1963 Buick Break-In Booklet (Union 76)

This 8-page booklet, "Breaking In Your New Car for Better Performance," was published by Union Oil Company of California under its Union 76 brand. It is filed here with 1963 Buick passenger cars. The text itself does not name a Buick model, and the only identifying mark is a print code, FCD 305/860/10000.

The main content is a break-in method called "the whip." It runs for the first 400 miles in four 100-mile stages. The first stage warms the engine at about 25 mph for 20 to 30 minutes, then alternates between 25 and 35 mph with half-throttle acceleration. Later stages raise the speed range, move to three-quarter and then full-throttle acceleration, and finish with a coast back down to 40 mph. A following passage explains how this seats the piston rings against the cylinder walls: the oil film, ring pressure, and the vacuum created when the driver lifts off the accelerator. Several pages have little or no readable text, so this description covers only the pages that do. It is of interest to owners and restorers who want to know how new cars were broken in.

This 8-page copy is free to read online. Use the page box and thumbnails to move through it.