My Dad sent me this email yesterday and I called bull$hit but apparently this really happened. My Dad was selling a Studebaker to this old timer and when he dropped it off the old guy tells him hewanted to show him something and this is what it was. My Dad then tried to trade the car for them but unfortunately they aren't for sale, at any price. Real deal right there. No bull$hit and complete. They aren't for sale and I'm not giving up details. Damn. That stuff is still out there. Andy from STL
This is true. I stand corrected. From what I understand they were run on a dirt car at some point. I'll see if I can get more details.
Nice original set of heads I can tell from the rods at the top of the spark plug tubes someone tried to run them at one time. Man using those brass rods screwed to the top of the spark plug created a big spark jump problem grounding into the steel spark plug tubes. When the heads were designed and cast in 1947 no spark plug wire was available to go down into those long tubes but when the production Hemi came out in 1951 that problem was solved.
That's awesome. There is a guy that comes to the local cruise in sometimes that runs a set. There is more original speed stuff on this car than I have seen anywhere else.
Surprised Zora didn't have that one tackled. Henry 'Hank' Silva ran a pair of them in a friend's dragster very early on, I remember they (Igniters of Santa Clara) used to push the wire with a straight sleeve terminal down with a tool, a steel tube, steep bologna-cut on the end (looked like a 3/8" steel galvanized brake line with a striped plastic handle) I also recall when the Chrysler Hemis came out, white ceramics. (very brittle: like Biscue)
Does anyone have any idea just how many sets of Ardun heads were made for the Flathead Ford conversions? Just curious.
I always thought around 200, but this thread suggests up to 1000. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=318925&page=2 I found this tidbit of info. re: the v-8 60HP Ardun kits designed by Argus Dontov's brother. "Yura Duntov was big on small engines, and he ramrodded the V-8 60 Ardun heads, of which about a hundred sets were made."
The total was around 250, some made in New York, others made in England when the Arkus-Duntov brothers partnered with Sidney Allard to equip his sports cars with them. This after the U.S. market for Arduns faded because Ford began putting Lincoln flatheads in Ford trucks, whose engines the Arduns were supposed to go on to improve cooling. The originals were great engines in many ways but they had their problems, the steel tube spark tubes were just one of them. The valve guides tended to crack (I got good at replacing mine!), the pushrods were solid and very heavy, and there was only an external system for oiling the rocker arms (you ran external tubing from the pan into fittings on the front of the heads). The new reproduction models have reportedly cured most of these early issues.
OK the question is are these worth anything or has the novelty worn off? What is the price of a good set of heads on todays market?
Yes, just like the lack of excitement for Halibrand wheels and quickchanges, '32 three-windows, and old hot rods in general. Let's stop wasting our money on old stuff and all go buy new Camaros!
Looks like that head was supplied on an Allard, in that two rivet marks can be seen where it usually says New York. Neat stuff!
As the story goes, the owner of these heads used to help an old dirt tracker work on some race cars and as he aged he helped him with other things too. Some race related, some personnel...just a friend defined. He told my Dad he saw those heads and they laid around collecting dust. So when the old dirt tracker got to the age where his family was going to put him in a home they were going to liquidate his stuff to pay for it. This guy tells my Dad that the old man says to pick out anything in his shop that he wants and he can have it. Anything else and you have to pay for it at auction like everybody else. So he says, "I knew exactly what I wanted". And that's that. Been in his possession for 20+ years. This is the story my Dad told me. And for the naysayers, the other head was still in the box. What box? I dunno prob just a storage box. I've never even seen a pair of these in person. Anybody know what these are worth? Andy from STL
Tell me more about being supplied on an Allard. I didn't notice this at first inspection. Andy from STL
The heads I've seen on Allards have a metal plate attached with two screws or rivets. I am no Ardun expert, so hopefully someone else can expound on this.Also reference post#17 about the change.
Years ago I got to meet Parry Fina, he had a shop in New York City and all the ALLARDS were shipped to him without engines, must have a customs deal, and besides why ship engines over and back again. He installed whatever the customer had ordered Caddy, Olds, or ARDUN equiped Ford V8. Well over 35 years ago I has a NOS set of ARDUN heads that were spairs for a dirt car. I sold them for a record price at the time ($2,500)to pay off the balance on the plumbing on the house we just built. Selling the V8-60 ARDUN engine was the deal I regret, it paid for the two garage doors and more construction material. Bob
Look at the attached video at around 1:21, you can clearly see the Allard tag on the Ardun rocker cover. The Allard did come engine-less to the U.S., except for those equipped with Ardun engines, as Ardun went to the UK specificially to equip Allards at Sidney Allard's request: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXkYM3X4p70
I know the repops (if they are still being made) were 13K at one point. Don't know what originals are going for now. and Novelty? Yeah screw the Arduns, lets all put SBCs in our hotrods
Back in the day, my uncle was a mechanic for Detroit Diesel. He told me stories of retro fitting Ardun flatties with new Detroit's in old fishing boats. I asked him what happened to the old flatheads, he said "we threw them over the side"
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