1963 Buick 401

I got this engine as part of of package deal off Craigslist, the other engine in the package was a 1961 Buick 401. Both engines had been stored sitting on a pallet in a dry barn for over twenty years, so they are dirty and have some surface rust, but are in decent shape overall.

The story is that this engine came out of a 1962 Wildcat that the owner was doing a basic re-ring job on, but got into legal troubles, and the car was sold off and parted out. That disagrees with the codes on the engine; it's out of a 1963 LeSabre with 9.0:1 compression. See below for details. Based on the stampings, I think the seller mixed up the details of the engines - a bit of each is true.

This engine was a long block only, with the heads removed. It has domed pistons, which the seller though indicated the high compression model. They are likely the original pistons, the engine supposedly has not been bored. There is a flexplate still attached, but not much else - not even the rocker arm assemblies. It was painted blue, with evidence of the original red paint underneath when I used a wire brush to clean up the stampings on the block. It's currently got a mid-sump engine pan on it and it came with a spare mid-sump pan. There is also an alternator bracket and a water crossover.