Projects Finally worthy of posting on the H.A.M.B

for years I've been looking for a Buick prewar coupe and I finally found one. right now it's bone stock with factory straight 8 and a 3 speed trans. intentions are a hot nailhead and manual transmission.

 

Sweet Congrats!

 

Damn. That's a nice lookin' car.
SUPER congratulations.

 

Looks really nice! I've heard those 30's Buick transmissions were pretty stout and can handle the power of at least a mild V8, I think adapters were made to put them behind a bunch of different engines.

That said, I'd be tempted to try to track down a dual carb setup for the straight 8 if that were my car, being it's already so nice, but nailheads are cool too.

 

Lots of really cool period correct hot rod stuff available for that straight 8 engine.......Edmunds manifolds......Mallory ignitions......etc. including updates to larger displacement later straight 8's.......lots of alternatives to the belly ****on nailhead !!
Beautiful car. Have fun

 

I will certainly look into that. I don't need 500 hp, just a fun car to drive and enjoy.

 

I have to go with the popular opinion. Dual carbs and a good ignition really wakes those straight 8s up. That is a neat looking Buick and they are tough as nails as long as you don't beat on it too hard. You are a lucky guy and made a great purchase.
Mike

 

Nice,
more pics would be even nicer......please !
Thanks for posting.

 

In what abstract universe are nailheads belly ****on engines?
Nice car, no restoration needed. Right to the fun stuff.

 

Sweet car..uncommoningly cool!

 

Leave the straight 8 in it. Put some old timer mods on it [twin carbs etc]

 

Washington State plates; where are you located? I think I'd be tempted to leave it pretty much as is; maybe some wheels/tires. If you follow through with the nailhead, post a build thread. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

just looked at this car on seattle craigs list posted 4 hrs ago

 

With the right exhaust, a straight 8 sounds so good. Everyone will know it's something different coming in.
Great looking coupe.

 

Beautiful Buick.As most said look into some mods for the 8.They have their own sound.

 

Beautiful Buick! ........looks like a ‘38 Special. I have one also and love that model.

That said, in stock condition, the biggest drawback, in my opinion, is the 4.40 - 1 rear axle ratio.....’re transmissions, Buicks with the 248 engines (and later 263) have the lighter duty transmission, commonly referred to as ‘5 bolt top cover’. It is not especially stout, unlike the heavy duty trans, known as the 6 bolt top cover. Unfortunately, they do not interchange.

The rear end can be refitted with a taller gear set, something from up through ‘55, if you should decide to go that route. A better option, though more effort and money, is to swap out the torque tube driveline and trans for an open drive.

Again, a very nice Coupe.... enjoy.

Ray

 

Very nice!!!

 

yup, the seller and I talked last year when he had it listed but I didnt act on it and he went out of country for a while. I happened to call him today just after he reposted it and before it showed up online. saved a couple grand by not buying it last year.

 

Once you drive a straight 8 Buick you might decide that you really do not need a v-8. Nice torque low rpm engine.

 

That is nice. Definitely not something you see at all the events. Very unique.
There's a 38 Buick bomb on the cl***ified. That one's also cooler than hell. I really, really like that body.

 

Nice looking ride.

 

I might be a little biased, but 37/38 buick coupes are damn cool! When i bought mine, i was going to do the same thing with a nailhead and muncie since it didnt have an engine or trans, but being a century, the thought of a 320 straight 8 was too appealing and im going that route, with a homebrew multi carb intake and homemade header. With yours being a Special with the 248, a nailhead makes for a compelling argument since even the restoration guys seem to complain about them being too slow, but im sure the gearing doesnt help. Looking forward to seeing what you do with this!

 

That is a car I would love to own. Straight eight or nailhead, you can't go wrong with either one. You may need to change the gears in the rear end to keep up with traffic. I think you can just change the center section to a newer one from an Dynaflow car. Someone here will know how new a one will still fit.

 

Beautiful, mod up that straight eight. With right gearing, I think you'll like it!

 

As others have said those straight 8's can really go with a few mods.

 

Wow! Beautiful car! Congrats!

 

That’s a beautiful Buick. I’m in with the Nailhead. Had a few 401 powered Wildcats and a 425 duelquad 64 Cat, that ride had some juice. Ran circles around my buddy’s 67 Impala SS with a 396
Happy 4th H.A.M.B.
Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

First of all, I love the car. I didn't see it mentioned anyplace, so exactly what year and model is it? According to "Hnstray" it's a Special; I thought it was, but don't know enough about these to be sure. Here's a question for anyone who may know : How difficult is it to swap in a 320 ci Roadmaster (I've always loved that name) engine? Is it a bolt-in, or is it enough longer to require new mounts, the radiator moved, etc. What about the 6-bolt cover transmission vs. the 5-bolt version? Are they interchangeable? If the 320 is a bolt in, I'd stay with that, but if it is more complicated, I'd be leaning towards the nailhead. I had a rebuilt '53 263 in a '48 Super convertible and wasn't that impressed with the performance. I think the extra cubic inches are needed.

 

Denny,

The difference between a Special/248 and a Century/320 is 4” of additional wheelbase to accommodate the bigger, taller, longer and heavier 320. It’s not a matter of just moving the radiator. I previously owned a ‘38 Century Coupe...sold it to a buddy who still has it. Later bought the ‘38 Special I have now.

The six bolt ****** will not interchange with the 5 bolt for several reasons. It may, I repeat may, be possible to adapt the 6 bolt unit by using the 320 bell housing, but that depends on whether the 320 and 248 blocks share the same block dimensions in that area. And crank flange size/spacing. Some things I am not sure about. And, there is the issue of scarcity of the 6 bolt trans to begin with.

The best way to get a high cubic inch inline in a shorter Special ch***is is to use a larger 6 cylinder (heresy ! ) like a 302 GMC, 292 Chevy or Ford 300. But none of them are “Straight Eight Buicks”.... I have a 263 with mild overbore that is right at 270” and a mild reground cam that I expect will perform just fine for my purposes, especially when combined with an updated trans and rear end.

Bendtsens in MN transmissionadapters.com offers an adapter plate ***embly that makes the back of a Buick Eight the same as the back of a Chevy so you can hang anything on it from the GM parts bin. I bought one, It’s not cheap (what is?), but the adapter is well made and really gives a builder lots of powertrain options.

I think the ‘38 Special weighs quite a bit less than the ‘48 Super convertible.

Ray

 

Worth the wait. beautiful.