Art & Inspiration Is there an engine you just love?

Whatever was that evil, badass, ground pounding thing was that went down my street last night, settin' off my dogs? Dunno - I want it.

 

It's pretty hard to beat an Elephant Motor.

 

93 Posts and nobody has mentioned the original Rocket?! Gotta lay down a vote for the first, the best, the Rocket V8! I realize mine in this pic is a J2, so not technically "the first", but still. . .this is one of three Rockets I'm running in various rides (303, 324 and 371).



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My OT 66 Fairlane had an FE and loved it. Wouldn't mind a side oiler project!

 

I like pretty well all engines, but living in a land of small four cylinder units; I think that anything v8 and up has great visual impact. Here's the one in my '50 truck.

 

Does an engine in a Spitfire plane count? Or any radial 'plane engine.

 

I'm pretty partial to the General's take on the hotrodded sbc:

And a tip of the hat to the baby BB

And of course the King BB

 

Most love the first V8 they had,or had found out good info on.
For me it was Thunderbird Y-block{I still drive it},and then a Olds Rocket V8, I put in my Henry J. The funny part is,I was looking for a Studebaker V8 w 4bl. too start with in the 50s for my hotrod build,just came up with the Ford Y-block,an stayed with them. Did a few updates over the years,too alt. an alum. rad.

 

i like the above post because Dana explains why he likes the Y block. He has lots of hands on experience with them and knows about them. I think the posts in this thread that explain why the poster loves a particular engine are much more interesting than just writing "Packard V8". Do you have one? Have you run one? Not just Packards. Whatever you love. Tell us why you love it.

 

Well Rich, I have never run an offy but I did screw a couple together. They are a major pain in the butt to build (maybe not if you build 'em all the time). I have owned 2 Cosworth's, one I had in a small OT car ( not a GM body) and one I stuffed in a Kurtis (SP?) nosed T at the very beginnings of the track T craze. I never owned the T but I drove it, both mine and the T would scream like a turpintined cat. Neither had the grunt of a 500"caddy, nor the sweet sound of an offy at full sing but they were fun.

I have owned and built several over square V-8s and like the Cosworths and the Offys they would rev 'til hell wouldn't have it. I did help a guy in Rome, Georgia screw a de-stroked 427 medium riser once, came out to 396"and it was a brute and still revved.

My problem is that I didn't learn that there was any engine that was magic or that any engine was any harder to build than any other. All they are is nuts n bolts. you find a formula that works and it will work on any 4 stroke internal combustion engine. For me the formula that has always worked was short stroke, big bore and lightened and balanced ( that is overly simplified but you catch my drift right?)

In my world the perfect engine, the one that is going to make me giggle like a school girl every time is one that sounds like it is ready to come apart just before you shift it.

 

The engine that REALLY woke me up, & why I'm not sure, was back in high school when I first heard & read about Harry Miller's 91" straight 8 race motor from the 1920s. I'll never own one(gee, Captain Obvious!), I've heard one run only a few times(or actually even seen one a few times, for that matter), but THAT motor set a pattern within me for the rest of my life! It explains why my first car was a '48 Crosley 4cyl, why I loved the NOVI(& most other Indy Motors), why I'm addicted to Sprint Cars & Midgets(& almost any piston engine "screamer")..... Just another "Motorhead". Oh, of course, the 4cam Ford Indy motor from the '60s!!!

 

Ford flathead V-8
Cadillac Flathead V-8
Early Hemi

 

Don't make me choose, please I'm begging ya.

 

Show'em who's "BOSS"

 

The first "built" motor I had was in '67, a 30 over 312 in a 55 bird. Local AA fuel guy built it, and how I ended up with it and the car is another story. Many motors, most OT, later I've still got a soft spot for the Yblock.

This is the boat anchor in my roadster. 56 Merc block

 

The first motor that got my attention, was my uncle's '62 409 with dual quads, an Isky cam and fenderwell headers. It was the summer of 1964 and I was 9 1/2 years old.

 

I'm a Chevy guy but a drag racer at heart so any hopped up non stock rear tire busting high rpm engine trips my trigger !
I've had several hot small blocks that rumped and held their own on the streets, nothing like the distinctive sound of a solid lift cam small block in the upper enchilada of the rpm scale.
I've also had several big block chevys with there low deep growl of brute force. I was never one to spin them to the moon but instead took advantage of their low rpm torque multiplied through some good gears and sure to chew some pavement.
I've owned 455 Olds, 350 Olds 350 buicks, hell even a certain Buick turbo V6 and even an FE 390 ford that made me late for work on the first day with it (piece of crap)
My current most favorite is my all aftermarket blown 540, this thing can lay it down, 650+ torque at 2500 and still over 700 at 5000. It's no nitro motor but for a pump gas special you can sure feel a crack in your spine when you blip this sumbitch !

 

Pontiac 421 SD

 

This guy likes these so much he put 2 in his ride lol


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I can't get the picture of my BBC427 to load but that's my choice of engine and of course any 409 and hemi with the 426 at the top of that list along with the 455 and the ford coveted 427 but I'm a big block guy lol


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Ed and the hot end of his favorite engine

 

I love the Chrysler 383. It's just an all around great engine. Plus, it's what I cut my teeth on growing up.

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Through the years I have owned and raced quite a variety of engines. Fords from a 289 to 427's and everything in between, including a Boss 302, a MEL 383 and Flatheads. Early Olds Rockets, and a 331 Cad were also in the mix. I ran an early Chrysler Hemi or three, my favorite is this '55- 331. After 30 years, I still vividly remember the muffled sound through a helmet, turning 8500 in the lights at 190 plus. Perhaps the fact that is was originally built by Keith Black has a lot to do with it.

 

Favorite is the early Chrysler Hemi's but like Chevy W's, BBC, 327, Ford flathead.

 

My 331 hemi in the 55 300 has a nice rumble.


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You guys have experienced motors most will never get to see. For me, I like all American iron but the two factory engines that impressed me were the 1964 390 Thunderbird FE with solid lifters in my grandads police interceptor and the 1966 421 Pontiac in a 2+2 my dad had. They were some of the few that could bark tires with an automatic shifting into second straight out of the factory. I wish I could find a decent 2+2 now. That car had factory engine chrome, 8 lug wheels?, white bucket seats great stereo, air and a candy apple red paint job.