Thread: Streetroding A 1953 Pontiac Stright 8 Engine

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HI, I AM LOOKING FOR ANY INFO ON MODIFYING A PONTIAC STRIGHT 8 ENGINE , I HAVE A 1953 CHIEFTIAN AND HAVE BEEN CONSIDERING KEEPING THE ORIGINAL ENGINE ,BUT I WOULD LIKE TO UP THE PROFORMANCE IN SOME WAY? I HAVE THOUGHT OF A SUPERCHARGER ? OR ANY OTHER OLD SCHOOL METHOD SOME ONE CAN SUGJEST . ALSO ANY PLACE WERE ENGINE PARTS UBGRADES FOR THIS BEAST COULD BE FOUND WOULD BE OF HELP. THANKS ED

If you could find parts for the Straight 8, I would imagine they would be quite expensive!!! You might check with Egge, they make a lot of pistons for obsolete engines, not sure what other parts they handle.

A supercharger would be kewl, just plan on fabbing everything yourself.

Might be better off financially with a late model engine. Kind of defeats the "old school" run what ya got premise if you have to stick a ton of money into it....JMO

hey budda my dads got a running straight 8 in a 53 cheif 4 dr, they are a neat motor but i have been told their cranks can be a problem if you spin them too fast which i can see. i think anything you do may have to be homemade like multi carb manifolds etc. i would think any modifications that help a flathead 8 would help the buick like porting and bigger valves headers etc.
good luck if you are going to use the straight 8 . not a lot of them around hot rodded

Take the head to a machine shop and plane it .050 or so, don't get too carried away. The intake might be possible to add a couple more small 2bbl carbs, and any muffler shop could fab up a set of headers. There used to be four-barrel manifolds available, but lotsa luck finding one, or a cam either.