1957 Buick Styling Dealership film strip, Colorized

Engineering and Styling features of the 57 Buick. This one suffered from some damage (couple slides missing so I improvised).

[@friendofdorothy9376]

Fun to watch. Thanks for loading it.

[@autochronicles8667]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@rickey5353]

That torque tube was a pain in the butt.

[@autochronicles8667]

yeah i belive it is stronger tough and maybe helps dampen vibration? I would think the vibration damping is a better benefit than being stronger. I think it probably is stronger though... Not that any cars had enough HP to stress the rear axles of the day

[@charlesb7019]

Why was it a pain?

[@Osceola36dd]

@@charlesb7019 Try removing the transmission and you'll understand.

[@Osceola36dd]

So many other makes of cars didn't use a torque tube and the where vibration free.

[@jamesbosworth4191]

@@autochronicles8667 It is torque, more than horsepower, that stresses gears, and yes, many 57 cars did indeed have enough beans to stress gears.

[@victorremick9721]

Now that was a AUTOMILBILL NOT JUST A CAR. And plenty of get up and go.

[@darthhemi1735]

Yeah always tasteful

[@jamesbosworth4191]

Buick stayed with the torque-tube partly because they used coil springs in back, as did the Nash. Leaf springs doubled as rear axle locating members on cars with an open drive shaft. The rest of GM showed how to use rear coils with an OPEN drive shaft starting with the 58 Cad, Pontiac, and Chevy.

[@keelerhastings7109]

Buick has always designed a beautiful car, absolute metal works of art, today's alternating engines would have driven those people crazy,

[@autochronicles8667]

They did a good job of fine touches... Tasteful... they still do a good job... I typically always prefer the Buick over say the standard GM in late model cars.

[@jamesbosworth4191]

Alternating engines? What are those?

[@keelerhastings7109]

@@jamesbosworth4191 Alternating hybred engines are those that go from electric to gas

[@jamesbosworth4191]

@@keelerhastings7109 Alternating Hybrid DRIVETRAIN maybe, but is impossible for an ENGINE to switch over to become a MOTOR, as an ENGINE burns a fuel carried on-board to produce power, whereas a MOTOR converts an outside power source that it is tethered to, be it electricity, liquid, vacuum, or air, into power.

[@keelerhastings7109]

@@jamesbosworth4191 James , just goes to to you what I know , Zilch

[@5610winston]

Notice that the narrator makes no mention of the Nash, Rambler, and Hudson torque tube drive and four-corner coil springs, claiming those features as Buick exclusives.

[@autochronicles8667]

lol those don't exist!

[@matrox]

@@autochronicles8667 Yes they did.

[@jamesbosworth4191]

@@autochronicles8667 They did then.

[@arnepianocanada]

So sad it did not turn out as expected. Widely negative reaction (e.g. "Suddenly it's 1949" said Plymouth of some models' unloved tri-split rear windows) made sales plummet.

[@keelerhastings7109]

Those rear windows were beautiful

[@jamesbosworth4191]

It wasn't just that back window - Supers and Roadmasters soon received a 1 piece back window, and it didn't help - it was because Buick overhyped the car before introduction, promising a "most changed Buick since 1949" and "Radically new", but the car looked like a re-touched 55 with a 54 grille. Far short of what people thought they would get.

[@kirbywaite1586]

The '56 was actually better looking than the 1957. Ditto for Cadillac and that weird razor blade fin.

[@darthhemi1735]

The 57 is pretty nice in its own right

[@5610winston]

@@darthhemi1735 Yeah. Three piece rear window. SUDDENLY IT'S 1949!

[@arnepianocanada]

Public agreed witn you. Sales comparing '56 to '57 collapsed, something like 700,000 to 450,000. Bloated, too much of a good thing in '57 I think.

[@jamesbosworth4191]

@@arnepianocanada The 57s were actually trim. The reasons sales collapsed was because Buick overhyped the 57 before it came out. They claimed a "radically new car" and "the most changed Buick since 1949", but the car wound up looking like a warmed over 55 with a 54 grille. Hardly what people were expecting. The other problem was the 57 - 58 recession. It started in mid 57, harming car sales late in the model year.

[@matrox]

Back then smooth shifting was all the rage, now people want firm shifting transmissions. WTF!?

[@jamesbosworth4191]

The DynaFlow didn't shift. It operated entirely in High, unless you manually put it in Lo. The converter was all you had in Drive. That's why cars so equipped were sluggish off the line, just like the old Chrysler Fluid Drive cars.

[@jamesbosworth4191]

Back then, people wanted smoothness, quietness, roominess, comfort, acceleration, and beauty. Today they want Japanese-like characteristics - a rough truck-like ride, a cramped uncomfortable interior, lots of road noise, a hyper high-revving torqueless engine that you can't work on, and general ugliness.

[@loumontcalm3500]

Boy did they mess them up in '58! Chevy dropped torque tube after '54. Dynaslush trans. The '57 Chrysler lineup made these look old hat. Buick kept torque tube thru '62 AMC kept torque tube thru '66

[@matrox]

57 Chryslers looked like they were sagging in the middle. I never cared for Chrysler designs until 64' when they made the Imperial Crown. 64-66 beautiful cars, the 65' the best of all.

[@lonwaslien104]

I’m outside where are you? I’m right here in the Buick. I don’t see a Buick.

[@glennso47]

Do they mention Broderick Crawford driving a Buick cop car? If they don’t they are not advertising the Buick as they should. 10-4?

[@jamesbosworth4191]

That was the 55 Buick Century. The CHP didn't like them, that's probably why they weren't mentioned.

[@glennso47]

You should have a red and blue light on the roof.

[@saxongreen78]

They're right about 15" wheels...they not only ride better, steer easier, they allow for easier highway driving with lower revs. 1960 Falcon, and others, had 13" rims...too small. They're wrong about Dynaflow, though!😊

[@jamesbosworth4191]

And they also allow bigger brakes!

[@glennso47]

Every car needs vents on the side of the hood.

[@autochronicles8667]

6 of them also... and they are portholes :)

[@hilbornnailhead9906]

​@@autochronicles8667 Buick called them ventiports. The original designer intended for them to have lights that fired with corresponding spark plugs to give the impression of a fighter plane exhaust. The idea was scrapped due to costs.

[@tede.kulhawik7614]

The dynaslow trans. really hindered performance and the vertical tiny valve engine didn't hold up half as long as Chevy or Pontiac engines in GM tests, the Olds rocket V8 and hydramatic we're far superior+ the Buicks rear end had a reputation for failing wheel bearings, but I guess grandpa didn't care.

[@jamesbosworth4191]

I had 3 different Buicks with that engine, and I never had any trouble at all with them. Unlike most Overhead engines they didn't use any seals on the valve guides, (neither did the Straight 8), yet they used practically ZERO oil. In 2,000 miles, the lowest the oil would be was about 1 cup, yes 1 cup, low, and the "add" mark on the dipstick is a quart, but yes, the DynaFlow did hurt off the line performance, but it was indeed reliable.

[@glennso47]

Dynaflop tranny No moving parts when you are stalled on the side of the road. 😮

[@autochronicles8667]

cmon they worked man :)

[@dallasmars2]

No Chevy. Transmissions In Buick like years later in oldmobile

[@dallasmars2]

Get a Nash or a hudson no more after 1957

[@matrox]

@@autochronicles8667 Glenn Lego grew up brainwashed on Toyotas and Hondas and has no clue.

[@tede.kulhawik7614]

Also known as dynaslow, and the vertical tiny valve engine didn't hold up half as long as Chevy or Pontiac engines in GM tests. The Olds rocket V8 and hydramatic we're far superior.