Hey gang, I have a '41 buick sendaette special and was wondering what parts/years of those straight 8's are interchangeable. Or on top of that what years will bolt up to motor mounts and trans.. I appreciate any advise. Cheers
There were 2 engine sizes...the smaller 248ci and the larger 320ci. You most likely have the smaller engine if its original to your Special. Does it have the compound carb set up (dual carbs)?
Hi Curt, Not sure of the set up as the motor is stripped.. No head intake pullys etc.. I would suspect this had the dual carb set up as it was a special and Im certian that they ran the aerotypes.. but again, not too sure. ere just trying to find a stright 8 that will fit the mounts, and trans..
I'd like to know what heads will swap on and fit. we got lots of 48 to 53 buick's around here and would like to know if that stuff would fix. the bottom end looks good and rolls freely. it missing the head, intake, distributor, fuel pump, stuff that would unbolt from the engine block. the car has cut spring but other than that it is very stock and original. A few of us got the feelin that it's was own by someone that didn't know what they were doing or ran out of money
'41 Buicks have been a passion of mine for many years. I'll try to provide some general info to point you in the right direction. As stated by a previous poster, Buick straight eights came in two sizes, 248 cu in and 320 cu in. Starting in 1937 up all Specials (series 40) and in '40 up Super (series 50) had 248's through 1950. Starting in '51 IIRC, some had 248 and others 263.........the 263's with Dynaflow, 248 with manual trans. '52 Special and Super were 263.......'53 Special was 263.....Super and Roadmaster got the new 322 V8. '37 up Century (series 60), Roadmaster (series 70) and the other Senior Buicks (series 80, 90) were all 320 cu in only. The 320 equipped cars, in all cases, had longer wheel bases and longer front sheetmetal to accommodate the extra length of the 320. While all the Buick straight Eights were very durable engines, and all had full pressure lubrication, they had babbited rods thru 1948. In '49 up 248, 320 and later 263 were all fitted with insert rod bearings. As for compund carburetion.........it was optional on '41 and '42 Specials. A '41 2 door Sedanet was (usually) a model 46S........if factory equipped with dual carbs it was a 46SSE. However, the dual carbs were also available as dealer installed options. To my knowledge, all '41 & '42 Super, Century, Roadmaster and Limited models were factory equipped with compound carbs. The compound carb setup (in all models) also included cast iron dual exhaust manifolds that dumped into a "Y" pipe then was single pipe from the engine compartment back. When swapping engines there are some differences to be aware of. The front mounts through at least '48 are at the front, under the timing cover like early Chevy 6's, and have bell housing mounts at the rear. The '49 up have side mounts, which I personally prefer, but could be fitted with the earlier timing cover plate for the front mounts. Of course, you could also adapt the side mount brackets to an earlier chassis. One other area of concern is the crankshaft flange. On 263's the flange is different for Stick shift and Dynaflows. If you find a 263 and you want an original stick setup, find a 263 engine that was a stick or you'll at least need a stick crank. One other alternative is to get a trans adapter from Wilcap or Bendtsens and use late model Chev flywheel, bellhousing, trans etc, or any Chev automatic. Think that covers enough for now. Ray
thank you Ray, so I guess we'll stay away from the 263 cu in then. but one more Question, will the compound carb intake fix the newer engine? 49 and up.
Yes it will. I have that setup on a 263 (now 270) I am building.......... It was nor my intention to discourage you from using a 263. Actually, the opposite. I would use a 263 if given the choice and stick shift models of it are fairly common. Also, you can upgrade a 248 to insert bearing rods merely by substituting the '49 up 248 rods in place of the babbited versions and I think they are available on an exchange basis from a few suppliers of early Buick parts. 263's have different bearing sizes, both rods and mains. Ray
So ray the 48 super or roadmaster would work fine in the 41 special? I heard it was a tight squeeze!!!!
No, NOT the Roadmaster........it is the 320 and too large to fit in a Special chassis/body unless considerable mods were made. Special and Super (Series 40 & 50) only use the physically smaller 248 and later the 263. Ray
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