Car Feature: 10-second, Pump Gas, Big-Block Chevy Powered 1970 Buick SkylarkBy Brian Lohnes Posted 06/16/09
Throw your nitrous away and leave your turbo at the door. Tom Spinella’s 1970 Buick, powered by a 489ci big-block Chevy, cruises at 65 mph and nearly runs 9s on 93 octane straight out of the pump. Every week, this car gets driven to the track on the freeway, hammered on, and driven home. Spinella racks up a few thousand miles per year driving it to shows and the strip.
Get over the lack of a Buick motor. Tom’s brother Jay is a racer as well, and long ago, Jay took the big-block Chevy out of his bracket car and gave it to Tom, while Tom took the Buick out of the Skylark and put it in Jay’s car. In terms of power per cubic dollars, it’s impossible to beat a well built Rat, and this one certainly is.
To take a 3,750-pound fatty (and we say that with a smile) and hurtle it down the track without any outside assistance from a bottle or a blower in just hundredths over the nine-second zone means that this little big block has some snot. Coming in at only 489ci, it’s on the small end of the big-block food chain, but it will sing to more than 6,500 rpm in the lights.
We certainly had some fun during the photo shoot and filming the awesome video on the car. It was the first time Tom had the car out and about after swapping the cam. He was dealing with valvespring breakage issues, and after consulting cam legend Harold Brookshire on what the problem was, Brookshire told him that the ramps on his previous cam were about as gradual as a cliff face. A custom stick went in and now all is right with the world.
Pay close attention at some of the “fly by” shots in the video. This brute is baking a pretty used up set of big 295/65-15 MT drag radials at about a 30-mph roll. Torque is your friend.
Go here to see the photo gallery and learn all the gory details about this broad shouldered street bruiser. The video below kicks some serious ass as well (even though there is a little typo in there).
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Written by ls7gto
Jun 17 2009
first, that is one nice Buick !
thanks Brian, I didn't read that before. man that is scary similar to my ride. He has a better heads than I do, mine are somewhat smallish. and he can run a little more tire. same rear suspension( hr parts n stuff bar ROCKS) and eve the same brakes. I used a Dana 60 , to give the mopar guys some love.
how similar.... we rum the same MPH, but his 10.09 trumps my 10.61 . damn I miss my car! :'(
ps it should be going back to the Body shop Next month ;D.
and did I mention , that is one nice Buick !
Written by Brian Lohnes
Jun 17 2009
[quote author=ls7gto link=topic=13052.msg256276#msg256276 date=1245248457]
I love me some little stroker BBCs!
my little 10.5 to 1 489 ci BBC put my 3800 lb pig into the 10s back in 2005. (4.280x4.250) . I love this combo , and with the overdrive I would see 17 + mpg on trips to Columbus, Oh
that is a great looking ride, but I surprised that nobody is ragging about the BBC in it. I hear about it all the time and frankly I dont care anymore.
How abouza some more details , ( like the cam specs ;D), and what is the 60 ft , and what is done susp wise?
doug
and as a side note: damn drag week is why i pulled my pig apart. a wise man wouldve just took it "as is "and ran it as it was fast enuff to win if it survived.
[/quote]
Doug, have you looked at the gallery? The details on the motor and stuff are in captions with the pictures. We're telling the "story" through all the photos and captions. The initial item is just a primer.
I LOVE this car.
Brian
Written by ls7gto
Jun 17 2009
I love me some little stroker BBCs!
my little 10.5 to 1 489 ci BBC put my 3800 lb pig into the 10s back in 2005. (4.280x4.250) . I love this combo , and with the overdrive I would see 17 + mpg on trips to Columbus, Oh
that is a great looking ride, but I surprised that nobody is ragging about the BBC in it. I hear about it all the time and frankly I dont care anymore.
How abouza some more details , ( like the cam specs ;D), and what is the 60 ft , and what is done susp wise?
doug
and as a side note: damn drag week is why i pulled my pig apart. a wise man wouldve just took it "as is "and ran it as it was fast enuff to win if it survived.
Written by Brian Lohnes
Jun 17 2009
[quote author=ksj1 link=topic=13052.msg256151#msg256151 date=1245211958]
Looks like a great car for BB/NA at Dragweek!
[/quote]
I've been trying to convince Tom of that for years! :)
Brian
Written by 1988montecarloss
Jun 16 2009
this makes me happy ;D
Written by ksj1 Jun 16 2009
Looks like a great car for BB/NA at Dragweek!
Written by Rebeldryver Jun 16 2009
That is a cool car.
10's on the motor isn't as hard as it was 20 years ago. My former boss' wife owned a 69 Camaro that was all steel. She routinely ran 10.30's at 125 mph with a 91 octane daily driven, and I do mean everyday it didn't rain, with a 468 built with off the shelf parts. Her husband Doug May built the motor which was a vintage LS7 block, .030 over, 10.4:1 Wiseco pistons, Brodix 345 heads, Comp solid roller with .660 lift, Dart intake, 1050 Dominator, and MSD ignition. Behind it was an B&M 400 with a 3500 stall, and the factory 12 bolt with 3.73 gears. Michelle never put the car on a trailer, Doug would never allow it. She never lifted either. That's how she grenaded the 427 the car came with on the second trip to the track.
Written by stoneshrink
Jun 16 2009
Like Solomon said "there is no new thing under the sun". I was talking to my dad today about bringing up a bare block 454 I own so that I could build a stroked BBC for my Bu.... the difference between his car and mine.. it's orange... oh yeah, and his runs >:(
Written by Blazerteam Jun 16 2009
X2 ;).Like it alot.doesnt need to have corner abilities,when it runs that good.
Written by 5gear Jun 26 2009
that is a great car, i saw it run in fast street at the end of last year and man, that guy can drive!