What motor, found a late 60's early 70's LeSabre

[WE287GN]

Came across it in a boneyard. 4 door, someone had already pulled the intake off..
kinda of wide between the heads, I knew it was a buick motor my the dist and front cover..def a V8

not sure if its anything worth going back for...

any ideas a what size motor this might have been???

Thanks

 

[kh440]

without knowing the year it's hard to say. From 1970 through about 76 the choices were a 350 or 455. If the car is a mid to late 60's it could be a 400, possibly a 430 (but doubtful) as well as the 455. Look for a production code: typically on the drivers side, either between the manifold and front 2 plugs (small block) or the manifold and rear two plugs (big block) Should be two letters.

 

[WE287GN]

Thanks so much , I just may have to check back into it..I can only imagine what they would ask for it, but being all exposed with the intake off, ya never know I guess, must be a bop 350 or 400 behind it as well..

 

[MeanBuicks]

1967-1968 430 engines have 'big port' heads that are very desirable to the V8 Buick crowd as they can enhance performance on any 1969 & later 400-455.

 

[tjthorson]

Came across it in a boneyard. 4 door, someone had already pulled the intake off..
kinda of wide between the heads, I knew it was a buick motor my the dist and front cover..def a V8

not sure if its anything worth going back for...

any ideas a what size motor this might have been???

Thanks

If its 69 and down, its either a 340 or 430. if its 70 and up, its a 350 or 455.

Usually in the lesabre the 340/350 would have had a 4 barrell carb - which someone might have ripped off to put on their 340/350 2 barrell in their Skylark.... At least thats what i did. Until that got boring - and then I found an Electra with a 455 I pulled and put into my 72 Skylark.

Either way - nobody would really want any of it.... They are just too much money to build one nowadays and not many people are rebuidling them - just a select crowd....

I did know a guy with a 77 Skylark (small nova style body) that he put a 430 into. It was a monster.... He had to install some subframe connectors when he started twisting up the body on the thing.

Of course, in the early 80s, "monster" was a high-13 timeslip.....

 

[WE287GN]

thanks for the replies .I may go back to check it out again, but for unknown condition I am not sure it is worth it or not..They want like $600 for the complete car, $300 for the long block and 225 for the tranny

 

[wile87]

didn't buick make a 425 ci engine?

 

[tjthorson]

didn't buick make a 425 ci engine?

The 401/425 series of engines were referred to as the "nailhead" motors. The began using that design in the 50s in various displacements - and it ran until 1966.

I myself am restoring a 63 Riviera for my dad with a 401 nailhead. They are famous among hotrodders for GOBS of torque - but not a real good high revving engine - and parts are expensive and getting hard to find. They have a good following - so at least parts ARE available.

When he said late 60s - I was working with 67 and up Buick motors. VERY different from the nailheads. The 67 and up are more like your Buick V6 - distributor up front on an angle, external oil pump, etc.

The nailhead has the distributor in the back with the oilpump in the pan, more like a chevy.... But it has a front cover like the newer buicks as opposed to just a timing chain cover like a chevy. It also has a neat intake manifold setup, where it rises over the block - and then there is a lifter cover that closes in the block. The valve train is where it gets wierd. The pushrods actually come off the cam and go under and past the rocker arm shaft, pushing the rockers back toward the center of the engine - and then the valves to straight up and down....

Buick V8 engine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[54Rich]

It will be stamped on the back of the motor. Also, a Buick 350 will have 6 bolts holding down the valve cover and a 400/430/455 will have 5. Here's some info on the 455:

Engine Identification

 

[WE287GN]

thanks for the info...This is getting me curious now..I may go back just for the sake of this conversation..
There was a pretty bad shape Special there with what looks to be a "nailhead" in it, but its out in the open with no valve covers on it.
I mean what can I really do out in a boneyard txo check this motor out short of trying to turn the crank, and trying to look at oil dip stick or coolant?

 

[wile87]

really all you can do is turn the motor at the crank bolt and see if it's seized or not. boneyard not gonna let you pull the heads to look