Буйк V8: История и особенности двигателей

The Buick V8 is a family of V8 engines produced by the Buick division of General Motors (GM) between 1953 and 1981. All were naturally aspirated OHV pushrod engines. The Buick V8 family can be divided into four groups: the first (1953–1956) and second (1957–1966) generation Nailhead, the 1961–1980 small block, and the 1967–1976 big block. The classification of 'big block' or 'small block' refers to the engine block's external dimensions, not displacement. Some Buick V8s, such as the 350, 400, and 455, have the same displacements as V8s of other GM divisions, but they are entirely different designs. Buick Nailhead V8s can be distinguished by the top surfaces of their valve covers being horizontal (parallel to the ground). Later Buick small and big block V8s have a front mounted distributor tilted to the drivers side (like Cadillacs), but siamesed center exhaust ports (unlike Cadillacs).

Buick's first generation V8 was offered from 1953 through 1956; it replaced the Buick straight eight. While officially called the "Fireball V8" by Buick, it became known by enthusiasts as the "Nailhead" for the unusual vertical alignment of its small sized valves (Originally it was known to hot rodders as the "nail valve", because the engine's small heads contained valves with long stems, which made them look like nails.) During this era, Buick ranked smoothness above most other marketing objectives, and the Dynaflow transmission's non shifting design was demonstrably smoother than the other rough shifting automatics then available. With the Dynaflow, a high torque engine was needed to provide adequate acceleration, so that's what the Nailhead was designed to deliver. Both the intake and exhaust valves were on the intake manifold side of a "pent roof combustion chamber". To offset restrictive port diameters and the smaller sized valves [ intake, exhaust], the Nailhead V8s used a camshaft with greater lift and duration. The small diameter intake runners allowed these engines to develop high torque, with many exceeding 1 ft lb/cu in (exceptional for the time). All of the nailhead engines share a bore spacing.

The produced in 1954 and 1955 was a direct replacement for the 263 straight eight and the only engine available in Buick's economy "Special" series vehicles. The was the smallest displacement Nailhead, sharing stroke and deck height with the 322, but having its own smaller bore .

The larger was the original Nailhead, used by Buick from 1953 through 1956 in the Roadmaster, Super, and Century models, and the Special in 1956. It has a bore and stroke of
The 322 was also used in the 1956 through 1957 10,000 Series conventional cab Chevrolet heavy duty trucks labeled as the Loadmaster.

Buick's second variation of the "Nailhead" was produced from 1957–1966. The "Fireball" name was dropped after 1957, but the 364 was very briefly called the "B 12000", referring to the 12,000 foot pounds generated by each piston.

Buick, like most of its competitors, continued to expand their V8 engine to larger displacements. The was introduced in 1957 and produced through 1961, with a (bore by stroke). The Special series cars came standard with the two barrel carburetor version, where all other models got the four barrel engine.

The 364 was enlarged to and produced from 1959 to 1966. Originally a 401, it was later redesignated a 400 to meet 1960s GM directives for maximum allowable engine displacements in mid size cars. Bore and stroke were enlarged to respectively. The 401/400 became Buick's muscle car powerplant of choice, used in the company's Skylark Gran Sport, Buick Sport Wagon and Buick Wildcat models, among others. The engine was variously designated the Wildcat 375, Wildcat 410, and Wildcat 445 depending on the torque each version produced. The Wildcat 410 was the two barrel carbureted engine, standard on the 1962 63 LeSabre. The Wildcat 375 was a no cost option for the 1962 63 LeSabre that used a lower compression ratio to run on lower octane fuel. The various Wildcat engines had decals on their air cleaners indicating their version; however, the four barrel edition of the 1966 67 small block Buick 340 V8 was also labeled Wildcat 375 on its air cleaner, but was not a Nailhead. The Wildcat 445, with a single four barrel carburetor, was the standard engine in the Invicta, 1959 1966 Electra, 1962–1966 Buick Wildcat, 1963 Riviera, and 1965 Riviera (the 1964 and 1966 Riviera models used the 425 with a single four barrel carburetor, labeled Wildcat 465, as standard equipment). In an effort to overcome the restrictive exhaust port design of the Nailhead, Buick drag racing enthusiasts in the 1960s adapted superchargers with a custom camshaft to feed intake air in through the exhaust ports; the larger intake ports became the exhaust outlets.

The was produced from 1963 to 1966. Its bore and stroke measured The largest displacement version of the Nailhead, it began as an option on the 1963 Riviera, and was later available on the Wildcat and Electra models. The 1964 and 1966 Rivieras used the 425 engine as standard equipment. Mounted on a trolley, Buick 425s were also used as starter motors for the SR 71 Blackbird supersonic jet. Four barrel carburetion was standard on the basic 425, called the Wildcat 465 for the torque (as measured in lb ft) it developed. The Super Wildcat (Regular Production Option {RPO} coded Y48) was available on the 1964 Riviera as a factory option (2,122 produced), 1964 Electras (any model, production numbers unknown), 1965 Riviera Gran Sport and 1966 Wildcat GS, which included two four barrel carburetors and matching intake manifold. Coded "MW", these parts were delivered in the car's trunk for dealer installation. Toward the end of the 1966 model year, around May 1966, Buick offered the Super Wildcat 465 with factory installed dual four barrel Carter AFB carburetors as an "MZ" option. Only 179 of the 1966 Riviera GS cars were built with the MZ package.

GM experimented with aluminum engines starting in the early 1950s. Aluminum Company of America (ALCOA) was pushing all automakers to use more aluminum. An early development supercharged version of the V8 was used in the 1951 Le Sabre concept car, and the 1953 Buick Roadmaster concept car, and work on a production unit commenced in 1956. Originally intended for displacement, Buick was designated by GM as the engine design leader and decided to begin with a larger, size, which was deemed ideal for the new senior compact cars introduced for the 1961 model year. This group of cars was commonly referred to as the B O P group — for Buick Olds Pontiac — or the Y bodies. Known variously as the Fireball and Skylark by Buick, the 215 had a bore spacing, a bore and a stroke of , for an actual displacement of At the time, the engine was the lightest mass production V8 in the world, with a dry weight of only Measuring long, wide, and high (same as the small block Chevy), it became standard equipment in the 1961 Buick Special. Oldsmobile developed its own all aluminum 215 based on the Buick design (with carbureted Rockette and Cutlass versions and a turbocharged Turbo Rocket), but Pontiac used the Buick version of the 215 on its senior compact cars, Tempest and LeMans. At that time the engine was closely associated with the Buick brand, and Pontiac sold few cars with it, using it only in 1961 and 1962. The Oldsmobile version of this engine, although sharing the same basic architecture, had its own cylinder heads, and angled valve covers designed by Oldsmobile engineers to look like a traditional Olds V8 and was produced on a separate assembly line. Among the differences between the Oldsmobile and Buick versions was weight, being somewhat heavier, at The major design differences were in the cylinder heads and pistons. Buick used a five bolt pattern around each cylinder, while Oldsmobile used a six bolt pattern and a wedge combustion chamber, which allowed larger valves. The sixth bolt was added to the intake manifold side of the head, one extra bolt for each cylinder, intended to alleviate a head warping problem on high compression versions. This meant that Buick heads would fit on Oldsmobile blocks, but not vice versa. Changing the compression ratio on an Oldsmobile 215 required changing the heads, but on a Buick 215, only the pistons were changed, which was less expensive and simpler. The Oldsmobile had wedge shaped/quench combustion chambers/pistons, while the Buick had a 37 cc wedge combustion chamber used "dished head" pistons even in the highest compression models. At introduction, Buick's 215 was rated at 4400 rpm. This was raised soon after introduction to at 4,600 rpm. of torque was produced at 2,400 rpm with a Rochester 2GC (DualJet) two barrel carburetor and 8.8:1 compression ratio. A mid year introduction was the Buick Special Skylark version, which had 10.0:1 compression and a four barrel carburetor, raising output to at 4,800 rpm and at 2,800 rpm. For 1962, the four barrel equipped engine's compression ratio was increased to 10.25:1 and horsepower to at 4,800 rpm and at 3,000 rpm. The two barrel engine was unchanged. For 1963, the four barrel was bumped to 11.0:1 compression and an even at 5,000 rpm and at 3,200 rpm, /cu in. The higher output "Power Pack" was equipped with higher lift camshaft .0.518" intake/ 0.523" exhaust with increased duration 305/310 and required 99 research octane fuel. The great expense of the aluminum engine led to its cancellation after the 1963 model year. American 215s have also been engine swapped into countless other platforms, especially Chevrolet Vegas and later British cars including the MG RV8 in the 1990s, Triumph TR8, and various sports sedans and sports cars by the MG Rover Group and specialist manufacturers such as TVR. The engine remains well supported by enthusiast clubs, specialist parts suppliers, and by shops that specialize in conversions and tuning. In the mid 1980s, hot rodders realized the 215 could be stretched to as much as , using the Buick 300 crankshaft, new cylinder sleeves, and an assortment of non Buick parts. It could also be fitted with high compression cylinder heads from the version used in the Morgan Plus 8. Using the 5 liter Rover block and crankshaft, a maximum displacement of is theoretically possible.

In 1964, Buick replaced the 215 with an iron block engine of very similar architecture. The new "small block" engine had a bore of and a stroke of for a displacement of It retained the aluminum cylinder heads, intake manifold, and accessories of the 215 for a dry weight of The 300 was offered in two barrel form, with 9.0:1 compression, making at 4600 rpm and at 2400 rpm, and four barrel form, with 11.0:1 compression, making at 4800 rpm and at 3000 rpm. For 1965, the 300 switched to cast iron heads, raising dry weight to , still quite light for a V8 engine of its era. The four barrel option was cancelled for 1966, and the 300 was replaced entirely by the 350 in 1968. In 1964, while nearly all Buick engines were painted "Buick Late Green", the 300ci V8s were painted Silver instead. In 1966 Buick engines switched to "Buick Late Red", but until 1967 at least, the 300 V8 (and the 225) were still painted Buick Late Green. The Apollo 5000 GT sports car, (also sold as the Vetta Ventura) used this engine.

In 1966, the 300's stroke was increased to in a raised block to create the 340 as a replacement for the four barrel carbureted 300. The taller deck (raised by compared to the 215/300's) meant the intake manifold was of a new design to bolt to the otherwise interchangeable cylinder heads. It was offered with two or four barrel carburetion, the two barrel with a 9.0:1 compression rated at at 4,000 rpm and at 2,400 rpm, and the four barrel with 10.25:1 compression, rated at at 4,000 rpm and at 2,800 rpm. It was only produced through 1967, being replaced by the new small block in 1968.

Buick introduced a "big block" V8 in 1967 to replace the largest displacement nailheads. It retained a cylinder bore spacing, and was produced in three displacements, 400, 430, and 455, through 1976.

The was produced from 1967 1969. This engine has a bore and a stroke of It was the only large V8 engine available for the intermediate sized A body Buicks due to the GM cubic inch limit restriction in effect through 1970. Most parts except the pistons interchange with the 430 and 455. This 400 engine had the distributor towards the front of the engine, as opposed to the 401/400 nailhead, which had its near the firewall.

The was a Pontiac V8 engine shared with Buick.