Straight 8 Buick Start Up

1950 Buick Roadmaster first start of the inline eight or straight 8. Although this engine is very worn it is still a beautiful piece of engineering from more than half a century ago.
Acquiring the Buick • Painted Ladies
Piston displacement, Cubic Inches: 320.2
Horsepower: 152
Firing Order: 16258374
Bore and Stroke: 3-7/16 x 4-5/16

[@mikecinquen]

If you're an old car guy this is a thing of beauty

[@regsparkes6507]

These straight 8 engines were THEE smoothest running cars back then when I was a little boy,....I can remember, in the '60's my buddy had one that he brought to school. Holy Moses, what wonderful torque these 8's could produce.

[@seanhart7185]

Reg Sparkes Technically speaking they will always be smoother due to physics. Inline engines don't need balancer shafts and they have much less horizontal movement vibration that a V type engine.

[@seanhart7185]

***** I mean any inline engine will feel smoother that a V or boxer configuration. Whether it's a strait 2,4,5,8,12, or 24 cylinder it will always be smooth due to physics.

[@regsparkes6507]

Yeah well, you'll have to tell that to the maker's of those older 4 cylinder engines . It took 'em years to 'discover' the value of a balance shaft. Once you get more than four cylinders however, they tend to balance themselves out like you said, Sean, especially those wonderful BMW engines available now.

[@mdogg1604]

Yes they were torque monsters. And I believe I saw one in Hot Rod that runs at Bonneville. I'd go to Bonneville just to see that car run!

[@regsparkes6507]

Matt, I would never 'blame' you for wishing to see that.

[@JimmiB2]

Brings back memories! When I got my license in 1958 that was the first car I drove. My dad's 1950 Roadmaster. What a great car that was.

[@TheLargemarge1]

Jim Boyer Did she have power?

[@CBeard849]

My grandfather once gave me his Dad's 1953 Chrysler New Yorker deluxe. It had the original powder blue paint job which was faded like this but not bad. I was amazed(this car too) that all I had to do was take a rag sprayed with some WD-40 and when I wiped down the chrome, which was all still there, that chrome shined like a silver mirror! The engine was a V-8 Hemi of about 290 CI displacement and it was running fine when my Grandpa parked it about 20 years prior. I was only about 20 years old and being a stupid kid with no money or skills, when I had to move about 2 years later I ended up selling it for $200 and a couple of pump shotguns. I still live with guilt for not having tried harder to hang onto it.

[@AlaskaTrucker]

I think the term is "over built" thats how things were in the old world. Built to last. Ill be 54 in April and we still have a Sears refrigerator that my folks bought before I was born. That thing is running to this day and it doesnt even rattle and works perfectly. Thanks for watching!

[@ebbsspeed]

That would have been a 331 cubic inch hemi.

[@stephenandloriyoung5716]

​@@AlaskaTrucker Now, appliance sales people tell me to expect five to seven years from a new fridge. Technological progress, I guess.

[@iamrichrocker]

love the passion you have for these ol' road warriors..wish you would make some more videos soon..peace and health to you and yours..

[@AlaskaTrucker]

Thank you, Rich In the process of updating all of our video equipment and software, quite a steep learning curve, at least initially. Good health to you and yours as well and thank you for your interest!

[@iivaridark6850]

This videowork is awesome! And... You really undestand the deep meaning of silence and mechanical features of old engines! Piece of Art! Thanks!

[@AlaskaTrucker]

Thank you! The car is a piece of artwork in and of itself so creating the video was easy. I cant imagine having rolled this unit off the showroom floor in 1950 - that must have really been something! Keep'em Rolling!

[@roberthaworth9097]

Yes, he def has a flair for the dramatic, and for the telling detail. This guy is a storyteller in metal.

[@qtrml]

one of the damn best vids i seen of old starts....no stupid music and people....just plain old steel running...great work

[@user-hb8be5wb4q]

My dad had a 1951 Buick Special, 2 door hardtop. Dark blue with white top. Had the dynaflow transmission. I practiced driving in that great car. We drove that beast from Mayberry, NC to Hampton roads, va for my cousins weeding. It rode like a dream, crept my other cousin had the stinkinest feet ever. Made him put his shoes back on. And for a big car, it got over 18 miles per gallon on the road. my Dad was a Ford man, the Buick got gone before I could date in it. Geez!

[@lestermiller2717]

I love those old straight 8 motors they run so strong lots of torque. I hot rodded a few 51-52 Packards back in the 70’s-80’s. Boy where they fast. I wish I still had my 52 Packard 2-Dr business coup. I originally souped up the straight 8 motor what a beast that was. But someone begged me to sell them my motor so I went with a Packard V-8. I put in a 57 Packard motor all worked up pushing 500 horse. The six bbl log manifold was hard to keep tuned but that was a special car. Maybe one day I’ll get my hands on a 49 Buick fast back to kustomize. Twin turbos with a kustom four bbl manifold fuel injected set up. They might not be able to have high rpms but the torque will pull a stump right out of the ground.

[@mdogg1604]

Great vid! And the old Buick has a patina that can't be duplicated!

[@texguy7903]

Long live classic cars.

[@CCRmasyoproduccion]

+1 :;

[@scdevon]

This was a super nice vehicle by 1950 standards. Real upper middle class American iron !!! Smooth and comfortable.

[@GottliebGoltz]

My cousin had a late 40's Buick with a straight stick on the tree. It was easy to recognize where He was at driving around that little town by the smooth purring sound of the exhaust. Yup.!

[@BrodieBr0]

Even though she is worn, this engine still runs as smooth as can be. It would be awesome to see get a nice rebuild one day. :)

[@robertc9957]

my dad had a '51 Super and a '53 Roadmaster. loved the rooftop antenna you could swivel from the knob in back of the rear view mirror and those twin his and hers ashtrays!

[@michaelcuff5780]

Me and my cousin used to sit on my uncles lap and steer a big ole black Buick just like this one. Wish I had that car today! Lol!

[@ralphmoore7812]

Nice interior shot, I have never seen this year dash before. Nice video.

[@btpearce]

My Grandpa had one like that but I think his was a two door. I still have his key ring with one of the keys for it :-) Thanks for the trip down memory lane .

[@AlaskaTrucker]

I can remember sitting in my Dad's lap and watching the speedometer as we rode in a guy's 47 Buick Roadmaster convertible. This was in the late 60's or early 70's and that car was like riding on a cloud. Jeeze that was a pretty car.

[@GuitarMan22]

Nice video work. - great close up shots without being there.

[@Geordo1960]

Straight eights certainly did have their own distinctive sound.

[@ClassicTVMan1981X]

@Benjamin Evans I second that! The straight eight will never return for the simple fact that it is too long and that the vehicle it powers has to be built around it rather than vice-versa.

[@BCGgaming1]

To me they sound like a diesel and cat engine togeather

[@frankpaya690]

Those Buicks from that era certainly sounded unique. Similar to the GMC V6's truck engines in the early 60s.

[@luciferofatlantis6894]

@@ClassicTVMan1981X There might be a future for them someday but possibly only in exotics or high end sports cars, afterall several auto makers are bringing the straight 6 back. An oversquare straight-8 with a firing order of 1-7-3-5-8-2-6-4 wont have much issue running up to 8000+ rpm due to the harmonics involved, the only issue that is unavoidable is the length (because weight is easily solved by using an aluminum alloy block.) I've done extensive research into this idea so i could build my own straight 8 engine one day. Exotics are usually built around the engine anyways such as ferrari with its colombo v12 or duesenberg with it's DOHC straight 8 which were originally racing engines and were adapted for road use. The devel sixteen is another example although not successful.

[@jamesjames3525]

Runs so good, cannot believe it. I want a straight eight.

[@jerryuptmor2826]

Beautiful photography. Thanks.

[@gpowerdragon9852]

Awesome piece of Engineering there's nothing like the sound of a straight 8 engine I wish they are way more common

[@AJ67901]

my grandmother gave me my first car and it was a '52 Buick Special with a 3 speed. All of this brings back lots of memories. I would say the whistle is caused by a bad seal on the intake manifold. When these were running at idle with the air cleaner on, they were so smooth and quiet. Technology has come a long ways since then and torque tube driveshafts and lever action shocks are something you'd never put up with today. I'd guess this to be about a 1949-50?

[@whathappened2230]

Thanks for making the vid,love that old iron!

[@unknownsoul13]

My last car during high school...I loved it and so did my friends.

[@gevowavemagnet]

My dad had a '53 Buick with a straight 8 when I was a kid back in the early to mid 60's. That thing was wore out by 1964. He drove it until '66, when he bought a "new" used '60 Invicta.

[@johnparrish9215]

The rings are probably stuck, a little Marvel Mystery Oil and some run time might just fix it.

[@duanespooner6649]

MMO will have it running smooth and clean.

[@halamkajohn]

get a 2 ounce oil can and spray oil on the body. reload and take 1 spray at a time. one person used cardboard on the ground

[@beckywatt5048]

John Parrish Try Mobil delvac ,it's got a ton of detergent just for that.

[@farmerphil]

Back in the early 1970s my buddy and I put a OHV strait 8 in a old ford model A he had. Made headers for it in shop class at high school. You could buy a 2 or 4 barrel adapter from JC Whitney for that engine. Made our own tub and installed a lot of junk yard parts. Ran pretty Bad Ass lots of go but little wo with the mechanical brakes. Crazy times back then how did we survive. Good video brings back memories.

[@AlaskaTrucker]

Sheesh, yeah, that really was back in the day. Used to have stuff coming from JC Whitney every week back then. Some of the best times I ever had as a youth were drinking beer with the guys after work on a hot, dusty evening at the wrecking yard we worked at and busting open trunk lids of the junk cars in the yard and splitting the booty. Sometimes wed score tools, new car parts, and always gas - people haul some WEIRD shit around in their trunks too we discovered. It really is amazing that some of us are still here!

[@ethanjohnson8695]

+AlaskaTrucker Don't you worry, us young guys are still doing the same thing.

[@eriklawaetz1226]

Just an amazing cool video,its Alive,love old Buicks.sincerely Erik Lawaetz.❤

[@TheFurriestOne]

The air sure was screaming down the throat of that carb, but it ran! Surprisingly well too! Nice video! They sure don't make 'em like that anymore!

[@AlaskaTrucker]

The acoustics of the engine really came out well in the video and the "whistle" almost sounds as if the engine is supercharged. In reality the manifolds are warped and air is leaking past the cylinder head and manifold seals. Those long manifold castings had a habit of warping over time, in fact , if you look closely , you can see a broken manifold bolt on the engine where someone cranked down on the manifold bolts trying to seal up the leaks. A little milling work and she'll be good as new. Thanks for watching!

[@TheFurriestOne]

AlaskaTrucker Yup! If it runs it could be rebuilt! Welcome!

[@hyzercreek]

Temporary fix on a manifold whistle is stove cement also called furnace putty. Works like a charm costs a buck or two.

[@michaelnaisbitt1639]

Needs a bit a TLC but it would be worth it. I would say it needs new piston rings and properly bearings But it is a classic it runs it needs to be saved

[@dipnrebelblue888]

That motor is beautiful

[@waynegouin939]

Love it. Rings , bearings, gaskets, go to it!

[@swingbag12]

Jesus that ol bastard runs amazing smoother than my new car !

[@blackiechong4344]

When I was 10 years old my dad had a used 1950 roadmaster and he called it his fishing car. We would load it up and drive thru a farmers corn field to get to a creek that had many bullhead and carp in it

[@timwarlick1565]

This car is beautiful

[@robertnicholson7192]

coldwarmotors in Edmonton, Alberta, just ressurrected a 1950 Buick from a 49 year slumber to a running machine along with a 1953 Packard, which was quite a humor-laced event ending in a race between the two.

[@riejurv50]

I had the chance of buying a '51 here in Europe, at the last moment the owner refused to sell it, since then I've wanted one badly, this cars are gorgeous...

[@Sackmatters]

This is very cool. We will probably never see another one of these up here. Can you have this motor rebuilt?

[@JDLamps1]

I had the privilege of a few rides and the straight was smooooooth

[@manoelluizteixeira8073]

very good - gostei demais, como outros, este é um dos grandes clássicos que resistiu ao tempo e a tudo, certamente será preservado para a posteridade; maneka - Porto Alegre-RS -Brasil.

[@martentrudeau6948]

It's still runs, fantastic.

[@leecrt967]

Buick Valve-In-Head 8. Love it.

[@ballockybill2277]

That chrome still sparkles !

[@stephenkunst7550]

The grille on these beasts are huge. Wonder what the designers were thinking? All straight 8 seem to be great engines.

[@modeltrainproductions3167]

nice to see it running half a century later definitely needs a rebuild though

[@gordonhammond9200]

As for the blowby the rings may be stuck a little from sitting. Add a quart of Type F automatic transmission fluid to the crankcase and drive about 300 miles. Obviously the rings aren't worn bad or there would be major exhaust smoke and fouled plugs. Might not be a bad idea to take the push rods out put a mixture of ATF brake fluid and diesel fuel equal parts put down the spark plug holes put compressed air and force it into the ring lands. I did that on a 261 in a 62 GMC pickup. The engine was stuck on the #4. Between pressure and the oil mixture the engine turned to bottom dead center Repeated the process on the other 5 cylinders. The first quart of oil went thru in 50 miles. Topped it off drove 1500 miles til it jit add oil. Changed oil. Engine fine after that.

[@rogerstill71]

That shade of pale green was very popular back then. Our '53 Special was that shade, too.

[@scottyjones27]

Rings stuck make blow by? If valves were stuck it wood blow back threw carb or exhaust? Something to start with for sure!!

[@ebbsspeed]

Yes, stuck (or worn) rings are the ONLY source of blowby. It is compression of combustion pressure BLOWing BY the rings.

[@williwanka3547]

My Dad drove Buicks and I can tell you those engines were strong and tough...out ran olds and Hudson twin six but dons tell Dad.

[@twiztidkreation]

all that blow by. definitely time for a hone job and some piston rings.

[@hyzercreek]

3:29 notice your heat riser tube is missing. How you going to warm the choke?

[@jeffryblackmon4846]

Very cool. I love the cars of the 50s- they were part of my childhood (born 1947). That idle is surprisingly slow. What did it take to make it run- check/clean the points, r&r/clean the plugs, squirt some oil in the cylinders? What is next- repair and restore it for street use again? Thanks for the video. Keep the shiny side up on your rig. I'm a former 18 wheel driver.

[@AlaskaTrucker]

Hey Jeffry, had to install a 50 chevy truck radiator and then just hot wire the car. The Buick is now for sale and someone with a pristine Roadmaster will really appreciate this car as a parts rig. I would love to go through the engine as the Roadmaster had a longer and bigger engine than the Super or Special. The straight eight engine was a beautiful piece of workmanship regardless of which manufacturer produced them and Ive been fortunate to have had Pontiacs as well. Thanks for watching!

[@rodgerhoffman307]

My Grandfather hd one of these. It was Green with WHITE TOP .REALLY NICE CAR.

[@marcomartini9239]

What a beauty. I cant help but think of giving her a few extra carbs

[@RussellBooth1977]

My grandfather used to drive one of them in Australia,they Cruised good on the highway but on very steep hills such as where he was living,he'd have to reverse the car up the Hill as the gearing was too tall in even first gear (the reverse gear had a lower ratio than first),the car wouldn't make it up the Hill. There appears to be a whole lot of smoke coming out of the oil cap breather, I dare say the engine is suffering from severe blow by due to wear as mentioned in the description.

[@rgrrpm]

My friend has a 1953 8-cylinder biplane in line with everything original and has it with original racing parts made by biuck to outperform chevrolet on the 1/4 mile in those years there are only 40 parts in the original racing world of that engine 8 cylinders in line, the car is in Cuba and is original to your am radio system and FM works perfect

[@buddyanddaisy123]

Love these old Roadmaonsters..imagine how much that front bumper weighed! Was that a body in the back seat?

[@briankidwell232]

You're tea is ready ha ha ha ha ha

[@AlaskaTrucker]

LOL! love it!

[@danmackintosh6325]

@@AlaskaTrucker i came here to say the same lol someone beat me to the punch... But boy, WHAT a kettle.

[@lsswappedcessna]

bit of blow-by but still runs good! I'd say it deserves a restoration, or at least a rebuilt engine.

[@JorgeRodriguez-po7kx]

Love the Eye Color of the Doggie at 1:47 Very Unusual

[@gregbates703]

I used to have a 1955 Pontiac Star Chief

[@crushingvanessa3277]

Hope someone restores this car.

[@critchley3819]

The rings are stuck in the pistons, = no compression no oil rings.. Pull the engine down & get it running like new...

[@hughjazzole2037]

soak it w marvel mystery oil,,,let it sit...then run a quart of kerosene through it & drive slow for 30 mins,,,then drain it all....

[@toma43]

I think she's got a bit of a miss. I am fearing a blown piston or two.

[@AwesomeMcTasty]

With all that bubbling in the radiator, I wonder if all that's wrong with it is a blown head gasket. It could just be a bad leak between a cylinder and a coolant and oil passage causing both the bubbling and the blowby. Might be as simple a fix as changing a head gasket (and with how much room there is in the engine bay in these old cars, that'd probably be pretty easy).

[@28yogy4todd]

What is the cubic inch displacement of these 8's? Thanks for the great video!

[@AlaskaTrucker]

The Roadmaster was the "big" 8 , at 320 cid. The Buick Super and the Special both used the smaller 8. I cannot recall its displacement at the moment, but it was around 270 cid. Keep'em Rolling!

[@AJ67901]

@@AlaskaTrucker the smaller straight 8 was 263 cubic inches. I believe the Roadmaster was 322.

[@535tony]

This is back when all GM cars didn’t look the same. Each division had their own engines too.

[@northindian344]

Wow What an engine 👌

[@DesertDigger1]

She started, time to make a beer run!

[@AlaskaTrucker]

Amen brother!

[@davidgardner8707]

Spooky, Remind me of Christine 😆👍🏻

[@ltcajh]

I LOVE that grill! Dad had a 57 or 58 Buick Special. I remember riding it as a tyke. What did it take to get it running? It doesn't look to be rebuilt.

[@AlaskaTrucker]

I had to retrofit the Chevy radiator and create an adapter plate for the single barrel Chevy carb then hot wire the car. The engine is letting coolant into one or more cylinders, via a warped head and blown head gasket, and burning it (reason for the massive vapor in blow-by). Im afraid someone has had this engine extremely hot on numerous occasions but the ol' gal will still sing a few notes. Thank you for your interest and Keep'em Rolling!

[@miker252]

blow by or water in the crankcase?

[@hasbullahabdullatiff]

currently hagerty had us wait for so long to listen to straight 8 the they had rebuild.. so i come here in advance..hahahaha

[@oldreliable303]

what are your plans for this?

[@ryanheaman5810]

EIGHT IN A ROW READY TO TOW

[@dehoedisc7247]

A nice survivor that I hope can be revived to full health, it is such a rare machine, most of it's cousin Buick straight 8's have gone to the scrap heap. Dynaflow or the rare 3 speed manual box?

[@AlaskaTrucker]

Dynaflow Thanks for watching!

[@ml.2770]

I see it came with a steam option as well.

[@knowbodiesfull5768]

My father had a 1950 Buick Super.

[@derrickrees8895]

Interesting and well filmed video - that looks like steam coming out of the breather - maybe rainwater leaked into the oil over time...not much blue smoke though , maybe the old motor isn't that badly worn - mostly sticky rings and old seals ?

[@hyzercreek]

He probably changed the oil before starting it, but there was probably water drawn from the atmosphere and soaked into the metal, needed drying out. If he didn't drop the pan there was probably water in the bottom of the oil pan under the oil (it sinks) and when the engine started and the crankshaft and rods stirred up the sludge at the bottom of the pan then presto.....water.

[@brucemorris6319]

What’s a straight eight motor like that worth?

[@robertsnyder5149]

Wow, it's got one of those old "Dyno-flop" transmissions!

[@AlaskaTrucker]

State of the art in 1950 - Hard to believe but Hank Williams was still alive then... Thanks for watching!

[@konfyoused]

Got a rebuild planned for that strait 8?

[@konfyoused]

+AlaskaTrucker What would have been an interesting project, would have been to make an adapter plate, rebuild that strait 8, and throw it in one of the duces. Tons more power and torque, and a really nice sound. Probably no much difference in weight either.

[@ianrandell9763]

Incredible.

[@jkoz8821]

tons of blow by. but still running solid like a champ.

[@zacsowers6303]

Ive got some parts for this down here in nm

[@edharrid9880]

Was this car saved from the crusher? I hope so

[@gordonmusic9712]

So cool

[@davidcrouch5091]

blocked engine breather?

[@alejandrocuevas3712]

I looking for the frame bumper and the letters is 8 for sale

[@alejandrocuevas3712]

1950 Buick

[@SailorSam41]

Fantastic camera work. Too bad interior is so rundown. Enjoyed this very much.

[@edwinstorz702]

Look at that Grill, if that isn't a statement..........WOW

[@johncheves4740]

if the rings aren't broken and cylinders aren't scarred up, wonder if shutting it down warmed up and squirting a mix of PB Blaster and Marvel Mystery oil into the plug holes wouldn't free the rings up overnight. Come back the next day, turn it over to blow all the oil out, reinstall the plugs and fire it off, bringing it up to temperature. Repeat the the process a few times, and the rings might unstick and start sealing again.

[@AlaskaTrucker]

She's pretty tired, John. Someone ran this old girl HOT many times and those long straight eights didn't like that.. Head gasket is definitely gone and she throws-up after about ten minutes - coolant out the radiator. With some TLC and machining she might come back to life, I'd love to redo the engine but it wouldn't be cost effective for me. This was a fine car before it was so neglected. When this car was built GM had allowed (briefly) for Buick to openly compete with Cadillac and lot of people felt that the Buick was a better car. This car did have the very first electronic radio with "Seek" mode which I thought came out in the eighties - the car was made in 1950, Hank Williams was still alive... Keep'em Rolling!

[@deanjohnson1330]

Awesome!

[@bobbyfishcancerandamyloido6112]

What did you ever do with this car. I love that darn grill in those Buick’s.

[@AlaskaTrucker]

I have it listed on craigslist, the Buicks were beautiful

[@vtecpreludevtec]

Wow,background,Studebaker trucks,lots

[@JK1211a]

Base pressure? Bad rings?

[@dondesnoo1771]

Reminds me at 95 moms Nova every day she drove it had another dent somewheres 😁😂

[@jlletaw1954]

stuck rings?

[@micksterboone4517]

Nice pup.

[@AlaskaTrucker]

His name is Hoss and he is my bosses dog, who lives next door. Hoss comes over with his girl friend and keeps us all in line and to get Scooby snacks too. We couldnt get anything done around here without Hoss.

[@gabrielvieira6529]

BLOWN engine? what is the smoke to the engine?

[@AlaskaTrucker]

No just very tired. Thanks for watching!