Found out i have a Buick 215 in my car?? its a 63, same year as car. What i am asking is, could GM have put this engine in my car on the assembly line ?? casting # is 1J1544722, plus 472 and JM stamped. ?? any help would help! Thanks Rick

 

61-63 Olds F85s and Buick Specials all came with a 215 ci aluminum engine produced by Buick. There are differences in the heads between the two carlines, otherwise they are the same engine.

You will also find this engine and its derivatives in British Rover vehicles. Rover bought the tooling from GM after the General decided to go more conventional with their engine technology around 1964. The Brits have tonnes of high-performance stuff for these engines.

Joe P or kid442 are your CO go to guys on this engine.

 

If the valve covers sit like any other Olds engine then it is correct . If the valve covers sit like a Buick Nailhead then someone changed the motor. And there is a difference in the vibration damper from one version to the other.

 

This is a Buick 215:



This is an Olds 215. Note the valve cover and head shape differences:

 

Thanks alot for the info!! even though i now have a buick in my olds! damn!! will that lower my value of the car!! is the buick or olds 215 the better motor?

 

They are essentially the same. As I wrote in my PM to you, Buick designed the basic motor. Olds designed unique heads and pistons. They are otherwise identical and many parts interchange with those from the Buick V6 and the smaller Buick V8s.

 

The Olds version uses 6 head bolts around each cylinder, the Buick uses 5. On the Buick block, the boss's are there for the 6th bolt but they are undrilled. That makes the head gaskets different as well.

Hot Rod magazine did some testing and modification of the two engines when they first came out. The Buick version made a little more power. Their consensus at the time was that the Buick combustion chamber/piston head was slightly more effecient.

 

Olds designed their heads to use six bolts an a little lower compression ratio,Under 11 to 1 for warranty reasons., Meaning that if these engines were going to be prone for blown head gaskets. (Don't forget this being an all aluminum engine is a totally new) Olds wasn't going to warranty for a Buick design flaw.

 

I don't recall the high compression Buicks having head gasket problems. I tend to think the Jetfire was already in their plan.

 

They didn't have head gasket problems, But Olds wasn't taking a chance. If these engines did have problems in Oldsmobiles then Olds would be paying warranty claims.

These engines were notorious for overheating. The coolant that they were using then wasn't as good as todays. This was the first American all aluminum water cooled engine and by 1964 they were glad it was gone.
As for the Jetfire they only ran 5psi with an alcohol injection to keep cylinder temps down.