Hello from Austria ;-)

HureDesSatans

HureDesSatans

Member
Hello Everyone,

Just wanted to say Hello from Austria(Europe). I have just actually bought a 1971 Buick Skylark Thin Pillar Sedan with a 455 Cui engine.
Hope to find some usefull stuff here for my Buick ;-)
I like these cars, the sound, the size, everything. And it is amazing what kind of technique already has been available at this time. For example cruise control. The germans did not even know at this time how to write this ;-)

Cu
Patrick
 
Hello Patrick,
Guten Tag aus Canada! I would love to see some photos of your car. I have a 68 Wildcat here in Montreal. I wonder if your car came with a 350 and perhaps had an engine transplant!

Regards, Gary
 
yeah, it looks like in 1971 that the only A-body that came with a 455 would have been the Gran Sport.

i doubt that Patrick is disappointed with the swap.
 
Hello,
Did i get you right that this type of car was not deliverd with a 455 engine?
I hope there was a swap because I couldn´t inspected the car yet by my own. Due to the reason these kind of cars are hardly to get here in austria I bought it over the internet. The owner told me it is not a GS but it has the 455 CUi in it. At least on the Air Cleaner it is written "455-4", but I know this is not a proof for it. I can check this when I first see the car next saturday.
BTW the VIN Number is a little wierd beacuse it start with a 7 -> 7433271G....? What does this mean?
8844
 
the easy way to tell the basic engine family is with the number of bolts in the valve covers:

6 bolt, 3 on each rail == Buick 350
5 bolt, 3 on the top rail and 2 on the bottom == Buick 455
4 bolt, 2 on each rail == Buick 215 / 300 / 340 or Land Rover

your picture looks like it might be an aftermarket intake manifold, ie - aluminum. i think that might be an Edelbrock logo above the Buick 455. and a big block Buick intake cannot fit on a small block 350 because the bore spacing is different between the engine families.

7433271G....? What does this mean?


it means they told you the wrong VIN. the first digit codes the GM division which is manufacturing the car, all Buicks ( in the more modern VIN coding in use since around 1960 ) have "4" for the first digit. the "7" isn't part of the VIN at all.

4 33 27 1 G xxxxxx <<<this is what the VIN should look like, except that the last 6 digits will code the order of production on the line at the plant, normally beginning with 100001.

4 = Buick
33 = Skylark, the base option would have defaulted to a straight 6 Chevy, although it could be upgraded to a Buick 350
27 = 2dr thin pillar coupe
1 = 1971
G = Framingham, Massachusetts
xxxxxx = sequential production number
 
Wow, Thanks a lot Bob for this useful information. So it looks like it is really a big block 455 engine. I will catch an eye on the bolts when i see the car on saturday.

So there must have been a swap, because as far as I have understand you that this kind of car was not original delivered with a 455 engine?

But the number is for real, it is so written in the title...(got a picture of it). I was so confused when I looked through this forum and other internet sites about the VIN decoding.

CU
Patrick
 
IF the engine is original to the car, the engine should be stamped with an Identification Number ( EIN ) which duplicates most of the VIN for your car.

the EIN dispenses with the 4 digits which code the Model and Body type, in your case the "33 27", so you should be left with "4 1 G xxxxxx" . if it's stamped with ANY other VIN information, that engine is not original to that car.

this page tells you where to find engine code stamps on both the 455 and the 350

once you've got the EIN and the two letter production code we should be able to make a pretty good guess as to what it came out of. the Electra and Riviera both use their own sequential production # sequence, so those are pretty obvious.
 
Finally I got the car yesterday.... Just one word... AWESOME....:p:p:p:p:p
The sound is great, engine is running but there is a lot to do on this Skylark... A nice project for the next years....
Unfortunately I couldn´t find any numbers on the engine, except of a "3" on the driver side between the exhaust manifold...?? Enclosed some pictures...
(Have to take a further and better look again next weekend...)
But as far as I understood, the bolts on the valve covers match to the description of a 455er buick :p

Thank you Bob for your excellent hints...(y)
 

Attachments

  • 20190714_114512.jpg
    20190714_114512.jpg
    559 KB · Views: 22
  • 20190714_114541.jpg
    20190714_114541.jpg
    541.9 KB · Views: 22
  • 20190714_114556.jpg
    20190714_114556.jpg
    556.1 KB · Views: 24
  • 20190714_114549.jpg
    20190714_114549.jpg
    416.7 KB · Views: 19
hmmm. the headers have a name plate riveted to them. can you make out what it says for a brand?

someone has definitely been hot rodding that engine, you've likely got an aftermarket cam as well.

if the car doesn't have an oil pressure GAUGE, i'd get one on there, preferably plumbed to the back of the cam galley. and if you tear the engine down, make a point of checking that all of the oiling upgrades got done. the newer / later 455s were painted blue from the factory. so if that's the original engine color, there's a good chance they've got the small diameter pickup and everything else.
 
Hello Buick Buddies,
Enclosed another pic of the exhaust manifold with the name plate. You´re right "oldfoneguy". It definitely says "Hooker Super Competition" and I do have an oil pressure gauge inside the car under the dashboard (with a water temp gauge and a Voltmeter).

On the valve cover there is a kind of „vent cover“ where „Edelbrock“ is written on it.

Please excuse my not so perfect English (as you have already noticed for sure it is not my mother tongue) but what do you mean with “small diameter pickup and everything else“??

As soon as I get some time, I will disassemble the car completely. Get out of the engine, work up the frame and body parts and make up. Then I can also more accurately inspect the engine. I have already bought the chassis manual from this site as support.

CU
Patrick
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20190720_190145.jpg
    IMG_20190720_190145.jpg
    492.4 KB · Views: 14
  • IMG_20190720_190443.jpg
    IMG_20190720_190443.jpg
    489.8 KB · Views: 13
older style engines ( 400, 430 and early 455s ) use a 1/2" inner diameter pickup tube. newer 455s use a 5/8" ID tube. once you drop the oil pan it's two bolts and a gasket to swap the larger pickup for the narrow one.

if you want to get more involved, you can drill out the oil galley from the front of the block back to where the passage makes the 90 degree turn to the front.

then there is also getting out a die grinder and smoothing out the corners in the timing cover and making sure the pump gears are properly clearanced.

www.teambuick.com

Block Oil Passage Mods

>>>Note: this info is copy / pasted from a post *that I made* several years ago on another forum. as such, some of the links are defunct and no longer work. i'm leaving this information in the post so that if you want to do further research or use the internet wayback machine or something you...
www.teambuick.com www.teambuick.com
 
Thank you for this usefull info Bob(y). I have not dealt with it that exactly since I am still fascinated by this car (Like a kid who got his new toy:)). But I will certainly do this.
CU
Patrick
 
Patrick that Edlebrock "vent cover" is the breather element for the PCV (positive crankcase ventilation) system. It's an air cleaner for the air going into the crankcase and should be checked when the oil is changed and cleaned at least twice a year. The best way I've found to clean it is to put it in a tray and pour kerosene through the middle. You will see all the dirt flow out the sides with the kerosene. Shake it out and put it back on the engine. The element itself is a wire mesh on the inside of it.
 
Hello oldfoneguy,

Thank you for this usefull information. I will check this soon. Actually I am a little stressed with the authorities to get this car registered here in Austria.

CU
Patrick
 
Hello Gary,

No, unfortunately not. Had a lot work to do, so I couldn´t focus on my buick.
I really have a bad consience for not posting anything more. But I will as soon I start with my buick.
I will also post then my experience what it takes to get such car registered here in Austria (In case someone else is here from Austria ;-) )

CU
Patrick
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top