Thanks Hoyt! I have publishing deal for a book I wrote about Buick Engines, and in the introduction I cover the history and development of the early Buick engines, and all the variations that branched off from there... I am not releasing the book untill I can get my Skylark done, on the track and proven, but it is really cool to have my own book coming out! Here is some info from the book about the history of Buick Smallblocks:
Preface
This is a technical guide on how to make the most of Buick Small Block Engines from the 215 to the 350 and everything in between. I will address the history, present and future of this well designed engine family that has been severely neglected by both aftermarket parts suppliers and performance enthusiasts. Sit down, strap in and enjoy the ride!
Note: When I write about the different engine variations “350” refers to an engine with 350 CID or 5.7 Litres in modern terms.
I cannot explain every term in this book although I will try to keep it in basic terms you may need to look up phrases to find out more about the topic. There simply is not enough space in the book for me to teach people everything there is to know about engines.
History of the SBB
215 V8 1961-1963
At just 315 pounds the Buick 215 still stands as one of the lightest V8 engines ever made! Designed to be an economy engine the all-aluminum engine was cutting edge technology. Only produced from 1961 till 1963 the engine had some manufacturing challenges that needed to be worked out and the main reason they were dropped from production in 1963 was production cost being very high. The design was very sound however and these engines are very still sought after for performance motorsports especially when light vehicles are involved. An Oldsmobile version of the 215 was also released in the same time period and it shared the same block with a few changes including heads and pistons. The Buick version was superior due to a better head design however it is interesting to see the “horse racing” between Buick and Oldsmobile in those years.
Rover saw the potential of the 215 and purchased the design from Buick and released into 1967 vehicles. Later in the story you will hear more about the Rover variations of this groundbreaking engine design.
198 V6 1962-mid 1963
The 198 was nicknamed the “fireball” and it was built to replace the 215 V8 as an economy engine. Weighing in at 350 pounds this V6 was more reliable than its predecessor being made from cast iron, and its performance and fuel economy was on par with the V8. There is little to say about this engine, it worked well and it was never really used for performance. The most important aspect to this engine was the stepping stone it created towards the later versions of Buick V6 and V8 engines.
300 V8 1964-1967 and 340 V8 1966-1967
In 1964 Buick pushed the envelope on the new 300 V8 engine weighing in at a paltry 400 pounds featuring an iron block, aluminum heads and intake manifold. Due to production costs iron heads were added in 1965. While the 300 was a solid design the engine was stroked to a 340 version to add torque and utilized from 1966 through 1967. These engines were never really used for performance applications until a few experiments recently revealed their potential which you will hear about in later chapters.
225 V6 mid 1963-1967
Buick sold the 225 design to Kaiser-Jeep in 1967 and it was used in the smaller Jeeps from 1967 till 1971. These 225 were dubbed the “Dauntless V6” due to their reliability. There are many Jeeps still driving the trails and roads with their original non-rebuilt engines. Like most other early V6 versions these were never really used for performance use although they were important to the research and development phase to allow Buick to refine the V6 foundation and it paid off later.
350 V8 1968-1981
Buick engineers used everything they had learned from the 215, 300, 340, and 225 engines and came out with the Buick 350. Weighing in at 450 pounds with all its accessories this was the lightest 350 engine of all the GM variations at roughly 100 pounds less than the Chevy 350. Right from its birth in 1968 the Buick 350 was a very quiet performer, with outstanding reliability and acceptable fuel mileage compared to the larger engines. Although the engine was well designed from its debut version Buick engineers were never content to sit around so they made small refinements each year until 1981. There was really only one performance oriented version of the 350 and that was a 1970 optional version that kicked out an outstanding 315 HP and 410 Foot Pounds of Torque. All the other versions of the engine were just designed to make adequate power, and get good fuel mileage. The reliability was legendary. Locked inside every Buick 350 is an animal waiting to be un-leashed, more about that later.
Through the 70s there were a few people realized the potential of the Buick 350s, including TA Performance who began their racing campaigns with a Buick 350 powered Wagon. Others were using them in circle track cars with great results. Due to being relatively small displacement compared to many V8 engines of the 60s and 70s the 350 has been given very little attention as a performance engine to date.
A testimony to the reliability of the Buick 350 was showcased in some 1968-1971 Jeep Wagoneers and pickup trucks. Jeep dubbed the engine the “Dauntless 350” as the low RPM torque and reliability were un-matched by other engines of the era. Amazingly these heavy 4x4s have been known to get 16-18 US MPG and that is after 30+ years of use. In the readers rides section you will find various examples of these 4x4s still driving now without any engine work done!
231 Odd fire V6 1974 -1977
During the oil crisis in 1974 Buick decided they needed a smaller more fuel efficient optional engine so they bought the 225 V6 design back from Jeep. Once they had their trusty V6 back in their stable they made some modifications. The new engine uses larger cylinder bore to match the Buick 350 so that the engines could be built on the same assembly line. Also a split throw crank and offset pin pistons eliminated the rough idle that the old 225 was famous for. This version of the 231 was never really a performance engine, however it was reliable and served as a test ground for some exciting advancements like turbocharging! In 1976 Buick sent out a Turbocharged 231 V6 Buick Century as a Pace Car for the Daytona 500. This heavy car was faster than the previous year pace car that had a 455 V8 engine, so Buick knew they were onto something.
231 Even fire V6 1978-1987
In late 1977 Buick phased into the even fire which featured a smoother idle but very little changed otherwise. Beginning in 1978 Buick released some turbocharged versions of the 231 however it took until the mid-1980’ s for the bugs to be worked out.
1986 was the magic year for this engine, the combination of Electronic Fuel injection, a turbocharger, and 24 years of refinement led to the grand finale and a legend was born! The 86 and 87 Grand Nationals were some of the fastest production cars in the world and even today they hold their own compared to modern performance cars. I will not go into the details of the potential of these engines as that is well proven and documented in several books.
Modern Derivatives of the Small Block Buick Engine
Although 1981 was the last year for the Buick 350 and 1987 was the last year for the 231 this was FAR from the end of the road. GM developed a string of corporate V6 engines based off the legendary Buick power plants, the most successful of which was the 1998-2001 Supercharged 3800 (231) which displayed impressive power and fuel mileage. My daily driver is of course a Supercharged 1998 Park Avenue.
There is another vein of the Buick Small Block that went on to be one of the most successful V8 designs in the world. The Buick 215 based Rover V8 engines were first released in 1967 after the design was purchased from Buick and they went through many variations until 2006 when they were phased out. I will not go into the details of these engines as there are many publications and resources for these very popular engines.
Mission Statement
The purpose of this book is to help Buick enthusiasts make the best of their Small Block engines despite the lack of aftermarket support. Through traditional hot rod techniques these engines can be very potent and offer surprising performance. There is no doubt that using an engine with more aftermarket support is more cost effective for maximum effort racing however there are many reasons to stick with this little underdog engine. I am spreading the word about the potential of these engines and I will provide the information needed to make the magic happen!
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