350 Help!!!

[briancrittendonii]

I have a 72 Skylark with a 71 350, what can I do to increase H.P. in the 350. Also any other performance tips AT ALL will be greatly appreciated. I have declaired that this will be my oldest daughters car eventually. In the mean time dad gets to play with it. So, this car is 99.9 % street but possibly going to the strip for a weekend just for the fun and excitement. Thank you ahead of time for all the tips and help.

[bobc455]

First question to ask is how much money you want to spend.

I'd love to recommend buying a 455 and building it up, but if you only have a few hundred bucks then that is useless advice.

Will you be using the car for daily transportation?

-Bob Cunningham

[mnelson007]

I have a nice 71 GS 350 convertible and I have pretty much decided on building a 455 for the huge torque those Buick big blocks are famous for. I did a lot of reading and all of the Buick specific information definitely focused on the 455. With the exception of the notorious oiling problems and resulting attention required to all main,rod, and cam bearing clearances; the Buick 350 responds to most of the same performance modifications as all chevy 350s. Poston and T/A performance can help you with any unique parts requirements. If you do go through the motor, just verify the bearing tolerances and stick to them. Make sure you've got a good oil pump and all of your oil passages are cleaned up and wide open. It does not sound like you plan on twisting any outrageous R.P.M.s so dont let those oiling problems scare you. I'm not saying they are only urban legend because they exist, but i do not think they are nearly as bad as some of those "off brand" guys make them out to be. Stick to the tolerances and beyond that it is just a matter of deciding how far YOU want to take it. Best of luck.

[68 Custom]

From what I've read, the Buick 350 "runs better than it should be allowed to". It is 100lbs lighter than the Chevy SB, so power to weight ratio is an advantage. It is nearly a 'square' engine (bore = stroke) and is also a long rod engine so that the piston 'dwells' longer at TCD. This allows combustion pressure to build for a bit longer time and provides more opportunity to build torque.

A number of years ago, I had the cylinder heads gone through on my 68 Skylark 350cid. There was so much carbon buildup on the backside of the valves from leaking valve stem seals that the engine couldn't breath. With the heads cleaned up, valves touched up and seats reground. (nothing needed done with the guides as there was plenty of lube there) The engine ran 'very nice'. Lots more power.

Many want a quicker vehicle by making more power/torque with the engine, but it might be more cost effective to change rear axle ratio. Depending on balance you want between quickness and fuel economy, a 3:43:1 might help the speed issue, but still be streetable regarding mileage. You could go with even a higher ratio if you mated the engine with a built 200R4 overdrive trans.

[exfarmer]

One of the easiest and cheapest ways to improve performance is to recurve the advance on the distributer. Here is an excellent article on how to do this:http://www.v8buick.com/showthread.php?t=63475