Art & Inspiration Rare Engines

Hi Folks.
As you can see in my Avatar, a rare OVAL-PORT Mopar head!
It inspired me to find out what it was and its purpose in life?
As we don't have Nascar in the UK, I was surprised to find out it was indeed a development engine for 70's Nascar. With the pending ban of the 426 Hemi, Mother Mopar decided to develop an Oval-port Bigb-block head not unlike the famous W2 small-blocks.
Here's the surprising part, it was being developed in the UK by WESLAKE ENG. in Kent, circa 1969/70.
I have seen the old factory down by Rye Harbour as its not far from where I live.
They are more famous for the Gurney-Weslake engines and not for Mopar engines.
I have the complete engine here still in Kent England.
It was destined to go to Dick Landy until his unfortunate passing.
I am toying with the idea of sending it to Don Garlits now.

It also inspired me to go and watch live Nascar in the States back when Dodge were still competitive and buy a 1969 Dodge Charger 500 Nascar homologation car.
Its one of 25, 440-4speed cars ever built and a true homage to Mother Mopars Aero designs in 1969 and 1970 Daytona.
John the Limey.

 

I'll play, MT Ford 427FE SOHC

 

Jon, that is a good piece of info. I never new anything about oval port heads. I want to build a screaming little mopar smallblock for my truck.
Tony

 

England used to have some of the top performance development experts in the world. Cosworth made a performance 4 cylinder head for Ford, which inspired John Delorean to commission the Cosworth Vega.

No doubt there are muscle car collectors who would pay plenty for a one off like yours.

 

Best V8 in the USA !
Studebaker race RnD And for some info on there standard V8 plus; https://www.hemmings.com/magazine/hcc/2015/03/America-s-Best-V-8-Engine--Studebaker/3747591.html

 

1963 427 Chevrolet Mystery motor

 

show pictures of the motor, any other little tricks found that they did to it?

 

Are you saying the engine pictured WAS a SOHC? It appears to be a hemi head OHV conversion. I don't see provision for OHC drive mechanism. Please clarify. Thanks....

Ray

 

^^I was wondering about that too..no 6' chain?

 

Cool stuff, John. Thanks for sharing.

 

Thanks for that link,Dana.Very interesting write-up.

 

Believe Westlake Eng. did the heads/engines for the Ford Indy car program. (Dan Gurney program), Cosworth cylinder heads found their way on several engines, again Ford 4 cylinder and the GM Vega 4 cylinder. These 2 names was/are big in engine development, Westlake Eng. And Cosworth, Still in business ?

 

I read The Micky Thomson bio and he cast a whole bunch of special heads for different engines and Hemi head for Ford was one..Used stock cam location with a unique push rod arrangement...I think he was the first [or very close to] to cast whole after market heads, at least for the OHV v8's....

 

Three piece wobbly

 

interesting - Thanks - pic of unique motor that I recently spotted

 

Lol..Something along that statement..

 

http://www.hotrod.com/articles/ccrp-1101-oldsmobile-hemi-engine/

 

I have some pics and info on some oddball Ford engines on my old (no longer updated) website:

http://www.wrljet.com/fordv8/427sohc.html
http://www.wrljet.com/fordv8/exotics.html
http://www.wrljet.com/fordv8/tp302.html
http://www.wrljet.com/fordv8/indy.html
http://www.wrljet.com/fordv8/gurney.html

-Bill

 

Oops, doing too many things at once. Brain fart. 427FE, NOT a SOHC. A Hemi conversion with articulated pushrods. http://www.hotrod.com/articles/hrdp-1008-mickey-thompsons-427-ford-hemi-engine/



MT did some Pontiacs as well. Apologies

 

Mickey did a lot of things and had many firsts but yes, others beat him when it came to heads. Howard Johansen did cast aluminum SBC heads for the Twin Bear dragster in the late '50's- early '60's and Al Sharp produced cast aluminum hemi heads with his own design refinements for the hemi in the 554 '34 coupe that was run by Mooneyham and Sharp. Maybe there were others too.

 

N.A.S.C.A.R. let MOPAR run the 426 race hemi in 1964 despite the fact it was not offered in a street car.
N.A.S.C.A.R. banned the hemi in 1965. MOPAR boycotted the 65 season. Which is why Richard Petty and David Pearson in the Cotton Ownens car went drag racing

Ford built the 427 Cammer to run in 1966.
N.A.S.C.A.R banned it before it hit the track, Ford boycotted 1966.

427 Cammer


426 Race Hemi

 

how about a SIMCA V8-60


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Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Pardon my ignorance. Was the simca the French evolution of the ford flathead akin to ardun?


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421 Pontiac OHC
http://www.wallaceracing.com/421-ohc-gp.html

 

OHC 289 experimental, only 3 were made.




Oldsmobile 455

 

Don't forget about the Toyota hemi...

 

if this is the same t bucket from Streetrodder magazine in the mid-90's I think?
It was built by a Toyota master tech who had this engine imported to the states from Japan. If I remember right it was only available in a certain body limosine .

 

I'm not sure. We had 4 of them at the hotrod shop I worked at in the late 90s. The guy that owned them just passed away 5 days ago. He was 80 years young. Some guys here in California May know of him. His name was Richard hicks. Great friend we would sit and talk for hours about early Harley's as he use to drag race them. He had a shop/storage units at the nipomo ca. Swapmeet/flea market. He had a 70s-early80s Toyota little pickup truck and a wierd looking Toyota extended car might of been a small limo. Both had these engines and he had two more motors. Neat motors.

 

.....