1940 Buick First Start in 30 years. Straight eight. 

Click 10:02 for first start in 30 years. Click 15:57 for my 92 yr old father.

+1 for not revving the piss out of it when it started

I cut my mechanical teeth on these monster straight 8s back in the fifties. I had my first paid job at a garage and the owner was very skilled and kind enough to walk me through each repair or adjustment he made. These engines were whisper quiet, had a lot of low and middle rpm torque and did not beat themselves up with high rpm operation. They could cruise all day at 60 mph and got about 16 mpg on low octane regular gas. They were hooked up to the then new fluid drive transmissions in Buick,Cadillac and Pontiac and Oldsmobile. Coupled with a two barrel single carburetor the cars with these engine/transmission setups were painfully sluggish around town and got poor mileage. As used here and in The US and Europe for every day transportation they were very dependable. There were some race teams that installed blowers and other hot rod stuff and were able to develop race cars using this type of engine. Some were so powerful they could lift the left front tire off the ground when they accelerated on a straight away. In the late fifties the engines were 'hopped up' for drag car use and could turn in upper nineties speed in the quarter mile.The real draw back in passenger car use was the sheer weight and size of the engine which didn't lend itself to being put in smaller cars. They became obsolete in the early fifties but served with distinction for many years prior to that time.

Considering that it's been in an automotive coma for over three decades, it's done well to get this far this quickly. A lot of newer cars would be harder to resurrect than this

Super bowl- who gives a rat's ass? Old cars are more important!

Nice work getting her running again. Love the deep throttle of those old engines.

That's just marvelous! Thanks for taking the time to get this up here. Resurrections are always inspirational. You did good, young man.

Beautiful car man! I've always loved that silhouette. You see a lot of these in the old Warner Brothers gangster movie chase scenes from the early 40's. Love them! And neat to realize too that your dad was a cool 17 year old when this car made it's debut!

Best part of this whole video is at 17:58 when he roles that window down. I've been in cars far newer then that one that don't have windows as smooth as that. What an amazing work of art this car is

Those old OHV engines that required valve lash setting while running were one big pain in the ass. Always wound up with oil everywhere. Good to see the old man up and interested.

Had the same 40 special and mine also had a 53 motor. Loved to cruise the interstate. It just seemed to float. Thanks for video. Bruce

Pretty cool. It's amazing how old engines like that seem to fire right up with the starter only turning it over at about 5 RPM haha

Our family car (bought in 1943) was a 1940 Buick Special. I learned to drive on it, and got my license with it (1956). Watching you bring the now impossibly derelict car of my childhood back to life was rejuvenating for me.

Kudos for working on your car during super bowl Sunday. This was in '16. Before the kneelers. Your a pretty large man and fit good in that large car. I love those long hoods. Had a 40's Ford pickup and the hood(s) opened the same way. Much easier to work on. Thanks for the video and, thanks for keeping our Auto history alive.

From what I understand, the straight eights were smooth & torquey engines. Thanks for sharing.

Love that accelerator start switch Makes it easy to crank while working on it

I just love the sound of straight engines I didn't know a straight 8 engine block existed until now 😃:-)

I love seeing these old vehicles brought back to life Awesome stuff man. Would look and sound good going down the road. Those straight 8's are beautiful.

cool car ! i redid a 39 Buick into a hot rod a few years back . We got it with out an engine . i have a 36 Buick 8 in my shop for rebuild . neat old stuff

GREAT CAR & JOB GOOD WORK. MY MOTHER BOUGHT A NEW BUICK ROADMASTER IN 1949 I THINK SHE PAID ABOUT $4000.00 ??.IT WAS A GREAT CAR WITH GREAT MEMORIES. THANK YOU FOR THE VIDEO.

That car has aged very well considering it's over 70 years old. It still has the original paint job and much less rust than I expected.

Those str. 8 engines were basically bullet proof.

Sounds beautiful! Great job saving that beauty

I absolutely love this old Buick!!

Bravo to you for keeping the old iron on the road

Great old Buick! Your Dad made me nervous walking in the slick stuff.

Thx for the show They dont make them like this anymore.build to last.78years and strong as ever.

Good video, especially when your father came out to check it out. Lol, no cup holder!

I remember my father in law telling me how he drove across country to California in a straight eight buick. He said it broke down and traded it in for a station wagon. Very cool video!

Noticed the hood latch on the drivers side was still open. All kinds of these around when I was a kid back in the 50's. We had a 29 Dodge that you started with a crank and 1948 Chevy fastback. Dad finally bought a 55 Chevy just before he passed away.

that was neat when your dad came out he look like he turned 75 years younger when he saw that thing running. I can definitely see in your dad's eyes and his figure of looking at the car it was a turn of a century for that character I salute to your dad he looks like a wonderful dad

Thank you for SAVING HER. 1940 before the USA entered the WAR. THIS WAS A DIFFERENT TIME.

Exelent job giving this old car life again!

Squeeze bottle with gas and 2 cycle mix. Fill up the float bowl of the carb through the vent tube. It will run long enough for the fuel pump to refill the float bowl. The two cycle oil gives some initial lube to the top side of the piston rings. Your dad is awesome.

Like your hi vis orange woolly hat and jumper, good match with the orange rims, only kidding, good job on that buick, beautiful car, got character unlike todays wind tunnel crapcars, thank for sharing it with us, regards from the UK

She's a beauty. Would be fun to restore that baby to near it's original condition. Quite a bit of work, but definitely would be fun.

thank you for keeping the engine in a Detroit made car when USA was the most productive nation in the world

Hi hyzercreek loved your download I had a 1938 straight eight Buick many years ago now here in the uk like yours but had bullet headlights and a right hand drive had a lot of fun in old that car . Beautiful car wish I still had it . Brought back a lot old memories thanks .

"This is not a Packard, this is a Buick" my new favourite sentence.

The nice thing about the Buick being a over head valve engine verses the GM flat head when the head and valves needed serviced you take the head off and take it to the machine shop . long time ago there were people that came to your garage to redo the valves on the flat head block and today thats a long lost art.

When the engine was smoking it was the oil burning and the engine heating up. Same went with my 1986 Porsche 944 I got 2 months ago it was last started in like 2005 or something, anyway, the engine smoking is good because everything is re sealing and etc

Finally! I have been trying to get my 47 to run right for 4 years now. I need this guy in my corner

so this engine really has balls

SO MANY TROLLS, SO FEW MECHANICS!

First car I bought for myself in 1963 when I got out of the army was a 1953 Pontiac Chieftain straight 8

Your dad reminds me of my dad, 83 and still going strong.

very nice. well done. Congrats from Germany for your job! 🍻 I guess the Buick says "thank you for waking me up" 😄😄😄

Thanks for the great video. My addiction is Studebakers.

awesome bro u made everyones day specially ur fathers. he must be proud of u

Really cool old Buick. Love it!! Pops had one just like it, when he was drafted into WWII. Quite certain my Grandpa, kept it for him, until he got out, in 1945JTORlando, Fl

that's the best buick engine to me.

I have always had/have a obsession with straight six but straight eights are an interesting piece of machinery. The straight six was used by Ford here in Australia till 2016. Even till this day the straight six format has proven to be more reliable then the vee six used by competitors. I have heard these straight eights had balancing issues unlike straight sixes that don't (not sure if that's true or not). Either way still cool to see and hear these beasts running

"the idle is high" Very awesome video, nice to see it running

Mate, I am loving this car. Great if you could post more. Cheers

Nice. Always loved that wong wong wong cranking sound of these Art Deco era engines. My dad would adjust the valves on these in a different manner. He would start it and run it hot. Then shut it down, disable the fuel, and with a bump starter, turn the engine over, and adjust it on the "fly". This way you made no mess. You do have to be mindful of the starter and burning it out.

Beautiful car. It looks nice with those red rings

Amazing how little cylinder wear..as i undertand it, chrome-steel piston rings did not come out until the 1960s

Beautiful old girl, I'm glad people still restore cars like this....

I’d leave it basically as-is! Just mechanically working good. Classy 😉

when it's not idling too fast, that motor sounds great. You don't hear that anymore, used to be you could tell what was coming down the road just from the sound of it.

when I started my 1940 Buick after fixing the manifold studs.... 5 feet of mouse nest hit the back wall of the garage

No cupholder no distractions while you’re driving.

I just love that split hood its a thing of beauty

She is BEAUTIFUL!!!! My dad had a 41 deluxe four door blue, it look just like yours. Buffalo, NY

That was pretty comical yet cool, bad ass car

I love big inline engines. Had a '79 F-150 with a 300 cid inline 6 that gave me 235,000 miles.

The idle is supposed to be high when the engine is cold. That's the function of the automatic choke.

Congratulations, that is amazing, I hope I am as lucky as you, I just got my own 1940 Buick Special!

your dad most love that car bring back memorys

That was impressive.

I have coffee brewing in the kitchen down the hall and just as you were talking about the smoke (as it was burning off the manifold) I smelled the brewing coffee and thought for a 2nd your smoke had come through RU-vid into my little studio here LOL! Something tells me the smoke from burning off your manifold did not really smell like organic coffee from the Whole Foods Market :-)

Love your sense of humor, LOL. It probably doesn't have a dash mounted GPS either, LOL.

Old technology is amazing!

11:20 THE OLD GIRL IS ALIVEEEEEEE!!!! 💪

Hello I have a problem with my fuel pump for Buick 8 right I have no compression I disassemble the interior there is nothing to break and the seals are in good condition, however the lever is lowered without problem can i have a problem adjusting the lever? a detail I did not disassemble the lever

My dad is the owner of this car now! This car are in PUERTO RICO! I need contact the mechanic of the video for send photos of the car now

Your Dad's so cool ! Hope he's good !

sweet video boss sure enjoyed it cant wait for more updtes

I had a flat head V8 in a Ford one time that would run a hundred miles an hour and 3 cylinders had 25 lb of compression the others had 50 to 80

Glad to see the old iron back on the road again!

Engine sounds fantastic. 6 Volts system ?

Started great. Did the engine management light go off and did the sat nav still work? Joking aside the old fella looks happy. Well done.

Great video. I learned a lot!

a piece of america when times were better. Keep her alive

Sounds like a good runner, have you done any restoration since this was done or are you just driving it?

That head must have been one heavy piece of iron

Just reminds me of my late grandfather 's 71 Nova and how bad I wanted him to sell it to me.

Cant wait to hear my 49 Roadmasters Rivs straight 8 fire! She was locked up, and now turns free after some soaking.....

Nice Buick, stay on top of those brakes :) peace

I DONT KNOW IF YOU REALIZE IT BUT YOUR SHIRT HAT AND THE RIMS ON YOUR CAR ALL MATCH WHICH ALSO STANDS FOR MY HOME FOOTBALL TEAM GO BROWNS THEY WIN A FEW GAMES A YEAR AND LEAST THERE NOT DEAD LAST. AT LEAST THE LAST TIME I CHECKED!! GOOD JOB ON THE OLD BUICK AND GOOD LUCK TO ARE FAV. TEAM GO BROWNS !!!!!!!

Very nice indeed. That idle was high, not at the end of the video though. Sounded good. And I'm not telling the man who set it 30 years ago.

sounds good for the age 1940 runs like a new car almost

Straight 8 have the best sound of all engines

hi enjoyed the buick how do i determine the year of old buick blocks and heads ? can i use the casting numbers ?

I can only imagine how futuristic this car must have looked back in it's hayday

With my experience once the engine is started backfires aren't able to travel up the intake manifold, but safety first Also- was the fast idle to help clean things out?, seemed a tad bit fast especially for how cold it looks there lol From where i live it never snows

No cup holder... lol... I loved watching.!

1:06 A test that will give an indication if the low compression is a valve or a ring problem is the so-called wet compression test, do the normal compression test and then squirt a little oil through the spark plug hole and do another test, if the rings are the problem the oil will seal the rings to the bore and the compression will increase, if the valves are the problem the compression will remain low.

straight 8's are so bad ass

Nice, but one simple question do you change the engine oil before the start up ? after all oil that old would be pretty stale.