The "Other" 350 Small Block: Building A Classic Buick 350 - Horsepower S15, E13

[@jimihendrix8535]

My grandmother owned a 1969 Buick Skylark GS350 Ram Air, automatic with bucket seats and A/C, during the early 1970s when I was a kid. She bought it from the original owner when the car was a couple of years old (rather than him trading it in on a new car). I loved riding in it as a kid.

[@deanwilde3065]

“This is an exhaust flow meter what this enables us to do is measure the exhaust flow” Thanks I learned alot

[@CJColvin]

Its good to see a Buick on the Show.

[@55cleon]

INDEED!!

[@scottdoubleyou563]

I liked Joe saying "We decided to build a Buick 350, 1st, because it's NOT a Chevy." Yeah, I laughed.

[@user-vp1sc7tt4m]

In 1970, Buick offered three engine options on the GS - 350/315-hp, 455/350-hp, the Stage 1 455 rated 360-hp. I bought a second hand mostly highway miles driven GS - 350, changed out the points with one the first electronic ignition retrofits and installed glass packs just to increase gas mileage. I was supporting a young family at the time but I got to enjoy the GS 350 torque and better than factory horsepower along with better than factory gas mileage. I was asked many times why I hung on and drove that car as my daily driver for 10 years. I didn't understand the question because I just loved that car and enjoyed driving it every day! Complete no brainer. It was awesome through 8 inches of snow with feather throttle and the right tires. It took us through thick and thin over adventures and I could race my buddies on the weekends. Thanks Buick! Awesome times.

[@Reka_Chi]

daily drive a 71 skylark custom 4 door currently.

[@VinnyMartello]

I have a 350 Buick in my 66 Chevy pickup. I used it as a daily drive with many tens of thousands of miles of hiway driving and thousands of miles of towing. Even stock, they are awesome truck engines.

[@SPSteve]

Nice to see a Buick, and even better a Buick 350. Now get an Olds 350 in the shop.

[@jordanwiley4582]

They did about a decade ago.

[@SPSteve]

@@jordanwiley4582 I'll have to look for it. Was it another budget build like the Buick or did they make an effort?

[@BuzzLOLOL]

@@jordanwiley4582 - This is a 2011 video since they said 1975 engine is 36 years old...

[@BuzzLOLOL]

@@SPSteve - This was hardly a 'budget build'! Bet it cost $5K !!!

[@OhAncientOne]

Great to see the Buick 350 alive. Thank You, for the introduction to Mike Phillips. He does really nice work! Don't tell him you guys are too cheap to do a proper cam upgrade by spending $100 on a a double roller timing chain. UNBELIEVABLE.

[@SuperChuckRaney]

I really wanted to watch this but the way the guy talks, is he in jr high? If that’s Mike Philips from AMP, he sold his equipment last year, he is atill doing parts. Im not impressed with the numbers on the build, stock 68 PP code motors rated 295 hp.

[@walter1742]

I had a 1969 skylark with the 350 and it had 80.000 miles on it and after 11;years it had 377.000 miles on it in that time I replaced a carb ,starter fuel pump 2 water pumps it was the most reliable engine so far ! I wished I never sold it lol thanks for the video guys ! 👍👍👍

[@brandonbell3089]

I’m a CHEVY man but I love me some ole Buick’s. Buick is my second getaway

[@bmstylee]

Buicks are ok. But an Oldsmobile gets me excited.

[@Stank-b8w]

I like it all, just painful seeing that cylinder head right by the exhaust, how it is burning the pain off. Blows

[@tommykimbro87]

Buick is gm dude

[@brandonbell3089]

@@tommykimbro87 well no shit 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️. BOP are all GM aswell as Cadillac. Neither share the same engine designs though

[@brandonbell3089]

@@bmstylee not to much of a Oldsmobile guy. But I do love the early 70s cutlasses. But Oldsmobile engines just ain’t much for power

[@kennethcohagen3539]

I love the other guy engines. My engine of choice is an AMC V8. They share elements of other Engine families like the external oil pump from Buick, and intake ports from a big Block Mopar. If you lay the intake manifold gaskets on top of each other everything lines up. In fact I saw an article where the cross ram intake used on Mopar engines with bolt up to an AMC! Sounds like fun to me! No matter what other engine you build, you’ll find that the guys who do it well are the smartest builders out there. The one thing I’ve heard over and over again that just drives me nuts as it shows the ignorance of the guy saying it is, “ I only know how to work on Chevy’s. I don’t know anything about Buick, Ford etc.” can’t these people read? Can they search the web?

[@jamesbrummer660]

Love the more obscure engine builds!

[@g.h.1726]

Had a V6 Buick 225 in my jeep as a kid...loved that motor

[@BuzzLOLOL]

Only a kid could love that rough, shaky oddfire engine!

[@martygoldman9217]

​@@BuzzLOLOL- well I picked up a really clean '68 Kieser era CJ5 for $1800 & am having a great time !!

[@Mr_RD-1876]

Thanks, I found this video right when I was about to torque the rod caps on a Buick 340 engine. I didn't know or even consider the method of using two feeling gages to even out the clearance between the rods. Worked well!

[@perrymason4707]

Learned how to drive in my dad’s 69 Skylark with a 350 4bbl. I could squeal the tires for 3 blocks. No top end to speak of, but man could it accelerate!

[@OhAncientOne]

lol, awesome. Went out with the guys in HS to do burnouts in my dad's 70 Skylark Custom 350 2bbl (that I bought later). One guy had an exact, measured, 12" shoe. 20yr class reunion and Everyone brought up the 312ft burner it did. sweet memories!

[@1575murray]

The Buick 350 was actually slightly undersquare (3.8x3.85). This would give it more low end torque which made sense considering the relatively heavy cars it was installed in. However it was almost as large as many big block engines. Chevy and Olds went the big bore short stroke route on their 350s.

[@TheSamplebridge]

Buddy has a 69 skylark 350 2 barrel th350. With a shift kit it chirps all 3 gears. But yeah, not much past 4500.

[@brianross4057]

The Holden V8 was designed in 1966 by GM Australia engineers after they toured the engine foundries of the GM US subsidiaries and picked the brains of the engineers at the different foundries, they then went back to Australia and designed and built the Holden 253 ci and then later the 308 ci engine and quite a few years later a 350ci, When shown to an American it's immediately recognized as a Buick with it's aluminum timing cover and external oil pump but has the rear distributor as the Chevy, the Holden 308 made 30hp and 15lbft more than the 307 Chevy it replaced in the holden and the 350 Chevy was phased out after it's last fitment into the HQ Holden during the oil crisis in the 70's. I would love to see you build one and see what you could do with it. I know that REPCO made a flat plane cranked Holden 308 for the F5000 series cars and it made 525HP. Alas Holden has been shut down now and the rest is History.

[@patrioticaussiesams8581]

Plenty of Stuff for the Holden V8 ya use a Group A block 304 as ya starting point ya can get a 383 rotating assembly Come racing Heads and someone makes great Intakes for them MATE

[@skylinefever]

I hears that the first cylinder of the Holden is on the opposite side of American V8 engines to have more underhood space in RHD cars. Since the USA had no need for a Holden V8, I guess it had no negative consequences. It wouldn't have made a difference on V-engine cars that sold in both RHD and LHD versions, so I never thought about what difference it made to the Z31 Nissan 300ZXT and Fairlady for example.

[@ThePaulv12]

@@skylinefever Nah ya got it wrong, It's an inverted Vee with valve cover oil scavenging because it is upside down here. The lower CoG by inverting the Holden V8 helps stop the cars from flying off into space from the combined effects of being upside down in Australia and inverted physics laws where centripetal is converted to centrifugal force from the rotation of the earth. Everything is backwards down here. Watch out for taipans.

[@BuzzLOLOL]

Did it get the aluminum oil pump that wears out by 50K miles?

[@pillipino3788]

One of my favourite episodes! Can’t wait for the full build of alter ego, and hopefully to see a build of an olds 303 rocket!

[@PapiDoesIt]

At last, a Buick! I had a Buick 350 in my 1970 Chevelle SS. I bought it that way. That thing had a lot of torque and sounded really good, but definitely sounded different that a BBC.

[@brianproffitt7263]

I’m a big gm guy not just chevy so I love anything Buick, Oldsmobile, or Pontiac

[@davelowets]

12:55 A Buick 455 was rated in 1975 at the rear wheels, through the ENTIRE drivetrain, with EVERY power robbing accessory in place on the engine and drivetrain, NOT on an engine dyno with the engine JUST driving a water pump. HUGE difference, and I guarantee you if you put the 455 engine on the dyno, the same way, it'll make way MORE power than that 350 did.

[@no1zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz]

No

[@woodgrain18]

I would not put e3 plugs in a 3.5hp push mower

[@BuzzLOLOL]

They're prolly OK... but $7.50 each... you're paying for the marketing/advertising...

[@JohnW1711stock]

These are good NHRA Stock eliminator engines. We have to keep stock intake, carb, and cam lift. Nice build.

[@halldorra]

Underrated engine

[@mattpruss8141]

Would like to see a 350 oldsmobile with 455 heads. Show the oldsmobile guys some love.

[@kreepingdeth198]

No

[@wtdonovan]

Where did this engine end up? Was it used in one of their projects? I hope! It was great

[@skylinefever]

I'm surprised that the vale seats needed replacement. In 1975, every engine needed to be compatible with unleaded gasoline, so they either got induction hardened valve seats, or pressed in hard seats at the factory. 6:59 I'd never want to reuse a timing cover with oil pump gears in it anyway. I'd be afraid that there would be wear where the gears are, and make the new oil pump gears less effective than they should be. 7:36 It also works in the Olds 455. Everybody does it when rebuilding the engine in the GMC FWD RV. 10:54 It did delete the EGR, so it might be street legal in some places. 14:07 Nearly anything that makes a better spark lowers smog. That is another reason many modern engines went distributorless, and later went coil on plug. None of them had E3 plugs, but platinum plugs were replaced with iridium plugs soon after they went on sale. Later, there was iridium on the electrode and ground. NGK now uses ruthenium in some spark plugs, but I don't think new cars have it yet. 17:06 Well, when the patent expires on something, that often lowers the price. At that point, the only reason people would be paying extra for Loctite is because it is a name they love and trust. It is sort of like going to Walmart and buying Great Value Ibuprofen instead of Advil. It's the same stuff, has the same effect, only the name is different. I'm happy to see a Buick get built because I want to see something less common. One quirk I see in the Buick shaft rocker is nylon holding the rockers in place. I have never seen that anywhere else.

[@RANDOMNATION907]

GM ignored emissions requirements for the 1974 model year and the early '75 model year. EPA fined them MILLIONS! They were in Full compliance by '76. My point being, a GM motor from'75 might not have hardened seats yet.

[@jordanwiley4582]

the buick 350, and 455 were already hardened due to the extra nickle in the block and heads. they dont need hardened seats but it never hurts to do so.

[@BuzzLOLOL]

Yeah, those aluminum oil pumps in small Buick engines and Pontiac 301's wore out by 60 K miles...

[@OhAncientOne]

@@BuzzLOLOL yes but it took me 20 minutes to rebuild it, without pulling the engine, and you can get housing extensions that really up the volume and pressure. Way better than an internal oil pump

[@BuzzLOLOL]

@@OhAncientOne - Rather have an internal iron oil pump that lasts a million miles...

[@danfrick397]

Buicks rock .

[@thatoldchevy001]

I love listening to this guy try and talk through his caps.

[@ironhorse127]

I’ve always done that trick with rod side clearance. It definitely works

[@jasonmenard1073]

I like buick 350 more than chevy 350 all day thats my kind of build right there yee yeee

[@BigUnk85]

a 350 chevy will run circles around a 350 buick

[@BuzzLOLOL]

C'mon... SBC 327's and 350's came with 300 HP stock... 10:1, 4 bbl. carb., and the base level 194/202 durations cam...

[@jefflilyea4669]

My all-time favorite engine is a buick 225ci Odd-fire v6

[@BuzzLOLOL]

Mine is the all aluminum 215 V8... also very popular in UK/Europe...

[@K-Effect]

The legendary SR-71 Black Bird was started using 2 start carts, 1 start cart per engine. Each start cart had 2 Buick wildcat 401ci V-8s in tandem. That means there was a total of 4 Buick V8 running at full throttle to start the SR 71. Could you imagine what that must’ve sounded like! Than incorporate that with the Pratt & Whitney J58 firing up!

[@davelowets]

That's correct.... And you know what else is correct about that? They eventually had to switch over to Chevy big blocks in the start carts, because the Buicks couldn't handle the constant 6000rpms required to start the jet engines, and they blew SO many of the buicks up that they ended up using all of them up from local junkyards and had to switch to the Chevys. After the switch, they had NO more blown engines. And that was DIRECTLY out of the mouth of the guy who worked on the start carts.... It IS what it IS. 🤷

[@K-Effect]

@@davelowets 10-4

[@benchvirgin4243]

My 73 Buick century had red valve covers.

[@kevin2960]

I have built a 500hp buick 350. Its not easy but great motor. Stays together well. I would recommend forced induction.

[@marioncobaretti2280]

E3 plugs are awesome

[@markwallace5274]

Slammed that crank in there lol

[@thereisnospoon52]

Pretty sure it bounced!

[@RyanBenbow]

It did bounce. Not a good idea

[@jasonmurdoch9936]

I never knew they were that different from a Chevrolet you learn something everyday

[@pjimmbojimmbo1990]

I had a 71 Skylark with a 350, it was a peppy little car.

[@eyeshocars9978]

Now we're waiting for a olds350 and pontiac350 now

[@moedog5087]

I'd like to have my Rocket 350 done up the same way. Out of curiosity, what did this cost and who did it?

[@williamminter7057]

Note that you should end up with more power. Ported heads, TA manifold, some ok duration and good lift, and headers for 300 Hp seems pretty low. I’ve never built a Buick 350 but 350 HP is doable, I’m sure.

[@derrickjackson6737]

My dad had a 76 Buick 225 350 V8

[@davelowets]

7:50 You have to coat the washer or underside of the nut, along WITH the threads, to end up at the proper torque... If you don't lube ALL of the friction surfaces of the fasteners, and you go ahead then use the specific torque value indicated for moly, you'll end up quite a bit under-torqued for the fasteners.

[@marshallmcdowell3369]

I’d love to see how a Pontiac 350 would stack up

[@johntempest267]

I think Pontiac is the best 350.

[@andydelsol5842]

1:41 is how I feel knowing I have a 350 instead of a 455

[@tomashton1781]

spark plugs,,,,,, I ran split fires in a lima engine that was souped up ,plus an big ass blaster coil on dual points the voltage at the plug was double stock, plus you can add more fuel.

[@stevenfan1218]

I work on them all .i have run them all..but a small block chevyor a big block pontiac.wil stay together longer.ive ran them both..my weapon of choice is a small block 400 chevy..or the best pontiac motor ive ever thought was wicked fast.was in a 69 grandprix..street racing my small block chevy 400.of course it was stretched out to 424...beet everything with it....

[@stevedriver1476]

Was the Thread gauge bottom end checked and was cam dialed in. You may have got 330hp. One of the most beautifull cars ever 1970 73 or so skylarks. I wish the put a 400 4 barrel option with buckets and console From australia

[@davidmarshall8628]

I'm not so sure about the cam selection.

[@LR-my2di]

Me too! Comp doesn't know Buick cams. No mention of the v. springs used. Comp told me that had no "good" drop-on springs for the 350 or 455 Buick that could take over .500" lift. Only .470" lift MAX for the 350.

[@davidmarshall8628]

@@LR-my2di I "reverse engineered" which cam it was from the lift specs they gave. It's the Big Mutha' Thumpr with 243/257 degrees at .050" lift. I see that much timing hurting the bottom end, and the restrictive heads choking off the top end where that cam would want to run. I believe the engine would have been better off with the basic Thumpr, better low end and mid range with no loss on the top end because the heads didn't let the big cam shine there anyway.

[@LR-my2di]

@@davidmarshall8628 Agreed! Wow ... thanks for the @.050" specs. Probably on a 110-degree lobe separation to boot! Way too big for such a "budget" build! I'm surprised the valves even missed the cast and un-notched pistons. This cam will not operate power brakes for sure. We wouldn't even use that cam in any street 455 with power brakes!

[@davidmarshall8628]

@@LR-my2di It's a 107 degree separation. The Thumpr cams are for those looking for a choppy idle.

[@LR-my2di]

@@davidmarshall8628 Oh Boy! Yeah, now I remember the whole point of this line of cams ... the "sound" and not necessarily how well the cam suits the application. . This again explains the lackluster perf. of that cam with that engine combo.

[@truthtruth9745]

I have a 350 in my 78 Electra duce and a quarter. Can you get it to run like that? 😂

[@davea6148]

They could do a performance build. Aluminum heads are available at TAPerformance.

[@tvincent1650]

Would there be more gains from a '70 model 350? Those were between 285-315hp stock.

[@mickvonbornemann3824]

That Buick 350 Reminds me of an iron version of the Leyland P76 alloy 4.4 V8, which like the Buick 350 is like the Buick/Rover 3.5 V8 with a higher deck height.

[@tihspidtherekciltilc5469]

Those numbers don't make sense and what exactly is the leading competitor's sparkplug supposed to be?

[@The_R-n-I_Guy]

I'd love to have a Buick engine in my 1996 Buick Roadmaster sedan. A Buick 455 would be my first choice. But a Buick 350 would be great too

[@jordanwiley4582]

People have adapted the tbi system to bop engines successfully, if your car has that.

[@mlp-hot-rod5824]

Since the Pontiac block also used a rope seal, does the Ford 460 seal swap work on the Buick too?

[@loganamurray64]

You’d have to look at the crank diameter

[@BuzzLOLOL]

I think there are rubber seals available for the Pontiac...

[@OhAncientOne]

I agree with the Cam comments, Those spec's are nothing like those on my Kenne-Bell Mark ll and that 70 350, out ran SS396 Chevelle's - with the totally stock 2bbl

[@Reka_Chi]

imagine the shock when a 71 4door 350-2 skylark sedan did the same to a 67 396.

[@OhAncientOne]

@@Reka_Chi 🤣 Awesome! The part that really sucks, is they don't know it's just a 2bbl usually.. 🤷 Oh well

[@chrislayton2025]

Can anyone tell me whether this engine can run on regular unleaded with the 10:1 compression or does it need premium unleaded? I've got this same engine with the same pistons and setup as seen in this video except I put an RV cam in it for better torque in my 68 Jeep Gladiator.

[@rodneyclark1990]

Im trying to id the year on a buick 4 barrel intake not having any luck

[@ivanarrache5154]

300 hp and 350 tq with iron heads sounds great to me. A MPFI and DIS should be better but in a budget is great.

[@mylesjay15]

Could we get some upgrades to the buick 350 like the chevy 350? working on one and need some guidance

[@KingJT80]

they make heads for them TA performance 3000.00 tho the supercharger store does make a suprcharger kit for them i believe and so does torque storm.

[@nferraro222]

The power loss over a 1970 350 is a little odd. Almost 15 hp and 50lbs of torque less is pretty bad. Only thing I can guess is the cam isn't really ground right, for a Buick, or the '75 smogger heads are so bad that basic porting won't make them flow.

[@skylinefever]

Every gasoline engine from 1971 up needed to be compatible with unleaded gasoline, and that meant being able to handle 91 octane or less. Compression ratios were lowered on many engines to make it possible. From 1972 to 1974, they had to lean the air fuel mixture to meet tougher HC and CO emission levels which further cost horsepower. In 1975, every GM engine had to wheeze out of a pellet cat, and those created loads of backpressure. Many Non-GM engines had a grid cat, and they weren't nearly as bad. I'm not sure if Buicks had air injection ports in the cylinder head, but some smog engines did. Those that got them often had an awful exhaust port to accommodate the smog tubes. The 1973 to 1976 Olds was an example of that. However, you can port such heads and get similar exhaust flow to a ported non-smog head. Yes, cam design needed to be compromised on smog engines. I think a reduction in overlap was required so that less of the air fuel mixture could go out of the exhaust at low RPM. That is why some would be out of breath at 4000 to 4500 RPM. There may have been other compromises, but I don't remember all of them. Modern OHV engines can rev higher and not run out of breath partially because hydraulic roller cams allow a faster ramp rate. The MyMopar.com channel has a bunch of videos of what the Chrysler group had to do to make early smog engines, and similar compromises had to be made to many other engines. In 1971, horsepower measurement was changed from SAE gross to SAE net, and SAE gross allowed companies to measure HP with no air cleaner and no muffler. Theoretically there wouldn't be any difference between a single snorkel air cleaner and single exhaust versus a dual snorkel or ram air hood and dual exhausts. Obviously when an engine would be installed in a car, there would be a big difference. As a result, the horsepower numbers declined even on 2 identical engines. The 1970 Datsun 240Z had a completely different rating from later Datsun 240Z models, despite the fact that the engine worked well even on California smog.

[@nferraro222]

@@skylinefever I meant a comparison between the motor they just built and a factory hi-comp 350. Technically, they used 10.5 compression pistons, but they were a little bit closer to 10.2. Yes, the Buicks had the air-injection heads starting in '71, but they still flowed well. That may have changed by '75. The Edlebrock cam is probably designed for a chevy or ford engine. It used to be a common problem. Unless you got a cam from kenne-bell or TA Performance or someone in the Buick world, the cam grind didn't match the Buick heads or powerband.

[@LR-my2di]

You got it on those two counts alone!

[@trillrifaxegrindor4411]

you need to understand and learn the difference between "net" and "gross" horsepower ratings and the other changes made in the smog era engines.....1970 was gross hp rating,1975 was net....1975 had 8 to 1 compression,1970 had 10 to 1,1970 cams had over .100" more lift,more duration etc

[@nferraro222]

@@trillrifaxegrindor4411 That motor's making 351lbs. of gross torque. No water pump, power steering or alternator. A factory '70 made 410 gross. It's got the same comp as a '70, a "performance" cam and a much better flowing intake, so where'd the power go? As for that being a '75 engine - where are the air injection ports on the heads? It's a 70 that someone slapped an HEI onto and swapped into a later car. Buicks don't have VINs on the block.

[@TheMeanestGuy]

I have a 1954 buick special, the engine i had was a 305, would a 350 fit inside it?

[@nferraro222]

Yeah, you'll have a lot more grunt and it'll handle better, but you'd need an adapter to fit the chevy trans or you'd have to grab a BOP (buick/olds/pontiac) turbo 350. Not sure about the motor mounts.

[@joebarber4030]

Buick 350 weighs 100 less than a 350 Chevy to start , and swapping to the aluminum intake your now below 400 pounds for a strong V8 , take that any day!

[@daevioncarter3493]

What intake manifold is that

[@DadyEscabar69]

How much was the rebuild?

[@kingjeremysircornwell7847]

Performance rebuild kit for Rocheter 2 barrel 1972, 290 HP. 9 pound fuel pump. with 70 pound cat iron intake.

[@kingjeremysircornwell7847]

The stock nipple pistons are high performance.

[@jimcatanzaro7808]

Big bucks if you want a Buick 350

[@dgc940]

Try this! a e3 and a MSD 6AL multi spark box

[@frankrizzo2724]

It's a shame to see that you guys put the worst possible cam available in that motor. Thumper cams are not designed to make power and I don't understand why anyone would ever think of running one. You guys left a TON of power on the table....

[@RyanBenbow]

They don't care about your comment

[@peterchristlieb]

That Piston is the biggest problem. Those full skirts look damn heavy and I’ll bet they sit down in the hole at tdc paired with a terrible combustion chamber. It seems to like the cam. Had they used a set of KB (Which I’m not a huge fan of) pistons or a custom piston that set at the deck or close and an earlier head with a D shaped chamber, that first pull would have shown closer to 325 HP and a truck full of useable torque

[@rogerodle8750]

450 lbs minus 57 lbs for the intake manifold = 393 lbs. That is one light V-8. Imagine what a set of aluminum heads would do.

[@chamberizer]

I was interested in the part of video, when he checked the side clearance of the connecting rods. When connecting rods are made they use Double Disc Grinders, that grind both sides at the same time. The grinding wheels are large (6 ft in diameter approx) & it is the side of the grinding wheels that do the grinding. The connecting rods are pushed mechanically into the side of a center wheel, that has profiles cut out to accommodate the connecting rods. This center wheel rotates & carries the connecting rods between the two grinding wheels, thus both sides are ground at the same time. I thought you might find interesting? I was told by a mechanic that the clearance is critical. Because it affects oil pressure. That makes me wonder - when they opened up the oil passages (made them larger) will that affect oil pressure?

[@cdiazcetina]

It will affect oil pressure but with the external oil pump you can adjust it with swapping springs.

[@jordanwiley4582]

Larger clearances negatively affect pressure but allow for more volume. Stock spec was only 36psi at 3400rpm.

[@SuperChuckRaney]

The last clearence before the oil is in the air, is the rod side clearence. That's how it affect oil pressure. Opening up the passages is time proven on the Buick, it gives better flow. If it's possible grind the inside curve in the passage, you can reach most.

[@_.Dave._]

How much does this cost?

[@sauluribe7082]

I ve redone this motor once on a 1973 Regal. Unlike Ford and Chrysler sharing the same block on their cars GM builts each marks their own engine designs.

[@BuzzLOLOL]

Ford also had several engine designs such as 352, 351C, 351W, and 351M... FE, 335, 385, MEC, Modular variants...

[@BossPrepping]

olds 350 rocket next??

[@bigblood9748]

How much for a fan?

[@thatmechanicguy1993]

T/A now sells aluminum 350 heads.

[@regalgn1]

I would give the nod to Buick red!

[@marioncobaretti2280]

The ole guy narrating this is on some serious testosterone.. he,s in a geriatric war

[@ladamyre1]

The first engine I rebuilt was the 350 out of a '68 Buick Special. It had eaten the plastic "quiet cam gear" coatings and pumped the pieces into the 3-4 rod journal, starving it of oil, locking up the engine. This was no budget build. I estimate they spent 2-3 thousand dollars on it, half of that machining costs. On my build I spent about $200 for a complete rebuild kit from JC Whitney and $25 for the block bath. I borrowed a 4" dingleberry hone from a neighbor and put a 30 degree cross hatch on the cylinders and reinstalled those full skirt pistons. I have always used the feeler gauge in the thrust clearance of the rods before torquing them down, (BTW you can do that with only one gauge if you put it on the correct side of the rod) and I rebuilt the old rocker arm shafts using washers for new thrust surfaces and a jig to grind off the extra metal on the stud caps. Those pistons slapped like hell until it warmed up but after that it was a torque monster, 350 ft/lbs at least. Yeah the Buick 350 is set up for high torque because it has a 3.8 inch bore and stroke and being a "square" engine it will outlast anything that isn't square. I put another 35,000 miles on that engine before I sold the car. I'm a big fan of that old Buick 350: For that matter any of the "square" torque monsters of the 1960's. (a .060" over bore on an Oldsmobile 455 is a killer engine that's almost square, close enough) These are engines you can put a million miles on and only have to change the oil, filters and points & plugs on.

[@osama3in-laggen745]

Just drove in my 84 buick apollo, stock, 350. Doing a little upgrading now. Is it worth taking this out,taking to a machine shop. Or look for a newer engine that would work great with the rest of my buick?

[@ivanarrache5154]

Go for a newer engine... And sell that Buick 350 to me.

[@osama3in-laggen745]

@@ivanarrache5154 I have no idea where to even begin in selling this stock 2bbl buick v8.

[@ivanarrache5154]

@@osama3in-laggen745 wait... Wait, neither the Apollos nor the Buick 350s were still being made in 1984.

[@osama3in-laggen745]

I have a 1974 buick. My mistake.

[@marcuscook5145]

Probably more like the other other 350 because I'm willing to bet the Oldsmobile was more common.

[@darthslater6077]

IF YOU HAVE TO USE A BARKE TORQUE TO SPIN THE TIRES YOU HAVE A SLUG MOTOR.

[@davelowets]

MAN! Those pistons are SLUGS! The friction with those things has to be horrendous, and they GOTTA weight a BUNCH... 😬 What was the bob-weight for that engine?

[@chadhyde50]

Some Sb Mopar valves will vet you a couple more hp. Just keep it under 6000 rpm, the stock rods are junk.

[@charlescroney2742]

why do they blow head gaskets consantliy

[@MrTurboparker]

And a cast-iron Buick 350 only weighs 450 lb - a whopping 125 lb lighter than a cast-iron 350 Chevy! 😎

[@chamberizer]

Is this engine basically the same as a Buick 340 from 1967?

[@BuzzLOLOL]

I think the 340 is derived from the little 215, then Buick went to a more conventional engine design for 350 - 455... or maybe they started the new engine at 340"...

[@chamberizer]

@@BuzzLOLOL I think it may have evolved into the V6 that the Grand National used? I drove a Buick Lesabre with a 340 in high school. It was about 10 years old & used oil, but ran good. My parents had a blue 1955 Super Convertible when I was a kid. I always liked Buicks.

[@BuzzLOLOL]

Yes, the 1950 concept Buick aluminum V8 went into full production 1960 - 1963, then sold to UK Rover... In USA it spawned the iron V6's and 300, 340, 350 V8's... Buick came out with a more conventional design iron V8 in 1965 of 400, 430, 455"... earlier Buick had iron 'nailhead' design V8's 1954 - 1964... Olds had N/A and turbocharged versions of the aluminum V8 ( I drove one back in the day ): kzbin.info/www/bejne/gKvaZopnp7eApck Repco-Brabham had an F1 races winning OHC version... UK aftermarket took the 215" out to 318"/5.2L... Jaguar made it into a V12...

[@zAvAvAz]

With T/A Performance aluminum heads you can make 480hp all day long pump gas.

[@KingJT80]

then add a toque storm or supercharger store kit and it''ll go way past 650

[@swhitelightning1986]

Thought it was going to make a lot more power than that.

[@kannonbenjamin2518]

What intake manifold was used?

[@trillrifaxegrindor4411]

rewind,its a beautiful thing

[@BuzzLOLOL]

T/A Buick Co.'s Stage 1...

[@SuperChuckRaney]

TA Performance out of Arizona, they make the only aluminum intake for the Buick 350. Stage 1 is the part number at TA, it’s not a copy of a factory Buick Stage 1, as there is no such thing

[@JesseJurun]

I'm an atheist and I've driven big blocks and the only time I've ever prayed was driving a stock 350 rebuilt '69 high comp 4 barrel Buick.

[@ob1kenobi748]

Should i bother fixing mine, bought a 71 skylark and it has detonation damage and has chips and chunks missing from the sides of the pistons, im on a very small budget and dont want to dump money into this thing

[@davelowets]

8:35 Unless you decked the shit out of that block, or gave the heads a substantial haircut, you won't be anywhere near 10:1 with those pistons. You'll be realistically about at 9.2:1-9.3:1 compression.

[@CrankAddict]

More power than a 455 of the same year? I'd put a 1973 stage 1 455 buick up against that 350 any day of the week. From 1972,, all horsepower ratings were "net", meaning with water pump and fan and alternator and p/s etc. I didn't even see a factory water pump on that 350 engine. Most engines lost around 60hp and 50ftlbs when the ratings went to "net" in 1972. A 1973 455 stage 1 was rated at 270hp "net" and 390 ftlbs "net" and that was with 8:1 compression. The most pedestrian 455 was rated 225hp and 360ft lbs net. Gross hp would have been 290hp and 410 ftlbs torque. That torquey 455 would stomp this hopped up 350 in a drag race. Not even close.

[@skylinefever]

In addition, in 1972, some engines had to lean out the air fuel mixture to pass California smog. A few mods to the carb changed these engines dramatically, and also reduce the horsepower difference between 1971 and 1972.

[@LR-my2di]

Agree ... all in all, sort of a silly comment.

[@trillrifaxegrindor4411]

1975 dude....a 75 350 buick compared to a 75 455......some people dont hear things right.he didnt compare it to a 73 stage 1 at any time

[@BuzzLOLOL]

Yeah, they said their built 455 HP Olds 455 made one HP per cubic inch... but with .030" overbore, it was actually a 461" engine...

[@jeffbamford805]

Isn't Buick a GM company anyway.in Australia our Holden Commodore V6 where the Buicks V6 just rebadged to GM Holden .

[@patrioticaussiesams8581]

Yes it was It was the 1st make of the GM company under the William Durant leadership. Holden use the Buick V6 design as a starting point for the VN Commodore

[@jordanwiley4582]

buick was under the GM brand but made it's own V8s until 1980 when it was demoted to producing only V6s. Oldsmobile made their last v8 in 1990 and pontiac their last v8 in 1981. Olds and pontiac were demoted to making 4 cylinders throughout the 1980s.

[@jeffbamford805]

@@jordanwiley4582 thanks for that mate appreciate you taking the time .

[@jeffbamford805]

@@patrioticaussiesams8581 that's correct I had a VN commodore V6. VN ss was different though

[@patrioticaussiesams8581]

@@jeffbamford805 The VN SS was sweet a mate had one the 5.0Ltr V8 was good he did update the Exhaust and Cold Air induction that certainly improved things. He gave it a hard time plenty of Burnouts haha

[@clintontush9668]

To me it's all Chevrolet anything GM that is even though back then they actually had differences other than the newer cars of today having different plastic noses but basically the same damn car

[@tacomas9602]

9:30 c'mon, has anyone done this

[@douglasdobson8110]

weird my Buick 350 was a big block not a small block and the 350 in the video also really looks like a big block????

[@jordanwiley4582]

All 350s from every make are small blocks. The Buick 350 and 455 are very similar but share no parts and are distinct from each other. Buick 350 is a small block but is physically larger than its olds Pontiac or Chevy brothers.

[@douglasdobson8110]

@@jordanwiley4582 yeah with mine I took an intake manifold and carb off a 455 and bolted it directly onto my 350. I thought small block motors were 60 degree and big blocks were 90 degree is that wrong???

[@douglasdobson8110]

when I went shopping for that manifold and carb off the 455, my Chilton was very clear that the Buick 350 is a Big Block engine and intake and exhaust manifolds are interchangeable with the 455, I know that's right because the intake manifold bolted right on no problem. My old 1968-1975 Chilton manual told me big block engines were 90 degree V8's and small block engines were 60 degree V8's, maybe the definition has changed since the 1970's or everyone just forgot it was the block design that made it a big block or a small block. Maybe you can tell me why the Chevy small block 400 is called a small block and the big block 396 is called a big block??? I think that will take you right back to the block design, 60 degree versus 90 degree, but then what do I know right??? I'm just a nobody with glasses that read a lot of Chilton books in the 1970's . . . back when a small block was a sixty degree V8 and a big block was a 90 degree V8 . . . I mean I figured you'd know this far better than I would considering you're the professional and I never was . . . on cars anyway. I'm pretty sure if you do your diligent research you will come back and say the Buick 350 is a big block engine and I turned out to be right . . . lets hope anyway otherwise I'm just some yeehaw who thinks I have a few working brain cells and might be wrong . . .

[@douglasdobson8110]

I think that's all wrong dude, really, maybe you better recheck your research into what makes a small block a small block and what makes a big block a big block, because my Buick 350 was a big block and parts from the 455 were interchangeable, I did it, I know for a fact that in 1981 the Chilton American cars and Volkswagon book for 1968-1975 was very clear that 60 degree V8's were small blocks and 90 degree V8's were big blocks and my Buick 350 was absolutely a 90 degree big block V8

[@douglasdobson8110]

sorry, I hate having to school people who are supposed to know what they're talking about . . . because I have glasses and books . . . at least you know now how to tell a big block from a small block . . . you're welcome

[@hualni]

I'm starting to think this isn't a budget build.

[@Reka_Chi]

not at all, for the price of the motor and "mild upgrades" they did, you could do a junkyard ls build with cam and turbos making 800+ hp and have money for a trans to handle it.

[@GermanShepherdMaster]

I agree, this is not even close to a budget build. I really don't think these guys know what that is. Don't get me wrong, I love these videos and I do learn things from time to time. Also, these numbers are not great. Stock 4bbl 350 up to 1970 was 285hp and 375ft/lbs. Granted peak numbers don't tell the whole story. Still nice to see a Buick build :-).

[@jeffbamford805]

Could have done without the crap at the end .put it in another episode do a comprehensive look at it not just an after thought to fill in the time

[@LR-my2di]

Amen!