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 Bamfster
Jul 21 2010
Ahhh, A body goodness!...That thing is SWEEET!
Written by stage1scott
Jul 21 2010
[quote author=ls7gto link=topic=13052.msg256276#msg256276 date=1245248457]
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.
[/quote]
OK I'll rag a little-now it is just another Chevelle. There, got that off my chest. ::) Seriously, though if you want a fast Buick on a budget this is the way to go. The POS tissue paper thin cylinder blocks of the Buick 455 is why I got out of them altogether. Any time you put a high lift cam with heavy springs in one, the lifter vallley falls apart unless you fill it with epoxy or buy a weird brace fron TA. Add in the oil system straight out of the 1930s and it is a full time job keeping one of them alive, ifyou want to run faster than 12s regularly. Since I couldn't live with a Chevy under the hood after 30 years of Buick worship, I just switched to the Fairlane. The difference in the blocks between the Buick and the FE is just the beginning, and If I build a 385 series (460) it just gets beefier and easier.
Written by Brian Lohnes
Jul 21 2010
Shoot an e-mail to Jay, his brother @
pastabrothersajs@comcast.net
Tell him Brian from BangShift sent ya!
Written by 454skylark
Jul 21 2010
I would love to talk to this guy about the swap..as I have a 1970 buick skylark ( stock 350 motor runs great),I have a 454 bored 60 over,flat top pistons,Edelbrock alluminum performer heads, stainless valves,aluminum roller rockers,double valve springs,mild-crazy cam,timing gears instead of chain,Moroso deep sump oil pan,high output oil pump, and I am wondering as to what problems he ran into with the bb swap? Any info on how to contact this gentleman would be great..and yes I know I have a Buick and I should stick with Buick power but honestly I don't care I'm building this for the strip/street and that's about it..If I could have found a chevelle or a olds I would have done the same so don't preach to me! ITS A GM PRODUCT!!
Thanks all in advance!!
Jeff
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!
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
Ok thank you for the contact info! I sent him an email.