Something caught my eye today, a 1983 Buick Electra boat with a mid-70s 455 swapped into it. Now, I bet it makes ~200 hp or less, but also a landyacht full of torque with a mid-sized sedan's worth left over. I did a bit of reading (Most of the info on the 455 seems to be for 71 and back), and I heard the 455 referred to as a "thin-walled" engine. Apparently that's good for weight, but I'm wondering if it's good for longevity.
The Buick Big Block is durable. It is not a rev happy small block but a down low torque monster in stock form. They can be modified for higher revs parts: http://www.taperformance.com/ http://www.automachperf.com/
The 70 455 is the favorite. 71 and 72 next, then the 67-69 430, followed by the 73-75 455's. The 430 prior was a slightly smaller bore but the same stroke. The later mid 70's had low compression.
The 71 or 72 model years up had a 800CFM QJET 4BBL that was favored.
this guy knows how to build "stock" part stuff http://www.fastraces.org/fastraces/fastraces.nsf/822dcaaaa26c6da985256dd80023623d/d9e59f895d4649318525728f00424c0d!OpenDocument
Sounds like an instant smile machine.
My dad had a 74 with the 455. It was fairly fast, for the times.
According to internets, the 70s Electra was like 800 lbs heavier than the early 80s version? Seriously?
My dad's was the top model. Electra 225? Whatever the biggest most decked out 4 door sedan was. It was huge. Same size as a big Caddy. I think they were 22.5' long and had to be just over 5000 lbs.
In reply to Dr. Hess:
An 83 with a 305 is supposedly ~4000 lbs. It's a old school hot rod! 
Here is one in an MGB. Must have some sporting pretensions.
weight wise they aren't a heck of a lot heavier than an iron SBC.
What do y'all figure a mid 70's 455 makes as far as torque goes?
In reply to RoughandReady:
225 stood for how many inches long it was....
The highest power 70 455's were the stage 1's rated at 510 lb ft and power slowly declined to 345 lb ft when production of 455's ended in 76. My 70 Wildcat has the 370 HP 510 lb ft engine which was the only engine available in them.
Is that 510 a gross rating and the 345 a net rating? I always get confused with that stuff.
Rad_Capz wrote: The highest power 70 455's were the stage 1's rated at 510 lb ft and power slowly declined to 345 lb ft when production of 455's ended in 76. My 70 Wildcat has the 370 HP 510 lb ft engine which was the only engine available in them.
gross rating. Real HP and torque didn't drop as much for the '72 model year as a lot of folks think. Compression did drop some but the change in ratings went from extremely optimistic to realistic.
FWIW, '72 engines are probably the ones you want if you aren't going to run octane boost.
RoughandReady wrote: According to internets, the 70s Electra was like 800 lbs heavier than the early 80s version? Seriously?
yeah.. the full size B bodies got downsized in 77 when they put them on a slightly modified 73-77 midsized A body chassis. but they didn't downsize the midsized cars until 78, so for one glorious model year (1977) the GM midsize and fullsize cars were the same size, with the full size cars maybe being a little lighter..
now, a 455 in a 77-96 B body would be pretty awesome.. you could keep the highway gears but still accelerate like a monster, with the engine barely above idle and not lugging at all at 70mph... put in some 9C1/Impala SS suspension and brake parts but keep the boring Buick hubcaps and it would be a real sleeper..
http://indianapolis.craigslist.org/cto/4367494953.html
prime example for challenge money
In reply to edizzle89:
Damn I like that interior! :D
My mom had a '76 Electra 225. She put it in a ditch on the way home from work one night at 65mph swerving to miss a deer. Went over a big culvert and twisted the frame, then drove it home. We ended up selling it to a local guy who pulled the 455 to put in his Cutlass.
I had a '73 Riv with a 455 when I was a kid (I wish I'd kept that car...). It wasn't hard to keep up with and beat the z28's and 5.0's back in 1984. 
Check out the Buick GS Club of America for tons of info on the 455. Call the club prez, Richard Lasseter for the down low on the 455. Look him up on the interwebs.
I'd like an early 90's Roadmaster (pre LT1 because they are cheaper)with a late 60's 430 or early 70's 455, with auto-overdrive and aftermarket fuel injection all swapped on. Probably E85 compatible.
I had a 69 Electra 225 4dr that was a few feet longer than my 99GMC Z71 ext cab. That weighed 4800 lbs, with a lot of rust and bondo.
There used to also be a great company called Poston that made aftermarket Buick stuff-probably the best aluminum intake - but they went out of business.
Buick 455s are my favorite of the GM biggies. Ok, I lied... the Caddy 500 is my favorite, but...
The Buick 455 is a huge bore, short stroke. That pays off big time when it comes to cost per HP if you're going over 1hp per cube. The Buick gets 455 inches with a 4.3" bore and a 3.9" stroke compared to something like the Olds 455 which does it with 4.125" bore and 4.25" stroke. Not only can you rev easier because the short stroke doesn't need massive money in cranks, mains, rods, and pistons to rev a bit more, but also because you aren't wasting money trying to get a smaller bore to breathe with shrouded valves.
The only real weak point of the Buick is the oil pump. The rotors rest in a cavity on the front cover and the cover wears. When oil pressure starts dropping, replace it with a proper cover from TA performance.
Starting in 72 I think they dropped compression to 8.3:1. That is perfect for 10psi of boost
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