Quote:
Originally Posted by Dartskipper
Buick were the first engine manufacturer to produce an overhead valve engine for use in a motor vehicle. All other engines were side valve designs. Buick marketed their famous straight eight engines as "valve in head." The valves had very small heads themselves, and some people called the engines "nail in head." The straight eight was a very smooth running engine, and was in production well into the late 1950's when Buick changed to the V8 configuration.
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When we cleared out my late parents house there was a 'clutch' of valves tied up with string hanging on a hook in the garage. I don't know if they were inlet or exhaust or a mixture but there were not 16 in total. I reckon that the valves were about 35 mm across the face but it was a long time ago.
The overhead valve was probably good if you could keep the oil up to the rocker arm. For a long time dad could not. I don't know if it was the oil pump that was crook or the rocker bearings sloppy but the car ended its life minus the rocker cover and a big oil can inside on the floor. This would have been back in the late 1940s/very early 1950s.
The more things change the more they stay the same - we had a 2000 Holden Barina (a straight Opel from Spain I think) it screwed up the OH cam due to insufficient lubrication too. Bastard of a car - nearly as bad a our son's Volkswagen Polo.
