[elefantrider]

I'm thinking of dropping in a 6X headed 455 in place of my 326. Will the '65 powerglide and exhaust manifolds bolt right up?

[Dick Boneske]

It'll bolt right up. How long the Super Turbine 300 will last with the 455 depends on whether you use the added power of the larger engine. If you're going to replace the engine, why not use a TH400 or overdrive trans?

[elefantrider]

For now, I don't want to mess with driveshafts, cooler and floor shift linkage. Trying to limit downtime.

Aren't the front accessory bolt arrangement on the heads different from early motors?
So my AC/PS/Alternator brackets won't bolt right up. Need to find a solution for that.

[b-man]

TH350 is a direct bolt-in, everything works without modifications.

[GTO1]

A turbo 350 is a bolt in if you have a column shift automatic...

[hobbygto65]

As long as you use all your 326 brackets and pulleys you should have no problem. I used all my brackets and pulleys from my 63 motor when I went to a newer motor in my 63 Catalina.

[b-man]

Floor shift linkage bolts up as well as column shift linkage.

Neither shifter type will be able to manually select low gear but that’s not something that will prevent normal operation of the vehicle.

[elefantrider]

Driveshaft is the same also? What about a 200r4?

I seem to remember the 6x heads have a different accessory and exhaust bolt pattern.
I bought a '72 intake to cover the heat riser passage.

[b-man]

Exhaust bolt pattern is the same for all common d-port heads so your manifolds will work.

Driveshaft is the same for ST300 2-speed, TH350 and 200-4R. Crossmember position must be moved rearward for 200-4R.

Accessories should bolt up, but pulley spacing front to rear (belt alignment) may be an issue.

[elefantrider]

What about the vacuum line which goes from the tranny to the rear of the carb? Is that same line used on TH350 or 200R4?
Do these trans have/need coolers?

[b-man]

Vacuum line you’ll have to adapt.

All need cooling lines. The factory lines work for the TH350 and possibly the 200-4R.

[pfilean]

There are so many minor variations in pulley diameter and off set you would have to use the 65 326 pulleys to get things to line up. But the 455 being later it would probably have the 4 bolt pulley/damper. To use the 326 pulleys you would need the 326 damper flange on the crank. See if the timing marks will line up with the older front cover.

[elefantrider]

Thanks all. I'd like to set up a 468 with Tri-power, or big 455 2 bbl carb, or 4bbl in there. Haven't decided on intake yet.

Want to turn this into a canyon cruiser machine and my experience is that Tri-power is a little too difficult to modulate out of the the corners. Especially on the bigger cubic inches. Comes on too strong for the smallish tire size. What do you think?

The original 90K mile 326 is rather gutless, and has a lot of sludge under the valve covers. So it is probably on borrowed time. I have a freshly built 468 in my garage ready to go in. Low compression, rebuilt 6x heads and a Summit 2801 cam. Should run good on the cheapest gas.

[elefantrider]

What do you think, should I paint the 455 engine in '65 robins egg blue or '67 metallic blue. Re-use the '65 early valve covers or 455 valve covers?

I can use the stock '65 2bbl intake which has the correct boss for AC brackets, but the big 455 2bbl carb has a wider bolt pattern so I'd need an adapter.
Also, the heat riser of the 6X heads is taller than the manifold. I will try to find a '72 2bbl manifold and air cleaner. That would cover the high heat riser of the heads.

For now, I am planning to use the stock '65 exhaust manifolds and 2 into 1 pipes because they are in good shape, although the 468 will probably destroy the muffler in no time.
Unless the crank flange is different, planning to use use the stock'65 flex plate and starter.

The timing cover and balancer is different on late vs early motors. Can I use an early timing cover and harmonic balancer on the 455 so I can re-use the car's stock '65 pullies?

[Chris65LeMans]

Color is a personal preference thing. So is valve covers. The 400 in my car is a '69, so it's painted the later color. If I were to repaint it, I'd go with the robin egg shade.

I learned the hard way that I was missing an alternator bracket, and it took my engine a few years to rip the alternator right out of place. I ended up buying a serpentine kit from CVF, and am very happy with the results. The price was very reasonable.

One question about your build - you want to put on a bigger motor for more power, and build a "canyon cruiser," but you're keeping the 2 bbl carb?

[elefantrider]

Yes, mostly just for more bottom end to midrange torque, and the 455 2bbl carb is really big. I don' know remember the exact flow but it offers a nice steady control of power, like some 2 port throttle bodies. Want to try it back to back with a 4bbl, to see what I prefer on this application. Not sure it'll give up much with full 2 into 1 exhaust.

The alternator bracket on a '65 is entirely bolted up to the front of the head.
The AC has brackets bolted to the head and the intake manifold.

[elefantrider]

It looks like everything is cast in the right place on 70-71 2bbl and 4bbl maniolds. My stock '65 brackets will all work.

[elefantrider]

'72 manifolds - which would actually work best with my 6x heads - look to have a different throttle bracket mounting cast in.
At least this 2bbl one does.

[b-man]

Isn’t figuring out what to do when mixing and matching different year parts so much fun?

[elefantrider]

Yes it is! The challenge for me is in using all factory parts.