buick 300 performance build
i have a 66 skyark with the 300 v-8 and a st-300 trans, i am in mid restoration and i believe my engine is finally on its last leg. i was thinking about a big block performance build but i think due to money constraints and for the sake of origonality i woud rather just buid the 300. honestly i am a pontiac man and i know little about buick engines, does anyone know anything about the performance potential of this engine? and if so what parts are recommended? thankyou for your time
300 is a great motor but...
There really aren't a lot of choices for the 300 but it is a great little motor. I have one in my 64 Skylark and I've made some little improvements. Early 300s like mine came with aluminum heads and intake. I upgraded to a 4 barrel intake with a Carter AFB carb, level 2 Crower cam, and performance ignition.
You could also bump the compression with some flat top pistons. The original Power Pack 300 had 11:1. Mine is running somewhere over 9.5:1 according to the books I've got. The aluminum heads dissipate heat better so theoretically you shouldn't have any problems with predetonation. I've always run regular gas in mine and never had problems.
Of course, I am telling you all this with a 455 Buick in my garage ready to put in. There is no substitute for cubic inches. There are also a lot more performance parts out there for a 455 Buick.
For a mild street application, the 300 is a great motor. But if you're looking for more than that, I recommend going big.
The 350 Buick should have built
It is possible to put a 340/350 crankshaft into a 300 block. This combo has several advantages over a 340 based motor. The 340 is very
wide (@10.2 inches, it has a taller deck than a big block chevy and about same height as a 400/455 Buick), and many people who are not familiar with Buicks (most) mistake it for a big block. The reason Buick engines have such tall decks is that their engineers never adopted slipper-skirt pistons on any of their engines. Non slipper-skirt pistons require much longer connecting rods combined with taller decks to allow the pistons to clear the counter weights at the bottom of the stroke. By using a slipper skirt piston and a 300 connecting rod, their is enough room in the 300 block to install a modified (mains reduced to 300 main size) 3.85 stroke 340/350 crank. With a over bore of .050 you end up with 349 c.i..
For people who worry about rod length to stroke ratio, this combo yields a 1.55:1 ratio which is better that 454 chevy and several popular Ford and Chevy stroker motors.
If this combo becomes popular, 300 blocks will be more valuable.
I am currentely building such a motor and will keep you up-dated.