A guy I know dropped by to show me a car he bought.

It was a 53 Olds I believe.

I thought it sounded like an in-line 6, but when I asked him, he said it was an 8 cylinder.

I said it sure doesn't sound like a V-8.

He said, " No it a straight 8"

I thought he was ****ting me, but when he opened the hood, sure enough there where 8 spark-plugs all in a row!

Did Ford ever build such an engine?

 

I`m unaware of a Ford straight 8.

 

Buick is the only car manufacturer that I can think of that may have put a straight 8 in a car after WW II but I think that was just late 40's.

 

A friend had an early 50`s Buick straight 8, it was probably one of the last years.

 

Last Oldsmobile with an L-Head (Flathead) Straight 8 engine = 1948.

Last L-head 6 = 1949 on the Model 76 only.

All 1949 Olds 88's and 98's, all 1950's have a 303 cid OHV V8 / 324 cid in 1954 / 394 cid in 1957.

Post War Straight 8's:

Packard (Flathead) thru 1954.

Buick Super, Century, Roadmaster (OHV) thru 1952 (Specials-1953).

Pontiac (Flathead) thru 1954.

Chrysler (Flathead) thru 1950.

Imperial (same engine as Chrysler used) thru 1948.

Hudson (Flathead) thru 1948.

First car with a Straight 8 = 1921 Packard.

FoMoCo never offered a Straight 8 on anything.

 

Thanks for the info, I didn't realize there were that many cars with straight eights that were made into the 50's.

 

Those straight eights are pretty neat. I wonder all in all how good of an engine they actually are.

 

A straight 8 could not have been that great, they were done away with as seems that only Buick used them into the early 50`s. The one my friend had knocked pretty bad......

 

Uh huh...yeah right...

Straight 8's did just fine for 33 years.

The engine produces far more torque than a OHV V8, but a V8 is more efficient.

Packard = first with a straight 8 = 1921

Packard = last with a Straight 8 = 1954.

Packard Straight 8 of 1954: 359 cid / 9 main bearings / 212 HP

The Packard's 359 cid L Head 8 was the largest displacement engine used in any car in 1954.

I may be a ex Ford partsman, but my #1 interest is Packards, and has been since the 1950's. I've owned over 60 of them, and currently own two...one is a Straight 8, t'other is a V12.

 

My ex's relatives had 2 51 Buicks and they both had the straight 8's. I think the straight 8's were kept on in Canada a bit longer. I even remember reading that Pontiac did some straight 8's in the late 40's. When I was selling a 49 Pontiac Coupe here. Had lots of fellas calling to see if it was a rare Pontiac straight 8. Those ones have a longer front end and were made in the states more so than Canada.

 

good info there bill. i didn't even know such a beast exhisted!!

 

Never heard of a strait 8 very very neat

 

Just phoned the guys house. He wasn't home, but his wife said it was a 53 Buick.

 

I have seen one personally before, but it was in an old car that didnt run. Sure looked neat under the hood though.

 

Never had anything to do with them, beyond seeing a rusty block on somebodys farm junkpile when I was a kid and being impressed with the size (length) of it. When I went home and told my dad about this 'neat' engine, he mentioned at the time they (str8-eights) could have a bit of a problem twisting off crankshafts b/c so long ...

from the "straight eight" article in wikipedia:

The smooth running characteristics of the straight-8 made it popular in luxury and racing cars of the past. However, the engine's length demanded the use of a long engine compartment, making the basic design unacceptable in modern vehicles. Also, due to the length of the engine, torsional vibration in both crankshaft and camshaft can adversely affect reliability and performance at high speeds. In particular, a phenomenom referred to as "crankshaft whip," caused by the effects of centrifugal force on the crank throws at high engine RPM, could cause physical contact between the connecting rods and crankcase walls , leading to the engine's destruction. As a result, the design has been displaced almost completely by the shorter and sturdier V8 engine configuration.

A little further down, the article says they are still popular in coach engines b/c of power and smooth running, but does not give examples

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straight-8