Not sure where to post this so I thought I would give this a go here as I know there are a few Hudsonites that are still around. I am still working on a 2x2 intake for the last generation of Hudson 6s (232-262-308, not the Jet 202), but in the meantime, I have picked up another Hudson side project. The full-up solid models for a finned aluminum performance head are still available. The original design was "lifted" by a Texas sand caster that will remain nameless but is somewhat well known for its questionable dealings. Anyway to cut to the chance. I have obtained the model and run this through a couple of casting companies and if we can get at least 20, but more likely 30 it is possible to recast these heads. With no profit a fully machined head ready to go on your Hudson will run $1,850, 30 off $1,650, and 40 off about $1,450. The details on the head are below. If you are interested drop me a line to put you on the list. If it is a go I will contact each person with what is needed to get the project started and an approximate time line for end product. Hudson Vortex Head We are now manufacturing and making available for sale a new designed aluminum cylinder .head for the 232-262-308 Hudson engines. This head will fit all of the wide block engines offered by Hudson during the 1951-1956 production years. The wide block head is being manufactured using 356-T6 (aircraft aluminum) which produces a product with a tensile strength of 36,000 pounds. The finished heads will have a textured finish including rows of 0.190-inch thick cooling fins to aid in heat dissipation and for added strength .(see the attached photos) Featured updates · The head manufacturing included using the latest casting techniques to assure improved coolant flow throughout the cylinder head is achieved. · The gasket surface of the head is .100 inches over the stock Hudson head so the head can be safely milled to increase the CR above the stock 8.4 to1ratio this head achieves in standard form. · The thermostat housing selected is a GM type which is located in the same position as stock heads. The flange was selected to assure better service without the cracking problems found in the Hudson OEM Thermostat housings. · The head was designed to allow the use of ¾ inch reach, 14 mm type thread spark plugs. (Less chance of stripping them) and allows the use of a wide Heat-Range spark plug. The sparkplug location was engineered to be close to the piston as opposed to the OEM Hudson head location over the exhaust valve. This design assures the sparkplugs will be cooled by the Air-Fuel charge from the Intake valve. · The head bolt holes are 7/16 and can easily be drilled out to ½ size if needed The head has completed several testing actions · The Twin Vortex feature of this new aluminum head was flow tested. The modified combustion chamber was compared to the combustion chamber of a stock head. What we learned was the new head created a vortex that flowed around the valves towards the piston and out the exhaust valve. The stock chamber flow patterns indicated kickback of the flow to both valves. Rudy Bennett credits Chuck Fellows, also an avid Hudson fan, with the combustion chamber design and testing. The product shown is the result of months of research into the successes and failures of past flat head engine head designs. Coupling this with practical flow testing a final design was produced which is incorporated into the TWIN VORTEX head.
Not sure that I would want the air to flow out the intake valve. Otherwise I'd be on board. It's a shame cuz I just did my head gasket too. View attachment 5185304
Yes it is a typo, nice catch: What we learned was the new head created a vortex that flowed around the valves towards the piston and out the intake valve. "What we learned was the new head created a vortex that flowed around the valves towards the piston and out the exhaust valve."
Dan, I think you should post the comparison photos you have of the original vs that horrible Clifford, and then the new design. Pictures are worth a thousand words.
Superwasp, ask and ye shall receive! Here are some interesting photos of the combustion chambers from Hudson heads over the years. Starting with the stock chamber - Hudson engineers were no dummies! However, the famous Hudson racer Jack Clifford - Clifford Performance sold a "performance" head for many years. A number of Hudson folks bought them, including ME thinking they were optimum for racing. Well, a couple of pieces of information have come forward. At least two old-time racers that raced with Clifford reported Jack never used his own performance head on his race cars! Further, one of the two tossed the head as he lost time. Well, there was a reason for that apparently. Clifford copied, exactly, the old Edmunds head from the late 40s and early 50s. Although Edmunds stuff was darned pretty, Eddie Edmunds never did any R&D work on his stuff! So take a look at these shots of all the heads I have collected. The new Twin Vortex head is far more advanced than all that came before. Gibson Binks head from Australia, mid -60s
We have preliminary pricing from a foundry that has agreed to cast the heads. They still need to confirm the machining cost, but it looks like we will be in the $1,250 ea. neighborhood. This is considerably better than the $1,650 to $1,850 we had budgeted from other quotes. NOTE: this is a US based foundry, not Chinese or Indian! If you are interested we still need about 6 more commitments to move forward with the project. I will be posting info on the 2x2 intake manifold in the next day or so.
Wish I had a Hudson project to use one of these on! The Hudson Boys set many records on the salt, I wonder how this head would compare to their setup?
The new Hudson aluminum head is a go! We expect delivery in about 8 weeks. If interested PM me or drop me an email from the info flyer below. BTW the price is only $1,150 - $150 less than originally estimated!
Not an expert but the stock cast iron was the only one with the plug over the exhaust valve. I understand that’s a good thing.
The new head has the plug over the center of the cylinder - a better option and better combustion. Packard moved their I8 plug over the center in '54 for the same reason it gives better combustion!
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