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455 info

jason m

jason m

1/2 ton status
Joined
Feb 12, 2005
Posts
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Location
holland mass USA
i have a chance to get a 455 for cheap money, how do they compare to a 454, i have a T-400 from a caddy that was bolted to a 472, will the two bolt up.

the 454 i have lined up was going to cost me around 1100 hundred but it is fuel injected, the 455 i can get for around 200-300, it was rebuilt about 5 years ago and has very low millage since its rebuild but no injection, how hard would it be to fuel inject the 455, jason.
 
id just go injected 454. power wise both can be built well. i know your going divorced so tranny doesnt matter i guess.(like converting a 2wd 400 to 4wd if your going married) Converting a 455 to injection isnt going to be as cheap as getting the 454 thats already injected. For that price seems like a better deal to me. what type of injection is on the 454? Also wouldnt you need to fab up mounts for the 455 that you wouldnt have to for the 454?

edit: Not sure if the tranny will bolt up or not :dunno:
 
the motor is not going into a chevy it's for my buggy, ya i figured after i spend the money on the EFI for the 455 the 454 might be cheaper and ya its going to ba divorced 205 or 202 ( if i can find one ), jason.
 
Dude , first thing we need to know is which 455 you are talking about ??? Old's - Pontiac - Buick ???
 
basicly it comes down to cost. is the extra cost of injecting a 455 worth it just to be differant? thats the only real advantage i can see of using the 455 over the 454 is the unique factor. other tahn that the 454 has my vote
 
I agree with what is said by 79K20 about a BBC being much more user friendly but it your choice and that is all that matters.

Buick is most likely the least after market user friendly of the bunch. I can not remember if the Caddy bell housing patterns match the B.O.P. stuff or not - sorry.

As far as injection goes which type are you talking about ?
If you are wanting basic TBI stuff than it is fairly easy to adapt to a variety of motors including your Buick choice.Just spend some time looking at web sites like Howell Injections or Turbo City . Get an adapter for the intake from a place like Transdapt and do some homework and it is just time and effort after that. If you are talking port injection than be prepared to spend way more than you were originally going to pay for the injected 454.
Good luck !
 
thanks tarussell i agree if i cant put together a TBI set up for cheap money then i will get the 454, the price is right for the buick 455 but it wont be if i have to spend alot for EFI, jason.
 
cheap!..

I'd like to have a 455 Buick motor for 200 bucks,given the choices you listed as far as the prices..they go in chevy trucks easier than a caddy ,from what I've seen and heard, the motor mounts are the only dilema,the oil pan clears the frame without mods or changing it..they are tourque monsters, even stock they put out over 500 ft lbs !..

I'd say buy it,it WILL bolt to any TH400 Caddy,Pontiac,or Oldsmobile tranny after 1967..I'd leave a 4 bbl carb on it,for economy,and just plain pleasure of hearing it roar!...it would make an awesome hot rod motor..you CAN get some stuff like intakes,cams,and headers for buicks,they just cost more and you have to look harder than you would for Chevy parts..not sure about injection,but they did have Hillborn's on the Nailhead motors!..:D

Older Buick "Nailheads" also had a TH400 with a "switch pitch" torque converter,that had a round bellhousing,that looks like a fire hydrant where it bolts to the pipe,they wont fit later motors with the "V" style bellhousing..

I had 2 of them,401 V-8's with the TH400..they fried the tires quite easily in the "high stall" mode.:D --I rigged the detent and stall speed switches into the drivers armrest,so I could use passing gear,or change the pitch on the torque converter blades with the push of a button!..almost made the TH400 feel like a six speed,instead of three..I wish later tranny's kept that style torque converter..it CAN be swapped in I guesss,but good luck finding one for a donor,only made them from 65-67 in Buicks and very few Olds and Pontiacs..

The "Nailheads" are VERY powerful and torquey,and have a fairly short stroke,so the can wind out a bit higher than most other big blocks without tossing a rod..mine would bark the tires at 65 mph shifting into second gear wide open in a 6000 lb 66 Electra 225!~..I'd hate to see what it would do in a light car!..they would make a great off road stump puller too,but they are getting rare now...

The 455 Buick is a more "modern"long stroke /low rpm torque motor,and a bit more plentiful...I'd say they were good engines,I never got calls for engine parts for buicks other than gaskets mostly..so either they last forever,or people junk them and don't rebuild them if they do crap out I guess..:dunno:
 
diesel4me, yes you can convert any non-variable stator TH400 to variable stator. My TH400 rebuild book lists Kenne-Bell as a supplier of fixed-pitch to switch-pitch conversion kits that convert to switch-pitch operation and use a dash switch or something similar to activate it. All you have to supply is a switch-pitch torque converter. The reason why GM discontinued the switch-pitch 400's is first, it never caught on with the general public so they didn't sell very well, and second it was expensive to make.
 
wow diesal4me thanks for the good info, these are the numbers i was looking for, it think i will get it even if it does not make it into my buggy its still a cool motor, its like the 413 big block mopar i picked up ( well that was free ) it ran good and made tons of low end power, jason.
 
Buicks are known for having crappy oiling systems, that right there would cause me to pass on it, unless i was building a Buick.

if it were an Olds 455, or a Pontiac 455, i'd say go for it. an Olds 455 is an easy bolt in for a 73-87(91) you just need frame mounts for a 78-81 5.7 diesel. the 5.7 diesel was built using an Olds 350 block, and dimensionally they are identical to a 455 block. Pontiac engines just kick ass, and would be well worth the fab involved in putting it in the buggy.
 
i agree about the buick having a crappy oiling system, but otherwise an excellent engine, lots of low end torque. i had a 70 buick 455 when it needed a timing chain i ended up having to replace the timing cover because the oil pump wore out the housing. cost me a small fortune to get a replacement.
TA performance has alot of parts for a buick.
i also have a 72 pontiac 455 in my k5, it's an easy swap. only issue is the engine mounts and after some trial and error i solved my problem. i initially used pontiac motor mounts and some 2x3 square tubing bolted to the engine crossmember, it worked but i keeped going thru motor mounts and after cracking my tranny case at the mount, i needed to come up with something else. after some searching, measureing and looking at different cars i used the engine mount brackets from a 77 pontiac firebird with a 400 and used my stock 350 engine mounts in my k5. the clamshell design of the chevy mount is much stronger than the pontiac mount plus when it does fail the engine can only move around a little. i have yet to break a chevy mount. also if you
want to use headers ones from a 69 grand prix are a perfect fit. i have some pics i'll see if i can post them.
 
84K5BD said:
i also have a 72 pontiac 455 in my k5, it's an easy swap. only issue is the engine mounts and after some trial and error i solved my problem. i initially used pontiac motor mounts and some 2x3 square tubing bolted to the engine crossmember, it worked but i keeped going thru motor mounts and after cracking my tranny case at the mount, i needed to come up with something else. after some searching, measureing and looking at different cars i used the engine mount brackets from a 77 pontiac firebird with a 400 and used my stock 350 engine mounts in my k5. the clamshell design of the chevy mount is much stronger than the pontiac mount plus when it does fail the engine can only move around a little. i have yet to break a chevy mount. also if you
want to use headers ones from a 69 grand prix are a perfect fit. i have some pics i'll see if i can post them.
Click to expand...

pictures of this setup would be awesome. i've got a Pontiac 400 sitting in the garage, along with an L31, an LT1, and soon to be a 454. i'm getting ready to build another C10, and like the idea of 400+ cubes with SBC weight. that, and all of my buddies are into Pontiacs, so they've got alot of spare parts laying around.
 
They all have quirks...

I am suprised to hear anyone has "lots of Pontiac stuff lying around"..here,Pontiac = GOLD at swap meets..you rarely see any complete motors or parts anymore..I was suprised to see one 400 V8 Pontiac motor on craigslist locally for 500 bucks,that "runs excellent"..I bet it sold quickly!..

I've seen a 400 Pontiac stuffed into a 64 GMC 4x4 truck at a car show..looked like a factory installation,they guy said it wasn't too hard to install and make up plates for the motor mounts.66 GTO headers fit it perfectly!.Pontiacs seemed to have weak valve trains,timing chains and cam gears went often,so did lifters and cams..strong torquey motors though!..great low end torque..plenty of speed parts available,but not really needed..The even put 337 cid and 347 cid Pontiac motors in some 57-59 GMC pickups factory,some "Cameo's" and the GMC's used them!..and the block is the same as a 400 pontiac,in fact most all Pontiac V8's shared the same external dimensions and bolt patterns (265,301,326,337,347,350,370,389,400)..not sure about the 421's and 455's,I think they might be the same also..

I agree the Buick oiling system was weak,but otherwise are a great motor,I had a 430 out of a 68 Riviera that ran great,but lost oil presure and started knocking..it had over 175,000 miles though,and I beat the car hard,it was a rotted out winter rat..I drove it 20 thousand miles and never changed the oil,but it never burnt any either!..the "Oil" light came on at idle for a good many of those miles..only after a high speed beating one cold night did it finally start clicking the lifters,then a main bearing could be heard after it was hot..it still ran fine,I sold it to a guy and he rebuilt it..used it in a 69 Electra 225 Convertible..

The Olds motors were used factory in Diesel form..the "5.7" diesel is just a 350 Olds gas motor converted into a diesel..you could bolt any Olds V8 in using the frame plates and mounts from a Olds diesel pickup..that was about the only good thing about the olds diesels,you could swap in a gas Olds motor without much hassle or mods..only the torque converter was different..
almost made me wonder if GM planned it that way...:rolleyes: :crazy:

The 413 Mopar is a great motor too!--we had 3 of them in 64 Imperials and Newports at the junkyard,that would bald the tires for 300 ft without even trying!..I often see older dodge motor homes with them,and older Power Wagons..they used them in industrial equipment too--we were suprised to find one in an Elgin "Pelican" street sweeper at the junkyard..our eyes popped when we looked under the engine compartment,expecting to see a slant 6 dodge dart motor Continental 6 banger,or 300 Ford six in it like most of them had! --CHA-CHING!:D
 
They all have quirks...

I am suprised to hear anyone has "lots of Pontiac stuff lying around"..here,Pontiac = GOLD at swap meets..you rarely see any complete motors or parts anymore..I was suprised to see one 400 V8 Pontiac motor on craigslist locally for 500 bucks,that "runs excellent"..I bet it sold quickly!..

I've seen a 400 Pontiac stuffed into a 64 GMC 4x4 truck at a car show..looked like a factory installation,they guy said it wasn't too hard to install and make up plates for the motor mounts.66 GTO headers fit it perfectly!.Pontiacs seemed to have weak valve trains,timing chains and cam gears went often,so did lifters and cams..strong torquey motors though!..great low end torque..plenty of speed parts available,but not really needed..The even put 337 cid and 347 cid Pontiac motors in some 57-59 GMC pickups factory,some "Cameo's" and the GMC's used them!..and the block is the same as a 400 pontiac,in fact most all Pontiac V8's shared the same external dimensions and bolt patterns (265,301,326,337,347,350,370,389,400)..not sure about the 421's and 455's,I think they might be the same also..

I agree the Buick oiling system was weak,but otherwise are a great motor,I had a 430 out of a 68 Riviera that ran great,but lost oil presure and started knocking..it had over 175,000 miles though,and I beat the car hard,it was a rotted out winter rat..I drove it 20 thousand miles and never changed the oil,but it never burnt any either!..the "Oil" light came on at idle for a good many of those miles..only after a high speed beating one cold night did it finally start clicking the lifters,then a main bearing could be heard after it was hot..it still ran fine,I sold it to a guy and he rebuilt it..used it in a 69 Electra 225 Convertible..

The Olds motors were used factory in Diesel form..the "5.7" diesel is just a 350 Olds gas motor converted into a diesel..you could bolt any Olds V8 in using the frame plates and mounts from a Olds diesel pickup..that was about the only good thing about the olds diesels,you could swap in a gas Olds motor without much hassle or mods..only the torque converter was different..
almost made me wonder if GM planned it that way...:rolleyes: :crazy:

The 413 Mopar is a great motor too!--we had 3 of them in 64 Imperials and Newports at the junkyard,that would bald the tires for 300 ft without even trying!..I often see older dodge motor homes with them,and older Power Wagons..they used them in industrial equipment too--we were suprised to find one in an Elgin "Pelican" street sweeper at the junkyard..our eyes popped when we looked under the engine compartment,expecting to see a slant 6 dodge dart motor Continental 6 banger,or 300 Ford six in it like most of them had! --CHA-CHING!:D
 
They all have quirks...

I am suprised to hear anyone has "lots of Pontiac stuff lying around"..here,Pontiac = GOLD at swap meets..you rarely see any complete motors or parts anymore..I was suprised to see one 400 V8 Pontiac motor on craigslist locally for 500 bucks,that "runs excellent"..I bet it sold quickly!..

I've seen a 400 Pontiac stuffed into a 64 GMC 4x4 truck at a car show..looked like a factory installation,they guy said it wasn't too hard to install and make up plates for the motor mounts.66 GTO headers fit it perfectly!.Pontiacs seemed to have weak valve trains,timing chains and cam gears went often,so did lifters and cams..strong torquey motors though!..great low end torque..plenty of speed parts available,but not really needed..The even put 337 cid and 347 cid Pontiac motors in some 57-59 GMC pickups factory,some "Cameo's" and the GMC's used them!..and the block is the same as a 400 pontiac,in fact most all Pontiac V8's shared the same external dimensions and bolt patterns (265,301,326,337,347,350,370,389,400)..not sure about the 421's and 455's,I think they might be the same also..

I agree the Buick oiling system was weak,but otherwise are a great motor,I had a 430 out of a 68 Riviera that ran great,but lost oil presure and started knocking..it had over 175,000 miles though,and I beat the car hard,it was a rotted out winter rat..I drove it 20 thousand miles and never changed the oil,but it never burnt any either!..the "Oil" light came on at idle for a good many of those miles..only after a high speed beating one cold night did it finally start clicking the lifters,then a main bearing could be heard after it was hot..it still ran fine,I sold it to a guy and he rebuilt it..used it in a 69 Electra 225 Convertible..

The Olds motors were used factory in Diesel form..the "5.7" diesel is just a 350 Olds gas motor converted into a diesel..you could bolt any Olds V8 in using the frame plates and mounts from a Olds diesel pickup..that was about the only good thing about the olds diesels,you could swap in a gas Olds motor without much hassle or mods..only the torque converter was different..
almost made me wonder if GM planned it that way...:rolleyes: :crazy:

The 413 Mopar is a great motor too!--we had 3 of them in 64 Imperials and Newports at the junkyard,that would bald the tires for 300 ft without even trying!..I often see older dodge motor homes with them,and older Power Wagons..they used them in industrial equipment too--we were suprised to find one in an Elgin "Pelican" street sweeper at the junkyard..our eyes popped when we looked under the engine compartment,expecting to see a slant 6 dodge dart motor Continental 6 banger,or 300 Ford six in it like most of them had! --CHA-CHING!:D
 
i've got one buddy who has like 6 GTOs, a Chevelle, a '71 and a '72 ElCamino, and a pair of '62 Catalinas one of which he's had since 1963, the other in the uber rare aluminum front clip car. that's not including his FWD Caddy with the 455 Olds in it, or his Mercury Turnpike Cruiser, and the countless number of trucks sitting in the garage. "lots of Pontiac parts" doesnt even begin to cover this guy. 80 x 160 pole barn, 40 x 60 horse barn, and 3 semi trailers PACKED full of Vintage GM parts.
 
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