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Kanter Auto Products offers a complete engine rebuilding kit for Buick nailhead engines. The kit we ordered contained rings, bearings, pistons, a camshaft and lifters, pushrods, timing chain, rockers, and a complete gasket kit. All of the engine machining was done by Jim Grubbs Motorsports in Valencia, California. |
The block was thoroughly cleaned of debris, then it was primered with PPG DP40 and painted with yellow Deltron. The main seal was installed and the bearings were lubed, then the micropolished crank was carefully installed in the main journals. |
The engine was outfitted with A.R.P. main studs for additional strength. We installed the main caps and torqued the bolts to 85 lb-ft. |
We put the rings on the pistons, then installed the pistons in the engine, making sure they were in the correct order and direction. |
Due to the design of the heads, Buick engines have large combustion chambers so pop-up pistons are used. Valve notches are at the top of the block. |
Using the parts supplied in the Kanter kit, we rebuilt the oil pump, then installed it in the engine. |
We upgraded the valvetrain with a Kenne-Bell KB Mark 2A hydraulic camshaft featuring a 0.475-inch intake lift and a 0.488-inch exhaust lift with 270 degrees intake duration and 278 degrees exhaust duration. The cam was covered with assembly lube, then was carefully installed in the engine. |
After installing the small-block plugs in the engine, we installed the timing chain and fuel pump eccentric. |
The next step was to install the timing chain cover, which was originally equipped with a rope seal. We upgraded the timing chain cover with a modern oil seal used in the later-model 400-455 Buick engines. This seal is a CR Services 19786. Federal Mogul also offers the seals listed as PN 474272. |
The front of the Buick engine can look very impressive when the timing chain cover and aluminum water pump are polished. We also chrome-plated the water crossover. All of the fasteners are A.R.P. polished stainless bolts. Joe Stubblefield Polishing in Paramount, California, did the polishing, and Astro Plating and Polishing in Van Nuys, California, did the chrome-plating. |
The heads were installed on the A.R.P. studs and torqued to 75 lb-ft. |
A close look at the oil pan reveals the A.R.P. polished stainless bolts. |
The original oil pan was also chrome-plated, and the oil filter adapter was polished. |
Rocker Arm Specialists rebuilt the rocker arms and made them adjustable so the valve settings can be fine-tuned. The company also provided a special set of pushrods for the engine that work with the adjustable rockers. |
We installed the lifters before the pushrods were installed. It's always advisable to soak the lifters in oil before installation. |
We equipped the engine with a Mooneyes finned aluminum valley pan. It was polished and detail-painted to match the engine color. |
The engine was topped by a polished Offenhauser dual-quad high-rise intake manifold and secured with A.R.P. polished stainless bolts. |
Since the heads can be installed either way, the rear of the heads have outlets for the water crossover. We plugged the holes with freeze plugs. Prior to installing the rear cam plug, we installed the spring ring in the block that secures the camshaft. |
The engine was topped by a pair of Edelbrock 500-cfm carburetors. The carb studs are A.R.P. polished stainless units. The chrome-like finish of the carbs really adds to the engine's overall appearance. |
We equipped the Buick engine with finned aluminum Offenhauser valve covers and O'Brien Truckers finned aluminum spark plug covers. The spark plug covers weren't used on the later 401 engines, so we had to fabricate small brackets to secure them in place. |
The old Buick engine needs to breathe, so we installed a set of Mooneyes 45-degree angle breathers and centered them on the side of the valve covers. |
O'Brien Truckers also makes a finned aluminum fuel pump block-off plate for Buick and other engines. This one was detail-painted to match the other finned aluminum parts. |
We installed a rebuilt distributor and outfitted it with a PerTronix Ignitor Electronic Ignition system. Taylor spark plug wires were used to match the bright yellow engine color. |
The air cleaner is a finned aluminum cover from O'Brien Truckers used in conjunction with two small Edelbrock single-carburetor chrome steel air cleaners. |
The timing chain cover and aluminum water pump were polished by Joe Stubblefield Polishing. The water crossover and original pulleys were chrome-plated by Astro Plating. A close look will reveal the parts are bolted on with A.R.P. polished stainless steel bolts. |
The stock exhaust system was ground smooth, covered with high heat VHT paint, and fastened with polished stainless bolts. In finished form, the Buick engine would be very attractive in any street rod. With the engine's narrow width, it can fit under the hood of most '28-and-newer street rods. |
There's an old Buick ad slogan that stated, "Go First, Go Buick." First in styling, first in comfort, and first in performance were what the marketing people were suggesting. Although Buicks always had an excellent reputation as luxury cars, they weren't really known for exceptional performance until the company introduced a 322ci V-8 engine in 1953. Nicknamed the "nailhead" because of the unique head design, the engine increased in size in 1957 to 364ci, and again in 1959 to 401ci. The engine design really reached its pinnacle with a 425ci engine in some of the top-of-the-line mid-'60s Buicks, including the Riviera.
Hot rodders were quick to capitalize on the Buick engine's torque and horsepower early on, so many really nice hot rods were Buick-powered. Tony Nancy ran a Buick engine in his drag roadster. Tommy Ivo used Buick power in his famous T-bucket, and later in a four-engine exhibition dragster. If you go through back issues of R&C, you will find quite a collection of nailhead-powered rods and customs.
Recently, we picked up a '65 401 Buick engine at Memory Lane in Sun Valley, California, and did a complete rebuild of the engine. Although parts are getting a little scarce for nailhead engines, there are still a few companies that offer a full line of rebuilding parts. One of the companies offering rebuilding kits for many early engines is Kanter Auto Products. We ordered a complete rebuilding kit which included rings, bearings, pistons, rocker arms, pushrods, cam, lifters, timing chain, oil pump rebuilding kit, and gasket kit. The company also has parts for other antique engines such as early Cadillacs, Oldsmobiles, Chrysler Hemis, and even flathead Fords.
The only part that is difficult to find for Buicks is a high-performance camshaft. It's possible to find some high-performance grinds at swap meets, but a better way is to contact Classic Buicks, which offers five different selections of Kenne-Bell camshafts for nailhead engines, 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. Rocker Arm Specialists rebuilt the rocker arm assemblies and made them adjustable for fine-tuning the engine.
In original form with a single four-barrel carb and OEM cam, the engine was rated at 325 hp, so we decided to increase the engine's performance with the installation of the Kenne-Bell cam and an Offenhauser dual-quad intake topped by a pair of 500-cfm Holley carburetors. Appearance additions include Offenhauser finned aluminum valve covers, Mooneyes breathers, O'Brien Truckers finned aluminum spark plug covers and air cleaner, and a Mooneyes finned aluminum rocker cover. Custom appearance additions include polishing the aluminum timing chain cover and aluminum water pump. A.R.P. stainless bolts were used to fasten the water pump, timing chain assembly, and intake manifold. The engine studs for the crankshaft journals and heads are also A.R.P. products.
All of the engine machining 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. In the last issue, we showed you the machining steps performed on the engine. In this issue we will show you the assembly procedures.