TO NAILHEAD or NOT TO NAILHEAD

THAT IS THE QUESTION.......
i have a 1940 hudson coupe that i am going to build .....
and i have a shot at getting an all together 401 nailhead out of a 1966 buick electra.........with the super turbine 400 trans...
this build is on a tight budget so i am looking for the pro's and con's to this set-up.

 

If the nailhead needs rebuilding, its gonna be expensive, but I love nailheads. Don't know the rebuild costs of a Buick trans though.

 

There is nothing like a Nailhead...................If it runs good, run it
like it is. The trans is a pretty much a TH400 with a switch pitch converter. It will cost you a little more to rebuild the 401 but it will be worth it............
Good luck.

 

you may be on a budget but are you on a time frame? I would put a nailhead in anything I have the chance to. There my personal favorite engine but I can see where the cost might be a concern. Try and space it out as much as you can.

 

the engine is supposed to be in good shape as it came out of a running car ! i plan on doing a compression test and taking of the valve and maybe oil pan covers to see what i am getting into

 

I put a 401 out of a 65 Wildcat in my '50 sedan delivery and I love it. It hauls that beast around with the best of em. Had to up grade to power disc brakes recently cause it would go much better than stop.

 

Pros: You have a great engine and transmission. Cons: Cost to rebuild if need be.

 

Truthfully, the cost to rebuild it may not be all that high. The pistons may cost an extra 100.00 over the SBC, but then you don't have to spend a bunch of cash trying to make it look different.
Run the 401, keep an eye out for other cool parts and, rebuild it down the road.

 

Go with it, you won't regret it. A '40 Hudson sounds big and heavy, so you'll appreciate the torque. You should check into trading out the trans for a stick. I put a Ford 4-speed toploader behind my Nailhead and it's great. The trannys are small, well-geared and manageable to work on, nothing like those giant automatics. Good luck, there are a LOT of Nailhead gurus here on the HAMB. I really appreciated all their help.

 

Nailhead = good.

 

x2.

 

Detonator
"I put a Ford 4-speed toploader behind my Nailhead and it's great. The trannys are small, well-geared and manageable to work on"

Question: what did you use for an adaptor to the Ford trans?

 

you had an extra o in there i fixed it for you

 

TooNailhead.

Nailhead 401/425 w/400 trans XXX good! There is a lot of good info on here, and a lot of knowledgeable people. I was recently reading a thread, where they were all having oil leaks with the usual rebuild gaskets, seemed to be with the smaller displacements though. I found some good info here and they recomment the Kantner Auto "Best" set. http://www.buickstreet.com/build-a-better-buick-nailhead-page1.html

 

Thanks for the link (I own www.BuickStreet.com).

I used to own a 1966 Electra with the driveline you are talking about. It went really well. I put the dual quads on it looked even better (didn't go too much better though). They sound sweet have gobs and gobs of torque and look great! Be careful when you rebuild it (one day) because Nailheads require a special touch and clearances...etc.

You won't regret using the Nailhead and the 66 motor with that trans is as good as it gets. www.v8buick.com has a large resource category for the Nailhead. Ivo would be proud.

 

The Nailhead is such a great vintage engine. Looks great, good power. If it runs without much trouble I'd say it's a great choice. The 400 is a big plus.
I have a 401 in the wings waiting for a RPU to power. I get all giddy when I think about it.

 

Offy. It's set up to take the earlier Ford 3-speed, but the first 4-speed toploaders had the same narrow bolt pattern, and it bolted right up. My trans came out of a Falcon Sprint.

Last time I spoke to Offy they still had a couple of 'em on the shelf.

 

well i really have almost no money so i will not change the tranny anytime soon....... plus i was hoping the wife would drive this around town as i already have bunch of toys ! don't want to be selfish........
i can pick up the combo for $600. which i thought was a great price... the dude that pulled it bought it for the exhaust manifolds to finish another project so i will need to get some headers.was hoping to find some sort of zoomies!!!!!!! this coupe will be done as a gasser !! as we live the next town over from the RADIR WHEELS shop,
also i live right down the road from KANTER auto supply !

 

I say run what you can get, the nail head sounds like a good start.

if it gives you fits later on, have a back up plan..start saving up the parts to do her up proud

 

Go for it.

 

Take your time and run the nailhead....you won't be disappointed.

I have a '62 401 in my '33 and it's a strong engine.

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-Lee
Atomic Radio
www.atomicpinup.com

 

The only down side of a Nailhead is the Dynaflow, and you don't have that problem. I'd be all over that.

Another possible downside is that Nailheads don't rev very high compared to, say an SBC, if you're after a screamer.

Nailheads sound great in my opinion, and I really dig their personality. You're almost focusing more on getting your torque number up rather than your HP number.

 

Your choice of a nailhead means your car will have something interesting to look at rather than just acknowledging the presence of another SBC.

 

mmmmmmmmmmmmmm......nailhead.

I 'd just save up over the winter and do it when you've got the extra $$$$.

 

This post should get your juices flowing............. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=330306

 

Its cheaper to rebuild a nail head with 350hp with 420 torque than it is to rebuild a strong small block chevy with 400hp with 400 torque.

 

You always hear how expensive Nailheads are to build.... I couldn't disagree more with this statement, as it is an opinion from someone who has not built a nailhead...

I would say the parts are approximately 20% more, and thats on the high side, than the SBC...

Save up a couple hundred bucks more for your build and you'll love the torque of the Buick.... What a great looking hot rod motor....

I have a 425 in a 30 coupe with a MAx Balchowsky three deuce intake. I don't regret selling the car, however; I cetainly wish I had that intake back....

 

I have less than $4K in mine, including all the aluminum. The Super T-10, bellhousing adaptor, and clutch assembly added another $2K. Not bad really for what you get (which is a lot of looks and tire-shreading torque at low RPM).

-Lee
Atomic Radio
www.atomicpinup.com

 

Tell us about that intake, got any pix?

I got to see one of the Ol Yellers run at the Historics in August -- whitewalls and all. It was totally competitive and sounded awesome.

 

Nailhead...Nailhead, I have a 64 401 with that same trannny, both rebuild 8 years ago and not a problem since. You'll love it!