430 Buick BB in South Florida Junkyard : $107

**Todd82TA** · 08-08-2007, 11:00 AM

Guys,

I don't own anything Buick (although I'd love to have a Reatta with a Series-1 3800 SuperCharged motor!). Anyway, there is a local U-Pull-It here in Davie, Florida that always ends up getting late 60s Muscle Cars, which they promptly crush after a week or two.

This week, I stopped by and there's a Buick Electra 225 with a Buick 430 cubic inch big block. It says "430-4" on the valve covers. I don't know much about Buicks, but I hopped on Wikipedia to learn more about it before posting this. So, I can say that it's basically totally complete except for the crazy looking air cleaner.

Anyway, this yard normally charges between $100-$130 bucks for a complete motor.

About 3 months ago, my friend and I pulled a 500 cubic inch, 1970 Cadillac big block V8 from an Eldorado. Total cost was $127 bucks (with all of the accessories and everything). I just helped save a 1966, 425 cubic inch Big Block Oldsmobile V8 from a 66 Toronado Trafeo, by making a post just like this on Real Olds Power.

Anyway, I'm begging any one on here that lives near this junkyard, please save this motor. This junkyard could care less, and will just crush the car and sell the motor for scrap. It's totally complete, and looks to be in good shape. Everything is there.

To get to U-Pull-It in DAVIE:

1 - Take I-95 to 5-95 WEST
2 - Take 5-95 WEST to State Road 7 (SR7) / 441 SOUTH (about 1.5 miles)
3 - Take SR7 / 441 South about 3/4ths of a mile, and U-Pull-IT will be on your right-hand side. It's a big building with yellow eves and red lettering.

FYI, there are also the following motors there: (please spread this info to anyone else who might be interested)

12 Cyl Jaguar Motor (in some late 70s XK)
1987 Porsche 944S (2.7 liter motor)
1971 Cadillac Eldorado w/ 500 cubic inch V8
Lotus 907 Slant-4 (in an old Jensen Healey)

They have 4-wheel cherry pickers for you to use to pull motors.

Hope someone can save it. Otherwise I'm going to try to pull it on Saturday.

Thanks,

**bob k. mando** · 08-08-2007, 01:59 PM

So, I can say that it's basically totally complete except for the crazy looking air cleaner.

what? a big red thing with two scoops, one on each side?

**telriv** · 08-08-2007, 02:54 PM

Yea Bob, you Wish!!!!!!!

Tom T.

**bob k. mando** · 08-08-2007, 04:05 PM

what? wouldn't you wish?

**rcull** · 08-08-2007, 07:46 PM

At that price, if it was within an hour of home, I would own it even without such a beautiful air cleaner...

**Todd82TA** · 08-09-2007, 07:45 PM

I've made plans to head to the yard this Saturday, I have no room for the motor... but what the hell... I'll use it as a coffee table in the garage if I need to!

Besides, it has a switch-pitch transmission which is bad-***....

**bob k. mando** · 08-10-2007, 09:25 AM

switch pitches are nice, yes. i think this (the S/P) specifically indicates a 1967 motor, if original, which would imply the possibility of a dealer added Star Wars air cleaner.

you never answered my question about the "crazy looking air cleaner". if it's a big red thing ( Star Wars ) i'll go down and get it. otherwise, i'm already sitting on 8-10 different 455's and 430's and spending the better part of a day to get another one just doesn't make much sense.

and going down there to get nothing would really frost me. although, with the hot weather we've got going on, maybe i should get cooled off.

**Todd82TA** · 08-10-2007, 06:17 PM

Originally Posted by bob k. mando

switch pitches are nice, yes. i think this (the S/P) specifically indicates a 1967 motor, if original, which would imply the possibility of a dealer added Star Wars air cleaner.

you never answered my question about the "crazy looking air cleaner". if it's a big red thing ( Star Wars ) i'll go down and get it. otherwise, i'm already sitting on 8-10 different 455's and 430's and spending the better part of a day to get another one just doesn't make much sense.

and going down there to get nothing would really frost me. although, with the hot weather we've got going on, maybe i should get cooled off.

To answer your question first, no it does not have one. I assumed that it would have come with one because of the year, however the air cleaner was already missing when I got there (as was the carburetor).

I've actually planned to head out there EARLY tomorrow morning as soon as the yard opens up. I can't let a fairly complete big block motor like that hit the junkyard. There's really nothing special about a 454 chevy as far as I can see. They still make those... but an Oldsmobile, Pontiac, or Buick big block? You don't see those anymore. Cadillacs too... they will never use that casting ever again. One of these days, someone is going to need one to restore their car, or to upgrade their existing Buick. I'm not someone that likes to collect junk, but this 430 will be a nice save I think. I'll probably clean it up, change out the head gaskets, inspect and clean the cyl heads, maybe replace the main bearings, re-ring the pistons and score the cyl wall, put it back together, paint it, and leave it up on my web site until someone needs one.

I'll definitely use the switch pitch. Hopefully the motor is still there. It's happened to me before, I wait a week, and it's gone. If not, I'll pull the first pre 1970 BOP big block I see...

**bob k. mando** · 08-10-2007, 09:20 PM

I assumed that it would have come with one because of the year,

the Star Wars air cleaners are very rare ( 1967 only ) and were not available on all Buicks. they were technically only supposed to come from the factory on a Riviera or a Gran Sport. you never know what's happened in 40 years though.

the exhaust manifolds on a 67 are also a one year only deal and flow better than the factory irons that were used for the rest of the run so those are worth a little bit.

**Todd82TA** · 08-11-2007, 10:21 AM

Well, I went to the junkyard this morning, and I ended up not getting the engine. It's still there, but it's a bit more dirty than I wanted to deal with. For the time and effort, it just didn't seem worth while. There had been a few more things pulled off of it since I last saw it (distributor was missing), and a few other things were gone, so I left the motor. The transmission was also not a switch-pitch as it only had one prong on the kickdown switch.

The radiator was brand new though, and it was a three-core.

Oh well, next time. My friend snagged a basically brand new 3800 Series-2 supercharger out of a Buick Park Avenue, and I snagged a jack mount for a modern Crown Victoria, as well as the intake plenum which I'll be modifying.