Think you've seen everything in American V8s, hot rodders? Here's one that never saw the light of day: the Kaiser-Frazer 288. Includes plenty of rare facts and photos....LINK: A V8 That Never Was: The Kaiser-Frazer 288 | Mac's Motor City Garage.com
I started to say that would be cool in a j ! But henry js were built with its budget, it sounds like if the v8 was built the j wouldn't have been made! Thank god they went the other way! Bet my chebby make more power anyway !
Noticing the lifter orientation and rocker arm off sets allowed Intake ports to be straight shot at valves [re: Ford 427 Tunnel Port] with a clean slate where Ford had to work around existing lifter orientation..
http://www.macsmotorcitygarage.com/...-Kaiser-Frazer-experimental-V8-bottom-end.jpg Fully counterweighted crank ( counterweights on either side of the center main) Safety wired rod nuts, so there will likely be bits of wire to contend with after some high speed work.
A really interesting article in light of what might have been. If Kaiser had a V8 of around 140 horsepower in 1952, would they have cut into the marketshare of Oldsmobile, Mercury and Desoto? The Kaiser had good styling and nice interiors. There was the Traveler model which was an early hatchback, similar to Chrysler's Traveller and Desoto's Carry-All. Station wagons and camping would come on strong in a few short years... A note on the Kaiser/Oldsmobile engine deal that is mentioned in the comment section of Mac's article (it's claimed that Kaiser wanted to buy 25,000 detuned Oldsmobile V8 engines from GM). The fact is that Oldsmobile was already building a suitable detuned version of its V8, in limited quantities for the use of their Experimental Motor Group (Boss Kett's department). There were thirty of these special engines built between '49 and '54 for in-house testing and for petroleum companies to use in high-octane fuel development. And that detuned Oldsmobile V8 happened to displace 288 cubic inches.
It's just as well they never built it. I see a few details that would have been big headaches. Fuel pump mounted high at the front of the engine, the perfect place if you want vapor lock. Everybody else mounted them low (except Ford) for a reason. Generator mounted low on the right. Guaranteed the bearings will not be oiled a lubrication time. 53 Lincoln had the same setup and burned out generators were a common problem until they changed the location. Ports too small and the siamesed exhaust is not good. Head bolts between the cylinders make the engine longer than it needs to be, and inhibit enlarging the bore. The design is unnecessarily heavy and expensive to build. Even by 1951 standards. By 1955 the Chev V8 would break new ground in light weight and simplicity. Every previous V8 suddenly became obsolete. This was especially hard on smaller makers like Studebaker who could not afford to redesign their engines. Kaiser would have been in trouble the same way, stuck with an obsolete, heavy , expensive to make engine in a very competitive market. Kaiser did come out with a supercharged six that developed 140 HP, like the V8s it was competing with but it wasn't enough to catch the eye of the car buying public.
I don't know this but I sort of doubt it. I would assume it would surface by now. There is a fair bit of other stuff from Willow Run in circulation. Just to mention it, the photos seem to show more than one engine. There are also photos showing a one-cylinder test mule, along with a six-cylinder OHV built on the 226 L-head engine.
Thanks, Bill. Once again you have brought forth an excellent article for our viewing pleasure ...and education of automotive history. Regards, Ray
Rusty, all of your points make good sense, especially considering the market of the early '50s. Kaiser indulged in innovation for its own sake, but there might have been a method in their madness. If the V8 engine had been cast in aluminum, as first planned, the extra material in block and heads would ensure strength and long life for the engine. The Chrysler slant six is an example of overbuilding for aluminum and then going to iron, and that engine didn't suffer from the switch. Suppose Kaiser decided to make the McCulloch supercharger available on their V8, as Studebaker later did. The small ports and circled headbolts might not seem such a disadvantage. Bill, excellent article, thank you. Only want to add that they tested an overhead cam 226ci. 6 in Mr. Kaiser's own car.
Given the State of the Art at the time this engine was being developed, it's not so poorly designed. Several engines of the period share many of the criticisms leveled at Kaiser's effort. Certainly the Olds and Caddy V8's developed in the same period were no lightweights for their displacement, had siamesed ports, and yet are revered to this day. I, for one, am glad to learn Kaiser was "in the hunt".....even if they didn't prevail in the US in the longer run. Ray
I suspect this was an early prototype never seriously considered for production. Speaking of an OHV version of the Kaiser Continental flathead six, in 1962 Jeep introduced a new OHC version of their venerable engine. It only lasted till 1965 in the US but continued to be made for years in Argentina. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeep_Tornado_engine
Thanks for the kind and generous words. I am extremely grateful for people to share this stuff with -- makes it so much more fun.