Hello, thinking of running a Pontiac straight 8 in a car. Had some questions, The engine is a 1952 with a automatic 1. does this engine use babbit bearings? 2. Are there any performance parts for these engines? 3. I've heard these engines have full pressure oiling, is this true? 4. Any known issues with these engines or auto transmissions? Always wanted to run a inline 8 in something.
1. has insert bearings 2. slim to none availability 3.yes 4. Sluggish, but the hydramatics are 'bulletproof" 5. Get a Buick straight 8 ! Ray
Yer injun, yer muny, yer th decider. However, if you want the good straight eights, it is the '50s Buick and Packard. Most of the rest will be the same or more money and far less performance. thnx, jack vines
Thanks for the help guys....I still may buy the pontiac 8 but what years of Buick Straight 8's are the ones to get?
The last couple years of Roadmaster have the bigger (320.2) of the two Buick eights using insert bearings instead of babbitt, and could be had with a factory 4-bbl carb - like 1951, 1952. Special and Super use a smaller (248 ci) motor that's actually a bit shorter overall. Dual carb intakes exist for both. That I know of the only Pontiac performance stuff were aluminum heads and intakes; you could mill a stock head a bit to bump up the compression and probably make an intake/exhaust to add carbs and run duals if you wanted.
Check the threads here but I remember one that had a bunch of different straight 8's all done up, and I remember one was a Pontiac with Weber carbs. Rob
Buick Century '37 thru '42 and Roadmasters from 1937 thru 1952 have 320's............Buick Special and Super have 248's from 1937 thru about 1950......'51 thru '52 Super and '51 thru '53 Special have 263's.......'49 and later are all insert rod bearings, but ALL are full pressure lube, even when equipped with poured babbit rods, and are very durable engines. '49 and later rods retrofit into earlier non-insert engines. About 4" difference in length between 248/263 and the 320......also height and weight is a bit more. Ray
Those Pontiac straight 8's are good engines. The one that was in my car sit for 45 years. I just did a tune up and put 50,000 miles on it without any major trouble at all and no internal work. The old Hydra-matic is bullet proof also. The flathead ran great until I pulled it to replace it with a rebuilt one I had...and even that one, 8,000 miles so far trouble free and still cruisin'. The one that's in my car now is pretty much stock other than a .060 over bore. The car is a 52 Pontiac and this new engine is a 52 engine also. That 52 Hydra-matic should be dual range also. Which gives you the option to control 3rd and 4th gears. 1st and 2nd are in the Low selection. The previous year hydra-matics just had a selection of Low (1st&2nd) and Drive (3rd and 4th). And as said, speed stuff is very hard to come by, but it does show up from time to time.
My folks drove our 39 Pontiac straight 8 business coupefrom Chicago to L.A. 0n route 66, June '44. Had to get a new water pump midway. He had it rebuilt in ,49. Good engine, but Buicks have way more power. Get a 320 Buick engine, mill the head and find a 4 barrel intake from a '52, and you will feel the power. Dependable engine. Also can adapt a muncie or saginaw trans or T-5, or go automatic, turbo hyd, with a Berntsens adaptor. Pontiacs are open drive.
I had a 1950 silver streak 4 door with St8 and hydromatic. I traded my buddy for it, he had rebuilt it for his first ever car. I liked it a lot. It ran well and was very good for long trips. The car was a great road car with comfort and a huge back seat (which I had occation to use!) I actually liked it better than my '51 Mercury, although it didn't look as cool. I think it was a better car.
The Jalopy Journal
