Building a Better Buick, Part I

If you're looking for an alternative engine for your street rod that's nostalgic in appearance and runs strong, you might want to consider a nailhead Buick engine. They were extremely popular in the late '50s and early '60s because they delivered plenty of power and torque, were compact in size, and (with an ample supply of appearance items) they looked great in a street rod or custom. Many notable cars in the early years were Buick-powered, such as Tommy Ivo's T-bucket, Tony Nancy's '29 Ford roadster race car, and Tommy Ivo's four-engine dragster, just to name a few. The Buick nailhead V-8 engine was introduced in 1953 and was offered in a 322ci displacement.

In 1954, Buick offered two engine sizes: a small 264 V-8 for the Special series body style which was available in 143- or 150hp versions. The 322 engine was also available for the Century and Roadmaster body styles in 195- or 200hp versions. The 322 was carried over in 1955 and 1956 with horsepower increases. In 1955, the horsepower topped out at 235, and in 1956 it increased to 255. In 1957, the Buick nailhead grew to a 364ci displacement with a top rating of 300 hp. The 364 engine size continued in 1958, but was increased in 1959 to a 401ci displacement producing 325 hp. The nailhead finally topped out at 425 ci in the Riviera model in 1964 and was developing 340 hp. Buick continued to use the nailhead design until 1966, making them plentiful in auto wrecking establishments.

We picked up this 401ci Buick engine which came out of a Skylark GS at Memory Lane in Sun Valley, California. The company generally has a good supply of nailhead engines, although the 425 GS dual-quad engines are scarce, and expensive if you can find one. Since the popularity of these engines has increased, parts availability is also better than it has been in the recent past. We got a complete rebuild kit for this engine from Kanter Auto Products that contained rings, bearings, pistons, rocker arms, pushrods, a new camshaft and lifters, a timing chain, an oil pump rebuild kit, and a gasket kit. The company also offers parts for other antique engines, including Chrysler Hemi and wedge engines, Cadillacs, Oldsmobiles, flathead Fords, and many other outdated engines.

The problem Buick performance enthusiasts will find is that all of the major cam companies have discontinued manufacturing hotter-than-stock camshafts for the early Buick engines. There is one bright spot, however. Classic Buicks offers five different selections of Kenne-Bell camshafts for increased horsepower, including one solid lifter cam designed for racing applications. We selected a KB Mark 2A hydraulic camshaft featuring a 0.475-inch intake lift and 0.488-inch exhaust lift with 270 degrees intake duration and 278 degrees exhaust duration. The cam is cut on a 110-degree lobe center and offers increased power from 1,400 to 6,000 rpm. The rocker arms and shafts were custom rebuilt by Rocker Arm Specialists in northern California, and they were redesigned with rocker arm adjustability.

In order to enhance the Buick engine's appearance, we are equipping it with an Offenhauser dual-quad intake manifold, two Edelbrock AFB carbs, Offenhauser finned aluminum valve covers, Mooneyes valley pan and breathers, and O'Brien Truckers finned aluminum spark plug covers and 18-inch air cleaner. We also ordered an aluminum water pump from Classic Buicks, which was polished along with the stock aluminum timing chain cover. When we are finished, this will also be a very attractive engine that should catch the attention of many street rodders.

The machine work for the engine was performed by the talented folks at Jim Grubbs Motorsports in Valencia, California. The engine was bored, the crank was ground, and the heads were rebuilt. The reciprocating assembly was balanced for smooth performance and durability. We'll give you a quick overview of what was done to the Buick to get it ready for assembly and detailing.