Killer str8's

A

alleycat

Active Member
Hi Guys! I just discovered this Team Buick site by accident while looking for gaskets, what a good idea! Us buick guys are spread all over and trying to run across others just out there driving around is a long shot. This is a good idea. I'm mostly a str8 fan but have other buicks and cars, so finding a place that str8'ers can talk is very cool. Now that I've read through the whole site,I discovered that there's a number of guys intrested in getting more power from the str8. Exactly the same questions I had in 1966 when my granddad gave me his '50 buick. I read everything I could find, hunted down hiperf parts, etc. What I found was pretty much what everyone else found: not much. So, I came up with my own R&D program. Well boys, after 35-40 years of trying stuff, making stuff, and gettin' a mech. eng. degree, I can tell you that the Buick Eight can make power, more power than you'd ever think. Killer ignitions? Yup. Displacement. Yah. Headers. Oh sure. Finned valve covers, pushrod covers, big series dual carbs on small series engines? Been there, done that. Latest project? How about dual quads? Just has a nice ring to it, don' it? DUAL QUADS. Yah! Everything that was anything had 'em. Well, I was going to write up a few paragraphs and tell you how to build str8 that takes a back seat to no V8 but will put you in the back seat when called upon. I started writing in a ring binder all the stuff I've done and develope a path that someone could follow and build a killer str8. I've filled 1/3 of the binder and I'm out of the block. I think that I could overwhelm this site. A different approch is possiably in order here. Prehaps a ring binder sort of book thing on how to do it. This could turn into something with a life of it's own, I don't write books. Need to think about this one. Alleycat
 
Welcome to the site!

It's a great idea to write about your experiences with the straight 8, but I would strongly suggest that you do it on your computer! It is much easier to share that way, and you might even consider allowing me to use it on the site...
:laugh_4:
Glad you found us!
 
I'm all ears - can hardly wait! But please make it in electrical format, so you can share it as a file of some sort.
 
I most diffinatly am not. I finaly got a chance to toss in a little more. There's a lot of competition for this 'puter. I don't have a lot of time to sit in front of this keyboard and "hunt & peck" teying to think of all the stuff I did and write it, so I have a notebook that have in the shop and while the mill is nibbling on something, I write. Ya gotta 'unnerstan....when I started working over my str8 I did'nt keep notes, make drawings, etc., BAD engeering practice. Now that I am one, I try to keep very good notes, skeches, lame ideas, things that may go really good.....or not. I use to thing awww, I'll just remember it... sure. So, what I'm saying here is I never thought anybody but me would be intrested and now I've gotta remember not only what I did but how, over a time span of 35 or so years.

Then there's the volume. We'er not talking a cam, manifold full 'a carbs, mill the head and bada boom, bada bing! 310hp. This is going to be about full-on block prep, cranks that look like jewelery, heads that are way majorly ported. Have I built a dual-quad, tunnelramed, 6-71ed, str8? Not. Not yet, that is. The idea is intresting though....The power is IN the engine, and very little can be done on the outside and get much. So, I'm thinking more along the line of a technical journel. I have done a coupla tech reports and this is a format I can work from. Drawings, photos, charts, specs, along with all the text, and then!, there's all the rest of the stuff to get the power to the ground, like the motor mounts....A built str8 will rip 'em right in half. Yup, gotta fix....later. alleycat
 
Alleycat,

Just a thought, I try to put together articles for this site, and have a fair list of very short ones. I think it is easiest to choose one item that might be interesting like "oil pump modifications" or "plaining the head" or "improving your rods" and do short articles. One day down the road, there will hopefully be enought to complile them into a "How to Build the Motor" article.

I find it much easier, and there will be a few appearing this fall on the site.
 
Cat:

I can't make up mind if I want to keep the S8 or drop a nailhead in my 1950 model 43 (248 cubes). One big consideration for me is air conditioning. Can an S8 (that's built) work an ac compressor? Seems like bracketing would be an issue.

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

Gary
 
I've not tryed to put ac on my '50, it has a 248 moderatly built in it. Main reason is that I have a '58 limited full boat car. However, in a hot climate, behind that not well vented engine compartment, it'll cook ya, so not a bad idea. No matter what is done to the engine, there is plenty of space to hang a few acessories. If you use one of the late model ac compressors which are rather small, the few brackets that would have to be made, it would be cinch. The fly in the goo is the damper. The pulley mounts behind the damper not in front, and you can't just drill holes in the damper and just bolt 'er up. I've got a fix for that as well, Fluidamper. As for puttin in a v8 in order to get air, brackets will have to be made for that also, and then there's the additional few hours making the v8 and drivetrain instalation. Will the 248 pull a ac compressor? No sweat. It'll make easly as much power as a 300-350 inch v8. A 263 will make more yet. Remember, str8's make the vast majority of their power 1500-3000 rpm, and it's flat as a aircraft carrier. V8's are making about nothing at 2000 rpm or so but from 4-6000 they are cookin', and the power curve is not exactly flat. Str8 will pull about anything no sweat. alleycat
 
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Any information on hotting up straight eights would be terrific! What the motor really needs is a cross-flow head with intake and exhaust on opposing sides. Maybe even OHC?! Looking forward to learning more from your experiences and thanks in advance for "being there."
 
A cross-flow head would be killer. Even a decent side port like what we got would be tolerable. I don't know who was responsible for that monstrosity that kills the best str8 made in any kind of numbers anywhere. I think that there were some plumbers working in the bathrooms and they cobbled that thing up during a coffi ebreak. Anyhow, I've looked into heads. I tryed a back to back cosworth vega heads,nope. bore spacing not right. I tryed alfa heads, not. The only heads that have any technology are not made inthis country. And, just in case, str8's have'nt been made anywhere for a while now. So, back to back 4 cyl heads offer the only hope. While reading around about str8's I ran across name's like Stuz, Miller, Dusenburg, these boys knew what they were about. There is a faint possiability that a Stuz head might have the correct bore spacing, they had two very advanced heads, and the displacment of the engine is in the hunt. These heads are not exactly common, and anyway you trim it, it won't be cheap to do. My R&D program is funded out of my back pocket, and that expierment is not possiable at this time. All is not lost, however. In spite of a horrible head design, they put plenty of iron in it! It's mostly in the wrong spots but paraphrasing Paladin, "have air cutter, will remove". Once all the junk is removed, we're left with a not so bad head that works rather well with the dynamics of the engine. We're not talkin a few hours of work here though,more like weeks. Better have your back pain killer pills ready.....Alleycat
 
A/C on str 8s

A friend of mine installed A/C on his 1938 46S with no problems. He welded a pully on the outside of the crank pulley.
 
alleycat said:
....... str8's have'nt been made anywhere for a while now. .....Alleycat
Click to expand...

Alleycat - not totally true!
Google-up "TVR Chimaera" a current production British sports car.
With a straight 8 motor!
Putting out gobs of power!
Check it out.
Now you really have something to shoot for......
Some info I copied from a website:

Displacement: 4472 ccm (272.88 cubic inches)
Engine type: Inline, 8 cylinder
Power: 450.00 PS (331 kW or 444 HP) @ 6500 RPM
Torque: 525.00 Nm (53.5 kgf-m or 387.2 ft.lbs) @ 4000 RPM
Compression: 9.5:1
Bore x stroke: 94.0 x 82.0 mm (3.7 x 3.2 inches)
Fuel system: Injection
Valves per cylinder: 2
Fuel control: Pushrod/overhead valve (OHV)
Cooling system: Liquid

Maybe there are some ideas there....
Best,
James
 
I went huntin'. I know about TVR, far out car maker! They used a rover v8, which is originaly a buick engine, the ajp8, which is their in house engine, from which they built the ajp6 or the "speed six" which is a way good 6 and from that the ajp12. That is just plain out there! But it looks like to me only one was built. However, no mention of a str8. adding on 2 more cyclinders on the 6 with that head design on it would make for a very serious str8. Buick engine will never touch it. It also may be a one off. if I could only get my hands on a real R&D facility......alleycat
 
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