[Wick Humble]

I'm restoring a '61 Tempest coupe with the 215 aluminum V-8 (Buick) engine, and want to start a registry of owners. Are there any PY participants that would be interested in this listing? Yes, I'm a 'Little Indians' member and am asking on their forum for similar help.
Also, I'm looking for some tech info or a forum where these engines are discussed. Specifically, where does one go for parts or rebuilding services? (Note: the Buick Club of America hadn't much that would help!)
Thanks,
Wick

[tom s]

Look for Rover engine rebuilding.will find more help there.Tom

[Jay S]

There are some good Buick 215 guys on the Jalopy journal too. Quite a bit of info there also. I understand not many 215s made it into Pontiacs.

In addition to the Rover’s, the 300 and 340 Buick’s had a lot of similarities with a 215, but taller blocks and bigger journals on the cranks, the heads I think would interchange but the bigger engines had larger combustion chambers. The later bigger4.0 and 4.6 Rovers V8s have some similarities but did away with the distributer and put the oil pump on the snout of the crank, cranks journals are bigger also. The early Rover 215 was pretty much identical to the early GM 215 with some small refinements.

[Wick Humble]

Yeah, there are those; very spendy, though! I'm hoping that this assembly is sound; seems okay. As I had to strip the body, fix rust and dents, and repaint this spring, PLUS do almost all the interior, I could use a break!
Funny: the 215 is 'bigger' than a SBC; same width and height, but one-inch longer! Lots lighter, tho. Abiyt 2,00 V-8's per year went into first two years Tempest, the iron 336 was a big seller in '63, and they're the hot prospects now!
Wish me luck!
My last Poncho was a restored '62 ragtop, sold now.
In 1978, I researched and wrote the history of the 'ropeshaft' Tempest for Hemmings SPEICAL INTEREST AUTOS. Also, I drove a few at the dealership in '61-63 as a teenager!
Wick

[tekuhn]

Love those old Buick engines. My first car was the hand-me-down family '64 LeSabre. It had the 300 engine - aluminum heads and intake, cast iron block. It got me through high school until the engine finally gave out. Had issues with spark plugs and rocker shaft bolts stripping out threads. Found a 340 in a junk yard in a '67 Gran Sport and swapped it in - direct bolt-in of course. Thought I had a hotrod - lol - but it did run very well. Got me halfway through college when I bought my first Pontiac - '71 LeMans.

[Wick Humble]

Good story! I had lightlypused '65 Tempest Custom 2-dr HT with 2-bbl. 326 that I thought of similarly in '67-69, when I sold it to my bro as my draft exemption expired. It had the deluxe flipper wheel covers like many GTO's, and was a very sharp stocker indeed! I wouldn't have bought the PowerGlide version; this had a 3-speed (the old Chevy one, not the all-synchro) and could deposit plenty of rubber, on demand. Eventually it had crhome-reveresed rims and 'Tiger Paw' tires too! But the little doll I was courting would not have cottoned to a floor shift, and all that right-hand monkey business during shifts, so I broke my rule and didn't put in a Hurst Mystery-Shifter! Did have a '64 Olds 442 rear anti-sway bar from a dismantlers that bolted right onto the generic GM trailing links, and that made a great road package! Can't even afford that low-key Poncho, now! The rope-shaft Tempests are still in only moderate demand, so I can play there. They are very high-uality cars for the original sticker price, and appealing to the younger fans at show n' shines because they're so used to A-bodied 'supercars', I guess. The 195 slanty-four in the ragtop really got some looks! The 215 will seem more normal to them, I imagine! I put Land Rover aluminum valve covers on it and have a 4-bbl intake from an Olds F-85/Cutlass to put on after I get everything running righty. Maybe dual exhausts, later, but they're tricky to route around the IRS and drive-shaft housing, especially U-Fab as I'll do it. Good chat! Best, Wick

[tekuhn]

I'm sure you did your research about the Olds 4-bbl manifold, but I know the Oldsmobile 215 was slightly different in the head design. I can't say whether the intake flange was the same or not.

[Wick Humble]

I, being an old (!) belt and suspenders man, checked with our ropeshaft guru at Little Indians; he green-lighted the swap. The Olds block/heads were indeed different, in many ways; the Olds 215 had one added head stud to each cylinder (as they had the Turbo JetFire blah-blah) engine in the works, given the almost 3-year lead time on major introductions. Thus, the Olds heads -- in a pinch -- will fit the Buick, but not vise-versa. Very little difference in intakes; both used the Rochester 4GC carb, which I have a-rebuilding. Local speed-shop owner has a used Weiand (as I recall) 2X2-bbl. intake and carbs (Rochester 2GC) and it looks very cool, but costs over 3X what I'll have in the factory set-up. Plus, it would probably use synchronized throttles, which would knife any gas mileage in the back!
As you probably recall, Mickey Thompson used several variations of the Buick 215 at Bonneville and Indy; the Bonne car was a '62 Tempest, set a new record! Indy, there were other problems. Repco/Brabham used the Olds for the basis of their DOHC race motor, and kicked fanny worldwide, OC. More head studs. Both motors suffered a lot from American drivers not understanding the special needs of alloy blocks; using plain water to cool, etc., causing advanced electrolysis and high attrition from eventual overheating. Most viable engines now are from Land Rovers, etc. A pal, back about '66 had a Buick Skylark, pretty little '63 coupe, that had the 215 and BW T-10; we put it on the lift at the Standard Station where I was working and confirmed that the heads, block, bell-housing and transmission case were all aluminum alloy! Wish I had it now! Never cared for the V-6 derivative, but I drove a '63 Special 4-door about 350-mi., and it had the 4-speed option! Used car, not exciting. Likewise, working for Pont-Buick dealer, I put similar miles on a '63 and loved it, as collectors today do! The improvements in the 'Vair trans-axle really improved cornering for that one model-year, and it was able to flaunt it's advantages over the stiff-axle cars from Buick and Olds. Still, the '65-up Corvair revision with two u-joints was a huge leap in handling behaviors! Thx for the communique. Wick, Tempest historian #1

[Jack Gifford]

Not only were the owners the source of cooling system problems with the aluminum engines, the factory was partly to blame- by using a sender that didn't illuminate the "HOT" light below 220 degrees F! When my '62 Skylark boiled a couple of times, I wondered why I had no warning. It turned out the radiator cap wasn't holding pressure, so the coolant boiled at less than 220 degrees.

[Wick Humble]

That's a new one on me! The Tempest dash is woefully inadequate, also! But, one of the problems with the BOP 'senior compacts' was that despite technology sharing, they were trying to put cars on the market that offered a big difference in features and quality (engineering, mostly) and big upgrades from the standard 'economy car' image of the Corvair, Falcon, Valiant, etc. Inevitably, the all-powerful bean-counters at GM disapproved on the profit margin that the new little models could generate, vs. what the full-sized cars had been reliably bringing in, and drew some hard lines on expenses. DeLorean's spending to adapt the 'Vair transaxle was looked upon with suspicion and disapproval by the accountants, who reigned supreme at GM HQ! When they nixed the aluminum V-8 program, it was because the little engine a.) didn't fit in with GM's policy of 'bigger is better', and b.) it simply cost too much for the benefits they expected at the bottom line. The fact that the foundries had more problems with block/head quality and rejections (melt'r down again, boys!) and the American unfamiliarity with alloy engines.... ! Rambler and Dodge had modest aluminum engine programs too, and quietly folded theirs about the same time. Only Chevrolet kept with the flat-six in alloy, since a long-block of any other material would have negated their compact model, and oc it wasn't liquid cooled.
Then, they topped themselves by approving the Vega four, cast-iron over aluminum... ! Ouch!

[Wick Humble]

Our tech guru at "Little Indians" chapter of POCI said it would work, when I asked him; hope so! Sometimes those differences don't prevent an interchange.
BTW, how the heck does on post a new thread on this forum? I can't find the 'button'! Help! Old Wick, Pontiac since 1959-ish

[bill ryder]

After you look click on 61-63 tech, look under the red forum tools. In white lettering HARD TO SEE, you will find START NEW THREAD. Good luck!!

"Bill"!

[steve25]

The V8 Buick site has a good amount of aluminum motor info.