Having a 300 V8 rebuilt - advice, opinions?
Dear Buick enthusiasts, :shield:
I working to restore a 1965 Buick Special Deluxe wagon that has been in the family since 1968. Among other troubles, the shop who have been doing the mechanical repairs (beyond my limited skills) have found that valves are wearing out on the 300 cu V8. This engine has been rebuilt twice in its 270,000+ mile lifetime. The second rebuild was only 9 years ago (about 50,000 miles). Neither rebuild was a stellar success. After the first rebuild we had to have the valves redone again after about a year. Given all these troubles, I've been given the advice to abandon the engine and capitulate to a modern replacement Chevy small block (oh the shame! :blush:).
Now the goal here isn't to recreate the 1965 factory condition, nor is the goal to create a racing crate. The car is really part of our family history - that's what I'm trying to preserve.
That being said, I finally have crew of mechanics who seem genuinely prepared to dot every i and cross every t. So my question is should I be stubborn and try to save this engine has been such a recognizable sound and presence in the household for 42 years. Since I can't take on the rebuild myself, what are the sorts of "gotchas" I should be worried about? Do these engines have intrinsic weaknesses that might have contributed to the short life of rebuilds? On the flip-side, what are common mistakes and pitfalls that might cause a commercial team of rebuilders to screw up this engine - even if they are dedicated and familiar with restoring other engines of the period?
Any thoughts, opinions, and advice would be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Edouard in Orinda, CA :car:
P.S. Suggestions on modest performance improvements would be appreciated too.
Thanks for the comments and this resource
Dear Bob and Team Buick members, :shield:
Thanks for your recommendations concerning oiling equipment tolerances. I will definitely pass these on to the mechanics I'm working with. Let me take this moment to thank all of you for the wealth of information on this forum. It has been suggested that I consider upgrading our Buick Special with the 340 V8 and there is a lot of useful information concerning this engine on this forum. So even if my performance objectives are move humble, the information here has been helpful.
Thanks to all for keeping classic Buicks not simply alive but roaring! :finish:
Sincerely,
Edouard in Orinda, CA
Thank BigRivy, that's the advise I needed!
Dear BigRivy,
Thanks so much for your "counterpoint" to the suggestion of "punting" on the original equipment and taking the chicken way out by purchasing a new engine simply because it has a warranty and more horsepower.
I'm afraid I did record the exact details on how the valves where determined to be problematic. My understanding is that they used some sort of tool that could compare the valve motion to the overall engine rotation and determined that the valves are not operating within tolerance. Admittedly I've been sloppy on this, but this particular problem was discovered after the car was struck by another motorist and there have been a lot details to take care of trying to bring this poor car back from the blow. Nonetheless, I'm confident that this was simply a poor rebuild and there are other indications that the engine needs to be rebuilt. The performance is way below par and the gasoline mileage is dropped by over 20%.
Right now the car seems seriously underpowered, but what would you expect? My own experiences with the car aren't has helpful as they could be. We bought the car when I was 8 years old, and the engine got its first rebuild the year I got my drivers license, so I never drove the car as it came out of factory.
Thanks to this forum and other sources, I have a much better idea of what can be expected of these engines and more importantly good reason to suspect that this car is much more a victim of incompetent engine rebuilds than being underpowered by design.
Having battled insurers and finally gotten the body repairs underway, I'm can now give the engine situation proper attention. At the moment, having this engine rebuilt properly (attending as noted to the Buick specific tolerances) seems like the best choice.
Thanks again and additional perspective is greatly appreciated. Alas, Buick lovers are something of a rare breed.
Sincerely,
Edouard in Orinda, CA
P.S. This afternoon I finally was able to talk with the mechanics who diagnosed the valve trouble and get the proper diagnosis. To quote: "Vehicle has had a history of misfire at wide open throttle possibly due to weak valve springs. Scoped engine ignition system and vacuum waveform of engine. Ignition scopes fine. Vacuum waveform indicates that cylinders number 6, 7, 1, and 4 aren't producing power as the others. Waveform indicates valve issue (worn engine.)"
Please do say more! (Re: Rebuild 300 V8 advice)
Dear WildKitty,
I certainly do hope you'll find the time to expand on your recent Buick 300 V8 rebuild. Given that I'm clearly new to this business, if you could explain what your objectives were in the rebuild (improve performance, etc.) that would help me understand how to fit your experiences into the particular task I face in getting my venerable Buick wagon back to health! :shield:
Cheers, Edouard :)
Certainly what I hope to do!
Dear shoe2r and Buick Fans,
Quote:
Originally Posted by
shoe2r
BigRivy couldnt have said it any better.....keep that buick all buick......
. . . .
.....take your time and do it right.........and keep it all buick......:thumbsup:
Thanks for your encouraging words and for all the good resources here. I was feeling very isolated and uncertain about how to keep the car all Buick. I spoke with the folks at TA Performance this morning and thanks to everyone's help, it certainly looks like keeping my classic Special wagon all Buick is within reach.
Alas, I have another ugly hurdle to get past first: getting the car repaired after it got banged up by one of those "late model german sports sedans." I've found it increasingly miserable to try to "share the road" with folks who clearly have no respect for what they are driving (never mind other drivers.) I put down a few thoughts on this accident in my Team Buick blog: http://www.teambuick.com/forums/blog.php?b=131. I certainly would be interested to know how other Buick enthusiasts feel about this.
Cheers, Edouard