hey guys need to some help here on a engine swap for a 63 riviera..I searched thru the threads but alot of opinions..my engine has a knock on it stock 401 with a stock dyna flow trans ..on a budget and i know its costly for a rebuild on this engine ...and dyna flow only will bolt on to the 63 motor ..im hearing a 351 olds will bolt right in ?? please help with with some advise guys ..im not a motor guys and need advise as im looking ideas that will help me in getting the car road worthy ..thanks ,,
I would look for the newer nailhead motor with a TH400 behind it. I think you might need the driveshaft as well. I think 65 or so.
The 351 Olds will not bolt right in. The reality of the situation is that replacing the engine with anything except another Nailhead will end up costing you more in the long run. Especially if your time is worth anything. I would say the first order of business is to determine what the knock is. where is it coming from? There are a couple things that can end up sounding worse than you think they are. Bad rocker or rocker shaft is one. So I'd suggest a more thorough investigation to determine the exact problem before a plan of action is formulated.
I agree with zman, not mention the cool factor you would be losing if you took out the nailhead. I own one these cars myself and for me it has been rock solid dependable in stock form.
No, that 351" Oldsmobile is even more rare and expensive to rebuild than your 401" Buick. Yes, agree completely. R&R, cleaning, machine work is the same for any engine rebuild. The Buick parts are more expensive than for a belly button, but what isn't? Bottom line - get someone who knows how to troubleshoot your knock, then start saving to fix it right. You'll be glad you did. jack vines
please don't kill the value of your rivvy. you can drop the pan w/o taking your motor out(you do hafta lift it up tho) have you tried searching for a running 401? if yours is terminal that is..... you probably will be able to find a car with a running nailhead without too much effort..... seen lots go for $500-$1500..... searchtempest et al is your friend..... since you have a dynaflow, I think you can go a coupla years earlier on a 401 & still be a bolt in, others here & on the buick sites will know... good luck, keep us posted
Stick with the 401 ! Someone mentioned rocker arms' & or shaft. We replaced quite a few back in the day when I worked for a Buick dealer. They will make quite a noise.
If the cylinder walls aren't worn too much and there is a rod knocking you can probably pull the engine, tear it down, have the crank turned and then do a rering and valve job on the engine and put it back together and run it another 80K or more. I'm with the other guys on this one, a Riv without it's nailhead under the hood would loose a lot of it's value both in resale and image. Parts will be a bit harder to find and a bit more expensive but the labor to repair the engine should be pretty close to the same as any other similar V8.
Check to make sure the T/coverter hasn't come loose from the flywheel, real common thing on nailheades and will sound like a rod has started knocking.