BUICK 320 Staight 8 Bonniville hope .

O.K. guys , I'm gonna rally ... I'm goin for the 09 Bonni Salt .
I need to get my 320 I-8 stuffed into my to-be sectioned 52' Buick Super Rivi and get my feet wet in one or two of several XO classes.
I am a {old}greenhorn with a 2009 USFRA rule book.
Never even been to Bonni.
Not much of a spectator.
This is a REAL nice motor and a solid car.
I have alot of ideas.
Any contacts or helpful advise / experience will be relatively applied and appreciated .
I don't need / want to be "roasted " by smart-ass internet punks that riddle sites like this .
I would like to share knowledge and expeience of inovation and challenge .
Thank you ... hope to here from some of you , hope to see you there

Jeff Brock

 

About a year ago there was an article in one of the rodding magazines (Street Rodder ?) about a nearly identical set up that you are describing . I think his motor however was supercharged . Anyone remember what magazine that was in ?

 

Good luck Jeff!

 

Sounds like a cool plan

 

Not a flame and I like the Buick eight idea, but are you thinking XX class? Have you read the book closly? Your sectioned car will not fall into any class and will have to run time only.

 

Yes . I'm on my 3rd {loose}pass/ read of the rule book .
I realize ... from the rules ... that I will likely have to settle for , staying {loosly} street legal-ish and going for the 130MPH club.
NOT my favorite idea ...but it will 'cut my teeth'.
Do you think?
I'm wanting to hear/talk about : cam cutters , con rod builders , head flow-ers , O.D. ratios , ect.

 

Doug in Ohio does nothing but 40-41 Buicks, I got a new/reground cam from him, insert bearing rods and some misc. his number is 440 835 1193

 

I have read the SCTA rule book over and over during my build and still don't profess to know everything, am hoping to finish the car by the end of this year.

 

thanks folks .
I'll call Doug ... he may have the scoop.
Lets hear about some "Hop-up" juice.Like "Bob the Ferret's" deal.

 

The guy with the blown Buick is regualry on landrace.com usually talking about his Studebaker more serious race car. On my non Buick I used Crower rods. Dema Elgin can and will grind a cam for you. For most internal parts you could do worse than check with Nick Arias 3 at atomicspeedware.com. He knows Bonneville and casn get you what you want. I have made a fuel injection manifold that uses Hilborn parts to finish it, for bangers and Chevy six engines. Adding another throttle body wouldn't be to high tech, I don't think. Here is a picture of it on a four. Think of two of them.

 

This sounds like some good "juice "
I'll work on it .
Lets talk about 2 sets of FI .
THAT gives me "wood" ... damn ... I'm gittin old.
Mean while how about some O.D. ratio ideas ?
I don't think the numbers can get there without it{ O.D.} as a serious consideration.

Doubled up FI's

 

You would be surprised how well a 3.0 gear behimd a four speed will work. Don`t forget that the Buick will be a torque monster...Make sure you pay attention to some safety gear....the 130 Club doesn`t reqiure much, but it is always a good idea, See if you can drag up Jangleguy`s old posts about his 130 Club buildup and Meet experiences...it is a great motivator, as well as being entertaining reading...

 

Hey Rich ,
can you point me in Dema Elgins direction ?
Phone , city or shop name?

Thanks folks , I'm takin notes and numbers .

 

Talk to this guy. He has a lot of experience with a Buick 8 at Bonneville. http://www.geocities.com/garyhartracing/buick.html

Good Luck

John

 

It's landracing.com excellent site!

just got off the phone with Nick @ ATOMICWARE
He's going to do the pistons and rods.

Cam source?

Thanks to all !

 

http://www.elgincams.com/You should really build a class legal blown Buick to run in altered Coup XO/GAlt. Then you could run on the record I set in 1980. By now it's getting pretty soft but no one has run in that class in all this time.

 

You read my mind Rich . In fact Nick Arias andI talked about this class today . I wasn't going to go blown ... but I'll do some research . Whats your thoughts on altered coupe XO unblown gas ? { I think I have that right}

 

This sounds like a fun project...............I'm gonna stay tuned for this one.

 

Go to www.Buicks.net, they have a good straight 8 section in the "Shop". Sounds like fun! Frank

 

I think its just great your trying to do something with a motor that isn't your run of the mill SBC. My Dad told me he had a 52 Roadmaster Riveria that had a 4 bll. intake/carb. on his along with the Dynaflow. He said he'd hold the brake rev it up and accually get some rubber if starting out in low. Pretty impressive for a tank that size.

 

Yes , they were good , all day , 90+mph cruisers with that 4 barrel intake . Real tanks though .
I have the 52 , 2 door hardtop Rivi that will get a "trim" to get some of the "tank" out of her.
I'll post a "before & after" .

 

Thanks Frank ... I remember that site .
I'm on my way

 

Buicks dont flow real well. The supercharged buick was in OSR a while back. He used a blower to force feed the buick, because of the intake ports on the head.

 

WOW , thanks Frank , I just spent my eve on Buicks.net . Some great guys / info there.

 

I think you mean landracing.com. Landrace is a breed of pigs and I'm sure you wouldn't want to apply that description to this Buick.

 

Sectioned `52 Buick? Please post a picture!

 

I'll be following this one.

 

90 mph outta a buick with a dynaflow?


How?

Mine tops out around 50 or so

 

You won't be able to bore that Buick much before you will be in XXO class.Might want to look at that before you by pistons. Rods are another problems. Stock are not strong and have that pinch bolt. What are you using for trans and rear end? Buick dosen"t have any
"Bonneville" gears. Also the Roadmaster engine does not boltto the smaller super,special transmissions.Roadmaster had a 4 barrel manifold in'52 also 2X2 in "41

 

You might want to try & contact Buickguy 3 on Landracing.com. Thats Doug Grieves who just set the XO/GC {?} record with a straight 8 turboed Buick in an 87 jag sedan called Salt Cat. Was running 1 4 barrel & went 155, going to injection with engine management now, dont know if its the same class or not. Nice guy, I know him and hes in Columbus Mt. There is a 52 Buick with a straight 8 that runs a conventional blower too, but I dont know him. Look under the fuel injection section on landracing and you can see both guys stuff