Engine and Transmission Tech

tips, technology, tools and techniques related to vehicle driveline components

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MECHANIST
Bill LUNBOM

(17 posts)

Registered:
01/26/2008 03:21PM

Main British Car:


You guys with the 215 Buicks and Olds engines
Posted by: MECHANIST
Date: January 30, 2008 12:18AM

What do you do about the intake manifold gasket? Are new ones available somewhere? How about reusing one that looks good? Anyone have one std piston for an olds block I could get? I could use a distributor, complete or just the body.


NixVegaGT
Nicolas Wiederhold
Minneapolis, MN
(659 posts)

Registered:
10/16/2007 05:30AM

Main British Car:
'73 Vega GT 4.9L Rover/Buick Stroker

authors avatar
Re: You guys with the 215 Buicks and Olds engines
Posted by: NixVegaGT
Date: January 30, 2008 10:08AM

Are you talking about the tin valley cover? I got an OEM stock replacement. I think they sell new ones for Rovers on RockAuto.com or the like. I gave a bunch of spare parts to one of my H-buddies up here in MN. Tony? You out there?


Moderator
Curtis Jacobson
Portland Oregon
(4576 posts)

Registered:
10/12/2007 02:16AM

Main British Car:
71 MGBGT, Buick 215

authors avatar
Re: You guys with the 215 Buicks and Olds engines
Posted by: Moderator
Date: January 30, 2008 12:43PM

The steel valley pans are still available from Fel-Pro. You should be able to get them locally through Carquest or NAPA... but possibly not the discount places.

Rover dealers offer a "composite" valley pan, which costs twice as much but which is reportedly much quieter. (I used Fel-Pro.)

I keep my old Delco-Remy distributor as a spare, and I used a Mallory Unilite. A Pertronix conversion for the Declo would've been cheaper. I think the Rover versions came with different advance curves over the years. A little more useful info may possibly be here:
Rover distributor: [www.britishv8.org]
Buick distributor:[www.britishv8.org]


BlownMGB-V8
Jim Blackwood
9406 Gunpowder Rd., Florence, KY 41042
(6468 posts)

Registered:
10/23/2007 12:59PM

Main British Car:
1971 MGB Blown,Injected,Intercooled Buick 340/AA80E/JagIRS

authors avatar
Re: You guys with the 215 Buicks and Olds engines
Posted by: BlownMGB-V8
Date: February 02, 2008 06:09PM

That Rover valley tin is the only thing I would consider using. Much better sealing properties, well worth the cost.

Jim


Phillip G
Phillip Leonard
Kansas City
(395 posts)

Registered:
02/03/2008 04:12PM

Main British Car:
1992 MG RV8 Rover 3.5

Re: You guys with the 215 Buicks and Olds engines
Posted by: Phillip G
Date: February 18, 2008 02:52PM

Machinist,

Bill Lunbom,

I just broke down an Olds 215 engine.

Bottom end looked like new - and probably standard, though I can't guarantee it.

I'm using the block and head and pan for mock-up work on the engine compartment of my ... B chassis to SCCA RV 8 project.

I would be happy to mail you several of the pistons and rods and rod ends - still together - at no charge.

Let me know.

Phillip G


MECHANIST
Bill LUNBOM

(17 posts)

Registered:
01/26/2008 03:21PM

Main British Car:


Re: You guys with the 215 Buicks and Olds engines
Posted by: MECHANIST
Date: February 18, 2008 03:40PM

Phillip,

I would be delighted to get 2 assemblies. I also need the set of the 8, 6" head bolts and a distributor.

I can initiate payment with PayPal when you know the cost, if that is suitable.

Yours truly,

Bill Lunbom at 25411 79th ave SW, Vashon, Wa, 98070
206 463 3259


Phillip G
Phillip Leonard
Kansas City
(395 posts)

Registered:
02/03/2008 04:12PM

Main British Car:
1992 MG RV8 Rover 3.5

Re: You guys with the 215 Buicks and Olds engines
Posted by: Phillip G
Date: February 19, 2008 02:11PM

Bill,

I mailed to you today 2 Olds 215 rods and pistons from the engine I recently broke down for parts.

They are yours at no charge. I hope they are of use in your project.

Do let me know that they have arrived and, later, that they have been of any use to you.

The Olds 215 engine looked fine except for the cam. Seems we always find flat cam lobes.

Phillip Leonard



MECHANIST
Bill LUNBOM

(17 posts)

Registered:
01/26/2008 03:21PM

Main British Car:


Re: You guys with the 215 Buicks and Olds engines
Posted by: MECHANIST
Date: February 28, 2008 12:05PM

Philip,
I t was swell of you to send me those pistons but unfortunately they are not Olds pistons. You have a Buick block apparently. So I still need one or two pistons. Thank you for your generosity.


Phillip G
Phillip Leonard
Kansas City
(395 posts)

Registered:
02/03/2008 04:12PM

Main British Car:
1992 MG RV8 Rover 3.5

Re: You guys with the 215 Buicks and Olds engines
Posted by: Phillip G
Date: February 28, 2008 02:24PM

Bill,

Sorry about that.

Are the Olds pistons any different than the Buick pistons in the 215 blocks ?

Could you use 8 Buick pistons in the Olds block ? If you can, I would trade you all 8 (6 more) of the Buick pistons for your 7 Olds pistons - if that would help.

FYI - I am using the completely bare and light weight Olds block for a mock up of my Rover block while assembling the RV 8 chassis.

Again, I am sorry the Buick pistons will not work for you.

Phillip G


Moderator
Curtis Jacobson
Portland Oregon
(4576 posts)

Registered:
10/12/2007 02:16AM

Main British Car:
71 MGBGT, Buick 215

authors avatar
Re: You guys with the 215 Buicks and Olds engines
Posted by: Moderator
Date: February 28, 2008 03:32PM

Buick (and Rover) 215 pistons are "dished", wherease Olds 215 pistons are flat-topped with recesses into them for valve clearance. Here's an excerpt from an article that will run on our next issue. It explains the design differences further:

Quote:
Buick and Olds differ drastically in combustion chamber design. Olds has a wedge type chamber, flat top pistons, and a port configuration which largely resembles that of the larger Olds engine. Buick has a machined chamber of comparatively small volume and dished pistons. The valves on the Olds are angled to line up with the slant roof of the combustion chamber. On the Buick, they are placed almost straight up, and the port design is of course closely akin to that of the larger Buick engine. Even valve cover placements are distinctively those of their larger engine counterparts.

Buick claims a more favorable surface to volume ratio at combustion time, together with a central plug location and very short flame travel through the major portion of the compressed air fuel mass. The squish area is distributed all around the piston and combustion chamber, creating a favorable turbulence. These dished pistons are quite reminiscent of those which enabled GM Research to run some very interesting tests at compression ratios ranging from 10:1 all the way to 25:1, or six points higher than with most diesels.

The use of a dished section makes compression changes quite simple, and we might add that the use of a flat olds piston in a Buick 215 would result in a compression ratio of 11:1. Where a dish is very deep and falls below the ring belt, some distortion can occur at operating temperatures and added heat is transferred to the piston. However, here the dish is so shallow as to have no practical effect.



Phillip G
Phillip Leonard
Kansas City
(395 posts)

Registered:
02/03/2008 04:12PM

Main British Car:
1992 MG RV8 Rover 3.5

Re: You guys with the 215 Buicks and Olds engines
Posted by: Phillip G
Date: February 28, 2008 10:34PM

Curtis,

Great info.

With that in mind, Bill Lunbom could use the Buick pistons in place of the Olds pistons. - living with a slightly higer compression ratio.

Curtis, how can these Buick cast pistons hold up to the extreme compression ratio (25 to 1) like a diesel and not fail in blowing out at the top of the piston ? I thought that was why forged pistons were necessary.

I love this stuff.

Phillip G


bplus
Tracy Moore
Jacksonville, Fl
(40 posts)

Registered:
11/24/2008 06:36PM

Main British Car:
71' MGB GT 350 Chevrolet

Re: You guys with the 215 Buicks and Olds engines
Posted by: bplus
Date: March 24, 2009 10:56PM

Bill, I have a set of olds pistons. I've got to go
out of town on business tomorrow. Please send
me a PM with your contact info. We can coordinate
delivery when I get back in about a week.

Tracy


castlesid
Kevin Jackson
Sidcup UK
(361 posts)

Registered:
11/18/2007 10:38AM

Main British Car:
1975 MGB GT Rover V8 4.35L

Re: You guys with the 215 Buicks and Olds engines
Posted by: castlesid
Date: March 26, 2009 06:45AM

Alternatively you could use the Buick pistons with composite head gaskets to bring the compression ratio down to a resonable level.

D&D would have what you need.

kevin.


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