1966 Buick Engines

[Casey]

Here's a great pic showing assembled 1966 Buick engines heading down the line. Note that the starters, flexplates, and even the oil filters were installed before the paint was sprayed...looks liek the spark plugs were installed after, though. Good reference if you're building AMT's 66 Riviera stock.

[Ace-Garageguy]

And note that the nailheads are blue.

The red ones are 340s.

Edited February 24, 2018 by Ace-Garageguy

[EightyHotRod]

Ill take three blue and three red, nothing like the sound of a buick, or olds when there cammed up and got headers

[landman]

On 2/23/2018 at 9:30 PM, Ace-Garageguy said:

And note that the nailheads are blue.

The red ones are 340s.

430s. Sorry Bill, couldn't help it. 

[Casey]

4 hours ago, EightyHotRod said:

Ill take three blue and three red, nothing like the sound of a buick, or olds when there cammed up and got headers

Not a single chrome valve cover on any of 'em, either. 

Were the red engines the first to use the B-O-P trans pattern on the rear block face?

[Ace-Garageguy]

1 hour ago, landman said:

430s. Sorry Bill, couldn't help it. 

If that's '66, as the title of the thread states (and which I tend to believe, as it shows nailheads still on the line), they're likely 340s. The 340 is on the same general architecture as the 215, and has the oil filter mounted as shown, like the visually similar 400/430.

Buick introduced both the 400 and 430 in-house "big block" design in 1967 to replace the nailhead.

Edited March 7, 2018 by Ace-Garageguy

[landman]

11 minutes ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

If that's '66, as the title of the thread states (and which I tend to believe, as it shows nailheads still on the line), they're likely 340s. The 340 is on the same general architecture as the 215, and has the oil filter mounted as shown, like the visually similar 400/430.

Buick introduced both the 400 and 430 in-house "big block" design in 1967 to replace the nailhead.

I always thought nailheads were 401 and 425, go figure.

 

[Ace-Garageguy]

13 minutes ago, landman said:

I always thought nailheads were 401 and 425, go figure.

 

You're correct.

Nailheads came in 264, 322, 364, 401, and 425. The 425 was Buick's big engine in 1966.

Again, Buick replaced the last of the big-inch nailheads with the more modern 400 and 430 engines in 1967.

But the 400 and 430 were essentially big-block versions of the cast-iron 300/340, themselves derived from the little 215 aluminum V8 architecture.

Edited March 7, 2018 by Ace-Garageguy

[landman]

1 minute ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

Nailheads came in 264, 322, 364, 401, and 425. The 425 was Buick's big engine in 1966.

Again, Buick replaced the last of the big-inch nailheads with the more modern 400 and 430 engines in 1967.

And here I thought you had a typo. I looked up the 340 and lo and behold it looks like the ones on that line. All in good fun.

[Ace-Garageguy]

2 minutes ago, landman said:

And here I thought you had a typo. I looked up the 340 and lo and behold it looks like the ones on that line. All in good fun.

Nada problem. I DO make mistakes, so never hesitate to question anything. I've been wrong before.  

[Ace-Garageguy]

1 hour ago, Casey said:

Were the red engines the first to use the B-O-P trans pattern on the rear block face?

The '64 and later 300/340 were the first Buick V8 engines to feature the BOP pattern, if I remember right.

I don't honestly know what was on the little 215. I should, but I don't.

I THINK the '62 and later Buick odd-fire V6 engines, pre Jeep, as well as the Jeep version, also had the BOP pattern.

[fairlane1320]

Around 1979 one of my brothers bought a '66 Special with a 300 V8. Just like this one, except for the cool wheels.  I need to find a Skylark kit to build a replica. Was the 300 a nailhead?

[Ace-Garageguy]

5 hours ago, fairlane1320 said:

... Was the 300 a nailhead?

Nope.

The 300  and 340 looked like a slightly smaller 400/430/455.

 

[Can-Con]

2 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

Nope.

The 300  and 340 looked like a slightly smaller 400/430/455.

 

The 430 from the AMT '69 Riviera could pass for a small block, it is kinda undersize.