All tyhis talk about the ventiports reminded me that I've always liked the idea of the straight eight engines - long and powerfull image, etc. So I went looking and found this speciman - http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280612850544&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT Made in my birth year no less. Luckily, my wife said NO.
On Sat, Jan 8, 2011 at 12:44 PM, Robert Bigham < [email protected]> wrote: > Buick Straight Eight Lore: > > The engine we are writing about was first used in the 1936 Buick > Roadmaster. There were earlier Buick Straight Eights, IIRC. The > last year for the 1936-derived engine was the 1953 Series 40 Buick > Special. Other series had the new for 1953 "nailhead" V8. > > In 1953 I was one of a group that traveled from Central Texas to > the Big Bend National Park and points nearby in a 1941 Buick Super > Club Coupe. The club coupe was packed with people and stuff. > > The Buick had what was called compound carburetion. It had two > carburetors, one of which functioned all the time, and the second > when the driver stepped on it. I remember several times seeing the > speedometer vault from about 60 mph to about 90 mph when he stepped > on it. The straight eight was not underpowered in the least. > > As I remember the car had three little square or rectangular holes in > the chrome trim in the vicinity of the hood release (on the side of > the hood near the back) that might have been the first tentative > ventiports, although the story is that they came after the War, not > before. > > Those were the days. > -- > OK Don 2001 ML320 1992 300D 2.5T 1990 300D 2.5T 1997 Plymouth Grand Voyager _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
