Hop up parts for pontiac straight 8

I'm looking for speed parts for my 52 Pontiac chieftain. Any Hand all help is appreciated.

 

Here is the engine so far.

 

Edmunds made an aluminum head and an intake manifold for the straight 8 Pontiac, but they're pretty rare. I'm not sure if there's much of anything else available.

 

Speed and straight 8 flathead really don't go together without some work. Really just eye candy for speed parts(dual carb intake). But there were a low and high compression factory head available. I know the 6 cyl were even stamped high compression right on the head, not sure about the 8's. 514364 was the 6.8 compression head, 514369 was the 7.7 head, these numbers only apply to 50-52. Without a cam and exhaust upgrades probably not going to get any really noticable power increase.

 

More compression will always help you out, especially when you've only got 6.8 to start with. Don't knock yourself out looking for a factory "high compression" head; you can always mill down your existing head for more squeeze.

 

Good luck! I owned a "high compression" straight-8 '54 Chieftan and it was hands-down the slowest car I have ever owned. Smooth, quiet, and oddly economical (maybe because of the 4-speed hydromatic trans?) but slooowwwww.

 

get rid of it and put a real pontiac motor

 

look for the high compression head, that will help you. also, if you know someone that is real handy with cast iron they can split your manifold for dual carbs. you don't need to look for speed for neck snapping starts just a cool looking motor. i have a 53 straight 8 and am looking forward to doing the same. the straight 8's are too cool and you will be the only kid on the block to have one. anybody can run a V8.

 

I have a friend that has or had some speed equipment, dual carbs and head for a Pont str8-- 8.
Petronix makes an electronic conversion for the ignition... Make sure you call Petronix Tec Line for application.. the parts stores will try to sell you a unit for a V8. Petronix will tell you that you need to use a 12v coil on the 6v system.
I had a '53 Pont 8 for a while a couple of years ago, the Petronix ign worked great on it.

 

i bought a straght 8 EDMUNDS alum head at an estate sale...nos,unused...trying to determine what it fits...has 38 head bolts...it is listed on the hamb site under info needed.. if you need more pics..PM me and i will send them...if it is what you need,the negotiations can begin...thanks Tony and Co..

 

i like it, long and shinny.

 

I have a Petronix and a K& N air filter. High much HP do you need to cruise in cool a woodie?

 

Here is the car so far, I'll get pic of the engine tonight.

 

i know these cars aren't too quick, just looking to make it a little different from the rest.

 

you won't get too many off the line but in the flying mile you will smoke a lot of them, if you don't lose your nerve.

 

My friend is building a 29 sedan with a straight eight, edmunds dual and high compression head, here some pics.
First before painting, and the rest just now at the firsts steps of the rebuilding...

 

Looks great Buicking. Do you know where he got the chromed sidecovers?

 

I had a '41 Pontiac straight eight back in the day...split the manifold and put Porter steel packs on it...sounded really nice but like so many have said...it was slow!

 

That Edmund aluminum head picture sure looks like the bolt pattern and thermostat housing location is the same. I'm an OHV Buick STR8'er myself, but any of the long motors look good to me.

 

Sidecovers are chromed original ones..

 

lots of help is available ,,but folks need to know more about your project,,,

Waht is your goal?

is it more perfomance?

Or just dress up?

How many miles on the engine?

Are going to rebuild the engine?

Waht is your current rear end gear ratio? are you willing to change it?

What trans?

Do you know how to fabricate with metal?

Can you weld?

What is your budget for this? $1,000 or $5,000?

are you willing to install a hidden nitrous system?


As many who have hot rodded Inlines,,,the best cheapest way to more performance is to boost the engine with a superchager or even turbo charger,,it can be a bolt on deal with out changeing anything on the engine except the intake and exhaust manifolds.

But if you have the CASH, and are willing to learn,, you can make big increases in power with out boosting,, but it will cost lots more and take more engine mods.

up the compression ratio by,,,Mill the head, or mill the Edmonds heat to get 9 to 1.

Regrind the cam to perfomance specs,,,lot of folks can do this.

port the intake and exh. ports, install bigger valves, and better valve springs.

offset regrind the rod journals for more stroke and make the finsh diammeter samller for a modern conectting rod and use a modern stock or aftermarket connecting rod and have custom pistons made. Lots of folks can do this too.

lighten the crank counter weights on a big engine lathe,,,

lighten the flywheel.

Balance every thing.

Make a better manifold for better carbs.

make a header.

Put more gear in the rear.

this will cost between $5,000 and $ 10,000 if you have it done,,,but can bee done for lots less if you are a good engine builder and fabricator.


here in detroit in the 1970's we used to have 6 cyl oval track cars,,, and they would do this and more to a 250 chevy 6 cyl.

 

see this

http://www.hotrod.com/featuredvehicles/hrdp_1002_packard_retro_rod/index.html

it is also somewhere here on the hamb.

Packard-Powered Genius
Brian Thomas Redefines Retro Rod With A Supercharged Flathead Packard Straight-Eight Roadster.

 

see inliner forums

http://inliners.org/

http://stoveboltengineco.com/

search the hamb for inline six super charging,, inline eight engine perfomance,,and so on,,

 

see super charged inline

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=372495

pics

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=285708

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=479054

 

whew...that's a lot of info. The Chieftain has about 40,000 original miles on it. A valve job was done on it about 10,000 miles ago. I'm not looking to go blindingly fast, just a little bit better so I can keep up with some of the other mild customs and rods in my club. It needs to be reliable: i want to drive it on power tour and to Bonneville some day. I'm on a limited budget right now, but am trying to free up some money, around $2000. Most importantly, i want it to look like an engine that would have been hupped up when it was new, how someone would have fixed it up back in the 50s to make it look different fro the rest.

 

Probably out of the budget to go full out with the 4 side draft carbs, but could do a cheaper version of the 54 Bonneville Special engine. Red engine with a couple carbs would look nice.

http://www.welovepontiacs.com/concept_cars/1954bonneville.html

 

install a used belt driven centrifugal super charger like they used in the 1950's, that way you do not have to change anything on the engine, you just blow thru the carb.

anyone on the hamb ever used a paxton type super charger?

used superchargers

http://www.racingjunk.com/category/1296/Superchargers.html

 

belt driven centrifugal super chargers

http://www.paxtonauto.com/product.php?id=157

http://www.vortechsuperchargers.com/category_browser.php?level=1&ln=SUPERCHARGERS

 

I'd just leave it the way it is; just make everything look good, and run well. I had a friend in high school (66-69) that had a 52 Pontiac 2 door hardtop, with a straight eight and hydramatic trans. Green with a white top, and another friend, who was somewhat of an artist, gave it painted-on, GTO badges on the trailing ends of the front fenders. A 52 Pontiac GTO! I worked in Standard Chevron Station, and he'd come in to get free oil from the pump island oil racks (they had a trough to catch the oil can drippings). It did'nt matter what the oil was, he'd dump it in the old Pontiac because it burned oil so bad. About twice a year, he and his dad would pull the oil pan, and clean the oil pump pickup screen because it would get plugged up. Keep it the way it is, and enjoy your old car. Thanks for kick starting that memory. Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

I would think twice about adding any kind of power adder because of the stock steel pistons. Maybe after a rebuild with aluminum pistons would be better imo with the lighter parts. Intake and exhaust would be the best upgrade.

If this was a manual trans car, it would be nice to get a 5 speed in there to help with the gearing off the line. On my 6cyl 41 Pontiac I had it was a manual trans car and standard gear was 4:30, "economy" gear was 3:90.