51 Buick 263 Straight 8 to PG Trans or?

[old28]

Trying to get some ideas on matching a 263 inline 8 to an automatic for an old school drag

race car build. I don't want to spend my retirement on pricey adapters if I can avoid it.

Open to all ideas as I have never tried to do this setup. I would like something as close to a

Chevy 2 speed Power Glide or a TH350 type trans.

Throw out some ideas please

[Muley Gil]

Do you have just an engine or does it have a tranny already? A PowerGlide is a scaled down DynaFlow.

If you have just an engine, look at the flywheel. A straight eight for a manual transmission has a flange on the crankshaft that sticks out past the flywheel. A straight eight set up for the automatic DynaFlow doesn't have that flange.

[old28]

Muley Gil

Thanks for the reply. I have been drag racing PG for the last 30 years and have a good feel for what they will do, race ones are very efficient. You can get a TH350 chevy trans built the same way.

I do not have the motor yet, but it was setup for a Dynaflow trans. Are there any BOP TH trans that will bolt up to this motor? Will I have to run an adapter? Who makes one if needed?

Any suggestions on an easy trans swap? This will be in a Nostalgia Drag Race Car.

This is all new to me and I want to make this Buick Straight 8 work as it is a different motor setup than the normal Inline Chevy 6.

[BigRivy]

There is nothing made out of aluminum that will bolt to one of these engines. Transmission wise anyway. You will have to make or buy an adapter. There is one place, I believe, that makes a straight eight adapter. I don't remember off the top of my head how to spell their name. It's Brenstens or Brendstads or something to that effect. Go to a search engine and type the name in with the words transmission adapter after it and it should come up. The adapter they sell looks to be a decent piece but they are plenty proud of it. I would advise that you get a 320 cid straight 8 instead of the 263. Might as well start with the biggest one they made. 320's made after '49 have insert rod bearings. Everything you do to hot rod a straight 8 is gonna be expensive. A lot more than any Chevy 6. Almost all of your speed parts will have to be fabricated by you. There are no commercially available intakes or headers. Pistons will have to be custom forgings and you might as well start researching cam grinders because there are very few who will mess with regrinding a straight 8 cam, and even fewer that will have any advice on what kind of grind will work. Hopefully your core engine will have a good regrindable cam because there are no cores available. You will need to reface your lifters also. It's all doable, just takes a bit more resourcefulness and money. Make sure to research the straight 8 part of this website. Lots of good info there. There are two hot rod straight 8 topics with many many posts that you should read. Projects like this are what separates the men from the boys. You are gonna have to do it old school. Good luck.

[Bob]

Bendtsen's: http://www.transmissionadapters.com/...ht_263_320.htm