I was planning on buying a Nailhead engine and asked a friend who builds enigines what he thought about them and he said there not very good engines. The valves are smaller than a Chevy engine and all around not a good engine. What are your thoughts on this? Sorry to say a financial set back has come up and I am putting my engine purchase on hold for now.
I'd take a Nailhead over a Chevy any day, but I'm biased. They're good motors, they're torque monsters.
I guess your friend hasn't ridden in a model A with a nailhead in it!!!!!!!!! They are not high revving motors, but they'll pull your ___hole out thru your eye sockets. They are a bit on the pricey side, but they last forever. Try 'em you'll like em.
Ask your friend what is his criteria for a good engine. You might find it is different than yours and certainly different from many on here. I am sure it is different than Tony Nancy's or Tommy Ivo's criteria. Pete
Ya I like them too I never really paid attention to them until just recently and think aesthetically the are very nice and plus the SBC have been way over done.
Bought a ragged out POS 65 Wildcat 4 door several years ago..looked like total hell,hadn't really been run much in a while..Took a buddy along for the 45 mile drive home,he drove a late model,decent running 350 Chevy,and followed me home,in case the Wildcat crapped out.After I decided to trust the worn out tires,etc,I turned it loose on a long 2 lane highway with a lot of redlights.By the time we got to my house,my buddy was a nailhead believer,since his 350 couldn't keep up with my shitty new 401.I didn't drive much over 70,but I got there quicker than his precious 350.Ran away from him at every redlight that didn't have any traffic.. Yeah,nailheads suck.. My other old Wildcat was a straight shift 3 speed..Fun to pull out in 2nd and count the engine RPMs.and feel it pull like hell.
Sbc is sitting in the garage and the Caddy the guy is taking FOREVER to remove it form his car and i'm the impatient type so I started looking else where. I started looking at nailheads and fell in love at how nice and different they look.
I really can't imagine that your friend knows much about Nailheads. I will go with a Nailhead, or a Caddy any day of the week. But, I am old and have forgotten so much about hotrodding that you can't trust what I say.
Ya I dont think he knows either lol. I really liked the Cadillac engine just cuz it was a Caddy Cadillac and who doesnt like Cadillac. But put a Cadillac 390 next to Buick 425 and the Buick is a BAAAAAAAAAD A$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ Engine
Your friend is clueless Yes the valves are smaller. And they don't like to rev past about 6k. But they produce more torque off of idle than most SBC will make period. The bottom end is forged, all of it. They're great engines as long as you understand it won't spin 10k and make big HP numbers. They are reliable drivers. They're not the most expensive engine out there or the cheapest, kind of in the middle. Pretty much everything you need is out there. If your friend doesn't like them he doesn't understand them and I wouldn't trust him to build one.
excuse me ..your friend is an idiot. (what he thought about them and he said there not very good engines). Just because he don't like them doesn't make them bad engines. I have 3 of them...never a minutes trouble.
Although a nailhead deserves to be out in the open, i like the way this one looks in the engine bay of my '50 Sedan Delivery
Check this post and tell me what you think of Nailheads................... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=330306&highlight=nailhead+picture+post
I love the Nailhead. Had a 66 Electra with one in it. Built a website around Buicks (www.buickstreet.com) dressed up my Nailhead (below). Not to mention most Buick people I've met are terrific. I myself have just bought a brand new 1965 425 which is being attended to by Russ Martin. Mine will be a four speed hopefully and the sound is unique and "chunky". You'll love your Nailhead. Go for it.
One of the SWEET cars I drove growing up was a '64 LeSabre with 355 Wildcat. Lots of power in a super-cool smaller package. Aluminum block, steel sleeves, high compression. Also, my brother-in-law bought a brand new '66 Gran Sport when he graduated from college. The 455 had pavement-scalding hp & stump-pulling torque. He'd pass everything on the road, EXCEPT a gas station. His ONLY complaint besides gas was that that GM silver-gray paint wouldn't stay on the car. But the motor was sa-weet!
Good to see you over here... Aluminum block is a 215, not a Nailhead. 66 GS would have been a 401 or 425 not a 455 which is not a Nailhead.
First off, I like the nailheads; I had a couple myself, but comparing them to a sbc is kind of like "apples and oranges". Two different worlds. Most big blocks are torque motors.
Thanks, ZMan. Now, to clarify, you are saying the 355 Wildcat in the '64 LeSabre had a cast-iron block. If so, I must have been laboring under a misapprehension. (But, then, I'm not a Buick guy, so my ears are open on that subject.)
The heads on the 1964 Buick 300 CI motors were aluminum. Blocks were cast iron, as were heads and blocks on all the larger Buick engines in '64.
yep and the 425 was 465 ft. lbs. I am saying that if the block was aluminum it was not a Nailhead, same if the heads were. All Nailheads had the distributor in the back, the 215's and 300's did not.
If I may jump on this topic : I've been wondering for a while and now seems good to find out. Exactly why were they called nailheads ? Is is something to do with the way they were built, or the looks ? don't hit me, just really like to know ... thx.
My hiboy has a fresh 401 with a single Quadrajet on 1" manifold risers with a Tremec 5-speed. From what I've seen of nailhead power, I'm in for some fun when I get this thing finished!
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