metalhead140
Well-known member
Awesome! I'm coming over for a drive, hope you don't mind! 
Making do with what I have!
- Thread starter sean Buick 76
- Start date
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sean Buick 76
Well-known member
Blake, is the guy who bought my Skylark project and he invited me over to see his progress! He has a lot of time on his hands and is making rapid progress getting the car completed! It is so nice to see the car coming together...
And I am working with the shipping company to get my new Skylark shipped up here from the USA..
It is tough to believe that i started this thread in 2014 and it already seems like ages in the past!!!
Special thanks to everyone who has followed my projects, I appreciate the support. Happy holidays from Sean, Leanne, and Shane Buick Gaskin!
And I am working with the shipping company to get my new Skylark shipped up here from the USA..
It is tough to believe that i started this thread in 2014 and it already seems like ages in the past!!!
Special thanks to everyone who has followed my projects, I appreciate the support. Happy holidays from Sean, Leanne, and Shane Buick Gaskin!
dubber
Well-known member
Always nice to see a former car being appropriately cared for.
BTW Love your son's full name. Merry Christmas!
1/2 Cup
Member Emeritus
Just dropping by Sean to wish you Leanne and Shane a Merry Christmas and all the best for the new Year..
Regards
Regards
BuickFarmer
Well-known member
And Merry Christmas to y'all!!! As a grandchildless old man, here's hoping for some Christmas pictures of lil Shane Buick's first Christmas!
1/2 Cup
Member Emeritus
Good one Sean, great to see you are teaching him well.
OP
sean Buick 76
Well-known member
Good one Sean, great to see you are teaching him well.
Well Leanne said I could read anything to him so....
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sean Buick 76
Well-known member
Santa got me a super nice billet crankshaft for my next engine build, so I was thankful for that!
Here are some better pics of the engine bay of my new car, which is being shipped up here in the next few weeks as it is currently about 1200 miles away in the USA. The engine I am building will be about 50 pounds lighter (alum heads) than the current one bringing the car under 3000 pounds.... If the engine turns out how I want it to I should have a ton more power than it has now and be more reliable:
Here are some better pics of the engine bay of my new car, which is being shipped up here in the next few weeks as it is currently about 1200 miles away in the USA. The engine I am building will be about 50 pounds lighter (alum heads) than the current one bringing the car under 3000 pounds.... If the engine turns out how I want it to I should have a ton more power than it has now and be more reliable:
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sean Buick 76
Well-known member
Happy Holidays fellow garage tinkerers! I wish you all the best in 2015!
BBChevro
Well-known member
Happy new year to you and your family Sean.
rixtrix1
Well-known member
Sorry guys I am busy reading to Shane:
Happy New Year, Sean! I glad to see you took my "advice" about continuing your hobbies and involving your baby early on. The new car looks great, too.
Best wishes to you and yours in 2015 and beyond.
taumac
Well-known member
Sorry I missed your thread with the Happy New Year post. Wishing you the best in 2015.
rixtrix1
Well-known member
Sean, didn't mean to step on your parade, was just being sarcastic. We used to plumb a dry nitrous nozzle, not a fogger, into the intake scroll , on a timer to maybe help spool up the turbo. Would only run it a second or so and it made a noticeable difference but could never really tell if it was the nitrous or earlier boost that made the car run better. Looked cool, though.
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sean Buick 76
Well-known member
Neet idea! What car had the turbo on it? I was thinking the nitrous is realy cold and would help intercool as well.... Sorry if I am de-railing your thread.
rixtrix1
Well-known member
It was a '69 Firebird 400 with an Accel turbo, really prehistoric and primitive compared even to some ebay turbo kits, but we tried all kinds of stuff to make it work better. According to CarCraft mag, where we got the idea besides spinning the impeller it would help cool the mix, but as I said we never ran it more than a second, so it probably didn't matter, we did run the carb pretty rich, but only had about 5-6# of boost max, and Pontiac 400's didn't rev much anyway, maybe 4800-5000. Pretty good torque down low.
Never mind doing anything on my thread. I like to hear about your exploits!
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rixtrix1
Well-known member
Shane is such a cutie. He actually looks interested in the book.
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sean Buick 76
Well-known member
Thanks Ric,
Yes since the day he was born he has been trying to figure everything out, he has great eyesight and loves to learn... We are blessed he sleeps through the night almost all the time! Up till last week it was tough to put him to sleep so we would read books over and over to him... Leanne suggested I read my car books to him as they are long and they have pictures and he only like books with pics... So I read my books to him out loud and he loves it.... He seems to have a thing for black... He loves black sheep, black cars, etc... Fitting that my new car is black!
He is just 3 months old but he is almost standing up on his own, he crawls around but not very well yet... His teeth are coming in already and he loves to talk but we cannot understand him yet... I am such a proud dady, he laughed for the first time today!
It is so much fun!!!
Yes since the day he was born he has been trying to figure everything out, he has great eyesight and loves to learn... We are blessed he sleeps through the night almost all the time! Up till last week it was tough to put him to sleep so we would read books over and over to him... Leanne suggested I read my car books to him as they are long and they have pictures and he only like books with pics... So I read my books to him out loud and he loves it.... He seems to have a thing for black... He loves black sheep, black cars, etc... Fitting that my new car is black!
He is just 3 months old but he is almost standing up on his own, he crawls around but not very well yet... His teeth are coming in already and he loves to talk but we cannot understand him yet... I am such a proud dady, he laughed for the first time today!
It is so much fun!!!
1/2 Cup
Member Emeritus
Its some thing very special watching your offspring grow, enjoy the moment, every moment Sean.
OP
sean Buick 76
Well-known member
Thanks guys and please forgive me if I do not post as many garage progress pics, i am flat out busy working 7 days a week 12 hours a day and the little man has me busy as well.....
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sean Buick 76
Well-known member
No garage progress, oh well:
1/2 Cup
Member Emeritus
Great stuff Sean.
Thanks for sharing..
Thanks for sharing..
taumac
Well-known member
Oh ****.... hes up and running. Next thing your tools and car will be missing LMAO.
rixtrix1
Well-known member
Haha!
zcar751
Well-known member
Busy catching up with things and I love the new ride. That is crazy HP you're looking at, sounds like fun. I assume the new Skylark will have mounting points for a car seat?
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sean Buick 76
Well-known member
Leanne went shopping today so Shane and I got some stuff done in the garage. With the old Skylark gone and the new Skylark in transit here we took the extra room in the garage to do some engine work.
URL=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/seanbuick76/media/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_12651_zps39212b0e.jpg.html]
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I rebuilt a chevy 350 and sold it... Put together another Buick 350 with some custom connecting rods, then took it back apart to modify the rods to clear the camshaft... Every single internal part of this engine is custom made to my specifications so it is pretty cool! This should make 800-1200 HP depending on boost levels at just 355 cubic inches. These engines have such tight tolerances because they are very compact in design, only 10" tall deck height and a 3.85" stroke. Here are some pics:
Here is a rod after removing material that was causing interferance with the camshaft. The new rod is on top in this picture:
I put up some cool license plates, a chevy hubcap, and a Buick thermometer. Most of the plates have a special meaning or a story behind them:
g
Here are some new tools to help my engine builds:
I picked up this bench grinder used for $25 and added a new wire wheel then built this base so I can move it around as needed.
URL=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/seanbuick76/media/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_12651_zps39212b0e.jpg.html]
I rebuilt a chevy 350 and sold it... Put together another Buick 350 with some custom connecting rods, then took it back apart to modify the rods to clear the camshaft... Every single internal part of this engine is custom made to my specifications so it is pretty cool! This should make 800-1200 HP depending on boost levels at just 355 cubic inches. These engines have such tight tolerances because they are very compact in design, only 10" tall deck height and a 3.85" stroke. Here are some pics:
Here is a rod after removing material that was causing interferance with the camshaft. The new rod is on top in this picture:
I put up some cool license plates, a chevy hubcap, and a Buick thermometer. Most of the plates have a special meaning or a story behind them:
g
Here are some new tools to help my engine builds:
I picked up this bench grinder used for $25 and added a new wire wheel then built this base so I can move it around as needed.
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taumac
Well-known member
Damn, got a lot done in one day. I might have to hire the team to work in my shop.
Have a good one Gerard
Have a good one Gerard
1/2 Cup
Member Emeritus
rixtrix1
Well-known member
Looks like "the guys" had a great day, Sean! Where did you source the custom rod? Are they supposed to be better than the Herche ones?
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sean Buick 76
Well-known member
I am getting GPS tracking installed in the car, for few reasons LOL! I was recently chatting with my dad in my garage and he said "You know you really should let Shane use your tools even though it will drive you nuts". He also said he is glad he never did lock up his tools after I kept using them and leaving them all over.... Thanks dad, I was a lucky kid that my dad let me use his tools!
Thank you! When Shane is big enough to sit shotgun in the racing harness he can ride with me but it is a little too hard launching even at part throttle.
Leanne did suggest we use the Regal for a family road trip, it only packs about 400 HP:
The rods were actually custom made for someone back in 1992 by Cunningham Rods at a cost of $1450 and then never used. They ended up im a storage locker that got auctioned off and I ended up buying them for $200 (new in box) thanks the magic of the internet. They are about 1/4" longer than stock so my piston will be nice and short, light and sit at 1.8 for the rod/stroke ratio. These rods are rated for 1200 hp and 8000 rpm, the Herche are only good for about 900.
I lucked into these rods then I am now building this engine around these rods. 1" thick block girdle to support the mains, all the machine work is done to the block and fully blueprinted. The machine shop has measured the main and rod journals with the bearings installed and then I hired King Cranks to custom make me a billet crank. Once I have my new custom pistons we can measure the bob weight for the rod and piston combo and have King make the crank with counterweights to match, as well as making the journals so that stock spec bearings will give our specified clearances. Then I have more meat for potential rebuilds.
This engine is getting a nice external oil pump system, roller cam, and the new aluminum heads that TA is making... The heads are going for max effort porting before they go on. Should be fun!
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mistervelocity
Well-known member
Never argue with your wife.
OP
sean Buick 76
Well-known member
Just a quick video of my new car:
rixtrix1
Well-known member
Great deal on the rods, if you can make them work, so, as your signature says......
I would have been the next guy to call after you.
I would have been the next guy to call after you.
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HSpencer
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Sean
I've just been running through all of your thread and paying special attention to your shed woodworking shop. I am in an '8X'16 with double doors on either end. I like the way yours is done and I am going to use a couple of your ideas. I had some questions:
What do you do on lumber storage?
Do you have a sub panel in the shed, and if so what amperage is it? How many circuits?
Do you have a jointer or planer? (Forgive me if I did not see them).
How is it generally working out for you?
Best Regards
Herb
I've just been running through all of your thread and paying special attention to your shed woodworking shop. I am in an '8X'16 with double doors on either end. I like the way yours is done and I am going to use a couple of your ideas. I had some questions:
What do you do on lumber storage?
Do you have a sub panel in the shed, and if so what amperage is it? How many circuits?
Do you have a jointer or planer? (Forgive me if I did not see them).
How is it generally working out for you?
Best Regards
Herb
OP
sean Buick 76
Well-known member
Hi Herb, thanks for dropping by!
There is not a separate sub-panel but there are two power wires each on a 30 amp breaker in the house. This was done by the previous owner, but it works well for my use.
I do not have a joiner or a planer, I am not a skilled woodworker I just learned to do the basics so I could complete shelving and workbench projects for the garage and then as a side result I ended up setting up this shed to keep sawdust out of my garage.
I am really happy with how it is setup, for my use it works great. When the snow melts I am going to build some sawhorses and a folding top for the sawhorses so I can set it up outside for larger projects if needed.
For lumber storage it is not ideal but I lean up spare wood on the far right side of the shed, and store some up in the loft but I avoid that as I forget about it and never use it...
I am going to build a large shop of about 80X45 eventually and I plan to setup a small woodworking area there but this works good to keep the sawdust out of the garage... I build engines and I need to keep it clean... I cannot wait till I have my SUPER clean engine building room in the future shop, it will be nice.
Till then I make do with what I have!
I almost have enough cash to buy the other Skylark even without the money from my first one... But I need the room so it still has to go!!!
I have been working 7 days a week 12 hour days, and still finding the time to dig up extra stuff I do not need and sell it to raise money towards the new Skylark... Sold 3 Chevy engines, 4 transmissions, my spare lawnmower, and some other stuff....
Fred Lorenzen: I've been buying stock in Esso with my race winnings. Where are you putting your money, Junior?
Junior Johnson's reply: I puts my money in my jeans!
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sean Buick 76
Well-known member
LOL, I love that!
longlivepunk
Well-known member
I made it to the end! I've been wanting to read the whole way through this thread for a while now, and I finally got a chance. Awesome work! What kind of ETA are you looking at for getting those aluminum heads from TA? How long after will you be track-testing the car before the book goes into print?
Awesome job on all counts, man. Very inspiring!!
Awesome job on all counts, man. Very inspiring!!
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sean Buick 76
Well-known member
Thank you, I appreciate the kind words!
I am not sure exactly when the Alum heads will be released by TA, but I expect we will see them in the next 8 months. I get the first production set of heads after their prototypes are tested and given the OK. My heads will go directly to a head porting pro who is a good friend of mine. He is going to do a whole bunch of hours in head porting, flow testing, flow balancing, re-porting etc so that the heads reach their potential. I am actually sending him 4 Buick 455s in trade for this porting work as he specializes in building the big blocks and sells them all over after he works his magic. Just tough to find time to get these 455s safely on pallets to ship when I am working 7 days a week, 12 hours a day... Booked a day off next week to get them shipped out.
If everything pans out the book can go to print soon after the heads are tested, it is almost done it just needs the updates from our upcoming progress with these heads. The current engine build is taking some time to get done due to almost all the parts being custom made, but it will turn out really nice....
Thanks again for checking out my thread, and stay tuned for progress updates!
longlivepunk
Well-known member
Will do, bud! Already subscribed.
OP
sean Buick 76
Well-known member
I FINALY got a day off!
I have been driving my truck at work and charging it out, it 4x4s great and being paid off its making money! BUT the wear and tear on the truck led to the transfer case becoming stuck in 2 WD so I re-did the grounds, replaced the sensor in the actuator and back in business. GM wanted 180 to scan it so I took a chance and replaced the $34 sensor and luckily its good....
The truck fits okay when I need to work on it:
Cleaned off the surface rust to make good grounds... Then painted it after...
Cleaned the truck and now with 8" lift in the rear! Added blocks under the lift springs.
Just a LITTLE bit slippery! Crawled up without spinning...
Then I went to Canadian tire and bought all this stuff on a huge sale! Got $750 worth of stuff for $350!
I have been driving my truck at work and charging it out, it 4x4s great and being paid off its making money! BUT the wear and tear on the truck led to the transfer case becoming stuck in 2 WD so I re-did the grounds, replaced the sensor in the actuator and back in business. GM wanted 180 to scan it so I took a chance and replaced the $34 sensor and luckily its good....
The truck fits okay when I need to work on it:
Cleaned off the surface rust to make good grounds... Then painted it after...
Cleaned the truck and now with 8" lift in the rear! Added blocks under the lift springs.
Just a LITTLE bit slippery! Crawled up without spinning...
Then I went to Canadian tire and bought all this stuff on a huge sale! Got $750 worth of stuff for $350!
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