Bought a 61 Buick Skylark 2 door!

This thread prompted me to go to the shed and grab the 1965 Chilton's repair manual. Your car falls under the heading of "Buick Special" in it. I noticed the firing order is a common one. Also, head bolt torque sequence changes from 1961 to 1962 engines, not sure if there is a corresponding serial # break for that.

Well dang yeah I remember when I was in the Air Force in 1981 and we were working on Jets and I was first introduced to RTV I thought that was the neatest thing

Man if all of us can get together like that one person said about the car show that would be neat. I have 10 old vehicles in my yard well actually I drive about three of them

There are threads for music like this one for 60s and 70s music. why not " 60s and 70s Cars"

Thread: 60s & 70s Music

Yes ...

You can still get Indian Head, last tiny bottle I bought was $7-8 before bidenflation.

Had this pic handy, so I couldn't resist.

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Nice Monte Carlo, has a really original look. Looks like it has SS badging. Does it happen to have the swivel bucket seats?

Wow that is a beauty!

Just checked my bore with a micrometer and found that although my side to side is exactly three and a half which is what it's supposed to be my top to bottom is an eighth of an inch wider

It's original. No swivels, the MC didn't come with those.

I think swivel buckets ended around '74-76, but I snagged a pair of white ones out of a'74 Cutlass and put them in my '69 Cutlass w/455. Seemed like a lot of effort to twist the seat around, I only used it a couple of times.

Aluminum engines are a problem. They have to be meticulously maintained, and even then, sometimes they just go kaput. You got one that was sitting for decades. If it has been sitting since 1972, when it was only 11 years old, there is a good chance the engine blew. What is the mileage on it? The aluminum engines had a tendency to blow at around 70,000 miles.
An old Cadillac I had years ago, had an aluminum engine. I got lucky with it, as it had 258,000 miles on it when the engine went. Aluminum engines don't last this long.
I would drop another engine into the Buick, if it was my car. What it is going to cost you to rebuild the engine, if it is worth it at all, you could get a decent engine at the boneyard.

My thrust axis of my cylinders is 1/8 of an inch wider than my non-thrust Axis

Okay thank you

I've got a book, but do you know the taper spec?

Bet that guy over the hill has an engine, or a parts engine.

I don't and it be nice to get a new block.Thanks

I'll dig mine out of storage.

.010 may not be horrible, but I need to look.

Piston set with rings, $369. Standard, .030, and .040. $20 shipping. Oops, these are the 2bbl, low compression pistons.

I need to look at your pics again, don't know if your pistons are domed, flat topped, or dished. Dished is low compression.

Don't think you'll have any problems finding new parts.

The British Rover company took over that engine and there's been many people online talking about building them. You can use Ford pistons if you have to.

I used to have problems with the case cracking on old VW engines.

It's because of all that expansion and contraction.

Aluminum just doesn't hold up to long term abuse.

Flat top

That's the genuine 4bbl engine then. They've got popup pistons that can take it to 12:1 if you want. Started wondering about it, someone could easily have stuck the 4bbl on it. Don't think so now.

Of course you could use the low compression dished pistons if you don't need all the power, and you could use regular gas. Your choice.

If you decide to have the heads worked ... New valve guides and hardened valve seats will help with unleaded gas. Depends how much you're going to drive it I guess.

With that much out of round I think I'm going to have to get a new block

Yeah you're true on that unless I get lead additive

Do I understand correctly the top measures+- 3.500 and the bottom measures +-3.625? That is opposite of what normally happens. Usually the top wears more, consequently leaving a "ring ridge" (ledge) at the point above the top ring's travel.

Are you using an inside mike or a telescoping gauge with an outside mike?

Is the right to left measurement the same as the up and down measurement at the bottom of the cylinder?

And at the top?

Telescoping gauge and when it's the level of the Piston pins it's exactly 3.5 in and when I go up and down straight up and down it's an eighth of an inch more

Ignore the above post. I reread your post. Your cylinder measurements show a significant out of round condition.

Are you using an inside mike or a telescoping gauge with an outside mike? and have you double checked those measurements?

Telescoping gauge and when I turn it from side to side locked in place the gauge is then turn it up and down you can visually see about a 1/8 in gap

I'm thinking it might be a bad block too far gone

Last Edited by bro tim on 11/30/2022 10:43 PM