#1950 buick hot rod full
Compound carburetion continued through the limited 1942 production, but was discontinued after World War II.ġ946 - A new method of finishing the cylinder walls was inaugurated.ġ947- Full precision insert bearings were used on the crankshaft beginning in mid-1947.ġ948 - A new "Flex-Fit" oil ring was fitted to the pistons, an improved oil filter was installed, and a new engine/transmission assembly rubber-mounting system was installed which dampened engine and road vibrations to provide passengers a smoother ride. This year 10 mm spark plugs were also used and the forerunner of a PVC (positive crankcase ventilation) system was pioneered which vented the oil vapors to the carburetor through a small tube from the top of the valve cover to the air cleaner. Buick also begin using a "assembly balancing" technique which tested each engine complete with clutch to eliminate unwarranted vibrations before installation.ġ941 - Compound carburetion introduced on all Super, Century, and Roadmaster models as standard equipment and available as an option on all Specials. The resulting brake mean effective pressure was 5 to 12% greater than any other competitive engine.ġ940 - A larger, more reliable oil pump was introduced along with an improved radiator and a 7 psi radiator cap. A Buick Century was officially clocked at 103 mph.ġ938 - Domed "Turbulator'' pistons employed which resulted in improved combustion in addition to increasing the compression ratio. "streamlined" intake valves and a revised oil pump were also introduced. Stromberg replaced Marvel as the carburetor supplier.ġ937 - Aluminum rocker arm shaft brackets employed to provide a quieter valve train. A downdraft carburetor was first applied on the small engines replacing the updraft models which were used from 1931.ġ935 - Downdraft carburetors used on all engines.ġ936 - "Anolite" anodized aluminum pistons first employed.
#1950 buick hot rod driver
The 1934 engines also included a control which enabled changing the distributor timing by the driver from inside the car.
#1950 buick hot rod generator
Some of the more significant improvements to the basic straight-8 design incorporated during the 23-year period follow.ġ934 - A chain timing drive, belt-driven generator and water pump powered by the fan shaft eliminated the need for the accessories shaft. Yet, there are external changes which detract from authenticity if blocks are swapped. It makes possible replacing some components in early engines with late model counterparts. The apparent commonalities in the later engines has both advantages and disadvantages for Buick restorers. That is not true for the small engine introduced in 1937 and the large engine introduced in 1936. The early engines had no interchangeable parts between engine sizes. Carburetion, valve operations, combustion chamber design and other refinements added to the improved performance. The performance increases were in part due to changing internal engine dimensions and compression ratios. The 320 CI began with 120 BHP and ultimately produced 170 BHP. The small engine evolved from one producing 77 BHP in 1931 to 128 BHP in the configuration used in the 19 models equipped with Dynaflow automatic transmission. The 320 CI engine is physically longer than the small engine, but the small engine has the same external dimensions, regardless of displacement, leading to a popular substitution of the 263 CI engine in models dating back to 1937. The small engine was increased to 248 CI in 1937 and to 263 CI in 1950. Continued change in the dimensions of the small engine continued through 1953, but the big engine's basic dimensions remained until the last was installed in 1952. The small engine was increased to 233 CI in 1935 and the others were replaced with a 320 CI engine in 1936. It is interesting to note that Red Shafer used a modified 272 CI engine in a racer which started 23rd and finished in 12th place in the 1931 Indianapolis race. The 1931 engines had a crank with 5 main bearings, mechanical valve lifters, and updraft carburetors. In the beginning, there were 3 variations, 220 cubic inch (CI)with a compression ratio (CR) of 4.75:1 and 77 brake horsepower ( BHP), a 272 CI with 4.63 CR and 90 BHP, and 344 CI engine with 4.5 CR and 104 BHP. These engines had some commonalities throughout this 23-year period, but development and refinement was continuous. Torque became a design imperative which guided Buick engineers ever after. These engines were rugged and established Buick's lasting reputation for engines which produce gobs of low-end torque. "Bill" Anderson, P.E., Vice President of the BHA.īuick employed Straight-8 engines in all models from 1931 through 1952 and in the Specials in 1953 when the nailhead V-8 was introduced in the Super and Roadmaster models.