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Buick Nailhead: How to Rebuild & Modify
Learn how to rebuild and upgrade your Buick Nailhead with the first book ever dedicated to the subject! In this all-new book from Nailhead racer and veteran engine builder Gary Weldon, you will learn everything you need to know about how to rebuild and upgrade the venerable Buick Nailhead engine. Weldon takes you through each step, including a review of the birth of the Nailhead, the benefits of its unique design, serial and casting number information to source and identify the best project, and a history of the engine in development. Also covered are the processes of rebuilding, including disassembly, inspection, sourcing the best parts, making critical upgrades, reassembly, and break-in. Of course, all the machine shop work is covered, and practical advice on building engines for competition is provided. The Nailhead was a throwback to the early overhead-valve engine design, and that unique design makes it a popular choice for period-correct hot rod projects. In addition, if your torquey Nailhead resides between the fenders of a Buick Special, LeSabre, Invicta, Roadmaster, Riviera, Century, Skylark, Wildcat, or Electra 225, this book will help you keep that old beauty on the road.
144 pages, Paperback
Published October 19, 2020
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November 28, 2020
Buick Nailhead (1953-1966) How to Build And Modify (2020) by Gary Weldon. The switch from the Straight-8 to the smaller yet still extremely powerful V-8 design of engine meant greater speeds at a lighter weight, but it also meant a considerable alteration to the overall design of the engine itself. For example, the engine ports had a vast alteration from the original designs to conform with the greater pressures of the lighter engines.
Along came the Nailhead engine in all it’s glory. Sleek, slick and able to prove itself from the Salt Flats to the race course, this became a standard power pack for some very non-standard rides.
With this book Mr. Weldon, well know Nailhead owner/enthusiast, starts with a detailed history of the Buick company, Then it is quickly into the progress of engine design up to and including the introduction of the Nailhead. But that is just the start.
He soon dives into every step of finding the engine, options for parts and transmissions, and the hows and whys of performance upgrades. Going further, Mr. Weldon takes apart the engine step by step, works you through machining the heads just so, matching and fine tuning the rocker arms and proper shafts and all the other details. And then the reassembling of the complete engine follows.
Sure, you’ve worked your way around engines for most of your life. You may be wondering just why you would need this manual. All I know is that every time I read through one of the Car Tech “How To” books I come away with something new. Couple that with both reading and seeing the proper steps in the fine craft of construction and tuning this engine and I know that the lessons learned were well worth the investment.
Along came the Nailhead engine in all it’s glory. Sleek, slick and able to prove itself from the Salt Flats to the race course, this became a standard power pack for some very non-standard rides.
With this book Mr. Weldon, well know Nailhead owner/enthusiast, starts with a detailed history of the Buick company, Then it is quickly into the progress of engine design up to and including the introduction of the Nailhead. But that is just the start.
He soon dives into every step of finding the engine, options for parts and transmissions, and the hows and whys of performance upgrades. Going further, Mr. Weldon takes apart the engine step by step, works you through machining the heads just so, matching and fine tuning the rocker arms and proper shafts and all the other details. And then the reassembling of the complete engine follows.
Sure, you’ve worked your way around engines for most of your life. You may be wondering just why you would need this manual. All I know is that every time I read through one of the Car Tech “How To” books I come away with something new. Couple that with both reading and seeing the proper steps in the fine craft of construction and tuning this engine and I know that the lessons learned were well worth the investment.
Displaying 1 of 1 review