In a previous post dated July 12, 2012 I was critical of the design of the Ford “flathead” engine.  Recently I saw an Allard J2X that had a Ford “flathead” V8 engine that had been fitted with Ardun heads.  Ardun heads are interesting on several levels.  These heads converted the Ford “flathead” V8 engine into a hemispherical combustion chamber overhead valve engine.

A cross section of a Ford “flathead” engine fitted with the Ardun head conversion is shown below:

 Ford “Flathead” V8 Engine Fitted With Ardun Heads (from C & T Automotive)

The addition of these heads to the Ford “flathead” engine increased the output of the 239 cubic inch engine from 100 horsepower to about 150 horsepower.  The Ardun heads were designed by the Ardun Mechanical Corporation of New York which was headed by Zora Arkus-Duntov and his brother, Yura.  Many of you might recognize the name of Zora Arkus-Duntov as the eventual Chief Engineer for…