A few weeks ago I noticed a guy posting a 266 cube
Buick 215 stroker for sale on a bulletin board.
His ad was brief and he didn't mention price or where
the engine was located. Someone asked and he replied
he would entertain offers over the scrap value of
aluminum. Sensing a bargain, I emailed the guy for
details. He really didn't know that many details but
was willing to disassemble the engine and check
anything he could.
It turns out this engine was to be a copy of the
266 stroker Shirl Dickey built for his E-Racer
homebuilt aircraft. The seller was building an
E-Racer and apparently ordered the engine from
Shirl but Shirl was slow to deliver, so he told
him to just ship the parts and he would find someone
to put it together. In the meantime the seller has
decided to use a new crate motor (Chevy 4.3L V6)
instead of a Buick 215/Rover/Buick 300 hybrid that
he knows little about.
After a couple of weeks of phone calls and emails,
it looks like the engine specs out like:
Holley 750 (chosen for high altitude constant 4500 rpm
operation)
Edelbrock Performer Rover aluminum intake manifold
Buick 215 block with thread inserts
custom front sump oil pan
Buick 300 front cover and oil pump
Rover oil cooler adapter
Mallory Comp 9000 electronic distributor with dual pickups
Crower 50233 cam 280/286 degrees duration @ 0.050",
0.488"/0.501" lift, 112 LSA
Buick 300 heads
upgraded valve springs, adjustable pushrods
Buick 300 crankshaft
Venolia custom forged pistons
aftermarket small journal Chevy style rods (unknown
manufacturer but carry 5700SS markings)
flexplate
Mcleod lightweight gear reduction starter
Header's by Ed Buick 300 header flanges
Even though I've got a 215 sitting on a stand that I need
to finish, I've agreed to buy the stroker. As near as I
can determine, the compression is going to be a lower than
I want, so I'll either mill the Buick 300 heads or replace
them with a set of home ported Buick 215 or Rover heads.
He had a set of Offy valve covers but traded them off for
a set of sheetmetal ones because the Offy's were too heavy.
Sigh.
We're still trying to determine whether the starter and
flywheel are for a Buick 300 or 215.
The 215 will be the first engine to go in. Then I'll turn
my attention to the 266. I also have most of the parts to
do a 289+ cube big bore motor. So many engines, so little
time.
Dan Jones
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