A few months ago, while my daughter was following me to northern CA driving my '65 Jeep Gladiator with '69 SBB 350, I looked in my rear view just in time to see the truck disappear in a cloud of smoke and steam - literally DISAPPEAR! Well, she emerged diving for the shoulder and all was okay - except the engine. We threw a rod and now had a broken block and negative mobility.
This truck is my project, pretty straight body and the perfect year to tow my old fiberglass runabout to the lakes in the area. I don't intend to put more than a couple thousand miles a year on the beast so I'm not looking at dropping thousands into a high performance unit, and I don't want to put in an engine that never was in a Jeep pickup, and I want to be able to hook right up to my TH400. That left me with a search for a good running SBB 350 replacement.
I found an engine, thanks in great part to the help of fellow FSJ Forum members who sent me tons of suggestions. The engine is another Buick 350, coincidentally a 1969. It came out of a matching SN Skylark that was owned by a "little old lady" who passed it on to her grandson. She took perfect care of the car while she owned it, oil changes every 3k etc etc. The grandson decided the 350 was too endemic for his taste - he wanted a muscle car - a Buick GS 455, so out comes the reportedly perfect, low miles 350 and in goes the beast. The performance shop gets to keep the 350 so onto a stand it goes and into a corner. One of the shop's partners was responsible for the finances while the main man wrenched, but the $$$$ guy failed to pay the taxes for a couple of years and the IRS took offence. When they came collecting, the shop went out of business and liquidated.
The seller had done some contracting work for the shop and was owed $$$, the shop mechanic owner, being a stand up guy, paid him what he could in cash and gave him some engines on stands and some other stuff to sell and try to get his money back. Onto CL went the engines and the Buick is mine, with the stand. No carb but otherwise it's complete.
The plan is to bring it home, do a comp test, bust it open, new gaskets and seals, new rings, new crank bearings and seals, new timing chain, etc. Then I'll pull what I need off my '65 Glad (4bbl and manifold, etc) install them on the Glads new heart.
While the front clip is off, I'll work on the engine bay, cleaning, tidying up wiring, painting and plating, and taking care of any rust repair, etc. After that, I'll plop the new engine in, fire her up and go for a ride.
I 'd appreciate any suggestions on what I might do to improve this engine while it's on the stand. Thanks.
take a look at the 'Oil Passage Mods' thread and consider using neoprene main seals. definitely get the 5/8 oil pickup.
the TA timing cover is overkill for you, but take a look at the passages and hone the corners. there are several 90* angles in there that you can really help out.
TA Performance is the primary Buick BB, SB and v6 vendor and can answer pretty much any question or supply any part, although they can be pricey.
HEI distributor would be a straightforward upgrade. you can grab an HEI off of any ~74 or newer Buick 350 or 455. if you pull one from a 455, you need to swap the gears at the bottom of the shaft, the 350 has a different tooth count.
The way to crush the bourgeoisie is to grind them between the millstones of taxation and inflation.
Vladimir Lenin
Government schooling is about "the perfect organization of the hive."
H.H. Goddard, Human Efficiency (1920)
take a look at the 'Oil Passage Mods' thread and consider using neoprene main seals. definitely get the 5/8 oil pickup.
the TA timing cover is overkill for you, but take a look at the passages and hone the corners. there are several 90* angles in there that you can really help out.
TA Performance is the primary Buick BB, SB and v6 vendor and can answer pretty much any question or supply any part, although they can be pricey.
HEI distributor would be a straightforward upgrade. you can grab an HEI off of any ~74 or newer Buick 350 or 455. if you pull one from a 455, you need to swap the gears at the bottom of the shaft, the 350 has a different tooth count.
Wow! Good info, thanks. I've got the oiling improvement threads and it is definitely on my list of things to do. I do like HEI and I'll look for a 350 model as you suggest. I'll also look at the cam you suggest. Low end torque is what keeps Jeeps in business, after all. HP is for show, torque is for go!
Originally Posted by bob k. mando
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