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Picked the Buick 455 Now what?

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Pvt. Maggot

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Well, since I have to start over on my frame for the K5, I'm figuring out what motor I should use to power the beast. I have a line on a 455 olds, with a 400 tranny for 400 bucks. Or I can get a 500 caddy for cheap. The plan is to rebuild the motor completely with strong internals and it will be bored and stroked as either or it will be supercharged. Which would you pick and why? Discuss. :bow:
 
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500 thats based sheerly on the fact that I have driven several caddys with 500s and I LOVE them
 
The 455's were pretty stout, and might have better aftermarket than the Caddy stuff. Both are BOP bell's...but I'd bet the 455 is drilled for a pilot bushing already so if you want a manual tranny later that'd be one less thing to dick around with (the caddy has no provision for a pilot bushing, you'd need to drill the back of the crank to run a manual tranny)

Rene
 
If you are thinking big, any reason not to get the biggest?

I like Olds, but besides the manual transmission issue, why wouldn't you want the 45 additional cubes? Besides the fact that the Cadillac swaps are just as well documented into our trucks.
 
GM large displacement V-8 weights from lightest to heaviest. These would just be the common ones with 454 cubes or better.

Buick 455...600 lbs
Olds 455.... 620 lbs
Caddy 500...625 lbs
Pontiac 455...650 lbs
Chev 454...685 lbs.

http://www.chra.org.au/tips/engine_weights.htm

All the 455's were quite decent. Only the Pontiac and the BBC weigh more than the Caddy though.

We owned a 72 Sedan Deville with a 472 in it for many years. The 472 packed it in with under 100,000 miles so we dropped a 500 in it. Both were OK, but I was never impressed with the power compared to any of the Buicks, Pontiacs and Olds 455's I've driven.

The Buick and Olds versions were well known for cranking out over 500 lbs/ft at low R's in stock form, so they're not giving up any tq to the caddy either.

Just my preference I guess.

Rene
 
Every block has its problems I am familar with the buicks they have a poor oiling system, I am sure caddys have problems too but it really boils down to personal preference I think. The pontiac and the olds seem to have more aftermarket support than the buick and the caddy though
 
blazinzuk said:
Every block has its problems I am familar with the buicks they have a poor oiling system, I am sure caddys have problems too but it really boils down to personal preference I think. The pontiac and the olds seem to have more aftermarket support than the buick and the caddy though
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Go pontiac, once you do you will never go back! I am putting a 400P in mine chevy.
 
Personally I would go with the 455 Olds its a great engine grandpa ran one in his burban for years and towed an enormous boat. Engine had alot of power and grandpa swore by the olds castings. Somthing about they didnt get hot spots from the sand casting or somthin like that. The man has thirty plus years as a Tool and Die maker for General Motors so I believe him.
 
Snowman1000 said:
Personally I would go with the 455 Olds its a great engine grandpa ran one in his burban for years and towed an enormous boat. Engine had alot of power and grandpa swore by the olds castings. Somthing about they didnt get hot spots from the sand casting or somthin like that. The man has thirty plus years as a Tool and Die maker for General Motors so I believe him.
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Olds had weak blocks. http://www.robertpowersmotorsports.com/DieselWeb.html

Pontiacs had weak rods.
(many aftermarket available)

Caddy's also had weak rods.

Buicks are small in numbers.

Olds and Pontiacs have by far the most aftermarket parts available.

One of the main concerns of any of these motors for power is the limited head flow. Aftermarket is the most economical way to get better flowing heads=more power.

http://www.carcraft.com/techarticles/big_block_engines/index.html



I am biased towards pontiac.
 
Unless you have unlimited funds price the parts you want and go from there you might find out the chevy is the least expensive. I of couse didn't do that and built an Olds.
 
BILTIT said:
Olds had weak blocks. http://www.robertpowersmotorsports.com/DieselWeb.html

Pontiacs had weak rods.
(many aftermarket available)

Caddy's also had weak rods.

Buicks are small in numbers.

Olds and Pontiacs have by far the most aftermarket parts available.

One of the main concerns of any of these motors for power is the limited head flow. Aftermarket is the most economical way to get better flowing heads=more power.

http://www.carcraft.com/techarticles/big_block_engines/index.html



I am biased towards pontiac.
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He never had a problem with it, sold the burb with 283,000 miles and its still on the road. He had to replace the diesel that was in there, that grenaded just out of waranty. He bought it in 84 or so and sold it in 92ish. Used it for alot of heavy towing hauling a 28 foot boat from Saginaw around the state every weekend when the water wasnt frozen.
 
Done the Caddy

I did a 500 cad with the SM 465 and I loved how the truck drove. It is not all about cubic inches. The caddy engine has great low end torque and revs smoothly. Got about 14 mpg with it. No experience with the Buick/Olds.

Having said all that, stick with the Chevy. They are simple, cheap, and easy to upgrade and hey... they bolt right in.
 
BILTIT said:
Olds had weak blocks. http://www.robertpowersmotorsports.com/DieselWeb.html

Pontiacs had weak rods.
(many aftermarket available)

Caddy's also had weak rods.

Buicks are small in numbers.

Olds and Pontiacs have by far the most aftermarket parts available.

One of the main concerns of any of these motors for power is the limited head flow. Aftermarket is the most economical way to get better flowing heads=more power.

http://www.carcraft.com/techarticles/big_block_engines/index.html



I am biased towards pontiac.
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I like pontiac stuff too, but my first car was Buick.

In terms of raw peak numbers, the Buick 455 performed the best and the Olds 455 the worst. But there’s more to the story than just numbers. The Mopar turned in excellent results even though it had the smallest displacement of the bunch. The Chevy and Ford made fairly good numbers, not surprising considering their huge ports and valves. You’d expect the long-stroke Pontiac to be a torque monster—and it was—but the short-stroke Mopar actually came in a few lb-ft higher.
Click to expand...

Rene
 
ccj8008 said:
I did a 500 cad with the SM 465 and I loved how the truck drove. It is not all about cubic inches. The caddy engine has great low end torque and revs smoothly.
Click to expand...

Why do you think it's got good low end? Cubes. Ask a ricer, well don't, no point, they don't get it. :)
 
The buick and the caddy were both motors put in land yachts, they needed alot of torque to get any sense of speed at all, so they were both designed with alot of low end grunt. I know the other 455s came in some big cars but caddy and buick were the more luxo brands
 
''You’d expect the long-stroke Pontiac to be a torque monster—and it was—but the short-stroke Mopar actually came in a few lb-ft higher.''

This goes back to the limited head flow deal.

Pontiacs are severly limited in head flow from factory.
 
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