Buick Straight-8 engine

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Buick Straight 8
Manufacturer	Buick
Production:	1931–1953
Successor:	Buick Nailhead V8

The Buick Straight-8 engine (Fireball 8) was produced from 1931 to 1953 and sold in Buick automobiles. Like many American automobile makers, Buick adopted the straight-8 engine in 1931 as a more powerful alternative to the previous inline-6 engines. However, unlike most other car makers at the time, the Buick engine was an overhead valve design. The engine was sold in different displacements depending on the model of car and the year and was constructed upon two distinct block castings. The smaller displacement versions internally resembled the inline Chevrolet straight six, with additional cylinders. The large block version (used in large chassies models such as the Roadmaster) was considerably heavier and this weight adversely affected vehicle performance and handling. As with other General Motors products the engines used cast-in-place bearings that were then machined, which made engine rebuilding an expensive procedure. The last year for Buick's straight-8 was 1953, succeeded by the new V8 in 1954 in the same basic chassies. Only in 1955 would the new engine be used in an appropriately modern vehicle.