Picked up this neat Buick motor....thought it was a 1959 to 1960 401...but casting number says it's a 364. Guy I got it from got it from some hot rodders that lived on 27th and Muscupiabe in San Bernardino in about 1974. Story was came out of a fender less and hood less 1936 Ford 5 window coupe. Originally had a dual quad intake with velocity stacks...but induction is gone... Motor looks to have been built in the late 50s early 60s....roller cam...high compression pistons (Jahns?) B&M adapter and hydro....still has its B&M shifter..heads look ported and valves seem bigger than stock. Rocker arms are cast iron..but are for adjustable valves....pushrods look special and a few might be bent... So a few questions... Am thinking this is a pretty high zoot drive train for that time...maybe someone recognizes it out of something else? The shifter is at a weird angle..I assume to be in synch with the slant pan hydro...any idea what the original handle looked like? Must have hooked over. Any ideas about the stamped B&M code? Are those rockers GM? I'm thinking they are since they're cast iron...but thought they weren't adjustable? Lastly...where could I get some pushrods if mine are bent?
Don't think Egge has a lot of speed parts...pretty sure these pushrods were part of the roller cam kit...
Manton or Smith Bros can make up the pushrods for you. You may want to look at the rocker arm geometry and see what bent them. They may need to be slightly longer or shorter to ride across the valve tip correctly. Or maybe the valves tagged the piston tops - look for evidence. What a great find! Keep us up to date as you delve into it!
Bob....I'm not sure if the pushrods are bent....they didnt pull the rocker arm shafts off and the pushrods are just sticking out of the bottom of the heads...I'm thinking they might have gotten bent in just storing the heads with the pushrods sticking out...
Manton and Smith Bros. are two excellent sources....thanks so much! Was worried that since it's a unique setup the pushrods would be a problem...
The springs look larger in diameter than stock understandibly why with a roller,the clearance to the push rod looks real close. Pushrods look fat too. Add the two things up and not much room for things to move around.I like the rev kit for the lifters,keeps the rollers in contact all the time and improves lifter life. Rockers appear to be factory export,Gotha used a interference fit on there adjusters,those have jamb nuts. Both were prone to pushrods tip wear from high spring pressure and no direct oiling to tips. Oversize intake valves as well. What is the cylinder head casting number? I would like to see what is in the pan for sure .
Gary....I did a little Internet searching myself and I agree with the rockers looking like GM export. Here is a picture of the head....when I looked up the casting number...they matched the block..I believe it was 1959-60 364/401....
I'll check tomorrow but I think they are the same castings I used,after cutting up 2 sets those were the best to port. Measure the bore and stroke,you may be surprised. Someone took some time and money and built a stout nailhead,stroking it would have fit the bill. Smith brothers made up my pushrods,they were very helpful and knowlegable. 3/8 was the standard valve stem diameter. 11/32 is a better choice for flow but stem height differences may make rocker geometry screwy. Nice piece,put it in something light and cool. Watch it fly.
Ive had some Chevy v8s with that setup....I don't think it was standard fare for a roller cam. A while back I had a nos roller cam kit for early Cadillac and it didn't have those extra springs..... Standard bore for a 364 is 4.125....I measured it with some plastic reloader calipers and I get about 4.155 or so...so it might just be .030 over. I'll have to measure again with real calipers...
I had one that had 5/8" diameter rod tower and a plain Black round handle back in the 60s and it was hooked to a 401 in a 55 Bel-Air....
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