67 Riv 430 Q?

New here. Started work on a 67 Riv.

The block is Orange but the heads are blue. Could have been stripped and painted blue but can't tell.

Can someone tell me how check that I have the original heads?

Also, car has sat for 17 years in a nice dry garage. Never had a BBB before but the motor seems tight and hard to turn over. New battery cooked the 53 year old starter today which labored hard.

Thoughts?

Thanks!


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I'd find the numbers on the heads and look online for a way to match the numbers. You should at least be able to find out if they are heads for a 430, whether their the original head to that exact motor or just another set for another 430. Have you lubricated the cylinders? If you remove the spark plugs and pour a small amount of diesel or spray a little lubricant in the cylinders and let it sit overnight, it could help it turn easier. I have a 67 Rivi with a BB 430 aswell, was also turning a bit tough but in my case the car was in a field since the late 80's without freeze plugs so I found #7 cylinder heavily oxidized so I need to take it out for a rebuild. Unfortunately the machinist found quite a bit of cracks in the block that I'm having repaired at the moment so I can continue the rebuild

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We have the 400, 430, 455 head casting numbers here in our reference section. They are under the valve cover beneath the rocker arm shaft as I recall. The block casting number is on to of the bell housing adapter for the transmission.
 
I'd find the numbers on the heads and look online for a way to match the numbers. You should at least be able to find out if they are heads for a 430, whether their the original head to that exact motor or just another set for another 430. Have you lubricated the cylinders? If you remove the spark plugs and pour a small amount of diesel or spray a little lubricant in the cylinders and let it sit overnight, it could help it turn easier. I have a 67 Rivi with a BB 430 aswell, was also turning a bit tough but in my case the car was in a field since the late 80's without freeze plugs so I found #7 cylinder heavily oxidized so I need to take it out for a rebuild. Unfortunately the machinist found quite a bit of cracks in the block that I'm having repaired at the moment so I can continue the rebuild

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Bore scope looked good in all of them. Yes, pulled plugs, and lubed.


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We have the 400, 430, 455 head casting numbers here in our reference section. They are under the valve cover beneath the rocker arm shaft as I recall. The block casting number is on to of the bell housing adapter for the transmission.

Thanks for that. We'll check it out.


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Do you know if there was a specific reason why the car was parked for so long?

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75 and 76 455's were painted blue. Since any 400-430-455 head will physically bolt on, they could be 75-76 heads. The 75 and 76 heads were of open chamber design and had the biggest chambers which lowered compression. Without knowing the history of a 53 year old car, the engine could easily be a mix of parts. Make sure you put a real oil pressure gauge on it. That will tell you a lot about the engine's health.
 
75 and 76 455's were painted blue. Since any 400-430-455 head will physically bolt on, they could be 75-76 heads. The 75 and 76 heads were of open chamber design and had the biggest chambers which lowered compression. Without knowing the history of a 53 year old car, the engine could easily be a mix of parts. Make sure you put a real oil pressure gauge on it. That will tell you a lot about the engine's health.

They have correct 1967 430 stamping on them


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1382985 left, 382985 right These are the casting numbers from my all original 67 430 that was rebuilt last year. These are the "small valve" heads not what you would find on a stage 1 engine.
 
Not true. All Buick engines have the oil pump as part of the timing chain cover. That means that oil is pumped from the front to the rear of the block. The mains and rods are fed from the lifter galleys. The big block Buick was originally designed as a low RPM torque engine. The stock oiling is fine for an engine that never goes over 4500 RPM. Buick built their engines with closer main and rod bearing clearances to keep the oil pressure up. In later year engines, they went to a bigger pick up (5/8"), and increased the maximum pressure to 60 psi. You need 11-12 psi per 1000 RPM. As long as you have proper oil pressure, any 400-430-455 will live a long happy life. That is why you need to put a real oil pressure gauge on any Buick engine. That way, you'll know you have adequate oil pressure for the RPM you turn. If you are having any 400-430-455 rebuilt, it is important that you keep the bearing clearances correct. There are oil system modifications that should be done to any Big Block Buick engine if you intend higher performance (RPM) Here are a few threads on that,



 
I have read something like that in the past, thank you so much for the links. I'm rebuilding mine right now so I'm definitely going to do the proper modifications

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Just pay serious attention to those links. If you do the proper modifications and have proper bearing clearances, oil pressure will be great, and the engine will live a long life.
 
With the pre through the pushrod oiling it is paramount to keep the oil clean and fresh in these engines. Due to the nature of the slim oil passages that feed the valve train the slightest sludge or gunk in the system will clog the rocker shafts quickly leading to oil starvation and burnt up rockers. Ask me how i know. My engine was a 60,000 mile baby never abused but serviced by an unscrupulous crook who charged the elderly previous owner for 4 oil changes a year and did maybe 1 every 2 or 3 years. There was so much garbage in the rocker shafts that less than half the rockers were getting oil. Once the shafts were removed from the engine the rockers were rattling around. They were barely opening the valves. I hope you're having the engine upgraded to through the pushrod oiling, it's a huge improvement.

ETA: your engine block started life red and faded to orange over half a century.
 
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