Projects Fireball 8, how much is too much...?

I hope those cracks are not aimed at me. I would love to see you fix up your car and enjoy it. Or, if you prefer, sell it for a decent profit to someone who wants it.

We all have to learn. I was hoping to save you some time and money by not having to make all the same mistakes we made.

 

You asked. We opined.
I get that nobody here is not on yourside. We're on your side and with you.
Most of have been behind that same wheel and simply want to give you the advise we were looking for at the same stage. Some just stories and memories. (like mine)
Either way, take the ball and run, or stand there and get tackled.

 

If and when I get a 53 Special (last year of the straight 8), I will update the transmission with an SP400 out of a 65-66 Buick. Grafting to the straight 8 looks easy, as there is a plate adapting the engine to the old Dynaflow. That year Dynaflow had a bigger diameter bell pattern, so the 65-66 transmission should only require some new holes in the adapter plate. After that, the 53 is getting a 60-72 Chevy truck trailing arm suspension and rear end.

Story is, you should look at where the performance is really being limited. If your car has a Dynaflow, then that is where the limitation is.

 

or do nothing at all

 

Yep! It would be interesting seeing a Straight 8 Buick blasting some cars from a stop. The SP will certainly help too.

 

As I said, keep the straight 8 and change out the transmission and rest of driveline. About the only thing I would do with the engine would be to find a dual carb manifold, as those end cylinders are fuel starved. Maybe a set of headers too.

 

As you may have noticed you hardly have to shift gears. The big torquey straight eight makes driving so easy, you can idle down to 5 mph and accelerate to over 90 in high gear.

If you leave the power train stock the brakes will be fine. Not up to modern discs, but perfectly capable of skidding the tires which is all any brakes can do. Main advantage of discs is, they are easier and cheaper to set up and less prone to fade. But drums will do just as well for normal driving.

What I am driving at is, you don't need to spend a lot of time and money changing things. At least fix what is there and give it a chance. If it is not the car for you, think about making changes or even selling the car then.

In fact if you are not into the old Buick, you might better sell it now and get something that suits you better.

 

The reason you are reluctant to repair it is because you lack the skill and experience to be sure it will turn out well. But the only way to get that experience is by forging ahead. Experience is the accumulation of mistakes made and learned from. I think it's a great car for gaining experience.

 

Amen Rich.

Knowledge comes from experience

and experience comes from a lack of knowledge

 

?!?!?!?
I had exactly the same setup. 47 Sedanette with 41 compound carbs and dual exhaust. It wouldn't get 22 MPG coasting downhill with the engine shut off

 

Experience is a great teacher but can be very expensive.

 

A rusted out 4 door needing $$$$$$ worth off restoration work isn't worth salvage but the straight 8 with the 3 speed is quite desirable. If you want profit on your free car, pull the engine/tranny and sell it or put it in something that will accept a long engine. I just came back from the west coast of Canada where my friend has a 1932 Hupmobile roadster. An absolutely awesome potential hot rod. It has a flathead I8 and we talked extensively about installing a Buick I8. By the way, this car is available at a really low price, mostly shipping since he has three other Model A projects on the go.
Wuga

 

They never built a straight 8 with cr over 7 to1. I would think a bit of head work and a few more degrees if initial timing would wake it up a bit. Add a split exhaust situation and It would make a decent cruising around car and as you see you don't see a whole lot of them around anymore.

 

You sound like you would be happier with a belly button Camaro....

The car is unique, which is what makes it special. All of your comments reflect an underlying desire to be like everyone else..make it faster...turn it into a gasser...make more noise...no rust....
Start working on cleaning it up: repair the interior, and fix the rust before you even think about trashing the powertrain, suspension, and brakes for something different but not necessarily better. If you don't have the avocation, skills, talent, or ability to clean the car up, fix the interior, and tackle the rust, a powertrain swap is certainly beyond your skill set capabilities.

Either that or sell it and get a Camaro and a mullet.

 

This may seem crazy but the best hop up might be a Paxton supercharger. Yes the kind they put on Mustangs. Used ones turn up cheap every once in a while, one will give you a 30 - 40% power increase without straining the engine, it side steps the problems of finding speed parts for such an old car, and this type of supercharger works especially well at high altitudes - like in Colorado.

You can get 30% - 40% more power without too much trouble.

If you want more power than that it becomes so expensive you might as well swap in a newer engine.

But if you do an engine swap you have to change the trans, driveshaft, rear axle, suspension, change to 12v electrics, and a lot of other things.

This doesn't make much sense. You have shitty body, shitty paint, shitty glass, shitty upholstery, shitty everything except an engine, trans and drive train with only 27000 miles that purrs like a kitten.

It makes better sense to keep the drive train and repair or replace everything else.

In any case, it would make sense to do everything else first, and do the motor last.

PS one reason the Paxtons turn up cheap - the Mustang yahoos wrap their cars around a telephone pole sooner or later, usually sooner. They save the supercharger when they send the car to the junk yard, thinking they will use it on another car but never do. A few years later they wind up on Craig's list.

PPS They used to advertise a 40% increase in rear wheel HP with the supercharger.

 

The more I think about it the more I like it. You say you like the torquey engine, well the supercharger does not kill the low speed power, it enhances it, then adds more power all the way through the range. It means you don't have to hunt up rare and $$$$ expensive vintage parts. It does not care that your car is 6V. And, they work especially well at high altitudes, due to the fact that they pressurize the thin air. Low compression engines like yours, love superchargers. And they do not over strain the stock engine components so you don't have to worry about the rod sticking thru the block.

Yeah, a Paxton supercharger and oversize exhaust with straight thru muffler.

Not a Buick, but a badass Packard straight eight with twin Paxton superchargers.

 

So just to do it one more time:



32 Ford Roadster
40 Chevy IFS
Straight eight (check)
Tonneau cover
And go baby, GO

 

FINALLY, someone has stated the obvious. Do what Rusty O'toole suggests or sell it to a car dude who will appreciate it. You sound like a broken fuckin' record ! ! ! !

 

Good choice. Did you ask him if he wants it? Not being smart but he may not want it, or there may be something else he wants more.

You could offer it to him and see what he says. It would be a cool project to work on together if he is into it.

 

I like this decision. I am a grandpa and the former owner of many old Buicks. I had several lowly 53 Specials with a 3-speed and with a Dynaflush. Those cars were so smooth and quiet. I often started the engine while sitting at a stop sign.
Nothing fast or flashy but always fun drivers.
Obviously you know a little about old cars but are more interested in fast sporty cars. Probably the same reason I eventually stopped buying old Buicks from 1949 thru 1957. Yours may look old and worn out but with the low mileage can serve as a great cruiser for many years. If gramps doesn't want it someone else does.
Thanks for the memories!

 

On the first few threads I read you changed the oil and within a few miles the new oil was black again. With only 27,000 miles on the car (they look like rough ones, honestly), my first question is when was the car last run. It's likely this car started life on non-detergent oil. Even with only 27,000 miles, using detergent oil is inviting disaster. A lot of ugly stuff is going to break loose and eat at bearings, rings, and other metal-to-metal wear areas. I saw more than one engine get trashed this way. It often gets so bad the sludge will clog the oil pump pickup. If there are no records on the car, I'd consider dropping the pan to see what's in it, then clean it out. Easy for me to say. Dropping the pan on a straight eight might be a job for more than one..........or two.

As for what to do with the car, I say fix it and drive it but don't put too much money in it. I went through college in a gray 46 Plymouth 4 dr, certainly not the most desirable of cars then or now. It had dented fenders and torn/stained upholstery when I got it, the same as it did when I sold it five years later. But I had a ton of fun with it, didn't much care what other people thought, and still have a soft spot in my heart for them today.

Regarding restoration, remember it costs the same to do the work on a 32 Ford as it does on a 52 Buick. (Maybe less, actually.) You'll never get your money back out of the Buick. Let someone else learn that lesson. This is the voice of someone who spent a lot of money remediating the same class over the past 45 years.

 

Detergent oil was available in 1951 and the Buick probably always had detergent oil. The problem is lack of oil changes, best solution is to take the pan off and scrape it out but if you don't want to do that, change the oil and filter regularly and it will clean up by itself.

Use 10W30, any good name brand like Shell, Valvoline, etc. Do not use cheap no name oil.

 

Remember Castrol isn't what it used to be. BP bought the company some years ago and changed all the formulations. GTX used to be lovely stuff; these days it's sludge right out of the can about.

 

Castrol 10W30 is detergent oil.

Ned is right, Castrol is not what it used to be. I have eight bottles in the garage I won't use. The first four went into a mini van. Caused so much valve clatter I changed it out for another brand, and the valve clatter went away.

It might be ok for something with solid lifters but I'm not even sure about that.

 

A fireball straight eight... I wouldnt swap it if it was freezed dead. I'd rather punch a hole in the floor pan and run it on my toes.
You've done good not to pull it.

 

I'd love to own one, but I'm still lacking 2 cyls...
Vacuum wipers?

 

In the old days we rubbed Bull Durham on the windshield. Rain drops would not stick and you could see as well as with very good wipers. Didn't do much for mud and we don't have snow.

 

Yes I guess. If they still sold Bull Durham you wouldn't have Rain X. And we thought we looked cool with the string and tab hanging out of your shirt pocket. Never learned to roll my own though. I guess the kids who come along later got pretty good at it. But without the Bull Durham.

 

WE used to rub it on the inside to keep 'em from fogging over. Snow unless its wet snow will blow right off if you turn the defroster off.

 

That engine is CLEAN. Every other engine of that age I have taken the valve covers off of, the mechanism was CAKED with hard black sludge and the inside of the valve cover had a baked on coating 1/8" thick. The real bad ones were nearly solid sludge with grooves worn by the rockers.

Adjust the valves to factory specs and you should not hear ANY noise at all. With the valve cover on and the hood closed.