Straight 8 buick performance books

However, unlike most other car makers at the time, buick had been using a valveinhead ohv overhead valve design or i. The buick straight eight was an overhead valve design, while the oldsmobile straight 8 and pontiac straight 8 straight eights were flathead engines. The 19501952 buick roadmaster achieved respectable horsepower with an overhead valve straight eight engine. Pontiac straight 8 header flanges, billet and cast aluminum side covers, custom multi carb intake manifolds. While it and pontiac became the last manufacturers of the american lhead straighteight, packards situation was mostly the result of general malaise and bad luck. Brian thomas blown straight 8 packard hot rod hill climb 2016 by thomas. The tightening order is the same as the late model nailheads. Buicks unsung hero, the buick bugle september 2003, pp. Buick 320 straight eight high performance the following article is reprinted from an old car magazine. It produced straighteights in cubic inch displacements of 233, 235, 248, 263, 278, 320 and 345. Jim has been building high performance buicks for over 20 years and is considered by many to be one of the best. We offer the best prices, free shipping across the 48 contiguous u. Buick special straight 8 buick, buick roadmaster, race engines.

Transdapt performance products 0061 transdapt performance transmission bellhousing adapters compare transmission adapter, steel, buick oldsmobile, pontiac engines, to chevy th350th400700r4 transmissions, each. Vintage buick nailhead engines street rodder magazine hot rod. The buick straighteight was an overhead valve design, while the oldsmobile straight8 and pontiac straight8 straighteights were flathead engines. This 1938 buick coupe was built to compete at bonneville and the maxton mile, all the while remaining somewhat streetable. About the book find at your local library description the buick straight8 engine fireball 8 was produced from 1931 to 1953 and sold in buick. About the book find at your local library description the buick straight 8 engine fireball 8 was produced from 1931 to 1953 and sold in buick automobiles. Buick series 4000, 4100, 4300 215cid v 8 196163 with 2 barrel carburetor configuration. There is also a section about nine pages about the buick straight 8 in the 1954 edition of california bill fishers speed manual. This high powered ignition will light the fire in the straight 8 like never before.

Jim had the block machined at a local shop to his specs. The fireball v8 of 1953, soon to become known as the nailhead, was based on gms corporate research efforts, along with buicks extensive experience with the straight eight, and with the divisions experiments with. The buick 350 does not require a torque plate for boring as all of the head bolts are blind. Curtice, harlow generations of gm, gm heritage center, n. In the years before and after ww2, many engine makers that built exceptionally powerful engines used the straight 8 layout for their race motors and high performance road cars. Like many american automobile makers, buick adopted the straight8 engine in 1931 as a more powerful alternative to the previous inline6 engines. I plan on putting a buick 320 in my cadillac, until i have the money to find a v16. Sep 20, 2016 brians words engine is a 1948 packard 327 cubic inch inline 8.

Nov 01, 2008 buick went on to maintain its position at gm, and in the overall marketplace, with innovations like an aluminum v 8, the first v6 in the u. Since 1935 the big eight appeared in many displacements, starting with 233, 235, 278, 345 in 1935 and adding 320 in 36. How to build maxperformance buick engines cartech books. Aug 20, 2010 a turbocharged buick straight eight motor shoehorned into a belly tank from an old air force f86 makes for a level of awesome few vehicles can ever achieve.

A turbocharger was added to the 301 to give the 1980 trans am an injection of performance. Up for sale now are brand new manufactured cast pistons for all buick sr 40 50 248, 263 straight 8 engines from 19371953. From the mid1930s to the early 1950s, buick earned a reputation for producing powerful inline eightcylinder engines. Brian thomas blown straight 8 packard hot rod hill. Buick straight 8, 248263 with dynaflow to chevy automatic. Bugatti, miller, duesenberg, alfa romeo, and mercedes all built straight 8s that were highly admired and more than competitive. The use of buick or any other general motors corporation related terms is for product identification and application reference purposes only. Please comment or feel free to start your own thread about straight 8 hi performance builds. The straight8 was dubbed the silverstreak at pontiac division. Buick special straight 8 buick, buick roadmaster, race.

Buick employed straight8 engines in all models from 1931 through 1952 and in the. In 1953 when buick decided to put those eight cylinders in an opposing v configuration hot rodders took note. Buick electronic ignition conversion kits and distributor parts. Funny, because i have read that the basic design of the cadillac v16 started with two buick straight 8s. Hiperformance straight eights buick performance group. Buick straight 8 dui distributor performance distributors. In 1953 the v8 nailhead was introduced in all models except the special which continued to use the 263 inch l8 for that year. The buick straight8 engine fireball 8 was produced from 1931 to 1953 and sold in buick. Maybe you have never seen a car like this 1948 buick super 8. Block porting and relieving,custom size valves available.

Unusual enough in that this model is rarely hot rodded, the cars mechanicals are even more interestingnamely its magnuson supercharged 358ci straighteight and tremec 5speed drivetrain combo. The buick straight 8 engine fireball 8 was produced from 1931 to 1953 and sold in buick automobiles. Buick was powered by a l 8 eight in a row makes em go in all models up to and including 1952. The buick straight 8 engine fireball 8 was produced from 1931 to 1953 and sold in buick automobiles, replacing the buick straight 6 engine across the board in all models in 1931. When you purchase engines from promar you are buying the finest engines for your car restoration, on the market today. Straight 8 buick performance products also available. After reading it, i want to take apart my straight 8 and improve it. Chevrolet, as an entrylevel marque, did not have a straight eight. The buick straight8 engine was produced from 1931 to 1953 and sold in buick automobiles, replacing the buick straight6 engine across the board in all models in 1931. The performance increases were in part due to changing internal engine.

How to build maxperformance buick engines is the first performance engine book ever published on the buick family of engines. Heres a couple links to other discussions about buick straight 8s. In 1953 the v 8 nailhead was introduced in all models except the special which continued to use the 263 inch l 8 for that year. Like many american automobile makers, buick adopted the straighteight engine in 1931 as a more powerful alternative to the previous engines. One of the dragsters that day had a buick straight 8 that sounded wonderful each time it made a pass so smooth. Over 65 years of automotive history, lincolnwood, il. The pages sent to me did not identify the magazine, but i expect it was printed in the early 60s. Built with our popular streetstrip dui coil, you can open the plug gaps to. Mar 03, 2016 the fireball v8 of 1953, soon to become known as the nailhead, was based on gms corporate research efforts, along with buicks extensive experience with the straight eight, and with the divisions experiments with narrowangle v8s. The motor bookstore is a leading source for topquality diy engine rebuild and engine repair manuals. Buick employed straight8 engines in all models from 1931 through 1952 and in the specials in 1953 when the nailhead v8 was introduced in the super and roadmaster models. Powered by the eight, a pontiac was promoted as a likable automobile, with enough. New listing oem 4 barrel carburetor wcfb 61273 air horn 999 base 1 316 core. Generous in size, the become larger from front to rear, except in the 263 engine where they are a constant diameter, 2.

High resolution reproductions of reference materials held by the bha are available at reasonable costs. The buick straighteight was an overhead valve design, while the oldsmobile straight 8 and. A turbocharged buick straighteight motor shoehorned into a belly tank from an old air force f86 makes for a level of awesome few vehicles can ever achieve. Bugatti, miller, duesenberg, alfa romeo, and mercedes all built straight 8 s that were highly admired and more than competitive. The buick straight8 engine fireball 8 was produced from 1931 to 1953 and sold in buick automobiles. Full percision bored bearings first appeared in buick engines in 1947. Buick club of america national office co cornerstone registration, ltd. Buick employed straight 8 engines in all models from 1931 through 1952 and in the specials in 1953 when the nailhead v 8 was introduced in the super and roadmaster models. The 301 was pontiacs only v8 left in production by 1979. Packard straight eight parts instock with sameday shipping. Lifters free delivery possible on eligible purchases.

Buick straight fireball 8 used in the bombshell bettybonneville salt flats race car. Unfollow buick straight 8 to stop getting updates on your ebay feed. St charles missouri ramblinaround rambling vlog hd partner high performance fast muscle car. Buick web site featuring a forum for performance, restoration, straight 8, nailhead v8, casting numbers, chassis manuals, identification, classifieds. Straighteight engines were used in expensive luxury and performance vehicles until after world war ii. I read the california bills manual on hopping up the chevy and gmc sixes, and the book touches the buick str8 as well. It sounded so much better than the 50 buick super wed had when i was in grade school. Buy buick 16 lifters 1948 49 50 51 52 53 hydraulic new straight 8 263 320 vl1h hyd staright 8 lifters. The buick straight8 engine fireball 8 was produced from 1931 to 1953 and sold in buick automobiles, replacing the buick straight6 engine across the board in. This book is the first of its type for buicks and provides all details necessary to.

Chevrolet, as an entrylevel marque, did not have a straighteight. How to build maxperformance buick engines this book. Feb, 2012 the buick nailhead is one of the engines. The car has held records at bonneville and prior to the turbo was good for 175mph. Buick was powered by a l8 eight in a row makes em go in all models up to and including 1952.

Owners dubbed these v8s nailheads for their small valves. The last american straighteight engine had a life fully. While buick was not new to the ohv concept, the company preferred to put its eight cylinders in a row. Like many american automobile makers, buick adopted the straight 8 engine in 1931 as a more powerful alternative to the previous inline6 engines. This book covers everything from the nailheads of the 50s and early 60s, to the later evolutions of the buick v8 through the 60s and 70s, through to the turbo v6 models of the 70s and 80s. Brians words engine is a 1948 packard 327 cubic inch inline 8. Ta performance and our products are not endorsed, sponsored by, or in any way affiliated with general motors corporation andor the subject vehicle marketing division. Buick straight eight cranks have five main bearing journals. Find the resources you need for chevrolet, chrysler, dodge, ford and honda engines. Buick straight 8 piston set 193753 sr 40 50 248, 263.

The best sounding straight8 engines in the world youtube. For both our benefit, please read the entire listing before asking any questions. Contact our live representatives online or on the phone to place an order today. But late in the game, packards future depended on those antiquated straighteights until it could develop a v8 to keep up with the joneses. Blake machine buick straight 8 roller rocker assemblys. Secrets of the buick nailhead v8 macs motor city garage. Thought i would try and jumpstart a discussion about hi performance straight eights. These engines were rugged and established buicks lasting reputation for engines which produce gobs of lowend torque. There was a buick service letter put out many years later which raised the values on the earliest years of the 215. How to build maxperformance buick engines paperback june 1, 2008. Cadillac, the luxury brand of general motors, stayed with their traditional v8 engines. The following information has been directly complied from the original 1952 buick service manual. Brian thomas blown straight 8 packard hot rod hill climb. The buick 90degree v6 was based on the allaluminum 215cubicinch fireball v8.