Category: V8

Tech Tidbit: Why an “Obsolete” Pushrod Engine Design is Better Than Modern Overhead Cams –  Dan Carney @DesignNews

Tech Tidbit: Why an “Obsolete” Pushrod Engine Design is Better Than Modern Overhead Cams – Dan Carney @DesignNews

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The roots of today’s pushrod engines stretch back to the post-war years.

Contemplating the advantages of the pushrod-actuated overhead valve engine design in what appears to be the twilight of internal combustion might sound as anachronistic as a quick look at the value of coal-fired steam locomotives.

But design advances in these engines, particularly the larger-displacement V8 variety beloved by American drivers and automakers alike, mean that these engines boast advantages that seem certain to keep them relevant until the very end of combustion power.

Let’s start with some definitions. Overhead valve pushrod engines marked an advance over their predecessors, the flathead engines whose valves are located in the engine block alongside the cylinder. The Ford flathead V8 and the classic Briggs & Stratton power equipment engine are well-known examples.

These engines are compact, inexpensive to manufacture, and woefully inefficient because of poor airflow, combustion, and thermal characteristics. Flathead engines’ combustion chamber is wide and flat, covering the piston top and the valves, making combustion very ineffective. Consider it the opposite of the concentrated, semi-circular combustion chamber shape of the Hemi engines we discussed previously.

Additionally, the airflow into and out of the combustion chamber is indirect, as the air must make hard 90-degree turns. And the intake and exhaust ports are located adjacently on the same side of the cylinder, transferring exhaust heat to the intake charge, reducing its density and resulting power.

Read on

Did American Motors really poach the Rambler V-8 design from Kaiser-Frazer? – David Conwill @Hemmings

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Success has many fathers. Failure is an orphan. Lee Iaccoca made sure everyone associated him with the success of the Mustang, but who is to blame for the Edsel? Digging into those stories illuminates business culture even today.One interesting anecdote, largely unexplored, is the question of where the American Motors Corporation V-8 that debuted in 1956 came from. AMC only came into existence when Nash and Hudson merged in 1954.

Neither marque previously had a V-8, though Nash had long used overhead valves. Hudson was well known for its powerful flathead straight-sixes. To compete in the mid-’50s, though, a company absolutely had to have a V-8.At first, it appeared that the solution was to purchase Packard’s new V-8 engine, which had debuted for 1955. A detuned version was available in both the Nash Ambassador and the Hudson Hornet for 1955 and part of 1956.

Unfortunately, the arrangement between the companies broke down, leaving AMC to fend for itself.In a remarkably brief time, AMC replaced the Packard engine with its own design, a 250-cu.in. V-8 that grew to 327-cu.in. by 1957, when it made a big splash under the hood of the compact-sized Rambler Rebel.

The Rebel wound up being the fastest American sedan that year—beating out the likes of the supercharged F-code Ford, the fuel-injected Chevrolet, and even the vaunted Chrysler 300C.

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Picking A Good Flathead Block

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Picking A Good Flathead Block

Good article from Nate Cooper at the Flathead Ford Support Group on how to pick a good Flathead V8 engine block

Read the story here

Related – The Life Cycle of the Ford Flathead V8: 1932 – 1953 – Albuquerque Tumbleweed Ford Flathead V8 Club

Slammed Ford Flathead V8-powered 1940 pick-up – Craig Parker | Photos: Chris Thorogood, @StreetMachine

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AN ARMY truck that’s been rusting in a shed in Eugene, Oregon, for up to 40 years doesn’t sound like the ideal candidate for a hot rod, but Adam Guglielmi has made it happen.

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Evolution of the Ford Flathead V8 Compiled by Fred Mills

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In Fred’s own words

“Here is the 221-239-255 cube U.S.A. flathead block story with pictures, to the best of my knowledge
and ability to collect pictures so far”

You can find the excellent 20 page document here

Hosted on the Early Ford V-8 Club of America Golden Gate Charter Regional Group #1 website 

 

Historic Engines – The Fabulous Ford Flathead V8 – From Jeff Zurschmeide at enginelabs.com

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Excerpt from Jeff Zurschmeide’s Flathead V8 article on enginelabs.com

In the history of automotive engines, it’s impossible to overstate the importance of the V8 design. By dividing the eight cylinders into two banks of four, engineers achieved a powerful, yet compact unit that could fit into the vast majority of engine bays also sized to fit four or six-cylinder engines.

Ford did not invent the V8 engine, but it can be fairly said that they brought it into everyday use. Some European marques and Cadillac had V8 engines decades before Ford developed the engine that would yield affordable performance and create the basis for hot rodding

Read the rest of the article here

 

Historic Engines – The Fabulous Ford Flathead