Do any of you other gearheads ever try to identify an engine you hear in something driving by just going by how it sounds, and then you just have to run out to see if you're right? I think my family thinks I'm nuts, but a lot of times I'll hear some yahoo flooring it down the street behind my house, and I'll hear it for two seconds and announce, "That's a hemi Charger", or "That's a small block Chevy", and then I have to run out to see if I'm right. I'm right most of the time. I don't know how, but once I get the sound of an engine in my head, I can usually recognize it. It's weird, and doesn't really make sense. I always wondered why you can tell whether it's 4, 6, 8, 12 or whatever cylinders just by listening to it. Maybe the different firing orders set up little musical patterns that your brain can recognize? Who knows. A 3 cylinder Kawasaki motorcycle is about the most horrible sounding engine ever with that uneven popcorn clatter. A V-twin Harley sounds cool, but an inline 2 also sounds cool, but different. A 4 sounds good to me. A straight 6 sounds "european" to me. A V6 sounds different than a straight 6. And a 8 or a 12 is music to my ears, but a V10 doesn't sound so great. A straight 8 sounds a lot different than a V8. A small block Ford sounds different than a small block Chevy. Even with tuned headers all feeding into one tailpipe, you can still tell the difference between different engines -- even though what you're hearing is just a steady stream of exhaust pulses. A P-51 Mustang flying overhead is about the coolest sounding thing ever -- unless maybe it's a P-38 with twin V-12s. But then again a big radial sounds super cool too with an awesome clattery sound, like a Hawker Sea Fury. A B-25 with two big radials sounds awesome. Ever since I was a kid living near a Navy base, I would run outside to watch AND HEAR cool sounding planes or cars cruising by. Even a jet fighter sounds cool when they kick on the afterburner. Any of you guys feel the same way? Or am I just a nut case? I think the sounds that old hotrods make is half the fun for me, and half the reason I love working on old cars. A car show where cars just sit there all day is kind of boring compared to a car show where you get to hear different cars driving around all day. I like getting all my senses involved -- listening to cool engines, seeing cool cars, and even smelling stuff like exhaust, fuel, burning rubber and having nitromethane fumes burning my eyes.
Well, you may or may not be a nut case, but I can always tell a Pontiac V8's sound without looking. The mopar B motors (383-413-426-440) always sounded nice with a good pair of low restriction mufflers as well.
I don't go running out of my house, but I can identify engines like you describe... then have to glance up and see if I was right haha....
At least with old-fangled V8 engines, I can sort chevy from SBF from mopar. Fords have a higher pitch and mopars are (as best I can describe it) "poppy" sounding.
Just about every motor has a distinctive sound, especially depending on the mods. For some reason I could identify newer motors easier, like LT1's,LS1's,5.0 & 4.6 Fords. I could tell the difference between and old school SBC and BBC, I could tell the differnce between an M-22 and any other trans, and a few more, so no its totally in the nature, dont worry..
I can tell small block chevys and fords Mopars are easy to tell just by the starter noise and staight sixes and slant sixes. gotta love how all motors sound different
Yeah, I really like small block fords especially the 289s. The old style Hemis, of coarse have that wonderful deep bellow. The Boeing B-17s have a beautiful, mellow drone. Very distinct.
I think one should see a shrink if they did such a thing,,but I know an old mopar where they try to start it,,that starter sound sticks out.
"Any of you guys feel the same way? Or am I just a nut case?" you are a nutcase... otherwise you wouldnt be here the only ones i can consistently identify are different airplane engines, and split straights. and the usually difference between 4,,6,8,and 12. ive yet to hear an old cadillac 16.
I was standing outside the other day and across the road at the farm and fleet store I heard a truck start up, I thought to my self, 99 and up chevy pickup, look up to see an 04 chevy pickup! I can tell most of the time what it is by sound, even some newer stuff. I think the reason why we can tell what it is by sound is because we have such a deep interest in cars, trucks, planes, hell all things mechanical! I worked at an airport for a few years and a big radial has a beautiful sound. When it comes to cars, for some reason I think that nothing sounds better than a small block mopar with a big cam, and I am not really a mopar guy. Btw, thanks for the thread, your descriptions were awesome, very realistic!!
As kids we used to hang out at "The Corner Store" eating and drinking anything that would rot our teeth and the game of identifying vehicles by sound started then. I still do it!
351Cleveland and Boss302 have a very distinctive sound and Ford Y-blocks have a shuffle all their own......I don't even have to try to ID these motors when they are in ear shot. -Bigchief.
does anybody remember a commercial from like 10 years ago with some kid sitting in his room naming cars by there sound? and no i cant name engines by sound.
My brother is 10 years older than me, and also a complete gearhead. When we were kids we would take turns looking out the window while the other would try to guess the car by sound. Got pretty good at it, and 40 years later we are both still are able to identify cars by sound.
Anybody remember "Yodenbrow, bradden bradden..." The ads explaining how a Dodge wedge sounded? And damned if they don't!!!
But if you throw in vastly differing mufflers, it gets too confusing for me. The starter motor thing I can tell though.
About all I can tell for sure is a Y-block Ford and I think no other engine sounds as good as a full race flathead.
Similar thing. Harley Knuckleheads, Panheads, and Shovelheads all have a unique sound if you listen to them. I guess the Evo's do too. Problem is, I've finally gotten so deaf that I have to listen close to know if my Pan is running. LOL There are some unique sounds in the automotive world. Like was mentioned before a Chrysler starter, a big block Chevy running, a flathead at idle. All of it pretty neat stuff. Larry T
Yer a nut case, like the rest of us. By the way, if you've ever ridden one of those larger Kawasaki triples, you are aware that the sound changes from that popcorn burble at idle, to a sort of smooth muted whirring, and then when it hits that narrow powerband at the top of the RPM range the sound changes to a scream similar to that which would be made if all the witches and warlocks of the dark side were simultaneously tossed into a blazing inferno. The 750's were flat dangerous and scary, or as the advertisements said "evil, wicked, mean and nasty". When they came on the pipe (2-stroke guys will understand) it was like lighting off a rocket.
I'll run out the door if I hear the sound of radial engines or v-12's overhead. Don't matter if it's a DC-3 or an old bomber. I miss the sounds of being on the farm and some of my neighbors tractors. Wayne Andrews had a pair of Massey 2wd tractors with the v-8 Perkins diesels. Wide open all day long on straight pipes, fuel pumps turned up, WAAAAA-AAAAA-AAAAAA. He also had a Massey Harris 44 tractor turned into a pulling tractor with twin 427 Chevies, with the donor Impalas sitting in the fence row to rot.
The Jalopy Journal
