4.1 off center

rag231

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 30, 2005
Going out to get a bath of some sort for a trip to a machine shop with a 3.59 stroke crank.
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I have them and a can of Sili-Kroil to break some of the fasteners loose.
 
That is how off center engines are.
Not mine. My oil feed is in the back.

Actually, I have never seen an off-center with an oil feed in the front.........ever.

I'm always shocked with all the different configurations Buick cast these blocks in.
 
I have never seen one that wasnt in the front.
Are you sure? Off center?

I have seen a few 016 castings like my own. And all had oil feeds in the back. Maybe on a virgin block a choice could be made as to which side you could drill and tap?
 
016 4.1 stage 2
Cool!

When working the plan for my twin configuration, I was a little frustrated with my oil back-fed block. I would have preferred a front feed. Instead, I had to hard pipe the oil feed along the valve cover down the valve cover to the front of the block. And then use a female pipe to AN adapter, then braided line from the oil filter. This makes it easy for me to disconnect for working on the engine or for removal.

See below. Was a tricky little task getting the fittings clocked properly.
 

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My 0012 block has front and rear feeds...great to have a choice. Amazing how many variations are out there.
 

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Rob, I like your coated pistons! NYTwin Turbo, I like the look of your current COP/CNP setup better than the older pics and nice touch rotating your injectors 180* to hide the connectors. In the pursuit of perfection I bet that you had enough parts to rebuild another motor for example valve covers. I bet that you have had at least 4 sets. Your engine compartment is a symmetry benchmark. I am lucky to have the Kirban chrome starter kit, powermater cover, egr cover, power steering cap, blower cover and maybe one other piece. I do have a decision to make tho. I have a virgin set of stage 2 heads and intake or I can put the production style heads and intake on it. This motor had stage 2 heads and a PT-80 turbo on it way back in 99.
 
I have seen them like that where they milled down and plugged. If you look at my pic again it has a brass pipe plug at the rear.
 
Rob, I like your coated pistons! NYTwin Turbo, I like the look of your current COP/CNP setup better than the older pics and nice touch rotating your injectors 180* to hide the connectors. In the pursuit of perfection I bet that you had enough parts to rebuild another motor for example valve covers. I bet that you have had at least 4 sets. Your engine compartment is a symmetry benchmark. I am lucky to have the Kirban chrome starter kit, powermater cover, egr cover, power steering cap, blower cover and maybe one other piece. I do have a decision to make tho. I have a virgin set of stage 2 heads and intake or I can put the production style heads and intake on it. This motor had stage 2 heads and a PT-80 turbo on it way back in 99.
As always, thank you for your comments on my current set-up. I'm still getting used to looking at it myself.

If you already have both the stage heads and matching intake, I say go for it! If your not trying to prove anything, I still think that to this day, there's still nothing out there that can easily beat a set of stage heads and intake.

But the question comes up.......why? To make 1500 horsepower? Do you need that much? Of course you do! We all do! But maybe we don't. I don't know........Now I'm also so confused. The power potential can be intoxicating.

But remember, you will also need to include more money and time in your budget further down the line for custom headers, welding injector bungs, fabricating a fuel rail, regulator placement, upper plenum, upper coolant hoses and possibly tapping for sensors, valve covers, maybe even coil-pack placement (if your going to still use one), possibly even a 90mm throttle body, the list just goes on and on. It begins to snowball. It already takes too long to build one of these things. I don't know about you, but I'm in my late 40's and always too busy, I would never want to give up another few years.

But you know all this already. No one knows the deal better than you. You have been there, done that, even before some of these forum members were born! Maybe it's time you just build a powerful, great running, great looking engine with solid off-the-shelf parts? Then get in the damned thing and enjoy some time behind the wheel?

My logic when using an off-center block was to give myself the option to avoid all this stuff. Didn't really work out that way. I started the fabrication back in 2002. I think it took about 3 years to finish the bulk fabrication. But I was younger then.

The temptation to use the stage stuff is strong. But if it were me, I would probably throw on a set of bad-ass Champion/TA heads, ported stock or Champion intake, TA headers, and still make 800 streetable horsepower and be done with it. Dress it up, polish and powder coat, get nit-picky with the fun stuff, put it into you newly painted, freshly redone ride!
 
My 016 has front and rear feeds but chose to go through the factory sender location.
 
I think just more simple. There’s so much plumbing anyway. I originally was thinking about dual feeding until I put the Champion intake on. Really no way unless you grind a bunch off the intake. I asked around and everyone thought that it would work just fine going through where the stock sender is. Think I’m using a -10 there. I’m using the rear as a gauge feed.

Wish I had a few extra 016 blocks, lol.
 
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