Good choice for a Regal IMO. The Buick 455 is a fairly lightweight motor for a big block, so your F/R weight balance should be decent. A turbo 400 is reasonably cheap to rebuild if necessary and durable as hell, even with big-block torque. With all that torque, you won't need deep gears, so you may be able to get respectable mileage. I have no experience in a G body application, but I've built a few 455 Buicks over the years. The weakest link of a Buick is the oiling system, especially the engine front cover, which serves as the body for the oil pump. If you will have 2 motors, inspect the oil pump area of the front cover carefully and choose the one that shows the least wear. Definitely invest in a set of extended-length oil pump gears. Pack the pump with vaseline and definitely prime with a dummy distributor before the first fire-up. TA performance in the southeast is, IIRC the only Buick V8 specialty vendor around, as Kenne-Bell, the Buick specialists since the 60's have diversified into other makes. Make it a point to visit their website, as they share some valuable tech info. About the only intake manifold commonly available is the Edelbrock performer. It's a good manifold and worth thinking about even if you're not building a race motor because it's so much lighter than the OEM iron piece. TA has a rubber crankshaft seal kit to replace the stock rope seal that's been around since the beginning of time. Be meticulous about main bearing clearances on a Buick, as you need to control oil flow more than most other motors. If you elect to replace the cam, stay mild on your camshaft choice, and set the timing at 30 degrees total advance, as relatively mild Buicks don't seem to like a lot of timing like many other motors. Good luck and keep us posted if you elect to proceed. Sound like a fun project!
Bill
