Art & Inspiration Factory HOT ROD Engines

Straight out of the factory this 1964 389 Pontiac Tri-Power was dressed-up to look perfectly at home between the rails of pretty much any hot rod, as well as under the hood of a Catalina 2+2.

Chrome valve covers and three small chrome air cleaner lids on the Rochester Tri-Power carbs, typical of what a hot rod engine looked like back then. The Pontiac power-plant engineers really must have been hot rodders at heart, they gave the performance-oriented buying public exactly what they wanted and built some simply beautiful engines.

Are there any other factory engines you know of that were dressed to impress right out of the box that can compare to this timeless look?

 

1963 "R" code 427 FORD. Doesn't get any better than this

 

You are right on the Pomtiac engine. Right out of high school I bought a 61 Bonneville convertible 389 with factory tri-power, It did not have the small air cleaners, but went to the dealership and bought a set of GTO aircleaners. What a car that was. Brings back a lot of good memories. Of all the cars that I have owned, I wish I had that one back.

 

My personal favorite.
425hp 409
Chrome rocker covers, aluminum intake with dual quads and plenty of grunt to get anything moving. Lol
Use the original dual snorkel air cleaner, or swap to a couple small single 4 barrel units and you have instant hot rod motor.
Tony

 

Early 60s Vettes had a good looking little motor, chrome air cleaner, aluminum intake, and aluminum valve covers.



and the Fuelies were even wilder....if you were building a show car....

 

Sorry kids, I had to do it...

 

Way too high class for this crowd

 

Oldsmobile had a tri power motor I don't remember what it was called.

 

I'm putting together this '58 371 Olds J2 to look close to stock,

 

In 1966 a 442 was available with a L69 tri-carb option and a factory select fit ram-air tri-carb W-30 360 hp offering. These cars consistently won classes over the GTO's, set class records and helped Oldsmobile win many NHRA manufactures awards...Dyno Dave
Hopefully someone can add some photos...

 

How about we keep this to '64 and older factory hot rod engines, in keeping with the intended scope of the HAMB forums. There were plenty to choose from during those golden years.

Factory installation, 1963 421 Super-Duty Tempest. Horsepower was underrated at 410 HP with 13:1 compression, this was easily a 500+ HP engine. Perched on top of the 'Bathtub' tunnel ram were a pair of NASCAR 750 cfm AFB carbs.

A thing of beauty, true automotive art combined with pure race-winning functionality.

 

Although they were too rare to see many (if any) make it into hot rods, the 1958 Mercury 400 Hp, 430 ci Super Marauder engine would be right at home between the rails of a Duece or A (and have enough torque (490 ft-lbs) to twist it in half too). Polished cast aluminum tri-power air cleaner and chrome baldy valve covers are perfect hot rod material.

 

Wow, probably the most elaborate and expensive factory air cleaner ever to grace a V8 engine. I'm impressed.

 

Another example of a Pontiac 421 Super-Duty, a 405 HP 12:1 compression version with the standard low-rise dual-quad intake. Shown here sporting a pair of factory louvered aluminum horsehair air cleaners, the same ones used on the 270 HP 283 Corvettes.

Looks like a real hot rod mill to me.

 

Dual-quad Cad Eldorado engines?

Hudson Hornet Twin-H Power flathead sixes?

Dual-quad Buick 401 nailhead V8s?

So where are they?

 

Buick Nailhead with factory 2x4's for me.

 

finished buttoning up the J2
all it needs is fluids and a battery and it's ready to run

 

Like the "Golden Rocket". What kind of transmission is that please?

 

thanks!
the case and shifter are '37 Buick Roadmaster, the gears, guts and tail are from the original selector shift transmission that came behind that engine from the factory

 

I sure miss those 'Golden Years'. Very nice Rocket you have there Paul!

Back when you could order the top power options and get a cool multi-carbed mill equipped with some neat factory dress-up items.

Let's all celebrate those days of 'horsepower freedom', post 'em up!

Supercharged Thunderbird 312 or Stude 289 anyone?

 

Wow!

 

Was there any factory prewar hot rod motors? Dual carb flatheads, hopped up 6s ect....

 

Other then some of the high end Factory's (Duesenberg, Cord, Packard, etc), I really don't think there was any concerted effort for the big US manufactors to get into building hot motors. The "Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday" mantra was truly a post war phenomenon.

The Europeans, on the other hand, had figured out that racing was first, and road cars were second before the war. Companies like Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, and Lancia were all founded by former racers during the pre-war period, and those guys knew how to build some really fast engines.

The 1934 Alfa P3-B below has a ton of speed tricks on it that were later adapted by hot rodders. Louvers, drilled backing plates, supercharged engine, etc.

 

The engines posted are how I would build a hot rod. About a 1958 to 1963 timeframe, with a sbc dressed like a guy pulled it straight out of a wrecked car and dropped it into his hot rod.

 

Some Mopars...

1959 Chrysler 300E
413 wedge 380hp/450tq


1956 Chrysler 300B
354 Hemi 355hp/385tq


1957 Desoto Adventurer
345 Hemi 345hp/355tq

 

here's one I had for many many years-ran very strong-- it left here about 2 weeks ago-sure miss it too. 57 283/283 Rochester injected Bel Air

 

1957 Mercury M-335.

368 ci Lincoln Y-Block.
335 Hp, 425 ft-lbs

 

1957 Ford F-Code Thunderbird

312 ci Supercharged Y-Block
300 Hp.