outlived even the SBC. Quite amazing.

[@67L-88]

Good to see you back at it! I don't have free time in the evenings anymore so I really don't get to see lives anymore. I know the road of life has a few bumps for you right now but hopefully, things will smooth out in a good direction!

[@mr.roddersneighborhood2740]

Welcome back!

[@mickvonbornemann3824]

You just need to have the Leyland Australia 4.4 alloy V8 & you’ll have the whole set.

[@rodgerfolkerts4690]

Glad to see you back at it!!

[@mr.roddersneighborhood2740]

Thanks!

[@BKRMON]

The Rover 3.5 & 3.9 heads had 36-37 cc combustion chambers (used tin head gaskets). The Rover 4..0 & 4.6 heads have 28-29 cc chambers for use with composite head gaskets.

[@bloodhawk6252]

Great to see you on here again Dallas we was a missing you and your content . We are saying prayers for you hope everything gets better for you try to have a great day

[@mr.roddersneighborhood2740]

I appreciate that

[@BuickPerformanceSupportCha1605]

So happy your back was worried about you Dallas !!!

[@mr.roddersneighborhood2740]

I was worried about me too.

[@WhiteTrashMotorsports]

Good to hear from you, Dallas life kicks us in the ass sometimes but works out in the end.

[@mr.roddersneighborhood2740]

Thanks bud!

[@forthwithtx5852]

Good info! Glad to hear from you!

[@mr.roddersneighborhood2740]

Hey, thanks!

[@bossbuick8615]

hope your ok , missed your updates on buick everything

[@mr.roddersneighborhood2740]

Life has been rough to say the least. Getting better every day.

[@JosephCowen-fz8vj]

Have a look at the Australian Leyland P76 tall deck alloy V8 270 ci motor based on the Rover , runs big valves and an alloy four barrel intake for a GM Quadrajet . The heads use chevy style rockers .

[@mr.roddersneighborhood2740]

Unfortunately those Leyland 4.4 Liters were never available in the USA. I’d love to see one upclose and personal. I have heard of them before and would love to see one.

[@JosephCowen-fz8vj]

@@mr.roddersneighborhood2740 yeah tall deck , Alloy 270 ci , Australia put them in Leyland P76 cars trying to beat GM Holden and Ford Australia. Was a nice motor , it was going to go out to 368ci the 270 ci was the first motor , but Leyland Australia went bust and no bigger motors came about ! I would have loved to see a 6.0 litre Alloy Buick/Leyland !

[@thestonedhedge77]

Will the 350 heads fit the 63 buick skylark 3.5L V8? Without modification? Thank you.

[@mr.roddersneighborhood2740]

Will they bolt on? Yes, I just don’t think the valves would clear the bore. The 215 has such a small bore that valves clearing the cylinder bore would be an issue. Also, the chamber size of the head is so large compared to the 215, your compression would be so low it would likely not run very well. Also, you would need a custom camshaft and a fully custom intake manifold.

[@thestonedhedge77]

Thank you, I guess it's Destin to be a Stock, Survivor. But thank you for your reply. I appreciate it. Keep making Awesome Videos. Love your 63 !!!

[@bobtaylor7235]

Love the content! Keep ‘em coming.

[@mr.roddersneighborhood2740]

Thanks! Will do!

[@bobbyshaftoe]

It looks like the Rover intake valve is not *that much smaller* than the 69 buick valves.. but the exhaust valve looks a lot smaller. Can you speak to this? Also, do you think its possible to cut a buick 350 crank to fit into the rover engine?

[@mr.roddersneighborhood2740]

You can turn down the crank journals but the overlap on the crank would be marginal at best. I do not know if the counter weights would clear the block at that point. I think your best bet would be the smaller stroke 300 crankshaft or a later rover crank to gain more stroke. The valve sizes of the 69 head are considerably larger than the Rover head, especially the exhaust valve which is 1.50”. The Rover uses a very small exhaust valve in the 1.38” size as far as I can tell.

[@edmundanderson657]

@@mr.roddersneighborhood2740 Have to agree, we had gone with aftermarket cranks to increase the stoke. It wasn't worth the effort to fit the 300-350 cranks. The rover cranks were a little different and not readily available back then and I think were still only 3.5L. I would think rover to rover would be a better option

[@DanEBoyd]

So the 350 was a sort of one-off, with those valve positions swapped on the middle two cylinders? Do Big Block and 350 heads interchange?

[@mr.roddersneighborhood2740]

No the heads do not interchange, but the valve arrangement is the same just like the valve arrangement on the 300 and Nailhead Big Blocks are the same.

[@spacecat7247]

Welcome back good sir. I am watching . Know you're going through hell but please, keep going.

[@mr.roddersneighborhood2740]

Thank you, I will

[@spacecat7247]

@@mr.roddersneighborhood2740 we are behind you

[@possiblycrazy442]

Good to see great new content, Mr. Rodder! I just recently got my new '75/'76 (no windage tray bosses) 350 rebuild successfully broken in, and I can thank a lot of your content for helping me along. Do you think you'll ever get a hold of TA's aluminum 350 heads?

[@mr.roddersneighborhood2740]

Nice work! Thanks!

[@kabic7893]

Ive been watching alot of your content lately because im rebuilding a 350 out of a 76 LeSabre. I need to watch again to see if an older head may improve performance

[@mr.roddersneighborhood2740]

Honestly, the later heads are the better heads in my opinion. They have larger valves.

[@kabic7893]

Thank you for the feedback. My wallet likes that answer

[@jdascout]

Pardon me while lust. Thinking back to my 1974 Chevy Vega. 1964 300 4bbl 4spd. Mmmmm, that low end Rover head torque and autocross.

[@mr.roddersneighborhood2740]

That sounds like an awesome ride!

[@vincentmarino9825]

I’m building a Rover v8 right now. Do you think it would make a considerable difference seeking out a set of aluminum 300 heads? Or should I just do some heavy porting on what I’ve got?

[@mr.roddersneighborhood2740]

Port the ones you have and add some 300 valves. You can get a stock set from TA Performance.

[@goratgo1970]

​@@mr.roddersneighborhood2740That is exceptional info. Dallas - Thanks!

[@edmundanderson657]

This video was an interesting find for me. Its been a long time since I've built a 215 but you don't want the 300 heads unless you're doing major mods. The chambers are way to large. So unless you building cu in (bore x stroke) you don't want them.

[@Pdfflyer1]

Would you please comment on the Engine to Transmission Adapter Plates useful to transplant any GM LT1, 350, 400, or 327 into a P38 V8 Range Rover 4.6 L HSE due to slipped cylinder Liners, I would prefer to transplant a Chevy, GMC, or Buick, V8, or even a Nissan VK 5.6 L V8. Thank you

[@mr.roddersneighborhood2740]

I know nothing about those adapters. Sorry, I cannot help in regards to the adapters.

[@juuunge]

I have a buick 310 cui engine from 1966 and i have the intake manifold aluminum from a 64 because i would like to install a 4bl carburetor. How far as i understand it would fit but is that making sense? And would be possible to make the ports bigger of the intake manifold to fit the 66 heads? Greetings from Switzerland.

[@mr.roddersneighborhood2740]

Yes you can make the ports bigger on the intake to accommodate the 65-67 heads, but you will run out of room to port it fully to match. Compare the 65-67 300 intake gaskets to the 64 manifold and you will see exactly what I’m talking about. But… it’s not really an issue since the head port is larger than the intake port. If it was the other way around, it would impact flow terribly.

[@juuunge]

@@mr.roddersneighborhood2740 thanks a lot for your fast response. I will give it a try and see how it works. Im not sure wich gasket i should use so i ordered the 64 and 66. would you port the heads as good as possible or leave it just as they are?

[@nealelliott1360]

is there any advantage to the nipples next to the spark plug holes? would you gain improvements by grinding the nipples down ?

[@mr.roddersneighborhood2740]

They aid in combustion and chamber swirl. I’d bet if you removed them it would run like a pig, but it may be worth trying to see if there are any gains or losses.

[@claytonstoolbox]

Great video. I think I need a Buick, tempting.

[@mr.roddersneighborhood2740]

Go for it!

[@toddmccarter45]

I have no idea what you've got going on but I hope it gets better soon for ya!

[@mr.roddersneighborhood2740]

Thanks bud!

[@stevenbowles2068]

my Dad just gave me a HRC 2479 HEAD. I have a 67 340

[@StevenTreadway-rv9wf]

Do you know if all exhaust headers are interchangeable. I am looking to put 66 LaSaber exhaust heads on to Rover 215.

[@mr.roddersneighborhood2740]

If they are 1966 LeSabre 300 or 340 manifolds, they should work just fine. You may have to clearance them around the lower row of head bolts on a 215 since the 300 and 340 do not have the lower head bolts like a 215 does.

[@edmundanderson657]

The 300-340 exhaust manifolds bolt right on the 215 with no mods at all, thats what I used to use. I think the 215 had 1.5" outlets while the 300-340 had 2" outlets.

[@bobbyratliff3349]

Do you and tony still do lives I’ve been away for a while.

[@mr.roddersneighborhood2740]

No, Tony and I do not do Lives together anymore. Matter of fact, I have not been doing Lives in a while myself. Been dealing with life and getting run over by it.

[@Pdfflyer1]

I find that your video is very informational to me because I am very familiar with the Chevy and Buick engines and I also have a VA Rover engine which is 4.0 or 4.6 Liter. I will subscribe to your channel because I am looking for the following information.: can you explain to me in words as to why the Land Rover vehicle does not accept the GM Engine Tothe, Land Rover, Range Rover Z4 speed automatic transmission with a P 38 model after the original Buick engine. Have you ever modified a Land Rover to accept the Chevy engine of Buick engine or any GM engine and please advise the process otherwise, thank you very much and I appreciate your time and Paul

[@mr.roddersneighborhood2740]

I’ve never swapped anything into a Land Rover. I really just do Buicks. As far as to why the transmission does not fit, is likely the Buick 215 never had a standard GM bellhousing. Every Buick engine after the 215 had the standard BOP bellhousing bolt pattern.

[@bradley5348]

Can you bolt the 350 buick head on a 1966-67 Buick 340?

[@mr.roddersneighborhood2740]

Since the 300 accepts the 350 head and the same 300 heads were used on the 340, I would assume yes. But… you will need a custom camshaft that has the 340 cam journals with a 350 Buick valve arrangement pattern. Then you would have a 340 cubic inch 350 Buick. The 350 intake would bolt right on at that point.

[@bradley5348]

I have a skylark with a 340-4 bbl and was wondering if I could install TA aluminum 350 heads.

[@lesliemarks7554]

How much do you charge to rebuild Buick 430

[@mr.roddersneighborhood2740]

I’m not taking customer work. I’m not a shop.

[@bigdon2241]

do you know if the marine 300 head 1376330 is the same as a 1965 head

[@mr.roddersneighborhood2740]

I don’t know for a fact, but considering the 65 300 head is a later casting number 1374460, I would assume it’s similar.

[@bigdon2241]

thank you @@mr.roddersneighborhood2740

[@lautburns4829]

Thanks, Dallas. That was interesting.✋🏻👍

[@mr.roddersneighborhood2740]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@kimdearrington258]

I need to contact you personally, how would I be able to contact you?

[@mr.roddersneighborhood2740]

You can’t. I’m not taking any work right now. The Lord has given me enough at the moment. Contact one of the other viewers, they may be able to help you.

[@shaun9067]

Leyland 4.4 australian engine 10in deck height 6.25 in rods and piston pin height 48mm .What about you 300ci and 350ci brick engines

[@mr.roddersneighborhood2740]

300 Buick is almost the same as a 351 Windsor ford. 9.5 deck with 5.960 rods and 3.4” stroke. Bore is 3.750”. Buick 350 is 10.25” deck height with 3.8” bore 3.85” stroke 6.385” long rod. The compression height is the same on both 1.885.

[@shaun9067]

@@mr.roddersneighborhood2740 Thank you for the help life is great love your videos

[@TwinTurboSkylark]

Great to see you back!!!

[@mr.roddersneighborhood2740]

Hey, thanks!

[@deanstevenson6527]

🥝✔️

[@mr.roddersneighborhood2740]

The kiwi is in the house!

[@deanstevenson6527]

@@mr.roddersneighborhood2740 yes, it's me, in the out house out back, lol. Have a good one. This made me smile like I'd just been given a Vegemite ™️, 🥪 sandwich...