Art & Inspiration Is there an engine you just love?

We build Engines for a living so I love them all, but lately I have been obsessed with small V8's I just cant get enough of them. I just built myself a 286 Stroker Flatty, I have a 283 with a Tri-power in the works, I want to do a 215 Buick in the worst way, a baby Hemi and have just been waiting at the chance to do an Inline 8 248 Buick or somehting. But we build 5-10 LS engines a week which are the cheapest HP/ Dollar there is, so I am kind of partial to them and I am a wiz at EFI tuning so there are them as well.

 

Well,lets see.ANY engine that starts every time I get in the vehicle,AND brings me home,too.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

 

I have an L79 Chevy 327 that was NOS when I bought in 1976.
Been in 5 different cars since. I'll never get rid of it.

Right now my favorite is the 348 in my 61 Impala. The W-blocks are always good for conversation at any car function. Many people never heard of one until you talk about "She's Real Fine My 409".



At work I've been on a 57 T-Bird with a 427 SOHC.
Cool looking engine. Can't wait to drive it.




The engine I always thought of building was a 454 Chevy with a 348 crank.
Large bore / short stroke. I ran it on "Desktop Dyno" and got excited.

 

I like to share a drink and a hug with my 354 Hemi:

 

Yes, Blueflame Chevrolets 261's particularly.

My 261

 

Blown 426ci Hemi on alcohol.

The sound, the power, the fumes that burn your eyes......what's not to like?

 

the most fun I ever had in a car (in the front seat) was my OT 69 GTO with a RAM AIR III, 4 speed and 3.90 posi. I wrecked it and if I had the skills, tools and shop I have now I would have put that in my 1949 Chevrolet coupe. not even considering I would not be able to stop in a hurry. lots of torque for an internally stock motor. when I broke the posi and put a junk yard rear with 3.08s in it I could smoke the tires for blocks, right in front of your moms house. I was 18 to 20 years old when I had it, which should have been against the law.

this may be a weird second favorite motor, but I had a Datsun 2.o litre in my Hot Rod Datsun pickup. had a Weber and a big pipe with a short glasspack, and sounded like an old racing airplane when I ran the RPMs up. spun that sucker to 7000 RPMs at Fremont drag strip. 17.70 @ 77 MPH

 

Early Hemi and Flathead

 

For looks- a dressed flathead ford or nailhead is tough to beat. For pure horsepower- a hemi or sohc ford. For tourque- just about any big block will put out plenty. But a small block chevy is the best bang for your buck, and I am broke.

 

Ford FE, Ford 429, then a Ford 289. I am a bit of a Ford nut, so I subscribe to the, if it's a Ford it needs to be powered by a Ford mantra.

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That thing got a neutral safety switch?

 

FIA doesn't have safety rules. Your on your own when you run with them.

 

My favorite.


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390 FE for me , been playing with them for years . Plenty of torque


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I agree, here's a bit of a derivation of one.

 

I love my flatheads but I will always be a lover of vw turbo motors. And those that will run 6 seconds in the quarter mile.

 

427 FE in 66 fairlaine or 64 mercury comet is my old school #1 dream car,but as an australian must say i love 351 clevelands we had them down here from early 70s to mid 80s,resulting in lots of 600 +hp classic falcons cruising aussie streets these days.

 

I love the massive girth of a big hemi.
I think flathead v8s and Lincoln 12s are visually beautiful.
I'm fascinated by the size, looks and sound of a duesenberg.

Some are a thing of beauty, some are all about the power but I find all engines wonderful. Just to see all the moving parts working in synchronicity.

 

I had a 52 F1 pickup with a 51 Mercury FH v8 in it. Nothing sounds like a flathead.

I currently have a 62 Fairlane w/ the stock 170. It runs real good and is better on gas than my modern car... not super impressive but is fun to drive.

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While a SOHC 427 is my dream engine which I will never have, this Rocket Olds fills the bill for me.

 

I like Nailheads for their torque and unique sound, 348/409s for their weird valve covers and their heritage, Y Blocks for their clean looks and their firing order , BBCs , Stovebolts , Flathead Fords, early bangers and all engines that are nicely designed, clean looking and not a clusterfuck of all kind of parts bolted on . I even dig the old BMW M30 6ers,I always have one or tow around, but my true love are the early SBCs, I have about 10 or 12 283s and 327 of all years, most of them in cars, some under the bench, and my 301 has a special place in my living room until it is headed into my 53 Chevy Gasser project.

 

Remember that song "The Day The Music Died" ?
I'm pretty sure it was about General Motors' decision to go with the same cookie cutter 350cid for everybody.

 

the music was rock and roll
it was first inspired by the love for the Rocket Olds engines coming out of Lansing Michigan

 

There are several engines I love. But which is first has always depended on how it matched up with the vehicle, and the use I intended it for. The Buick 215 was easy to work on, and balls of fun when installed in my Bugeyed Sprite.
A classic 324 Olds Rocket was just the ticket for powering my '46 Hudson coupe.
That tri-power equipped 365 Caddy made a '49 Willys Jeepster run like a raped ape.
My '61 Tempest was mighty fine when properly fitted with a Poncho 389 ...
But it's '63 follow up was even better with its 400/4 speed/4,56 rear.
Sold my '69 SS 396 Camaro for the down payment on my first house.
My '70 Cougar Eliminator with its Drag-Pak 428/4 speed/4.30 gear had all it needed.
Leaving out a dozen or more other's, now all down the road, My '64 Studebaker Daytona with its original 259 and 3 speed o/d has pleased me enough that I've now owned it for 27 years.

 

I can't say I love any engine,
I've owned and played with lots of various brands, domestic and foreign.
Nothing exotic so my experience is with the average Joe stuff.
I suppose if I did have a few exotics my tastes would be more refined
but I have been having fun playing with the early Olds engines for a while now..

 

'51 Merc!!

 

This one gets my vote!

 

There, I fixed it for ya...

 

I'm kind of partial to this...