(first posted 11/26/2013) The early 1950s is commonly considered to be an era of dull conformity. This attitude bleeds through to American cars of those years. Everyone made cars that were the same shapes, with the same kinds of engines and transmissions and suspensions, and there just was not much variety there. Well, perhaps we should rethink this “conventional wisdom.”
Speaking from a mechanical standpoint, there was not all that much variation in the final years before the Second World War, and the sameness would reassert itself by the late 1950s. But that period within a few years either side of 1952 gave us some of the widest choices available in a generation.
Engine? You could get a modern, high performance V8 (Cadillac, Olds, Chrysler, Studebaker, Lincoln) or an old-school flathead V8 (Ford, Mercury). If you prefer an inline 8, you again have a choice of flathead (Pontiac, Packard) or overhead valve (Buick). Prefer a 6? Another choice to be had between an overhead valve (Chevrolet) and the venerable flathead (including the Hudson Hornet’s monster of a mill). There was even the unique Willys F head (here).
Transmission? Automatics were becoming all the rage, but again, there were several kinds. The four-gear HydraMatic was probably the market leader, but there were also torque converter automatics like the Buick Dynaflow, or torque converters that locked up for a “high gear” (Packard UltraMatic). Some three speed automatics also used torque converters, and even acted like two speeds in normal operation (Ford, Mercury, Studebaker). The Stude even added a lockup torque converter. Or, you could skip the complexity and just have a two speed automatic (Chevy Powerglide). Chrysler, of course, offered a variety of old-school semi-automatics mated either to a torque converter or a straight fluid coupling. Then, there were the ubiquitous three speed manuals, either with or without overdrive.
All finished? Not quite. We still have to consider whether you want an open driveshaft (most brands) or a torque tube (Buick, Chevrolet, Nash). Now, when we take these various choices between the old and the new, the common and the unique, they could be mixed and matched into a dizzing array of choices.
For those who opted for an overhead valve straight eight, a torque tube drive and a torque converter automatic, you got . . . (envelope, please) . . . a Buick! And quite a Buick it was, too.
Let’s start with that engine. Buick had been selling nothing but inline eights since 1931 (CC here), all of them of the “valve-in-head” design. Actually, there were two of them – a smaller engine in the lower lines and a big 320 cubic incher in the Roadmaster. By 1950, the smaller Buick Eight was up to 263 cubic inches, but was not long for this world with the Nailhead V8 planned for the 1953 models. Still, for the traditionally-minded, you could do a lot worse than the smooth, torquey old straight eight. Actually, the smaller Fireball Eight as used in this car would appear for the last time in the 1953 base-level Buick Special, with the Nailhead reserved for the upper models. And in a switch, the ’53 Super (Buick’s middle child) would no longer have to share its little brother’s engine, but would get the same shiny new V8 that was in the Roadmaster.
The Buick also retained the traditional torque tube. I have always been fascinated by this now-obsolete design, which rigidly attached a tube that surrounded the driveshaft to the transmission, making the entire engine/transmission/driveline/differential assembly a single assembly (with a single universal joint to account for suspension travel.) The torque tube design allowed Buick to become one of the first cars to employ a soft coil spring rear suspension, because the car’s drive forces were transmitted to the car through the engine and its mounts instead of through heavy, bulky rear leaf springs.
There was nothing traditional, however, about the Dynaflow automatic transmission that lived between the other two old-time components. Where Oldsmobile, Cadillac and Pontiac sold a lot of cars with Hydra-Matic Drive, this was not an option available to Buick. The original Hydra-Matic was a sort of jerky unit that would have transmitted an intolerable amount of harshness through the car due to the torque tube, so something smoother was necessary. Voila – nothing smoother than a pure torque converter which (at least in normal operation) completely eliminated gear shifts. Nothing slower or less efficient, either. But did a Buick buyer really care?
One new feature for 1952 was power steering, and Buick spent quite a few ad dollars letting everyone know about it. Although Chrysler beat GM to market by a year, it did so by using a less advanced system that provided boost all the time, and not just when called for. The system used by GM did not supply hydraulic assistance until there was some steering load. This system provided traditional road feel when cruising straight ahead, and power boost only when needed for turning.
Enough about this cars oily innards. This is, after all, a BUICK! In 1952, a car did not get any more “establishment” than Buick. Which, in 1952, was not really a bad thing. Doesn’t this thing just scream “I Like Ike?” Buick had been churning out big, comfortable, attractive, well-built cars for decades by then, and had developed a well-earned reputation as the standard by which all near-luxury cars were judged. A Buick in that era was the car that every other purveyor of higher-priced cars compared their cars to.
Doesn’t this big Super just reek of “Buick-ness?” Then (as now), there was nothing more desirable than a big, good looking car with that bank-vault-like Fisher Body and all of the trim touches that told the world that you were someone to be reckoned with. The Europeans and Japanese may occupy this ground in the minds of many today, but in 1952, cars like this were built by Buick. The guy who first bought this Buick probably proudly wore an expensive fedora up top and Florsheim wing tip shoes down below. “Let me have a couple of those Dollar cigars, there, Jasper.” Yes, this man would drive a Buick. And not a Roadmaster, either – that would just be flashy. This next-in-line Super model was plenty of Buick for him, and far enough up from the base Special to announce that he was no poser.
I didn’t see who was driving this Buick. I was sitting in a drive-thru line at a fast foodery one day this past summer, when I saw it in the parking lot of a nearby boat company. The car seats in the back tells me that today’s driver of this super Super would not fit the old stereotype. What lucky kids – they have no idea how good they have it. Will they ever be satisfied in the back of a Camry? Not likely. But is it right to waste all of this legroom on people who use child seats? Maybe the owner of this Buick and I should swap cars for a few years.
How many photographers are reflected in this picture?
I realize that this post is getting a bit long, but you must understand that there were just so many fascinating details to photograph on this fabulous old sled. So, I guess I shall have to keep yammering on about this Flint Flyer until I have shown you all of its cool jewelry. Just in case you may have forgotten how fond Harley Earl was of Chrome in his final decade running GM styling, this Buick is here to remind us. The car’s many square yards of plated surfaces are simply dazzling on a bright summer day (although they gave the ol’ JPC DroidCam quite the challenge.)
In truth, I don’t know what kind of a car I might have chosen in 1952. I have lately been kind of enamored with the Chrysler FirePower V8 mated to a Fluid Torque tranny. But I have always been a little out of the mainstream. Actually, most people probably didn’t care that much about the guts of their cars. Then (as now) eight cylinders and an automatic transmission was probably as far as they got. What sold an upper price car was substance, quality and style. This Buick Super certainly gave its owner all that, plus a double helping of gravitas to go along with it.
Great write-up on a handsome car JPC! The lines on these just flow so well, and that front end is magnificent. The “Buick Eight” script engraved in the grille is an especially fine touch. What a great find! Oh, I think I count six photographers in that picture!
Read any of Janet Evanovich “Stephanie Plumb” books. You’ll find this exact car as a recurring character in the books. Hilarious books (and we certainly could ALL use some laughter now days, couldn’t we?) about an inept bounty hunter (“bond enforcement)” in Trenton N.j. Stephanie goes through at least one sometimes two, cars per book, and has to revert to her late Grandfathers ’52 Buick. Which is seemingly indestructible. Fun reads.
*VERY* fun reads, not to be taken seriously .
I just got her newest one and yes, Stephanie had to drag out the Buick yet again .
-Nate
Brilliant writeup, JPC. And what a great find!!
For so long Buick was never really on my radar. I’m now (quickly) coming around to their many charms. This ’52 is as alluring as ever there was.
This was a terrific find and you are right – those kids riding in the back are quite lucky indeed.
One of my favorite little vignettes about early fifties automotive diversity concerns my grandfather and his two brothers: my Dad fondly recalls seeing their Studebaker Commander, Hudson Commodore and Kaiser Manhattan parked in a row at a family reunion.
The independent-lover’s dream lineup. What a sight that must have been! Buicks like this one doomed them all.
Beautiful photos and great assessment of this car’s place in the automotive market of its time, JPC.
A further thought about Buick and its place in the market is that the pre-WWII versions of this car, which shared straight eight power and big, stylish bodies designed in Harley Earl’s studio, are the reason behind the high status of Buick as a luxury car brand in China today, three quarters of a century later. The Buicks bought in small numbers by wealthy Chinese during the 1930s created a reputation that survived the passage of time all the way to China reforming its economic system during the 1990s. The impression was so deep that even after over half a century, Chinese who had never seen a Buick knew the name and assumed that it stood for a top-quality, prestigious car, while in its home country Buick had become a brand associated heavily with senior citizens. So one can say that this car’s prewar predecessors had a profound, industry-altering influence on the luxury car market that is still ongoing and that we have not seen the final implications of.
Gerhard Neumann had a great story re Chinese Buicks: while he was with the Flying Tigers as an aircraft mechanic, he moonlighted fixing cars as well, usually for officials, and not excluding Germans since they were still on good terms with the Kuomintang, despite it being at war with Japan! A Chinese official got a brand-new Buick, but complained that it ran poorly. Neumann figured out it was the poor fuel available there, so he retarded the timing and it ran fine. No need for high speeds there anyway.
The official was so impressed, he gave Neumann a ’39 Peugeot.
I recall reading the book Mr. Newmann wrote years ago, “Herman the German” which was his nickname when he joined the AVG and was a mechanic when he was living in China. It was a very fascinating read.
What a contrast between this gorgeous Buick compared to my first car, a 1952 Chevy Deluxe! Kind of like comparing a Queen to a charwoman.
For the most part, with few exceptions, I’m not fond of early-50’s cars, but the Buick is a different animal. Except for some of the greenhouse side profile, the car is stunningly beautiful! I really like the three-piece backlight.
A wonderful old girl with class to spare, color choice notwithstanding.
I think at least once I mentioned how I love chrome…
Thanks JP for another great write up,I confess I have never properly looked at a Buick from this era at shows but will be looking a lot closer next time.It’s lovely especially the colour combo.
As for the color combo, the artistic people who did the ’52s brochure agreed with you!
Did everyone notice that there was not one little whiff of anti-GM bias here? 🙂
I will acknowledge that I do have an anti-GM bias when it comes to the newer stuff, and cars like this are the reasons for it. Once upon a time, General Motors built the best all-around cars out there. A guy might like something else better, but not because the GM car was crap or unappealing. Cars like this show us how GM became the biggest industrial corporation in the world. It was because they built very, very good cars.
I keep being drawn to the complexity of the sculpting of the sides – it should be over the top, but isn’t. This car’s styling somehow comes off as both hefty and substantial on the one hand while at the same time having an almost delicate quality in certain areas, like the greenhouse. Can you tell that I simply love this thing?
Are you aware that your feelings about Buick and GM mirror those of Nicola Bulgari, builder of the Bulgari jewelry empire and noted obsessive Buick fan, from long before (decades before) GM paid for the privilege of using his name in Escalade interiors? They put you in distinguished, highbrow company.
http://history.gmheritagecenter.com/wiki/index.php/Classic_Cars_and_Classic_Jewels
http://www.autoweek.com/article/20120424/CARNEWS01/120429901
One of the better pieces of advice I can give to the group is: If you ever have a chance to own a Buick straight eight in good condition, DO IT! They were as good it as it got when you’re talking a pre-1949 new generation drive train.
Mine was a ’37 Special, the engine was only 248 cu. in., but it was a really wonderful cruising machine. And that engine was absolutely bulletproof in the fifteen years I owned it. Only ended up replacing the stuff that (back then) would usually go bad, like the fuel pump.
And when you do have a work on them, they’re incredibly easy to do.
Those early fifties shapes are so much more appealing to me than anything with a fin on it. And Buick’s teeth made it the best looking version. A peak in US design.
Terrific angle to the write up. Great post! Beautiful car. The nearly flat floor and leg room must have made this quite the family cruiser. Add the air conditioning you could get beginning in 1953, and I’d be set!
In the early ’80s I looked at a Buick two door hardtop of this era. I’m not sure what model, but reasonably certain not a Roadmaster. It needed too much and it was too unfamiliar to me at the time. But, it looked fairly solid, and I doubt the price was over $1,500. What I’d give to return to that day now and have another look at that car.
Wipes drool from keyboard…..Yes, Buicks and Cadillacs from this era are (and always have been) profoundly appealing to me. The only question is which one, since mechanically they were so different in their approaches.
The Buick straight eight is perhaps the greatest monument to American automobile building during its era, in terms of the level of refinement, performance, and durability it offered at a semi-affordable price. No wonder Buick had such a golden reputation. So for today, I’ll take the unmistakable muted but distinctive sound of straight eight Buick. You all know I’m very fickle…
Both? I’d take a nice 49-52 Roadmaster hardtop and a Cadillac Sixty Special(maybe a 53 with the air conditioning plant in the trunk?) to cover all my bases, and since it’s an early 50’s dream garage, lets throw in an Oldsmobile 98 convertible too.
Any rotation of the body styles would still be acceptable.
Great write-up of a beautiful looking car. Thanks! (Un)fortunately I’ve been on a diet and exercise regimen lately.
While I get the appeal, I’ve learned to shy away from seven course meals from 1952. Just makes me feel too bloated.
Doctors’ orders.
A great write-up of a car that one rarely sees outside of the big Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) events around here. That car oozes style and substance! A reminder of a time when Buick ownership was a badge of success.
I do question the wisdom of putting car seats in this car, particularly since the interior appears to be original. Our two pre-school daughters have regularly tossed sippy cups and bottles on to the floor while I’m driving, and there is often a little puddle of milk on the floor by the time I’m able to get the cup. It would be a shame to see this car’s interior ruined.
This Buick is so over the top it makes me think of Mel Brooks. In an interview once (link here) he was remembering his work on “Your Show of Shows”, Sid Caesar’s brilliant comedy show which was on when this Buick was new.
I remember the first one I wrote for Sid. Jungle Boy. “Ladies and gentlemen, now for the news. Our roving correspondent has just discovered a jungle boy, raised by lions in Africa, walking the streets of New York City.” Sid played this in a lionskin, right? “Sir, how do you survive in New York City?” “Survive?” “What do you eat?” “Pigeon.” “Don’t the pigeons object?” “Only for a minute.” “What are you afraid of more than anything?” “Buick.” “You’re afraid of a Buick?” “Yes. Buick can win in death struggle. Must sneak up on parked Buick, punch grille hard. Buick die.”
I rode home from the hospital as a newborn babe in a ’51 Super, seafoam green, w/ no two-tone paint and always on blackwall tires. My mom drove it daily until 1961 when the brakes failed! What a great car! I wish I had it now.
A great write up on one of the cars that defines Buick, in my opinion. While it’s not my style, it is a beautiful and classic design. My personal preference is more for the designs of the 60’s and up, but even with my bias, if you asked me to pick one car that defines what Buick was in it’s heyday, I think this would be it. I mean, I may remember Wildcats, Rivieras and Grand National more, I can’t in good conscious put any of them in the same league as this car.
I also appreciated the discussion of the oily bits. I spent a lot of time wrenching on cars, but have very little experience with cars from this era. Torque tubes, flatheads and fluid drive transmissions are not something I ever worked with. Exception being some minor experience with my dad’s 49 Plymouth.
Very interesting about all the engines offered. Makes our options today seem much more restricted. I had to laugh at those carseats in the back. They look like the portable stadium seats people bring to sit on bleachers at sporting events.
“The Europeans and Japanese may build this kind of car today”
It was a good article until this line above, which just seems flat out ignorant on 2 counts, first, in spite of what you might think, its not 1982, American cars are not, contrary to what you might think, plastic piles of crap that Roger Smith designed to have the wheels fall off the moment you drive off the lot, 2ND….that Japanese and Europeans WISH that they made a car 1/3 as solid and as well built as this today.
Overall though, it was a good review, these are fantastic cars, they are very well engineered, its noticeable in the way the doors. hoods and trunk all close. Whats interesting to note is how all the of the earliest engineering advances were mostly designed to smooth out all the roughness of the automobile, evidenced in these Buicks, they operate with almost an electric car like smoothness, the straight 8 is glass smooth, the Dynaflow, while inefficient, just whirls away from a light without any rude shifting interrupting the Buicks smoooooooooooothness, yes, that many o’s.
The BIG 320cid Roadmaster engine is even smoother than the smaller Special/Super 8, that almost has a turbine like smoothness and an eerie silence that almost makes you think it isn’t running, a neat touch of this era Buick is that they start by pressing the gas pedal and of course, the cool either side opening hood that lasted until 1952 I believe.
The arrival of the Nailhead in the Roadmaster for 1953 signaled a changing of the guard that moved Buick into a new era and 1954’s return of the Century, which was the pseudo-muscle carish combination of the big Nailhead from the Roadmaster in the Special body started moving Buick in more performance oriented/luxury direction, as performance, big displacement and big HP numbers became selling points, and Buick was boasting about its 300HP 364 Nailhead by 1957, with the eventual progress of steady HP and CID increases every year until about 1970.
Ouch! I was not implying that there is a lack of quality cars made in the U.S., and I was also not implying that everything from Europe and Japan are wonderful. The point I was trying to make was that in appearance and in prestige, Japanese and German cars seem to have that image today, at least with non-car people. There are undoubtedly some U.S. cars that do well in these criteria, but they are fighting for recognition. In 1952, a Chrysler, or a Lincoln may have been (and were) excellent cars, but those cars did not have the cred of a Buick. Today, you drive up in an Avalon or a smaller Lexus, and everyone will think you made a great choice. Drive up in a Lacrosse or 300 or MKS and a most non-car people will tell you how nice it is, but silently wonder “its nice, but is it as good as a Toyota/Lexus?”
“May occupy that mental space today”
Phrasing it that way makes more sense, that’s understandable, the other way it seems more like a dig.
I see your point, and have amended the text to clarify the thought I was attempting to convey. Jeez, today I blubber and gush all over a GM car and still raise the ire of the General’s Posse. 🙂
Fascinating and detailed engineering analysis, Jim, I think you’re spot-on about why they used the Dynaflow.
Are you sure you’re not an engineer? Ever considered practicing patent law?
Interestingly, both Dynaflow and Powerglide (which, as a minor correction, was still a “pure” torque converter automatic in ’52; it didn’t become a two-speed until ’53) were based on concepts developed by the corporate Engineering staff, not Buick or Chevrolet, although each division gave it their own spin.
The basic principles were developed by most of the same engineering team that created Hydra-Matic — including Oliver Kelley, who became Buick’s chief engineer a few years later. The rationale was that while the H-M worked pretty well, it was mechanically inelegant and very complicated. Each gear change really involved two shifts (one for the clutch packs, one for the brake bands), which is why it was so difficult to make the transmission shift smoothly; if the bands weren’t adjusted just right, you’d get a jerk. The corporate engineers figured there had to be a better way and decided to focus on the torque converter.
That was up Buick’s alley because they’d been looking even before the war to offer a continuously variable transmission. Buick’s CVT concept didn’t make it because it was too complicated, so they saw the torque converter drive as a cheaper, simpler way to achieve the same effect.
Do you realize that the Dynaflow transmission was just about indestructible? As a teenager, I was amazed to watch the older guys shift into reverse at some 40 mph, bring it to a standstill and start back with screeching tyres! I seem to remember that they would shift into neutral, tweak the throttle and shove the lever down. Never learned the trick (or wouldn’ t dare…). AGB
As I recall from working on a few, some Buick Dynaflows seemed to have weaker housings which allowed the reverse band holding strut to break. The car would still drive forward, but it would not back up.
Fixing it properly would have required replacing the entire housing. We were taught to install a custom brace that transferred the hydraulic force engaging the reverse band to another part of the housing.
I suspect a teenager intent on torturing a Dynaflow like you describe would have eventually broken even one of the stronger reverse band struts.
What could you tell us about this Prewar CVT?
How does one anchor in child seats in a car like this without marring some trim? I would assume someone with a gorgeous car like this has figured it out. Probably a grandfather (or grandmother??) taking his grand-kiddies out for a ride.
“No kids, you can’t have your Frostie in the Buick; and make sure your little hands are clean!”
For me the car seats might be the best feature on this car, which is fairly wonderful to begin with. The child seats at least imply that someone is using this car as a car, as opposed to the museum piece that many old cars have become. So what if something gets spilled, just clean it up and go on. This Buick has lasted for over 60 years, I don’t think a little orange juice spilled on the floor is going to hurt it.
A lovely old Buick. The white over navy blue is perfect on it, too.
I also like the “N3 Boatworks” building in the background–how appropriate.
What a find!
Great write-on on a great car! I’ve had a straight eight/Dynaflow Buick in my imaginary Jay Leno Garage for quite some time now, and it’s nice to see that somebody out there is driving around in a real one. I don’t like that lowered look, but other than that, I don’t think I’d change a thing on this car.
I was thinking that the lowered look you refer to is old, saggy springs on what looks to be a very original car. The paint looked newer, but the rest of the car appeared pretty much right out of 1952, at least to my eyes.
My brother had one of these. As you say, straight 8 and dynaflow. It broke for some reason and sat for quite a while. Ran good until then and he was happy with it. He wasn’t a banker or exec of some sort. Just a sailor albeit probably the main reason I became one later. It was still the mid to early fifties so Buick must not have been too expensive.
I liked the 50 olds with the OHV V8 and automatic better. Had one of those in 1964 and it ran good. I remember it as a modern car except for the brakes. Would prefer it to the buick if I were to pick one for use today. It was capable of turning some knots.
The 1950-56 period was so perfect for Buick and Cadillac. Car styling from 1930 to the present is a story of a pendulum swinging between curves and angles, and this Buick is all curves. Curves beat angles all the time, Not just in regard to cars, if you catch my drift.
This would still have the hood that opens from either side wouldn’t it? I remember seeing a Buick convertible from this era a few years ago, they are beautifully styled cars.
I didn’t realise they still had a torque tube etc – on one hand it would make installing a better transmission a challenge, but on the other hand why bother, just enjoy the car for what it is and accept it. Keeping the car out of everyday traffic is doing it a favor anyway.
The car seat anchoring is an interesting question, as it doesn’t appear to have front seat belts. Perhaps they are Latch style?
Yes, you can open it left or right, there is a hood latch on each side, or you can pull them both and remove the whole hood. What’s really impressive about these big Buicks is how well all the doors, hood and trunk shut. You can hold the door 2 inches from closed and just let it go and it shuts with a nice CLACK, great body engineering, especially when you realize that it was all done by men with drafting paper, slide rules and cigarettes.
Funny, I went looking for a picture of a ’52 Buick with its hood open, and Google offered up this.
Miss Austin (Beryl Wallman), left, and Miss Garfield Park (Ardee LeHew) pose on the front fender and hood of a 1952 Buick Super convertible, during the 44th annual Chicago Auto Show at the Amphitheatre. Facelifted for 1952 and offered in three series (Special, Super, and Roadmaster), Buicks stuck with their overhead-valve straight-eight engines.
From the fabulous web site of the Chicago Auto Show.
Wonderful! Not long after I got my driver’s license, our family car became a ’52 Buick Roadmaster Riviera (2-dr hardtop). It gave whole new meaning to the word “Imposing”.
Wow! That is one very nice old Buick! Had never really appreciated them before this great CC and accompanying photos.
I have a question: I’m approaching 70 and I remember, when I was a boy of 5, that a great close friend of the family had a gorgeous 50 or 51 Buick….Maroon. The memory still takes my breath away seeing that beauty, not to mention riding in the front seat of same with that gorgeous chrome radio grill in front of me…and its neat radio antenna knob up top center of the windshield…BUT….the most endearing memory for me was the “sound” that car made…and only the Buicks from back then had this wonderful “purrrr” to its engine sound and my question is: WHAT gave those Buicks that unique engine sound? Was it the engine itself or the muffler system Buick installed at the factory?
It’s a straight-8 with overhead valves, an engine configuration uncommon in new cars then and nonexistent now.
I own a ’53 with a straight 8, and it’s mellow burble is one of my favorite engine noises too.
Thanks for reply
A very nice ’53 Buick parks next to my space in the condo garage. It is currently out for repairs, I think because there are a few drops of oil on the concrete. Normally it sits under a pale green cotton cover. What always strikes me about 50’s cars is that they are about the same height width, and length of current SUV’s and minivans.
I appreciate the opportunity to read this article and comments. My view of Buick has been changing as I consider the history of various brands, as well as their current offerings. Buick has certainly had many legendary features over the years. Examples include decades of overhead valves, various versions of Dynaflow and other smooth automatics, straight and nailhead eights, the Roadmaster, and even more recent offerings like the GS.
Very nice car ! .
I love inliners so these are a special treat for me .
-Nate
We had one. A two-door Dyna-Flo. It had a distinctive sound and my mother could always hear it coming.
Somehow, this seems to be appropriate.
Tried to read all the preceding comments, but wasn’t able to, sorry.
As someone born in 1952, there aren’t many cars that were built in that year that I care for. This Buick isn’t bad, but my favorite 52 would be a Lincoln. But since I’m very practical, my other favorite is a 52 Plymouth.
The Dynaflow transmission must have lived for a few more years. Does anyone else recall an article (maybe in the ’70s) in Car and Driver (I think) covering a road trip in a ’55 or ’56 Buick? It referred to the car as “Sargent Dynaflow.”
You’re thinking of an article by PJ O’Rourke. The title was SGT Dynaflow’s Last Patrol.
I had a ’53 Special straight 8/Dynaflow in college. A $50 car then. Priceless good memories now. As others have commented, you could always tell a Buick 8 by the sound. It not only felt smooth, it sounded smooth. The Mel Tormé of auto engines.
Introduced in 1948, The Dynaflow was in production until 1963.
The original article makes two very interesting points, both new to me:
1) “The torque tube design allowed Buick to become one of the first cars to employ a soft coil spring rear suspension, because the car’s drive forces were transmitted to the car through the engine and its mounts instead of through heavy, bulky rear leaf springs.”
2) “The original Hydra-Matic was a sort of jerky unit that would have transmitted an intolerable amount of harshness through the car due to the torque tube, so something smoother was necessary. Voila – nothing smoother than a pure torque converter which (at least in normal operation) completely eliminated gear shifts.”
I haven’t seen insights like this since Ate Up With Motor (unfortunately) disappeared.
Aaron’s still there! Love me the Buick!
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Aaron Severson April 4, 2017 Site News and Announcements Comments
As you might have noticed, I have implemented an SSL (secure socket layer) certificate on the site, so the address bar in your browser should now say https rather than http — hopefully without any little yellow triangles or other warning indicators.
I decided to go to HTTPS for four reasons: 1) Search engines are beginning to favor secure sites over ones that are unencrypted; 2) it’s better for security; 3) it’s better for your privacy; and 4) it’s better for my privacy.
The caveat is that setting up HTTPS is complicated even if you are a computer nerd, which I most assuredly am not. It appears things are now working properly and non-secure (http) links are automatically redirecting to secure ones (https), as they should be, but there may be other hiccups I haven’t yet noticed. If you experience any problems, such as your browser warning you that parts of the page are not secure (what’s called a “mixed content” error), please let me know (and be sure to specify what browser you’re using!).
In the meantime, if you have bookmarks to Ate Up With Motor or to specific pages or articles, I would recommend that you update them to the new https addresses at your convenience. Again, the old links should still redirect, but going directly to the secure versions will help the site run faster and encourage search engines to get on the same page.
Excellent https://ateupwithmotor.com/
when I was a little boy,i would spend a few days with ”Nonnie Schrader (grandma)
and Maxine,my Aunt We would go for drives in Nonnie’s 53 Special stick shift
as Dad would say “The last straight eight” Now Nonnie was a little lady
I wonder how hard it was for her to park that big old coupe
Was her car til she couldn’t drive anymore
Dad used to just carry on about what a good car that was
The Packard and Pontiac straight 8s both outlasted the Buick straight 8 by one year being used through the ’54s.
Bob Dylan preferred a Buick 6 …… out on Highway 61 …….
Buick built a model “90” or Limited before the war on the Cadillac shared “D” body and I’m sure that helped the upscale reputation. My father once owned a black 1950 “Special” that he used to point out as having been owned by the mayor of our city – even the low line model was an impressive automobile. I remember that the Ventiports as Buick called them were three actual working ones on his car. The wheels were bright red, same color as my brother’s 1957 Special, which he still has. Buicks during this era except for being OHV, seem mostly anachronistic to me, conservative. Notice the lever shocks in your chassis photo of the ’52 for example. Full sized Buicks never went down to 14″ wheels as other makes did either.
Much like…erm…the present!
Make mine a convertible. Either the Roadmaster or I might have to slum it in a Super.
I’ll take the manual shifter too. That torquey straight 8 wouldn’t need too much shifting.
Great article, and as a GM fan, I too appreciated the love!
Lovely car – many early 50’s US automobiles seem so well built and useable – not too big, flimsy or thirsty like some later 60’s and 70’s models.
As I get older my personal recollections of cars like this appear to get even stronger.
Being somewhat under 4 feet tall at the time when they were still new and shiny things, my memories are mostly of their size and mass, of fascinating chrome detail that engaged and mesmerized most children at their young eye level. Of the heat on a warm summer’s day that radiated off swelling fenders and lustrous paintwork, and of sun that glinted off chrome and through sculptural taillights. Of the view inside to thick upholstery and a bejewelled and glistening world of plenty, and of a new car smell (a different kind from today’s) that occasionally wafted out of open windows. They were objects of wonder and fantasy that could be stared at seemingly endlessly, and suggested possibilities of other lives lived in ways more exciting than one’s own small-town, domestic reality.
A beautiful old Buick JP, and your description of the likely first owner was spot on. I had an uncle who fit the profile perfectly. WWII vet who grew up poor in the Depression. After the war became a successful small business owner who was the first in the family to move to a nice house in the suburbs. Smoked Dutch Masters. Joined a country club where my aunt would proudly wear the mink stole he gave her. Grand Knight in the Knights of Columbus. A man proud of his accomplishments, but wary of bragging about them lest he offend his less well off siblings. His car of choice? Buick, of course. Bought a new one every 3-4 years. Always a 4 door and usually a Super, with later models being an Invicta and then Electra.
I was 10, a timid lad from a “good family.” 1957 in suburban Los Angeles. A couple of doors down lived the Andersons, a family from the wrong side of the tracks. I had fallen in thrall to Johnny A, a boy my own age, but decades my senior in matters of hell raising and mischief.
Mrs. A had a hulking green Buick of this vintage, and parked it the driveway. She was a hard, abrasive woman, and perpetually in a rush. One hot afternoon Johnny was inspired to stick about 6 feet of garden hose up the Buick’s long, straight tailpipe, and let the water run until it began to drain back out. He then removed the hose and threw it back on the scabrous lawn, where it generally reposed.
No doubt he had pulled this stunt before, because Johnny urgently suggested that we hide across the street, behind Mr. Terwilliger’s hedge. Not sure why, I joined him. We spent a seeming eternity slapping away June bugs and flies until we spied Mrs. A come flyin’ out the front door, heading straight for the Buick.
Buick’s of the era were equipped with a simple on/off ignition switch, with no start position. The starter switch was connected to the accelerator pedal, and worked rather like the kick down switch for a modern automatic transmission. That meant that the engine always started with the throttle wide open, generally with a mighty roar in Mrs. A’s case.
Well, there we crouched, Johnny trembling with repressed laughter. Into the front seat hopped his mom. The Buick’s slow-turning starter began to turn the big straight eight. Very slowly. Suddenly it fired, and a huge gout of filthy, sooty water sprayed clear across the road and thru the honeysuckle hedge. Followed by the roar of the mighty Buick Eight. Followed by the outraged screeching of Mrs. A. We lit out of there over MR. T’s back fence, undetected until supper time, when our soot-stained T-shirts did us dirty.
It’s been 60 years, but the sight of an early 50s Buick still brings back that long ago summer afternoon, and gives me a good laugh. I suspect that the straight eight sound that some of you remember is different from my recollection. B-L-A-A-A-A-T-T-T!
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I have a ’52 Buick Super exactly the same as the featured one, here in New Zealand. Mine is original including ply tires, 6 volt battery and the original AM radio which has a great tone. As you can see, my Buick is the same color, original paint and only done 70,000 miles. It came from the US and is LHD, a very few RHD versions were imported into New Zealand in 1952, a friend has a ’51 RHD 4-door Super.
You have a beautiful old Buick!
Thanks. Just replacing the inlet manifold and exhaust manifold. A problem with these old Buick 263 straight 8’s. Received parts from Bobs Automobilia yesterday so the job can now be attended to.
Colin ;
I’m sure you know to check the manifold’s ports with a straight edge and to tighten it to the cylinder head by snugging up the fasteners from the center outwards, going back and forth .
Remember ” never, _EVER_ use fasteners at the very ends ! this is what causes them to crack and break .
As we were going out for coffee this morning I noticed a small four door Buick thing, it’s got a vertical hatch on the back so maybe a crossover, it’s smaller than a two door ’65 Buick Skylark and I commented to my Sweet how I’m glad I grew up in the age of _real_ Buicks, not tiny Chinese made Buick-etts .
-Nate
I just turned 70 years old in February of 2023. I was born and raised in a Buick family. The 42 Roadmaster, the 47 Supers, The 48 Roadmasters, The 50 Supers, The 51 Special, The 53 Super, The 53 SKYLARK. The 54 Specials, the 55 Super, The 59 LeSabre, The 64 Electra 225 Rag Top. In 1960 Brother John bought a 48 Roadmaster with the Dynaflow transmission for $40 out of a junkyard in Marlboro, NY. Today is 4 October, 2023. Johnny still drives the 48 Roadmaster. I bought a 48 Roadmaster 2Dr in 1975, I sold it in 2013. I hope folks can enjoy my part in all this. Anthony
The 1942 Roadmaster
Johnnys 1948 Roadmaster Johnny and I overhauled the engine in 2018. We also rebuilt the transmission our selves in 1976. Last year I replaced the seals in the tail of the transmission.
This photograph was taken in 1957 in Hancock,NY of the first 47 Buick Johnny had.
This is the second 47 Super Johnny had. This photograph was taken in 1958. Also in Hancock, NY almost in the same place. This one was like new! $85
Johnnys 48 Model 71 4Dr Sedan. My 48 Model 76S 2Dr Sedanette was taken in 1976. Johnny painted his car 3 times him self, my 48 was still in the making.
Sweet Anthony ! I remember these cars when I was young and how even in New England those who loved them would keep them in tip top shape and no rust .
Nate
Yeah I use to use Bob’s Automobilia when I had my 48. Good to deal with
Hi Nate, thanks for your message it came through in time, a good reminder. My mechanic is booked to do the job next Wednesday. Cheers, Colin
You’re most welcome Colin ;
the straight edge check is critical as these long log typ manifolds expand and contract quite a bit as the engine goes through it’s thermal cycles .
If there’s more than a .002″ gap anywhere it’s a simple thing to have a machine shop plane it flat again .
If this is necessary be sure they do it with the two manifolds bolted together .
Not many ere days understand the nuts & bolts aspects of inliners and oldies in general .
My only complaint with these fine old boats is : they handle like bathtubs .
-Nate
I like using Remflex gaskets on my Buick straight eight, even with the manifolds milled flat. I know that they didn’t use exhaust gaskets new, but they’re not new anymore, and the Remflex seals better than anything else I’ve tried.
As always, YMMV, but by all means, follow the manual instructions when torquing everything down. First, you tighten the manifold to head, and then you move down to the manifold valve body and torque those bolts in steps. It’s a bit of a job, actually.
As usual Aaron you’re right on top of things .
IHC too tried to gasket less exhaust manifold thing on their light and medium duty trucks, what a stupid idea .
Even the kid who worked pumping gas back then understood the basic concept of thermal cycles that caused the exhaust manifolds to expand and contract at a different rate than the cylinder heads, no way was this _ever_ going to work past warranty period .
IHC wanted you to buy new exhaust manifolds (!$$! GAH) and never had gaskets .
I was working in a huge municipal fleet and we’d get gaskets from the NAPA store, install them for a permanent repair .
-Nate
I’m right with you Nate. Thank you.
I’m lucky enough to have grown up with these fine aspirational cars and like them .
I have more than a few fond memories of them and the folks who were “Buick Men” .
These are now just ‘old cars’ yet for me they project a tremendous presence .
-Nate
Buicks from this era were indeed special, they had their own identity. Independent and quite different from their Cadillac cousins. I’ve had a few Cadillacs from the Fifties and Sixties, but never a full size Buick. Luckily I’ve had several Rivieras, including my current ’97, and they are plenty of Buick for me.
What a car! That profile shot is stunning. I see I waxed poetic about it the first time around, so I won’t embarrass myself again.
I’ll just add an observation that ‘Roadmaster’ may be one of the best model names of its time, evocative of an era when there were true roads to be travelled, not streets and freeways to be sentenced to while being lured by advertising visions of imaginary wilderness trails. 🙂
Hi Nate,
After receiving exhaust gasket manifold parts from Bob’s Automobilia in Calif. the job has now been completed and I am very pleased with the results. The car is so quiet and drives well and seems to have more response and power up hills. I appreciate your advice to keep the manifold bolted smooth and not too tight at the ends. Periodic adjustment and tightening seems critical to avoid constant manifold replacements.
Glad to be of service Sir .
There’s a lot of vintage specific knowledge I have that was once very common .
-Nate
Nice writeup. But I don’t see the postwar years into the early 50’s as a period of conformity in style.
I submit that Harley Earl’s great years as a designer began to fade in the postwar years. While other designers then were pushing the envelope, Earl’s continuation of his three layer ‘wedding cake’ approach to design would end up with GM playing catch up in the latter years of the 50’s.
I read the Three Ps made huge, low revving straight sixes in the teens, but who made the largest straight 8 and when? At some point, I guess it gets too heavy and the crank too long.
Bugatti Royale (1926). 12.8 L , 779 cubic inches.
There were no automotive straight eights before 1920.
Thanks, I forgot about that one. Not exactly a sales success, but a prestige one. I’d guess that Packard made the largest CID mass production and American I8 and Duesenberg the most powerful. Looks like the racing Duesenbergs should have gone with V engines for lower weight and center of gravity.
I remember an early 50s Buick vintage owned by someone not too far from me in the 70s. Like a Subaru flat 4 – I could tell it was the straight 8 Buick traveling in the distance without seeing it. Also the uniqueness of the Dynaflow transmission – rpms stayed about the same as the car increased speed.
Great story about the engines and transmissions of the era. And great stories and photos Anthony J Caiati. Cool you and your brother overhauled the engine and transmission in the ’48 5 years ago.