So local deal, complete top to bottom 55 buick 2 door, 1400 bucks, apparently no rust, BUT No engine/ trans. soo what would the easiest route be? Would a SBC work? I go and work on cars at a local shop and they are great help with my daily cruiser 63 merc, but I dont wanna ask too much and seem rude, so easiest route is in store for me. but when I say dream car I mean. THIS IS IT! I would wanna either chop it or Cali Convertible. I can sell my Motorcycle and get about 2gs so thats what i would put into it, then sell my 63. so any advice from you dudes that have been doing this longer than I? keep in mind Im still trying to get through school and barely 20, but i can get around a car. thoughts? Thanks in advance! -Julio!
Small block might be the Cheapest route, and probably pretty simple. but its also kinda boring. something that might be at little different, and still a simple/inexpensive setup would be like a 455 and a 200r4 or a t400. might be able to pick something up for not a lot of money in that category. A nailhead would be really sweet, but also spendy. I know how hard it can be to get money for projects like this. I just turned 21 Sunday, and have been trying for a few years to get my T on the road. You would have to fabricate engine mounts, and probably a tranny mount in either case. Also probably a different driveshaft length might be required.
If you get the car, and don't need to drive it right away, put the word out that you are looking for a running Buick engine. Not sure what other years might bolt up, but I agree that a SBC would be a little ho-hum in the Buick, even if it is cheap. I watch my local Craigslist for different things, and often see running engines & transmissions (of all makes) that were pulled out for something different, or were pulled to be used in a future but not realized project. Of course the gamble is whether or not you are getting a good engine/tranny, but anytime you buy a pulled one, that is the risk. Good luck with the car!
is $1400 asking price, or bottom line? got cash in hand? if so make a lower offer, never hurts to try for a super deal. if you get the rust free, all glass good, etc Buick that is cool. as stated, watch here, at swap meets and low buck online sites for a drive train. you will need to focus on everything realted to it like wiring, radiator, exhaust, etc. plus, if it does have power steering another thing to figure out. the list goes on. forget the chop or just cutting the top off for now. have fun
Another thing to think about,with a late model engine and trans you will need an open drive rear end to replace the stock Buick torque tube unit. Good luck with your project. ............Jack
The problem with the Buick is the torque tube locates the rearend. So an engine swap means you also have to engineer new rear suspension, at the least adding some kind of trailing arms to keep the rearend located. That will eat up your $2000 budget pretty fast I would imagine. You can't even tow the car with no trans in it, the rear will move, the tires will hit the inner fenders and stop rolling. Trust me, been there, done that with a '53. Plus, you're not going to chop it for $2000, a chop on a car with wraparound glass is complex and requires careful planning to be able to use the stock glass, even if the windshield is cut - which can get expensive, you might go through 2 or 3 before you get one cut without it being broken in the process. Cutting the top off will just ruin the car, they're not made to stand up to body flex without a lot of additional frame bracing. Not to poop on your parade, but if you can't find a 55-60 motor/trans to put in it and can't enjoy it with a stock body, I'd pass on it and just worry about the Mercury.
Buy the car, then start shopping for a complete, running donor car: ANY 1960-1990 V-8 running GM car will do. Seriously. I personally would aim for a Buick but if super low buck is your goal don't leave out the Olds, Pontiac, and of course Chevy cars. That way you get everything you need in one cheap package: motor (WITH all brackets, pulleys, mounts, etc.), transmission, driveshaft, rear axle, etc. etc. etc. Then you sell or scrap what is left of the donor and you're done. Any competent fabricator (or mechanic with a welder) can figure out how to dump ANY GM V-8 drivetrain into that car. Usually it's just a matter of welding something on the frame for the factory motor mounts to bolt to and maybe making or modifying a transmission mount. Drive shafts can be shortened as needed, or if you need a longer one than the car you get you hunt for one in a junkyard. I speak from experience, having driven a beautiful '54 Pontiac with a 1972 Olds 350 drivetrain out of a $75 Olds Delta 88. It's cheap, it's easy, and most importantly it gets your car on the road quick. You can always upgrade to a better engine years later when you have more cash to spend.
I'd get it. I wouldn't chop it or turn into a convertible. If it were mine, I'd find a 401/425 Nailhead and get that to work on it. That's a better use of 2K than to chop a Buick, which has a pretty good chop already from the boys over at GM.
Chopping a top is a very expensive propostition IF you're not doing it yourself...and please don't take someone else's word that it can be done for less...ask them to show you what they've done...look at their "chop jobs" and their bare metal work, that alone will tell you if they can back up what they say they can do. Please don't whack the top off to make it a "Cali convert," something like that looks terrible if it isn't a true convert. As for engine/tranny, having someone else do the work on putting in the engine/tranny/rearend will eat up your two grand real fast...better to find an original engine/tranny and have it rebuilt (that in itself will cost you two grand). Just had a '54 Caddy 331" V8 rebuilt ($1700) and the Hydramatic tranny rebuilt ($1600), but I sure didn't have to build motor mounts, tranny mounts (mess with shift linkage), or hassle with the rear end mounting and a driveshaft...and the stock exhaust didn't interfere with the steering box or the brake pedal...lots to think about when changing engines/trannys. R-
Repeated for emphasis because a lot of guys seem to not know or have missed this. Buicks have torque tubes and coil springs, not leaf springs like Pontiac, Olds, and Chevrolet. You can't just chuck another motor in there and go, you need to put a whole new rear suspension under it. More $$$ and more work.
Damn, barely 20, trying to get through school, and wanting to sell all that you have for a project that could take awhile to do? Why don't you finish school, save some money and then look for your dream car. Money in the bank beats having to sell all you have for an emergency any day of the week. just my .02 Larry
Good points dudes, but I know the shop would just show me how to get it done, im pretty close with all the guys there, but I wouldnt mind getting rid of my car, im gonna be walking and riding my bike to school and work now cause im moving soo close to both locations. so a long term project isnt too out of grasp, but i still need something to get around every once in a while. i wouldnt chop it for a really long while, probably not till im out of school. so just cruise it as is for the time being. i can find a rear and engine pretty cheap so i think im gonna flip a coin on it
Setting up a rear end isn't really that difficult. If you have some friends to help you can figure it out pretty easily. Heck.. I've got a Ford Econoline I'm using for my donor. Yep.. going to be sticking a 351W in it with C6... Buick + Ford = Buford? Anyway... there are a ton of options.. you can go cheap or $$$$.. it's up to you. It's just another car... make it special by doing your own thing. Enjoy!
If it's your dream car, you'll be patient. Maybe this isn't the one. The whole chop + bag shit is getting old and SBCs are the easy way out. If you get this car, sit on it for a while. Think about it, build it on paper, look at other Buicks for inspiration. Anything worth doing is worth doing right.
One thing I don't understand..... This is gonna be your dream car... and you what to power it with a SBC? Is this just temporary until you find the motor you really want? If this is gonna be your dream car, it is up to you and what you picture when you close your eyes. An old Buick Nailhead with some period hopup and dressup parts is what I see. 55 buicks look pretty sweet stock and lowered a bit. I would save the money from the chop and put it into the drivetrain and suspension to make it safe and reliable. You have plenty of time to chop it years down the road.
alot of work on this build but dont let that stop you. run what you can aford I woul look for a buick or olds or pontiac runner and part it into the buick1 buy the car 2 measure the rearend and start looking for a donner that is close to the right size, 3 start collecting parts anything to trade with,
Read this carefully and HEED IT. RNY is right, replacing the rear end is going to require new/ different control arms to locate the rear end. Where they fasten to the frame is critical, you can't just roll a donor car rear end under the Buick and weld the control arm brackets to the frame wherever they touch. Pickup points determine suspension geometry, which is to say how the rear end moves in relation to the rest of the car when it travels up and down. I'm guessing you're not knowledgeable in suspension design, if you can't buy a pre-engineered kit (still no guarantee...) stick with the original trans/ torque tube setup. Cheaper and safer in the long run.
Exactly correct. Changing the rear axle and it's suspension is not a small undertaking. You'd better have a working knowledge of suspension dynamics and good welding capabililties to change a buick to open drive. The easiest way would be to simply install a nail head [original style] engine and it's transmission that's made to bolt to the old buick torque tube. I'd definetely use a 322 instead of the smaller 263 V/8 to counter the parasitic loss you'll experience from running a dynaflow. It makes a sweet driving car....watch out for worn bushings in the shock arms too..a comman problem with those 50s buicks...don't ask me how I know.
I've seen pics of the car it's pretty decent, talk to Al & San Diego Rod and customs last I talked to him he had a few buick drivetrains for a good price. On a side note, I wouldn't chop it they just don't have the lines to be chopped imop
Well my often sought p) opinon is ... ... you can buy a running Buick 350 very reasonably. They are great on torque, keeps the drivetrain Buick and you can always upgrade from there. I will agree though that a SBC would probably get you on the road the fastest. And remember the most imporatant part. Build the car how you want it, everyone else may have an opinion but they aren't throwing money at you to implement them. Make yourself happy ... that is all that counts.
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