Hi Tom, thanks for the info. I've seen your named mentioned a lot.(Including the Buick Nailhead book by Gary Weldon) I've been reading a bunch about how to rebuild these engines and none of it seems that much out of the ordinary, but there are lots of warnings all over about finding a machine shop that can do Nailheads.
Do a lot of people assume they go together like a Chevy and miss certain things or use certain clearances that work on a Chevy but not a Buick?
I have a machine shop I like that did the machine work on my GMC 228 (bore over, machined the crank, valve job) which I assembled in my home shop. I would like to do the same with this Buick Engine. They said they can do a Buick.
From what I have taken apart so far, I know it will need to be bored (cylinder walls are pitted) and I think a valve job - the one head that's off looks to have a stuck valve. The car only has 74K miles, and I think the engine is all original except for the carb, but it has sat for many years in storage down in North Carolina. Rings are rusted to the walls and there is surface rust in the intake runners.
I assume you do machine work too? I know I've got to spend some money to get this engine working again, but like most everyone else, I can't break the bank on it either. I also want to learn more, so I want to do the assembly too.
Thanks
Greg
