- Straight Eight Engine Specifications
- Straight Eight Casting Numbers
- Buick F-263 Head/Gasket Swaps, effects on compression
- 263 Head X-Sections
- Straight Eight Intake Manifold X-Sections
- 263, 2X2 Engine Mount Modification
- Compound Carburetion
- Buick Compound Carburetion
- Buick Fuel and Vacuum Pump
- Straight 8 speed secrets of Don Montgomery
- Looking to get rid of the torque tube 50 sedanette
- T5 Install on the '50 263
- Straight 8 sets two new Bonneville Records
- Building a High Performance Straight Eight
- Buick Straight Eight Lifter Adjustment
- Straight Eight Oil Supply Update
- Dual Points in a Buick Straight 8 Distributor
To Alleycat
- Thread starter Jyrki
- Start date
packard 4 bbl
the Packard 4 bbl manifold is very close to the Buicks port spacing, and total length, you will have to do a little grinding, welding, here and there to line up 2 of the ports [maybe 1/8" off]I havnt done mine yet but its very straight forward to do. It is basicly like the Buick, except it has bends instead of 90 deg. angles like the Buick. Oh, the other thing is that it is backwards from the, Buick as it mounts on the opposite side of the Packard engine and tilts the carb the wrong way, so it will need a spacer there.I keep wanting it because it almost looks stock, like a phantom Buick racing part. Actually you can make your own manifolds probably better than looking for a Packard . i just found mine in a friends parts pile.
the Packard 4 bbl manifold is very close to the Buicks port spacing, and total length, you will have to do a little grinding, welding, here and there to line up 2 of the ports [maybe 1/8" off]I havnt done mine yet but its very straight forward to do. It is basicly like the Buick, except it has bends instead of 90 deg. angles like the Buick. Oh, the other thing is that it is backwards from the, Buick as it mounts on the opposite side of the Packard engine and tilts the carb the wrong way, so it will need a spacer there.I keep wanting it because it almost looks stock, like a phantom Buick racing part. Actually you can make your own manifolds probably better than looking for a Packard . i just found mine in a friends parts pile.
str 8,s
well i am new to all this forum stuff so i will throw my 2 'CENTS' in. I have been interested in these engines since i was a teen and went to see the night, drags at the old Colton Ca. dragstrip in 1955. hmm 50 years ago? first race i saw was a 50 Merc pull up to the line [late model stock]in the F stock class. next a big dirty green old coupe pulls up, and i recognize it as the same year Buick my uncle had, a 39' buick. Gads wotta barge! Well the Merc jumped first and was leading, but the 39 was gathering steam and when he hit second gear it just leaped ahead. And then that big old buick just kept walking away, i cudnt beleive it, Mec,s were fast, how could that old Bu do that !! He mustv been cheating! Well he was, he had a special rearend in it. 4.11 gears help if u have all that torq, along with the top end those Buicks have. and probably the .125 off the head along with a bored out carb. oh well it looked stock, and the Merc probably did the same.
well i am new to all this forum stuff so i will throw my 2 'CENTS' in. I have been interested in these engines since i was a teen and went to see the night, drags at the old Colton Ca. dragstrip in 1955. hmm 50 years ago? first race i saw was a 50 Merc pull up to the line [late model stock]in the F stock class. next a big dirty green old coupe pulls up, and i recognize it as the same year Buick my uncle had, a 39' buick. Gads wotta barge! Well the Merc jumped first and was leading, but the 39 was gathering steam and when he hit second gear it just leaped ahead. And then that big old buick just kept walking away, i cudnt beleive it, Mec,s were fast, how could that old Bu do that !! He mustv been cheating! Well he was, he had a special rearend in it. 4.11 gears help if u have all that torq, along with the top end those Buicks have. and probably the .125 off the head along with a bored out carb. oh well it looked stock, and the Merc probably did the same.
str 8,s
Well maybe i should enter some interesting hints and info ive picked up from old Buick nuts. One was from a guy who ran Buick str 8 in a 32 Ford roadster, he hit 170 mph at Bonneville. [a roadster is as streamlined as a large brick at those speeds]. It had 1050 cfm holley carb. on a home made intake, & headers, filled head, big block chevy exh valves, and wildly ported intake and exhaust. balanced it, used flat top pistons,[ive heard u can use 235 over size chevrolet pistons with top shaved.] He also removed the pinch bolts and welded the top ends of his rods, and shot peened them. I dont know about the cams since ive heard about almost everyone uses a diff cam. I talked to Don Montgomery who started out racing Buicks, and he used .090 over 228 GMC pistons, but they have huge pop ups, he was runnig alcohol and 14 to 1 compression. If u can find out what the GMC boys are doing, you can do a lot of the same things. GMC and Buick have same style ports and combustion chambers. GMC,s are running 200mph on the dry lakes. they are mostly 4x4 bore/stroke. siamese ports seem to do ok as some the old siamesed ports.are still running on the lakes. Well some of this is way beyond what most of us want to do but it shows what a Buick can do.
Well maybe i should enter some interesting hints and info ive picked up from old Buick nuts. One was from a guy who ran Buick str 8 in a 32 Ford roadster, he hit 170 mph at Bonneville. [a roadster is as streamlined as a large brick at those speeds]. It had 1050 cfm holley carb. on a home made intake, & headers, filled head, big block chevy exh valves, and wildly ported intake and exhaust. balanced it, used flat top pistons,[ive heard u can use 235 over size chevrolet pistons with top shaved.] He also removed the pinch bolts and welded the top ends of his rods, and shot peened them. I dont know about the cams since ive heard about almost everyone uses a diff cam. I talked to Don Montgomery who started out racing Buicks, and he used .090 over 228 GMC pistons, but they have huge pop ups, he was runnig alcohol and 14 to 1 compression. If u can find out what the GMC boys are doing, you can do a lot of the same things. GMC and Buick have same style ports and combustion chambers. GMC,s are running 200mph on the dry lakes. they are mostly 4x4 bore/stroke. siamese ports seem to do ok as some the old siamesed ports.are still running on the lakes. Well some of this is way beyond what most of us want to do but it shows what a Buick can do.
Hey Jyrki! Looks like we've picked up another enthoozest!! I'v never thought about GMC engines and possiable parts interchange. 39cent being in the socal area you've got a advantage, racing is rear around and a lot of the guys that did it to the old stuff are still around!! Cool! I, on the other hand, was in the sticks. One drag strip and I went plenty but never saw anything except the regular stuff. It gave me plenty of ideas on how to make my buick faster. I started inventing. 40 years later I'm still at it. The packard manifold, thats good!! Never woulda thunk....However, I am getting close to making my own manifolds and a few other things, I spent most of last week going to foundrys, mighty intresting.....
Exhaust systems! Other than the ignition system #1 for power gains, headers are #2. I cobbled up a header for my buick when I started doing them for bikes and race cars. It was'ent all that pretty, but did it make the power! The drawback was no heat to the carb. Made the car horrriable to live with. Then I put on the dual carbs and I made some water boxes to bolt on the bottom of the heat riser bolt up. This worked. Heat to the carbs, header, this baby rocked!! However, it leaked. The boxes really need to be cast. That way they could be really snuged up. So, I decided to try the factory manifolds, these are a good design. I ported them out and sent them to Extrude Hone for a polish out. They work almost as good as headers, with some prep, and they are trouble free. This is what is curently on my 50 now. A curious thing. I put dual 2.25 exhaust all the way out. Wanted that "look" from the back. Lost power. Went to single 2.25, powers back. Don't quite get it. Perhaps dual 2"? The next header will be for the 263. It will be 1.5 for about 12-14" steping up to 1.625, 180 degree merge collectors, 40" or so long and all out of stainless steel. These'll make some power. alleycat
PS. Hey fryguy! I'm having a heck of a time making that "personal message" thing work! No chance! 320 cam won't go into a 263 or 248. 320 is all by itself.
Exhaust systems! Other than the ignition system #1 for power gains, headers are #2. I cobbled up a header for my buick when I started doing them for bikes and race cars. It was'ent all that pretty, but did it make the power! The drawback was no heat to the carb. Made the car horrriable to live with. Then I put on the dual carbs and I made some water boxes to bolt on the bottom of the heat riser bolt up. This worked. Heat to the carbs, header, this baby rocked!! However, it leaked. The boxes really need to be cast. That way they could be really snuged up. So, I decided to try the factory manifolds, these are a good design. I ported them out and sent them to Extrude Hone for a polish out. They work almost as good as headers, with some prep, and they are trouble free. This is what is curently on my 50 now. A curious thing. I put dual 2.25 exhaust all the way out. Wanted that "look" from the back. Lost power. Went to single 2.25, powers back. Don't quite get it. Perhaps dual 2"? The next header will be for the 263. It will be 1.5 for about 12-14" steping up to 1.625, 180 degree merge collectors, 40" or so long and all out of stainless steel. These'll make some power. alleycat
PS. Hey fryguy! I'm having a heck of a time making that "personal message" thing work! No chance! 320 cam won't go into a 263 or 248. 320 is all by itself.
Thanks Alleycat. I did get your message. I wasn't sure if the roadmaster ever changed engines.
You say you tried running dual 2 1.2" exhaust and you lost power? This was on the hopped up 248? I am getting ready to run the dual exhaust out on my 263 and I was struggling to decide which size exhaust to use. Maybe I should try 2 1/4 or should I start at dual 2"?
Fryguy
You say you tried running dual 2 1.2" exhaust and you lost power? This was on the hopped up 248? I am getting ready to run the dual exhaust out on my 263 and I was struggling to decide which size exhaust to use. Maybe I should try 2 1/4 or should I start at dual 2"?
Fryguy
Hey fryguy! You got the whole message! Cool! Was'ent sure....The exhaust pipe thing... This has me somewhat preplexed. I've built many exhausts for race and street cars and every time a inline engine comes up, what I think should work, would bet money on, dos'ent. V8's, I get it bang on, or really close. I've also talked with other guys around the country that have had the same expierence, all by accident. I'm thinking that it has to do with the rpm range of inline engines, firing order/# of cylinders and displacement. The last incident of this was on a chev 292, a healthy engine, built up, headers and dual 2 1/4 all the way out. I'd of bet money this would be perfect. Nope, single 2 1/4 pulled the bottom end way up and hurt nothing else. So, as much as I and everyone else would like to see big honkin pipes, they don't seem to work. A cool experiment would be to bend up 4 systems, 1 3/4 to 2 1/2 and put em on, run em and see what will do what. Now, I don't know exactly what you have for exhaust manifolds, headers would be great, factory duals good, single.....well.. I think dual 2" would be all the engine will need. Thats what I think I'm going to put on my 263, and its BUILT to the max. alleycat
more stuff
there was an article somewhere that i have to find, on installing insert bearings in the old babbit rods , using Buick 455 inserts. you just melt out the babbit and resize the rod so the later inserts will fit. [Terril Machine i think does that]They are narrower than the str 8 rod bearings but they are harder and will take more stress. another thing i have to find. the one thing ive been looking for was welding up the combustion chamber for a quench area and running flat top pistons like the 37 buicks. its been done but i havnt really found the info on that kinda mod. they used to do that way bak. the head is another story. the ports are small but they shud be ok for the rpms that it will be running, need to make em flow good mainly, they dont need to be real big.I think the GMC guys make the back wall of the siamese port flow better and probly use a 'lump' on the floor to make it flow and turn down the 'hole' to the intake valve. you have to get all the torq out of the engine under 5000 rpm. the guy that ran that 32 roadster at Bonnieville said he pulled the maincaps on a str 8 he had when he went over 6200 r,s. I think thats the limit gg. thats when the crank starts to act like a snake. ohh yeh, and that guy has an overhead cam head he welded up using 2 aluminum, R22 toyota heads, [they have close to the same bolt pattern too]. he has done it but didnt finish it. [he,s a certified welder]Has to figure out how to run the cam chain. I think it can be done. this sounds crazy but i do know that the toyota head has close to the same bore and bolt hole spacing as the Buick. wudnt that be a trick set up?? ok gotta go , find more info.
there was an article somewhere that i have to find, on installing insert bearings in the old babbit rods , using Buick 455 inserts. you just melt out the babbit and resize the rod so the later inserts will fit. [Terril Machine i think does that]They are narrower than the str 8 rod bearings but they are harder and will take more stress. another thing i have to find. the one thing ive been looking for was welding up the combustion chamber for a quench area and running flat top pistons like the 37 buicks. its been done but i havnt really found the info on that kinda mod. they used to do that way bak. the head is another story. the ports are small but they shud be ok for the rpms that it will be running, need to make em flow good mainly, they dont need to be real big.I think the GMC guys make the back wall of the siamese port flow better and probly use a 'lump' on the floor to make it flow and turn down the 'hole' to the intake valve. you have to get all the torq out of the engine under 5000 rpm. the guy that ran that 32 roadster at Bonnieville said he pulled the maincaps on a str 8 he had when he went over 6200 r,s. I think thats the limit gg. thats when the crank starts to act like a snake. ohh yeh, and that guy has an overhead cam head he welded up using 2 aluminum, R22 toyota heads, [they have close to the same bolt pattern too]. he has done it but didnt finish it. [he,s a certified welder]Has to figure out how to run the cam chain. I think it can be done. this sounds crazy but i do know that the toyota head has close to the same bore and bolt hole spacing as the Buick. wudnt that be a trick set up?? ok gotta go , find more info.
pistons
this thread is getting crazy!
On the www.kb-silvolite.com page you can sort pistons by diameter. Like a candy store! I just went to hunt for Chevy 235 str-6 pistons. Being 3,5625" in diameter, with a .125" overbore you could make it fit the 320 Buick and make it a 343. But I don't see any reason to shave the top off. The Chevy piston is a flattop and has a compression height of 2.06", while the Buick piston is something like 2.36". I didn't calculate it (it's 1 am here right now and I wanna go to bed soon), but I don't think that the increased diameter would add enough compression to compensate for the .3" decrease in compression height. But, back in those days, there must have been many types of pistons available for the Chevy 235, and this example is just what I found on the Silvolite offering. Then again, it doesn't matter if the piston is not flush with the deck surface, as the Buick is an open chamber design without any squish band (quench area). For the same reason, the Buick turbulator design works better than a flattop. Weld up the chamber to make some squish / quench, combined with a flattop piston, and you have a winner!
I also found a 1954-64 Ford 223/256 piston that features a 3.625 bore and a 1.857 compr. height.
this thread is getting crazy!
On the www.kb-silvolite.com page you can sort pistons by diameter. Like a candy store! I just went to hunt for Chevy 235 str-6 pistons. Being 3,5625" in diameter, with a .125" overbore you could make it fit the 320 Buick and make it a 343. But I don't see any reason to shave the top off. The Chevy piston is a flattop and has a compression height of 2.06", while the Buick piston is something like 2.36". I didn't calculate it (it's 1 am here right now and I wanna go to bed soon), but I don't think that the increased diameter would add enough compression to compensate for the .3" decrease in compression height. But, back in those days, there must have been many types of pistons available for the Chevy 235, and this example is just what I found on the Silvolite offering. Then again, it doesn't matter if the piston is not flush with the deck surface, as the Buick is an open chamber design without any squish band (quench area). For the same reason, the Buick turbulator design works better than a flattop. Weld up the chamber to make some squish / quench, combined with a flattop piston, and you have a winner!
I also found a 1954-64 Ford 223/256 piston that features a 3.625 bore and a 1.857 compr. height.
chevy pistons
yes i ,m new at this so bear with me, i sent an answer to one of the str-8 guys, I think he was askin about cams i,ll have to go back and check, It was some notes i took in a conversation with Jim Earl longtime ago. They were some of the mods that he and his Dad did when they were racing str 8s. There were a bunch of Buick racers in the Los Angeles, area, and they were turning close to 100 mph at the drags with str8 Buicks! Buicks were pretty fast wih a couple of mods. All you needed back then was a milled head and a Special rear end in a Century [which bolte right in] and you would be able to beat most stock cars on the street. The Century was one of the first Muscle cars back in the day. I remmber they were still a few racing them when i entered the scene. The stick shift Roadmasters like yours took the place of the Centuries after the war as they had dropped the name then. Oh and about the chevy pistons, yes the reference to shaving the top must have been about the hi compression pistons that i think you still can get, [forged pistons] Jahns pistons, and Arias possibly.
yes i ,m new at this so bear with me, i sent an answer to one of the str-8 guys, I think he was askin about cams i,ll have to go back and check, It was some notes i took in a conversation with Jim Earl longtime ago. They were some of the mods that he and his Dad did when they were racing str 8s. There were a bunch of Buick racers in the Los Angeles, area, and they were turning close to 100 mph at the drags with str8 Buicks! Buicks were pretty fast wih a couple of mods. All you needed back then was a milled head and a Special rear end in a Century [which bolte right in] and you would be able to beat most stock cars on the street. The Century was one of the first Muscle cars back in the day. I remmber they were still a few racing them when i entered the scene. The stick shift Roadmasters like yours took the place of the Centuries after the war as they had dropped the name then. Oh and about the chevy pistons, yes the reference to shaving the top must have been about the hi compression pistons that i think you still can get, [forged pistons] Jahns pistons, and Arias possibly.
Jyrki, this thread is getting just "out there", the entertainment value can't be beat!!
I checked out all my new and old piston calalogs and came to the conclusion that these guys that 39cent is talking about are diffinatly running 320's. It looks like the chev or gmc piston could work, but!!, the rod lenth problem crops up, it would have to be made even longer to compensate for the shorter comp height on these pistons. Like 8.5 inches!! Wow!. I've never sectioned a 320 block but buick stuck with the same casting thickness in all engines, so, I'll just bet the wall is about .350 to .375, which means that a .240-.250 bore out would be feasable. I've not crunched the numbers but I'll bet it would be close to 400 inches! What originaly lead me to this huge a bore out is the 320 piston, I had a new set of thompson pistons and I wanted to put them in my 248. Not a chanch for the 248 but the 263, yeah! And, the rod could be shortened. So I hack sawed the small end off, took out a bit and welded it back up. It worked. However, from a high performance standpoint, everything was WRONG. The problem with the gmc or chev pistons is that they are a old school design, with a even longer rod. And a flatop piston will loose power in the buick. Why? The buick "turbulator" piston really dos'ent turbulate much. What it really does do is increase the surface area of the piston considerably. Torque is porportional to surface area. This piston is accidently very good in this respect. If, as 39cent says, welding up the chamber on the back side to fit the piston close, like .040, could be done, that would diffinatly make turbulance. It would be great. To get around all these problems is why I went with the harley piston. I do have to make rods but I made them fit a mopar 360 rod bearing, and totaly modern pistons are available as well as rings for the harley, I now have a totaly up to date reciprocating package, and the weight reduction!! I am shootin for a solid 300 hp and I don't know how much torque. If something like this could be done for the 320, it would be a monster. This is so cool. alleycat
I checked out all my new and old piston calalogs and came to the conclusion that these guys that 39cent is talking about are diffinatly running 320's. It looks like the chev or gmc piston could work, but!!, the rod lenth problem crops up, it would have to be made even longer to compensate for the shorter comp height on these pistons. Like 8.5 inches!! Wow!. I've never sectioned a 320 block but buick stuck with the same casting thickness in all engines, so, I'll just bet the wall is about .350 to .375, which means that a .240-.250 bore out would be feasable. I've not crunched the numbers but I'll bet it would be close to 400 inches! What originaly lead me to this huge a bore out is the 320 piston, I had a new set of thompson pistons and I wanted to put them in my 248. Not a chanch for the 248 but the 263, yeah! And, the rod could be shortened. So I hack sawed the small end off, took out a bit and welded it back up. It worked. However, from a high performance standpoint, everything was WRONG. The problem with the gmc or chev pistons is that they are a old school design, with a even longer rod. And a flatop piston will loose power in the buick. Why? The buick "turbulator" piston really dos'ent turbulate much. What it really does do is increase the surface area of the piston considerably. Torque is porportional to surface area. This piston is accidently very good in this respect. If, as 39cent says, welding up the chamber on the back side to fit the piston close, like .040, could be done, that would diffinatly make turbulance. It would be great. To get around all these problems is why I went with the harley piston. I do have to make rods but I made them fit a mopar 360 rod bearing, and totaly modern pistons are available as well as rings for the harley, I now have a totaly up to date reciprocating package, and the weight reduction!! I am shootin for a solid 300 hp and I don't know how much torque. If something like this could be done for the 320, it would be a monster. This is so cool. alleycat
exhaust size. . .
Alleycat, in regards to your exhaust size question. I will be running the 41-42 Buick stock split exhaust. I will have to modify the the left side motor mount to get the dual to work. Best case scenario would be to bend up 4 sets of different sized exhaust systems. But I don't have access to a Mandrel bender and its not something that would be cost effective on me. I'd like to get nearest the first time, worst case change it twice. Somewhere between 1 3/4 and 2 1/4 diameters? I'm not worried about running the big diameter exhausts out the back. Any size is fine with me as along its increases flow and not hinders it. You can always put big chrome exhaust tips on the back to make it look huge, LOL
Fryguy
Alleycat, in regards to your exhaust size question. I will be running the 41-42 Buick stock split exhaust. I will have to modify the the left side motor mount to get the dual to work. Best case scenario would be to bend up 4 sets of different sized exhaust systems. But I don't have access to a Mandrel bender and its not something that would be cost effective on me. I'd like to get nearest the first time, worst case change it twice. Somewhere between 1 3/4 and 2 1/4 diameters? I'm not worried about running the big diameter exhausts out the back. Any size is fine with me as along its increases flow and not hinders it. You can always put big chrome exhaust tips on the back to make it look huge, LOL
Fryguy
Hey fryguy! You've got the next best exhaust manifolds. As I've mentioned, I'm running the same on my 248, I just ported out the top of the ports and sent them to Extrude-Hone in california, for a directional polish and they are only just shy of headers. I went 2.5 all the way out. Too big. Prehaps did'nt cost any power but did'nt make any either. So, I made a nice merge collector about 36" downstream, into single 2.25 and that pulled in the bottom end power great. If you are worth a darn with a gas welder, you can get mandrell bends and fab it up yourself. Once past the muff mandrell bends look cool but add little, so just have a exhaust shop bend it up. Alleycat
jyrki
jyrki
these are notes i got from Jim Earl on strt 8 mods. here are notes i made in a conversation with Jim Earl, who,s father Jarvis Earl was running a Buick straight 8 dragster @140 mph in the 50,s this is not precise info, just some of the things that i wrote down quickly. might give U some ideas.
this is old info that they did on thier 38 Century coupe.
kenney harmon cams [1-415-472-1414] k.60=.269Lift, k.80 =.422 lift .296 dur. k-90 =.388 L [this is old info]. chevy sm blk valves [undercut manley,s], cut valve guides. port an fill intake. [D port]? buick 322 valve springs, main caps beefed[hardenedstraps], turbulator Buick pistons+ mill head .180 = 9.0 comp. ,420 Lift 268 duration cam? copper coat headgaskt, chk piston to head clear. redrilled wilcap HE 427 ford steel flywheel, beefed centry clutch [40#springs], .pistons 060? chev 235/261 piston machine top down.??? shot peen rods, 1.60 rocker arm ratio? 55,56 packard valves?,howards cams F4F - .275L .250 dur, crane cams inq. comp cams? isky #55 cam,distributer advance 12 initial 32 full @ 2500. 4.44 rr gears with 27.5 in tall tires bring rpms up ez steady to 3000 rpm on line. then let out clutch smoothly, 1.60 rocker arm ratio?
jyrki
these are notes i got from Jim Earl on strt 8 mods. here are notes i made in a conversation with Jim Earl, who,s father Jarvis Earl was running a Buick straight 8 dragster @140 mph in the 50,s this is not precise info, just some of the things that i wrote down quickly. might give U some ideas.
this is old info that they did on thier 38 Century coupe.
kenney harmon cams [1-415-472-1414] k.60=.269Lift, k.80 =.422 lift .296 dur. k-90 =.388 L [this is old info]. chevy sm blk valves [undercut manley,s], cut valve guides. port an fill intake. [D port]? buick 322 valve springs, main caps beefed[hardenedstraps], turbulator Buick pistons+ mill head .180 = 9.0 comp. ,420 Lift 268 duration cam? copper coat headgaskt, chk piston to head clear. redrilled wilcap HE 427 ford steel flywheel, beefed centry clutch [40#springs], .pistons 060? chev 235/261 piston machine top down.??? shot peen rods, 1.60 rocker arm ratio? 55,56 packard valves?,howards cams F4F - .275L .250 dur, crane cams inq. comp cams? isky #55 cam,distributer advance 12 initial 32 full @ 2500. 4.44 rr gears with 27.5 in tall tires bring rpms up ez steady to 3000 rpm on line. then let out clutch smoothly, 1.60 rocker arm ratio?
strt 8 engine mods
the main thing i do is look at what the straight six guys are doing. I think most of the modifications would generally be the same. The cam grinders are coming out with much better cam profiles etc. The 248/263 8,s should work really well, i think they could make more horse power for thier size than the 320 inchers. The 320,s are just torq monsters and the rpms are a limlting factor. Hey what about using the small journal rods from the 248,s and offset grind a 263 crank for longer stroke, [more torq] or destroke it for more rpm,s [more HP]. Now we have good electronic ignitions that are really great, and you can feel the improvements. The really big improvement would be using a electronic fuel injection unit from a late model car. Also using 4 or 5 speed overdrive transmissions, stick or auto, gearing is very important.I think that the quickest way to get performance is to stick a blower on them. A Blower would make all the power instantly from to the bottom to the top end of its rpm range. It can be used on a completely stock engine and do all that you really would want in power. I really like just having that straight 8 under the hood because they can really move those big monsters down the road, and they are still a fairly modern engine, trouble free and will last a long time.
the main thing i do is look at what the straight six guys are doing. I think most of the modifications would generally be the same. The cam grinders are coming out with much better cam profiles etc. The 248/263 8,s should work really well, i think they could make more horse power for thier size than the 320 inchers. The 320,s are just torq monsters and the rpms are a limlting factor. Hey what about using the small journal rods from the 248,s and offset grind a 263 crank for longer stroke, [more torq] or destroke it for more rpm,s [more HP]. Now we have good electronic ignitions that are really great, and you can feel the improvements. The really big improvement would be using a electronic fuel injection unit from a late model car. Also using 4 or 5 speed overdrive transmissions, stick or auto, gearing is very important.I think that the quickest way to get performance is to stick a blower on them. A Blower would make all the power instantly from to the bottom to the top end of its rpm range. It can be used on a completely stock engine and do all that you really would want in power. I really like just having that straight 8 under the hood because they can really move those big monsters down the road, and they are still a fairly modern engine, trouble free and will last a long time.
blower
Hmmm, my buddy just called me and offered me an Eaton...
Well, maybe not. But in the future, I'm going to try EFI for sure - tired of fiddling with the AAV-26's
Speaking of the straight-6 guys, can you give us a brief of what they are doing?
I found on the web that Venolia offers pistons for the "Wayne 12-port" Chevy six. I would quess these are high-compression pistons?
Have you guys read the California Bill's Chevy GMC (and Buick) Speed Manual, the 1954 edition? Most of the information is outdated, yet it's truly fascinating. For instance, Bill recommends against using new lifters with a new performance cam, but instead insists on using old lifters which are "glazed with carbon" as they will outwear new lifters! Quite contrary to today's belief.
It seems like a manufacturer called BARKER made some hi-lift rockers for these engines.
Hmmm, my buddy just called me and offered me an Eaton...
Well, maybe not. But in the future, I'm going to try EFI for sure - tired of fiddling with the AAV-26's
Speaking of the straight-6 guys, can you give us a brief of what they are doing?
I found on the web that Venolia offers pistons for the "Wayne 12-port" Chevy six. I would quess these are high-compression pistons?
Have you guys read the California Bill's Chevy GMC (and Buick) Speed Manual, the 1954 edition? Most of the information is outdated, yet it's truly fascinating. For instance, Bill recommends against using new lifters with a new performance cam, but instead insists on using old lifters which are "glazed with carbon" as they will outwear new lifters! Quite contrary to today's belief.
It seems like a manufacturer called BARKER made some hi-lift rockers for these engines.
320 I-8
The biggest thing about these old Buick strt 8s is they are an 'INLINE' engine. Thats where they differ from others. Inlines have a different power band,they are designed to make lo end 'TORQ'. The straight 8 [also 4s and 6s] gives the smooth torq to use higher gears for greater hiway speeds So you have to get all thier 'power', [both torq and HP] below 4000 rpm. All the normal hop up stuff, cubes, compression, cam,breathing,timing etc will give added power, and this is where all the fun stuff is, making more power for the fun of it and feeling of improving performance, and hopefully without spending a lotta money. A BLOWER will give you all this on a STOCK ENGINE without all those mods. A blower, [or turbo], is the short cut to having your cake and eating it too, from the bottom end, all the way to the top, thats where inlines shine. The next thing we can do is 'GEAR' that big bomb. Proper gearing is very important for these heavyweights. So i can give you some names of books etc that will help in modifying all engines and specifically inlines. First is 'Chevrolet Inline 6 Cylinder' power manual by Leo Santucci, and any of the books by David Vizard, also check out books on supercharging, go to bookstores and check the racks in the automotive sections where u can read some of the books to find out if they have what you want. Pay attention to all modifications for good low end torq, almost all engine mods are generally applicable to inlines.
The biggest thing about these old Buick strt 8s is they are an 'INLINE' engine. Thats where they differ from others. Inlines have a different power band,they are designed to make lo end 'TORQ'. The straight 8 [also 4s and 6s] gives the smooth torq to use higher gears for greater hiway speeds So you have to get all thier 'power', [both torq and HP] below 4000 rpm. All the normal hop up stuff, cubes, compression, cam,breathing,timing etc will give added power, and this is where all the fun stuff is, making more power for the fun of it and feeling of improving performance, and hopefully without spending a lotta money. A BLOWER will give you all this on a STOCK ENGINE without all those mods. A blower, [or turbo], is the short cut to having your cake and eating it too, from the bottom end, all the way to the top, thats where inlines shine. The next thing we can do is 'GEAR' that big bomb. Proper gearing is very important for these heavyweights. So i can give you some names of books etc that will help in modifying all engines and specifically inlines. First is 'Chevrolet Inline 6 Cylinder' power manual by Leo Santucci, and any of the books by David Vizard, also check out books on supercharging, go to bookstores and check the racks in the automotive sections where u can read some of the books to find out if they have what you want. Pay attention to all modifications for good low end torq, almost all engine mods are generally applicable to inlines.
I -8s
If anyone wants to be a doityouselfer, read Jyrki,s site. he gave me many ideas and inspirations, he tackles it all. And if anybody wants to read about a home built turbo installation on an old car look up this site, its a real blast!! http://www.salt2salt.com/TurboStude!
If anyone wants to be a doityouselfer, read Jyrki,s site. he gave me many ideas and inspirations, he tackles it all. And if anybody wants to read about a home built turbo installation on an old car look up this site, its a real blast!! http://www.salt2salt.com/TurboStude!
I-8 again
Ca. Bills hop up book is still basically good info and in general applies to all inlines, and yes the oldtimers reused lifters, i think that there were a lotta wrong or bad parts out there, and if lifters were used then they would probly be ok to continue using them, i have a set of used solid lifters on my regrind HERBERT cam.
Ca. Bills hop up book is still basically good info and in general applies to all inlines, and yes the oldtimers reused lifters, i think that there were a lotta wrong or bad parts out there, and if lifters were used then they would probly be ok to continue using them, i have a set of used solid lifters on my regrind HERBERT cam.