Putting the ubiquitous small-/big-block Chevrolet and Ford engine/transmission into just about any chassis these days is about as difficult as making a few phone calls. The aftermarket offers a plethora of mounts to accommodate just about any combination of these popular drivelines. However, recent trends indicate renewed interest in installing engine/transmission combinations that were more common in the early days of the sport.
Utilizing what are considered "off brands" by your average Chevrolet/Ford fan presents a challenge when it comes to mounting them in your favorite chassis. Outside of the Flathead Ford, there are plenty of these early "oddball" engines available at reasonable prices. The engine and trans in this project were obtained for free in a complete car.
Next to the Hemi and Cad-illac, one of the more popular conversions for early rods was the Buick Nailhead. Many an early rod was powered by one of these engines, including the famous Tony Nancy Number 22 roadster. Tommy Ivo was another early advocate of the Buick and is best known for his ferocious dragster powered by four of them. They were called Nailheads by early rodders for their relatively small valves and unique upright cylinder heads. The unique valve covers cannot be confused with any other engine, and one advantage of this design is that it offers a narrow engine.
In its day, the Nailhead was considered one of the more powerful and reliable engines when Buick was considered to be a luxury automobile. It offered smooth and plentiful horsepower and lots of torque. From 1953 through 1966 the Nailhead was available in various sizes ranging from the original 264-cid up to the 400-, 401-, and 425-cid versions. Buick took the unusual position of identifying their engines by torque rating rather than horsepower. The engine in this project is a 455, which was its torque rating rather than it size--401 ci.
Swapping a Buick into a Model A can result in a very clean installation but does present a few unique problems calling for custom fabrication. The engine used in this project originally came from a 1964 Buick LeSabre donor car that was running when it was acquired for the price of hauling it off. It had a good Turbo 400 transmission behind it, which is also being used in this project. This A-bone uses a Super Bell beam axle up front and a Pete and Jake's ladder bar with coilovers out back in a modified original Model A frame. After boxing the frame, adding a new front crossmember, and adding an additional crossmember to stiffen up the noodle-like stock 'rails, it was leveled and set up to approximate the final ride height. The engine was placed in the proper position to allow adequate ground clearance and so that it "looked right" and also offered a low center of gravity. Amazingly, the stock Buick mounting holes proved to be quite convenient for very simple motor mounts, as can be seen in the photos.
One surprise, and what could have been an insurmountable problem, was the discovery that with the engine in the proper orientation, the carburetor angle was at too extreme of an angle. To bring it in to level would have meant mounting the engine way too high in the chassis. As luck would have it, the Buick intake manifold is symmetrical so it was a simple matter of reversing the manifold thereby bringing it into the proper level angle.
The engine-to-cushion brackets were fabricated from 7 1/4x4x1/8-inch mild steel plate, which was then bent with a torch to the proper angle, and four 3/8-inch holes were drilled to match the mounting bolt pattern on the Buick block. The frame bracket was fabricated from the same material in a very clean and straightforward configuration, with simple angled gussets and top plate. The rubber engine mounts are early Ford-style available from most street rod suppliers.
With the engine sitting in the proper location, and the transmission output shaft parallel to the rear axle pinion as it should be, it was found that the transmission mount lined up almost perfectly with the Pete & Jake's ladder bar crossmember, although far below it. A piece of 1-inch heavy wall tubing was then bent to the proper angles and a simple rectangular plate welded to it to accommodate a stock GM trans mount. Gussets were then TIG welded to the plate and joint where it meets the crossmember to assure its strength.
As seen in the photos, this combination presents a very clean and simple installation. If you are not comfortable fabricating the required mounts, a complete kit has been developed and is available from Automotive Engineering Group.