why did ford never have a 8 in a row?

Like I say I would be speculating on the difference in fuel economy between the 221 V8 and the 226 I6. But because they were the same size and the 6 probably was rated higher HP in the early years, I would guess that it would consume equally. Some have speculated that Ford only produced the I6 because the competition did. I can only repeat what I have read though, so I will leave it at that.

From the Standard Catalog of Light Duty Ford Trucks by John Gunnell:

The old four cylinder platform ended in '34. In '35 and '36 they only had the 221 V8. From '37 to '40 you could also get the V8 60 in all the trucks 1/2 ton to 1 ton. For '41-'42 the engine options increased, they had the 120 CI 30 HP I4, the 226 CI 90 HP I6, the 221 CI 85 HP V8, and the 239 CI 95 HP V8, here is the kicker, according to Gunnell, you cold get all of the engines, even the 4, in all of the trucks commercial (1/2 ton) to 1 ton. I have only seen he 4 cyl in the 1/2 ton (commercials).

I was told that the '41-'42 4 cyl was the same one in the 9N tractor, I just looked up the 9N specs and it does have the same bore and stroke, so that could be true.

 

Yes, you are of course right. But don't you see I was making the point that fuel economy was also not just a matter of cubic inches? All of those six cylinder engines in large trucks were getting better gas mileage than the Ford powered trucks. My question about the 60 HP V8 was simply was it developed to address this issue, and if so, did it happen to use a single barrel carb? I'll try to make my point in another way -- Does anyone know if Ford developed the small 60 HP V8 with hopes that it would be used in larger trucks (not just pick ups)? Personally, I think it would have been too underpowered, but then again, how much need was there for it in the passenger cars?

 

I think that the first Buick eight came out around '30. I'm sorry to quibble, but the Buick sixes had past well into oblivion by the time Robert Zimmerman came of age in Hibbing!

 

I went to a car show in Hot Springs a few months ago, there was a guy there with a 41, I walked around to the open hood fully expecting to see a v8, but what I saw was a 4 cylinder that looked a lot like a Model A engine to me, but the owner said that the engine was very similar to the 9N tractor engine, he also said it was one of just a few built, something like 1 of a thousand or so.

Very nice restored stock truck, it was worth the drive to the show for that single truck.

 

I think Ford realized that the 60 was a huge mistake very early on. It simply didn't have the power to pull the skin off of a bowl of pudding. Although many of the components of the 60 powered cars were lighter than the 85 hp, it still was being asked to pull too much weight. It was much better suited to lighter, European type cars, which is exactly where it ended up. As to use in larger trucks, I doubt that it was ever considered. It wasn't exactly a torque monster. I read in Special Interest Autos that a contemporary magazine tested a bunch of cars by running them up a, fairly, steep grade in high gear and logging their speeds, as they reached the top. Various cars were clocked at speeds of 15 to 20 mph at the crest. The results of the V8-60 said, something like, 235. When asked, they said that was how many feet the Ford went before it stalled. The 60 turned out to be a good midget and cracker box engine, but for pulling a full sized, American, car around, it was disappointing at best. In a 1 ton truck it would have been the laughing stock of the industry.

 

Oh, hell, I can quibble with the best.
Buick introduced it's odd fire V-6 in 1962. Highway 61 Revisited was released in 1965, well within the timeline.
The song has nothing to do with Buicks, or cars in general, typical of the, enigmatic, Dylan.
I give good quibble.

I got this graveyard woman, you know she keeps my kid
But my soulful mama, you know she keeps me hid
She's a junkyard angel and she always gives me bred
Well, if I go down dyin' you know she bound to put a blanket on my bed.

Well, when the pipeline gets broken and I'm lost on the river bridge
I'm cracked up on the highway and on the water's edge
She comes down the thruway ready to sew me up with thread
Well, if I go down dyin' you know she bound to put a blanket on my bed.

Well, she don't make me nervous, she don't talk too much
She walks like Bo Diddley and she don't need no crutch
She keeps this four-ten all loaded with lead
Well, if I go down dyin' you know she bound to put a blanket on my bed.

Well, you know I need a steam shovel mama to keep away the dead
I need a dump truck baby to unload my head
She brings me everything and more, and just like I said
Well, if I go down dyin' you know she bound to put a blanket on my bed

 

Carl, I relent!

 

I was just playin around man.. I dig the straight eights and I have really enjoyed reading through this thread.. All of the facts and old articles really give you an insight to the mind of the man that shaped the automobile industry in america..

 

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wow that x-8 would be so cool in a open hooded a-coupe. loving the history lesson guys.

 

I wish they had better records, I do think you are right about the HP. I would say that would be true about the 4 cyl as well at 30 HP. Gunnell get his info from the Ford museum (and other sources) which say that there were models of the large truck offered with both motors though. While the stats he provides for the commercials is lacking in detail about the smaller engines, he clearly states that the info on the larger trucks with the smaller engine (anything over 1/2 ton since some years had a 3/4 and 1 ton and other years not) does not exist. Not that none were sold though, you never know what a customer would have in mind when they buy, but I would imagine if any were sold it would only be a handful total.

Looking at the book again this AM for numbers produced I did notice that Gunnell refers to the 4 cyl in '40 as well, he didn't give it full status as a model that year but referred to it when looking for ID info (I also believe the first one I saw was a '40 -- but I could be mistaken about the year because I was only about 16 yo when I saw it and could have easily convinced myself since then that it was a '40)

Now thinking about the 6 cyl a little more, it is possible that it was meant for fuel economy in a way that I wasn't thinking. I was assuming that 2 engines of equal size would move the same amount of air/fuel at any given RPM. I also assumed that they would have the same air fuel mixture, although they are physically different engines so this might not be as true.

One thing I forgot is that the 226 I6 is that it has a longer stroke than the V8s. It produces more torque at a much lower RPM than the V8, so in lower speed applications it is true that the 6 probably did provide more power, which in turn could provide better fuel economy.

 

I came across this governor for sale on ebay. I found it relevant to a point I made earlier.


http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Used...9653621?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories