[ QUOTE ] ..and I'm proud to claim the longest crank on the HAMB... Scotch~! [/ QUOTE ] ONE OF the biggest - c'mon man mine's at least AS big as yours..... And why do I always seem to be in hybernation when these Buick post jump up? I guess I am trying to avoid violating the restraining order that Scotch has on me. I feel like I should go out to the garage, tear my engine down and follow this post by the letter, but my car runs so damn good that I don't want to mess with success. I would like a better tranny though - but times is tough in the Broman house. Starving artist syndrome. This is by far the most imformative post for the "Buick Brethren" thus far. Hat's off and a big kiss from me - well unless you press charges again.....
it has the potential to kill you if it falls on you..haha no, but really, i have heard that the "Fireball 8" buick motor can be hopped up and that there exists multi-carb manifolds out there.....go to this website and research it www.buickstreet.com
Hey that was a good site - here's some more. I think Fatass gave these to me a looong time ago. www.buicks.net www.buick-parts.com http://members.aol.com/autotran/dfkits1.html http://www.fantasyautoworks.com/default.htm http://www.oldparts.com/GM/Buick/buick.html
Ohh and here is one that everyone can dig - not just Buick guys... http://www.lepoix.de/index_hood.htm
Have you seen this.He is a friend of mine.Go look at his site. http://gamma.nic.fi/~marlin/Rmaster.htm
Try this recent HAMB post http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=510860&page=3&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=14&fpart=1#Post513941
350 hp?! How in the hell is that possible? I heard that those two guys who run a 320 on the salt bust a crank about once a month. No matter how much hp, that's really cool.
if i were a betting man, i'd bet against seeing 350 hp for any extended period, but it'll make 300 all day. That crank is the weak link, but nitriding would help, as will the oiling mods. if he keeps temps under 200, itll be okay IMO Scotch~!
Just for the record the other post Buick 8 is not a race car , just old time Street Rod patterned after a 60's style dragster.. , that he plans on seeing what in can do at the strip at least once...H
[ QUOTE ] Have you seen this.He is a friend of mine.Go look at his site. http://gamma.nic.fi/~marlin/Rmaster.htm [/ QUOTE ] thanks for the link. what he's doing is amazing. i can't wait for his next update. a true inspiration for us s-8 buick owners. i'd like to hear what scotch thinks of his ideas.
I'm doing a similar setup on my 327 Packard, but I haven't decided on the carbs yet. I have 3 '97s, would need one more. OR, I could just use the 600cfm Edelbrock 4 barrel that I have, no rebuilding required. I think with the SN60 blower I'm putting on it, it might be fine with the 4 barrel. AND, at approx. 42 in, I have the biggest crank on the H.A.M.B!
BTTT I would really like to see this go to tech-o-matic. If Scotch had posted this during a tech week it'd be in there.....
DDDDDAMMMMNN kinda makes one to go out and start looking for one of these beasties... And I am stressing over pieces for my 315 Dodge hemi Dude you Rule
For those too young to remember that there have been some high-performance Buick straight 8's, I offer the following recollections. Note that there is no technical content of any value in this post, and it is offered only for its gee-whiz value: 1. The Buick Century, introduced in 1936, may well have been the first honest-to-God muscle car. They put the biggest-displacement engine (Roadmaster) in the smallest chassis and body (Special) and got quite a fast car out of it. The "Century" name signified that it was good for 100 MPH, not too common among stock 1936 models. 2. The '37 Century coupes were particularly valued as performance cars (last floor shift). I remember that there were a couple of mildly warmed over ones that ran in the 90's at San Fernando drags in the '50s; one of them was torquey enough to pull the front wheels off the ground on the 2nd gear shift!! 3. One of the famous Bean Bandits club -- I think it was Jarvis Earl -- ran a Buick S8 top fuel car in the early '50s. I don't think it was particulary successful, but it looked impressive as hell with eight straight exhaust pipes in a row and a whole line of carburetors (four? don't recall). 4. Somebody made speed equipment for these things. I think Howard Johansen made a 6-carb log manifold, which showed up on various Buick powered racers of the day. I've seen two of these on modified Buicks in the Bay Area in last few years. 5. Ed Hegarty, semi-famous hot rod guy in the SF area, had a neat hot rod Buick S8 engine a few years ago. I don't know if he put it in anything, but it had various exotic work in it like a knife-edged crank. I don't think Ed is on the HAMB, but I bet there are guys on the board who know him. 6. A while back there was a team that ran a Buick-powered Deuce 5-window at the lakes. It had elaborate tuned headers, and made a sound completely unlike any modern engine and quite impressive. Buick's slogan from the '30s: "When better automobiles are built, Buick will build them."
The siamesed intakes make perfect sense at the RPMs they originally ran at. Think about it. If the pisons sharing the port are rising and falling together, one is making power with the intake completely closed, while the other is sucking fuel and air through the port. I suppose that's why British twins with a 360 degree crank ran great with a single carb for decades until RPMs crept up to the point where it didn't work anymore, but the Japanese bikes with the 180 cranks almost always have 2 carbs.
[ QUOTE ] BTTT I would really like to see this go to tech-o-matic. If Scotch had posted this during a tech week it'd be in there..... [/ QUOTE ] I guess I'm vote #2 for this.
Hi. Newbie here. I can't seem to find any posts on your S8 build. How'd it go? Is it still in the works? Finished? I'm curious as I may be picking up a 40 Buick Special business coupe with the S8 and am searching for ideas and info on improving performance and reliability. Your comments in this thread seem to be that is what you were working toward.
Same thought here. I just picked up a '37 248 cid Buick straight 8. Was told it was running when taken out of the car. The valve train is also in pretty rough condition with 3 severely bent push rods and a fourth that was broken and welded back together. The rocker arm shaft is badly worn and appears to have been assembled wrong at some point in the past, which likely caused the bent pushrods. I won't be racing and don't need to "launch" from the traffic light. I plan to drop it into my '37 Buick Special Sports Coupe (46S) but want more horsepower and better reliability than stock. I drive 3,000 to 5,000 miles a year and want to be able to keep up with interstate traffic, though mostly I am shunpiking.
Just basic hot rodd 'in should hep the old straight 8 a LOT! Any way to lighten that big old crank? Knife edge comes to mind. trim a smidgen on the counter-weights...re balance and go with some type Alum flywheel and a better balancer. Losing those big old shitcan pistons for something waaaay lighter and smaller would reduce the strain on the crank assembly. Higher volume oil pump and open up the drain back holes 'maybe' to increase oiling..... 6sally6
Seeing's somebody dragged this up again, I'll go on notice that no one has mentioned the different sizes of these engines. I wouldn't touch a 248 or 263 with a ten foot pole. Now, a 320 Roadmaster is a different matter. I used to vintage race against a guy who had two "Track Roadsters" with these engines. On was the original that reportedly killed 3 drivers in it's career, while the second was a reconstruction. They had Model-T frames and water pipe roll bars. They were punched 1/4" out to use International pistons which brought them up to 356 ci. They had homebuilt intake manifolds with 5 97's, and reground camshafts. I have no idea what was done to the heads, but I have to believe they worked them over too. The cars were scary fast. They didn't have quick change rear ends, so they used various size tires on the rear depending on the track. It was an odd sight seeing them out there on a short track with 6.70/15 rear tires when everybody else was using regular rear tires.
I will step in here. I HAVE built a 263 in to a decent performer, for me. Not earth shattering, just impressive. Not cheap, but nothing is . Except a SBC. UGH. Reground cam, bored to 125 over, high [9.5/1] compression pistons. I don't run carbs , but one can build an intake for carbs as I did for my ====. Reworked the head some with larger valves. It is my understanding Scotch never finished his. I did . Drove it today. Yes, a 320 would be "better" Tubman, if one has room for one. About six inches longer than the 248/263. Ben
There are two types of Buick st-8's . The small block started in 1934 and progressed until 1953. Grew up to be 263 Cui. The large block started in 1936 and continued until 1952. Never grew, started at 320cui and stayed there. The sm blocks were in specials and supers (models 40 & 50) The large block were in 60,80 and 90 models. As far as I know only starters and distributors interchange. In the ' 60s a dragster with the big Buick was National Record Holder in D/D for several years. I had a friend who raced him with a good Flathead dragster. He said at 1000ft he turned to see what happened to the st8 dragster. He then said he blew by me like I was tied to a tree.
[QUOTE=" Yes, a 320 would be "better" Tubman, if one has room for one. About six inches longer than the 248/263. [/QUOTE] 1937-39 Buick Specials don't have room for the 320. Century, Limited, and Roadmaster used those.
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