str8 HI-PERF Head

[alleycat]

Something has been bothering me for quite some time now, about 30 years...and it is; a comeplete and total lack of any kind of a half way decient head for any of buicks str8's.
Now, considering that the 320 and 248 are engines created out of existing tooling, given a cosmetic modernizing in order to look "new" for 36. A very average head out of the 1920's bolted on top, is not that out of line. If thats all there was, well then, there'd be no questioning.
But, there's a fly in the ointment: Buicks dual carb unit. This thing is brilliant. To spell it out, it is: A ram air/cold air, sealed/pressurized air cleaner, dual carb, single plane intake intregral with streamlined high flow dual exhaust manifolds. Nobody has anything like it. Anywhere. I would expect to see something like this on a Stutz, or Dusenberg, but buick? It's in the line-up in 1938, with little or no fanfare. Its 20 years ahead of the time. And it is completely out of context. We don't see anything like it untill the mid 60's, and not totaly. Whats the rub? The engine its bolted to. Did the guy that came up with it not even look at the head it was bolting to? The same effort expended on a head would have yielded way more in engine performance, visual impact would be missing though. Somethings screwey here...
Now, if thats all there was...But its not. Buicks 263. Came in 1950. In the midst of Buicks V8 development. Outa no where. I, like most, thought it a bored 248, did'nt give it much thought. A few years ago I start to really look the 263 over. This engine is brillant. It, like the dual carbs, has little or no flaws. This engine is a true high performance engine, long befor the term was coined. This engine is 20 years ahead of everything in the country, GM not withstanding. Sometimes I'm just not the brightest bulb....The answer has been hiding in plane sight. The dual carbs and the 263 were desighed by the same guy/s at the same time, as a package deal! That is 1935-38!! It was on paper about 1935, it was a runner by 1938. The duals were a preliminary release. I am 100% certain that the
engine was due to be in production by the 40-41 model year. Buicks engine color change, to red!, possiably was telling us just how close this was. This engine was going to be a absolute blockbuster!! Unlike anything this country had seen. Something went wrong.
Was there at least a improved head? Without a doubt. Judging from the
two existing parts, a head probably 20 years ahead of anything else.
We finally got the engine 12 years late, long after it could make no impact, the head, never.
However!! The engine was so close that at least some short runs of parts had been made, heads included. When the programe was killed, you can bet that some of those heads went home, there were buick fans even then....Some of 'em must have survived. Better start keeping a sharp eye open. I don't have any idea as to what it may look like but if one could be found....wow!! alleycat

[39CENT]

haha, yep look at those exhaust manifolds, the single one has a similar shape as the 55, 56 chevy manifolds as they smoothly rise upwards and out. The duals are similar to the rams horn chevs. In fact i was trying to fig out how to make them fit my buick. Too much work, but pipe would be easy. I have a cracked 52 roadmaster manifold that i am going to split [5 &3]. Was talkin to one of my guru,s about buick intake ports and he said the old bu sixes [way bak] would expand past the entrance going towards the siamesed valves, really nice. The intake system could be way better for performance but its designed to do exactly what the engineers wanted, provide electric smooth torq. The small bore long stroke open combustion chambers are like the modern low compression smog motors. My dual carbs work beautifully, slip the clutch a little an roll out in second gear, its like a steam locomotive wind it out andthen roll open the second carb, it keeps up. I have a single exhaust, but going to make duals. Also saw a complete Packard 4 barrell intake and exhaust manifold on ebay but was too late to get it. Its so smooth and so close to the buick ports and it added 10hp to the Packard.

[oliverbuick]

it sure seems that with all of the technology somebody could have made a new modern head for the any engine. if people were to have spent a fraction of their time on makeing new castings for v8 engines toward other older engines we might be able to out perform a lot of these v8 engines.why cant some body develope a head with hemi style combustion chambers. all those smart people really need is the exixting dimentions of the bock and camshaft specs and the could build us a head. it wouldn't be any different than making vortec heads for a chevy.

[bob k. mando]

ya know, i feel your pain ....

but i have no sympathy.

how do you think the Buick small block guys feel? an intake and headers, that's all you can get for 350. not even those for a 340.